The Rival
by Lord Exon
Despite what one may believe, Exon the god and his faithful creature companion Pookie the turtle are not evil incarnate. Indeed, they did torture and destroy a village. One might even go as far as to say they annihilated all forms of life and reduced it to a huge smoking crater. Truly, Exon and Pookie can be quite passionate, in fact. However, this only applies to their own villagers and neutral villagers. Not enemy villagers. Yes, yes, I know what you're saying, that village they toasted did in fact believe in them. But it had believed in another god before then. By doing so they had become tainted. Impure. The injustice of pledging fealty to another god was not an act Exon was willing to forgive. Back to where I was...Exon and Pookie are really nice chums, when you get to know them. Pookie would not hurt a non-enemy villager ever. The last time he brought harm to a villager of his own was when he was an infant, merely a year old. He accidentally fell asleep on someone's house and smashed the wall in. He was kind enough to supply the wood to fix it afterwards, however.
Exon has a large expanse of towns under his control throughout the landscape.
"Ah, finally, I have destroyed all gods, their creatures, and their followers within a thirty mile radius of my temple. Unity is restored to my lands. Quite a feat, eh, Pookie?" said Exon, towering over his domain far above in the skies (which were red and gloomy and chock full of bats, but only because he uses offensive miracles against enemies, otherwise they'd be as bright as can be).
Pookie smiled and planted a tree in the midst of a town and waved at his master above in the air.
Exon rubbed Pookie in an encouraging manner.
"Yes, unity...a word I've longed to say for some time now."
"We shall have a magnificent feast in honor of I and the glory of my nation." boomed Exon to all to hear.
***Later That Day***
All of Exon's followers had gathered at his capital to attend the grand festival (courtesy of the GWS, the Godly Warp System, a network of warp miracles cast in every town, allowing for quick and easy travel between all of the towns of Exon's empire). Dancers danced. Musicians played music. Farmers took a break for once and ate the spoils they had worked so hard to scrape together. Breeders well, bred. Mosh pits formed. Huge bon fires were erected to cook meals. Exon made a daring stunt and smashed open the door to the village stores, spilling its food contents into the streets for the masses to devour. All was merry and wild. Exon showed off his godly powers by creating fireworks in the skies. Pookie was busy giving children rides. Thousands upon thousands of villagers partied. After some while, Exon started to make a speech. Everyone's voices became hushed and all activity ceased to a halt to lend Exon the attention he desired:
"My dear followers, through hard work, immense dedication, and courage we have strived as a whole to achieve complete unity. I rose from a small plea, a prayer to a god. I rose to destroy all who oppose me and bring unity to this world of chaos and confusion. It was my purpose, my reason to have been created. I chose Pookie to become my right hand in my quest. Together, we have reached our goals. We are the masters of this universe."
With that said, the crowd burst into cheer and applauded. Without warning a sizzling lightning bolt struck the ground in the midst of the crowd, frying all who were in a five foot radius of it. The villagers quickly backed up from the point, revealing four gods...goddesses, even.
"Hah! Masters of the universe! That is a good one! You're hardly the master of anything, Exon." taunted one goddess.
"...long time no see, Katherine." Exon spoke. The villagers were deathly silent.
"Indeed, it has been, Exon! You've changed - no, wait, you're still the pathetic little god you were when I last saw you. Ha ha ha!" chuckled Katherine. As soon as she started laughing her goddess minions started laughing as well like it was the most hilarious joke ever spawned in all existence. Pookie rolled his eyes and sighed.
"So what the hell do you think you're doing here, Katherine? Had I not made it clear I don't wish to associate with you anymore? You and your childish ambitions! You don't even work for your power. Your titan parents just transfer lots of their prayer power to you. And they hire those stooges to tend to your every need and whim. Hardly what I call deserved power. Pfft." sneered Exon.
Exon knew he was really risking it when he said that one. Katherine tended to be very belligerent when she was insulted, and had the brute power from her parents and the support of her minions to back it up. Katherine was the snob of all gods/goddesses, the aristocrat, the upper class. Exon knew that while Katherine had all the power in the world, he still had the knowledge of every miracle in existence, and so did his creature, Pookie. This was the result of much, much hard work over the course of the years. Katherine's creature, Fanrazael, was hardly at all even raised by herself. She left her minions to train it and teach it, and then, when it suited her, Katherine would use it.
