Tread Lightly

*************

Wyatt Graves

In the looming shadow of Maxemista, the furred deity of forests and beasts, I shuffle slightly on the balls of my feet. Lennon is beside me, his muscles already locked in preparation for his first move. Instead of joining him, I spend this short moment of peace looking around. All around in the distance, without the clouds of darkness to obscure my vision, I find the other 'afterlives' of the different races.

They have all already lost, without even a God rushing them down. Millions must be running for their Undeaths down here. The Underworld is falling. No... it already has.

Despite the weariness that weighs upon us, I share a silent acknowledgment with Lennon. It is a pact to confront this God before us with the same sincerity as one with the Devil himself. Maxemista seems to eclipse the very horizon as he charges relentlessly toward us without any hesitation.

For a fleeting moment, doubt grips me, uncertainty clouding my mind like an ominous shroud. Can we mortals truly challenge a God? The answer is yes, I've seen it before, but can we? Can the two of us?

No answer comes to me.

However, one of us two does not need one. Beside me, Lennon remains resolute, his determination unyielding. With a swift motion, he tautens his formless Claymore, a glint of murder flashing in his eyes. Then, dozens more conjure behind him as he slashes backward, using them to create momentum.

A moment later, Lennon is hurtling through the air toward the God, screaming with joy. Right... he's always wanted something such as this. Lennon lives for a good fight. He... needs it. And... what better opponent than a God?

"Are we following?"

I nod to Blodwyn as his Ether is already in full swing. We're going to need every inch we can get. As such...

Before the battle even begins, I inhale the Ether around me. I do not stop with one mere gasp, however. Freedom is needed more than ever before.

Once brightens the dreary colors of the Underworld, heightening my perceptions, strengths, and speeds.

Twice sharpens the shadows, both darkening and illuminating the world. Furthermore, I can feel my body creak and groan under the pressure of the Ether.

Thrice magnifies my vision and my senses and seemingly slows down time. I know that is not the case; my perceptions have accelerated, but it doesn't change the fact that it is a qualitative change.

Typically, I stop after three gasps, with that number lasting only for a short amount of time. The pressure it puts on my body is always far more than I can handle for any extended period. Yet... I am not the same as I was just a few days ago.

With my very soul, I press it upon my form as my chains continue to recede, some vanishing entirely for the time being. Learning a new way to use my Dominion, I compress my body, creating a new realm of physical endurance for myself. Still... I am not confident I could withstand a fourth, but I do not let that slow me.

Closing my eyes as Lennon and Maxemista have their first clash, a literal vista of trees coming into existence only to be cut in half with the upper portion flying into the air, I inhale once more. Between gasps, I never exhale; I only allow more and more to enter my lungs as they expand and compress. The air around me sinks inward to form a vortex centered upon me as the Ether in the nearest mile or so ceases to exist.

Right now, I feel as though there is a Marshall Protocol within my chest. Around my body, however, I see the chains fade even more so. Now, there are only a dozen or so remaining, as opposed to the regular hundreds.

And with my eyes closed, I let my body and soul merge, transforming me into a being of nothing but soul. Grabbing tightly onto Blodwyn, my partner and I step on a still-standing tree below Maxemista in no time at all.

As I arrive, a profound presence bears down on me. Maxemista's wooden eyes beneath its fur stare down at me while Lennon roars with excitement, slashing through miles of forests in the blink of an eye. Unexpectedly, the God speaks, and by the Devil is he loud.

"Quite confident, you two. Let us see if you can survive Mother's wrath or fall to nature. I have a job to do, and you will not even slow me down."

The booming voice immediately transitions to a crashing fist akin to a hilltop falling right for me. Upon the hairy knuckles, trees spawn like spears before launching themselves off early to pierce me through. The weight of the collapsing heavens forces me into action without an instance of pause.

Kicking off the ground, I dart away from the attack with all the speed I possibly can. Giant oaks stab into the earth around me, placing reversed and corrupted life into the desolate Underworld. I constantly dodge and leap from side to side to refrain from being annihilated by the apocalyptic forest.

Dirt, debris, and even corpses from before flying into the air before a deep shadow covers where I stand. Gritting my teeth, I leap forward with all my force, reaching for the edge of the shadow. Yet, I swiftly realize I'm not fast enough, even with four gasps.

This is a God.

This is a God.

This is a God.

I will never be enough as a mortal.

Twisting my head, I see the fist in brutal definition. It is going to hit me. I can't shift into my soul anywhere near how fast I would need to. My eyes take in every tiny detail of the fingers on the fist. All the contours, the sprouting saplings, and the tumultuous life within the Godly flesh. Still, in the air, I contort my body, and as I do so, I pivot the Ether from all four gasps into my right arm.

The fleshy one won't be able to handle it. I know that. It will simply collapse from the ocean of Ether. Earl's creation, however, augmented by my soul and flesh... it can handle it. Skysbane. How... ironic.

My position isn't ideal for throwing a punch, soaring through the air, and without a concrete form. But that's alright. My brows furrow while my whole being screams in pain. Even Blodwyn is hurting as the Ether peaks within my metallic knuckles clad with flesh. Painsforge and Blood Nexus beat side by side with a final burst of strength for our collision.

A tiny hand meets a massive one, but I'm not aiming to directly oppose Maxemista's force. I'm not that dumb. Once upon a time, perhaps, but I've learned direct overpowering is not the way to go. So, I tilt my fist, hitting Maxemista's domineering mountain diagonally.

Colors vanish as all I can perceive are black and white upon our collision, the luminance of my soul against Maxemista's corrupt darkness. I pull what little I can away, further lessening the damage dealt.

Nonetheless, the impact sunders everything I've ever known. A surge of overwhelming force courses through me, propelling me backward with unparalleled intensity. Each bone in my body breaks simultaneously as the prosthetic wrings itself with cracks throughout its whole frame. Time seems to stretch into eternity as I hurtle through the air, my senses heightened to an almost surreal degree.

I can only observe in eerie applause as the landscape blurs past me, every detail etched into my consciousness with crystal clarity.

Upside down trees blur into streaks of green, their branches whipping past me like fleeting memories as their trunks explode into bark. Rocks shatter beneath me, sending fragments scattering in all directions as I barrel through them. The earth itself seems to tilt and spin beneath me, a dizzying whirl of motion and chaos.

Despite the violent tumult surrounding me, there is a strange calmness that descends upon my mind. Pain, normally a sharp and immediate sensation, becomes distant and muted, dulled by the surreal slowness of my perception. It is as though time itself has slowed to a crawl, granting me a fleeting respite from the agony of my shattered bones.

Finally, with a bone-jarring impact, I come to a halt, embedded deep within an upraised section of earth. My vision swims as I struggle to blink, to breathe, to... live. But Blodwyn is right there, fixing up the mashed limbs and filling in the cracks of my prosthetic with bone. Still... I can hardly move.

That does not stop me, however, as I force myself into a stand, discovering that I'm dozens of miles away from the fight. Maxemista hit me with the force of a true God. And...

Tightening a regrown fist as Blodwyn Bloodlets the injuries all to my left arm so that I can walk, I take my first step.

"He didn't kill us."

My partner agrees, nodding with his mind as he is equally proud. We've come a long way since that forest.

"That he didn't."

All hurts. Each tiny speck of my body is swimming through magma as I watch Lennon do a similar act, hardly managing to escape the combination of a crashing forest and a meteor-like fist.

Soultrek gradually takes shape as Blodwyn and I rush back into the battle. We're not yet whole, but we're put together enough to help. This time, we appear after Maxemista already threw a punch, so I rush straight for the God, moving with all I have to get too close for him to punch again.

But... it's a God. Maxemista can do more than punch.

A grove develops beneath my feet with enough speed to put bullets to shame, endeavoring to skewer me and hoist my corpse into the air. Evading the forest, I'm slowed considerably as I realize what he's doing right now is a Dominion. I press onto my surroundings with my soul as Maxemista's soul seems to encompass the whole forest.

Immediately, I'm repelled as I feel a bolt of torment flash through my body. Grunting, I continue, relieved slightly of the stabbing trees. Yet, as I sprint for Maxemista, I witness something utterly demoralizing. The God is continuing to grow, much like Behemoth's Sirza.

This...

Gazing at the God while it does so, I find no hint of Power or Dominion. It is simply... growing. Ah... I see. The Concept of Growth. It's within the God. But why is it only this size, then? Shouldn't it be larger if that's its concept? It's Divinhood, or whatever?

A colossal blade slashes over my head to cut into Maxemista's chest, managing to tear through the fur and finally drawing some dark ichor out of the creature. Though, I do believe my contest with him also drew some blood.

Blodwyn is already using his Dominion against the wound, enlarging it, while the Bringer Of Groves reaches the size of a mountain. How... how are we going to kill this thing?

Shaking my head, I continue with determination as I reach his foot, leaping up and climbing with just my feet. Bony spikes just from my heels with Blodwyn's help, but Maxemista's body is just as deadly as his fist. The hair, leaves, and twigs covering his flesh explode like my Living Manacles, seeking to strangle me.

I contest the horde of tethers with my own, but I am quickly pushed back as a shadow encompasses me. Shit.

Closing my eyes, I hurriedly disassemble my body for Soultrek. It's risky as I'm being assaulted, but... I don't have much choice. There is no way to run.

So, without a form other than my soul, I rush away, yet the Darklight still finds me. The silvery darkness creeps into my soul and immediately forces me to gain substance again or fall prey. So, I tumble from the sky, crashing straight into the ground as Blodwyn and I war against the Godly corruption.

My muscles seize and twist as Lennon takes the opportunity. I afforded him the opportunity to swing again with his sword, slashing open another wound. It runs hundreds of feet long, but the dripping ichor is hardly anything compared to Maxemista's size.

I crawl back, attempting to gain some distance as I spot trees already heading my way, and the Green Growth speaks to Lennon through his earthly voice. The God advances with each syllable.

“Why do you not despair, human? Even that which is behind you is trembling. You are broken, shaken, and dying.”

Glancing at Lennon's form as he dances through the air using his own blades as jumping points, I realize that the healing I gave him is forfeit. The man is hemorrhaging blood all over. Still, he does not fall back as he brandishes yet another blade, speaking with the poetry his father was known for.

"Pain is a joy whose fruit only comes after it ends. A God would never understand. I earned my strength, and… there is something violent bursting from within. It yearns for blood. For death. For… despair just as you do. I… I have felt despair, God, and I met it with steel. But have you? Have you… ever cried? Have you ever looked at yourself as less than nothing?”

A tale is only as good as its ending. A poem is only meaningful with its final letter. I've heard Lennon say this before, and as his Dominion is batted aside by Maxemista's burgeoning forests, I force myself to stand. Then, I fall back to the ground. The Darklight from a Deity is too much to get rid of in seconds.

While I struggle to move, Maxemista continues to belittle Lennon, attempting to convert the only man I know would never fall to another's whims. They do not understand how hopeless it is to change that monster's mind.

“That little voice in your head? The one that says there is hope left? It only speaks lies.”

Lennon jaunts off a collapsing segment of rock from Maxemista's fist, managing to dodge the entire punch. Then, flipping through the air with his own slashing sword as a lift-off, he saunters right for the God's ginormous skull.

“Is that so? Good thing there are no voices. I haven't had that one in a long time. I am of one, whole mind.”

The swordsman's confidence is overwhelming as he dodges a thousand spearing trees, shifting just far enough with tapping steel for the leaves to cut his skin. Maxemista grows furious as the human nears his face. His arms reach for the puny ant-sized being.

“Wake up to the world! THERE IS ONLY SUFFERING AND PAIN WITHOUT HER!”

The monster falls silent after a final response, his blade becoming the following answer.

“Exactly. There is only me and you. Which one are you then, pain or suffering?”

A flash of soul and an open wound spews abyssal ichor all over the Underworld. Yet... I can see Lennon is exhausted after all that. His body... it is at its limit as he careens downward. Tightening my jaw, I Soultrek again, angling myself to stop right beneath him.

I yank the swordsman's arm just as Maxemista looks down at us. He growls with unrivaled fury, shaking the ceiling of the Underworld and all the nearby mountains. Then... I learn where the mass goes.

Maxemist shrinks to the size of Aniwye before she Adjusts. My eyes open wide as I see his soul compress the same amount. Instantly, without hesitation, Liberation falls over my mind. Time slows to a crawl as a fist becomes all I can see. The shadows of reality cease to exist, the whole world only being the hand coming for my life.

It is domineering and overpowering and possesses the force to shatter more than just the air. Reality itself sparks as the fist ignites.

I act, pushing for all the possible strengths I can leverage.

Release falls first upon my right arm, removing the chains from one limb as I inhale rapidly. In this slowed time, each action is unbearably agonizing to keep up with, but if I don't, we both die.

From Daydream to Hone, everything I know comes together. Four gasps invade my body instantly, not weakening that fist in the slightest. This is Maxemista's true Divinhood. The sublimation of growth.

I am filled with a might I've never had before. It seems... limitless, absolutely unstoppable, but before that hand... those closed fingers... those dark knuckles... I Shiver.

My body moves on its own, inhaling a fifth gasp. Cracks start to emerge in my flesh as muscles, skin, and even organs rip open.

"Hold us together for a little while longer, buddy."

Blodwyn can't reply, but I can only hope he manages to do as my fist moves in this slowed time. The prosthetic crafted with Earl's mightiest inventions meets this God's fist. The metal is the most durable steel in the known world, said to be able to bear a Demigod's wrath.

But against a true-ichor God... all turns black. Again, I soar across the landscape, but my consciousness is riddled with trauma such that I can barely comprehend our speeds. Yes, our speeds, as I am still holding onto Lennon, as I bore the majority of the impact in his stead.

Moments pass until our collisions with the Underworld around us cease. I can feel that I am dead. That what I see is only an image of before my demise, and as Blodwyn restarts the blood flow in my body, restoring my brain, I take in a disgusting gasp of air.

Unable to move, I taste the blood in the air, the Darklight wafting off me still. Blodwyn is silent, fighting in my stead as I did for Lennon while both of us humans sit against the... the Gate of Death.

We flew that far? Thousands of miles? No... it wasn't that far. A thousand at most. Still...

I attempt to raise a hand to check on Lennon's state, but my body won't respond. Coughing out some dark phlegm, I let my chin fall onto my chest and sleep overtake me as I stare at the empty right side of my body.

We lost. And I don't even know if Lennon is still alive or not.