"How dare you, you cocky little bastard! We'll be back for you soon enough! Just wait until my influence has achieved a complete grasp on your lands!" shouted Katherine. Suddenly, Fanrazael emerged from between some trees. Fanrazael was a Leopard. She was roughly the same size as Pookie, however, she was a bit tubby for her size. Fanrazael suddenly casted a fireball on a house. With a flash of lightning, Katherine, her minions, and Fanrazael were gone again.
"That's it! It's war!!!" called Exon to the world to hear. He then casted a storm miracle over the house to drench it in rain and put it out. The villagers seemed mildly panicked. "Pookie, I'd like to have a word with you in my temple once you're done fixing up that house and treating the injured." said Exon, drifting off to his temple at high speeds. With a swift stroke of Pookie's arm, the house was mended, and with a second stroke, he cast a heal increase miracle which restored everyone's health. He then obediently waddled back to Exon's temple.
Exon and Pookie met in the Creature Cave, the only room that could possibly accomodate Pookie's massive size. "Pookie, according to my map of the world, there are four different energy signatures being emitted some ways from the edge of my realm. These signify temples belonging to gods. Or should I say goddesses. The largest one is surely Katherine's, while the other three are likely her minions." Exon sighed. "It's going to be tough, Pookie. Katherine's the biggest snob I've ever met. We're going to have to do an all out assault on her. If we give her enough time to become worried, she'll open up a vortex and contact her parents, who will transfer all the power, villagers, food, wood, and minions she could possibly need. We'll have to work quickly." Pookie nodded and made a cheerful "Rnrrrl!" as he punched his fist into the air, as if to say, "Yeah, way to go". "It looks like they already have several towns under their control, and they're spreading at an alarming rate." Exon pointed to a shaded region on his map. "This is the DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone. This is no man's land. It's up for grabs. We'll have to claim as much of it as we can. Katherine will be trying to do the same thing. Once we meet, things are going to get ugly." stated Exon. "Pookie, I want you to go along the western side of the DMZ and convert as many villages as possible. I'll be going up along the middle. I'm not worried about being invaded by the eastern portion, because I have enough power to maintain permanent mana and physical shields on the towns there. Katherine's strength relies in the massive amount of prayer power she has. Miracle-wise, she's nothing. She's lucky if she can cast a Fireball Increase. However, she can cast a billion Fireballs and not break a sweat with all of that power, so do not underestimate her. As for Fanrazael, she looks to be a pretty good fighter, but I have no doubt you can't beat him, what with all the training I've put you through (Exon was very obsessive about keeping Pookie in tip top condition. He'd have him run miles carrying huge boulders, made him get just enough rest, and watched his diet carefully. He also had Pookie spar enemy creatures whenever he got the chance.). I don't know how powerful or knowledgeable she is pertaining to miracles, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. As for Fanrazael's minions, I have no clue."
Suddenly, a scroll materialized before Exon. It opened up, and read:
Dear Exon,
Eat shit and die. When I crush you, I'll make your creature Fanrazael's
slave to answer her every beckoning, and I'll turn your entire realm into a huge
monument dedicated to myself.
Love,
Katherine
Exon cast a Fireball Miracle on the scroll and it was reduced to ash. "Argh...let's go get those bitches, Pookie!" he roared, thundering out into the world to convert villages.
Exon had converted so many villages and had so many followers, that his influence extended quite a bit beyond his realm. With this influence, he already could reach two villages unowned by him. Exon approached the first village, and got to work immediately. First, he opened with a Miracle Flock Increase miracle, which got the village's attention. He then cast a Heal Increase miracle which produced more belief. He then played on the village's needs, first supplying them with wood to build more homes, then food to feed the villagers, then, because they had too much wood and food, they wanted to have more children, so he assigned a few breeder diciples. This racked in a whole bunch more of belief. Finally, he finished it off by juggling a few trees and then planting them in the center of the village. The village was his. Because Exon already knew every miracle there was to know, he was not suprised at all to find this village offered no new miracles. He set up a link to the GWS and then sent his new worshippers to go build an altar at his temple and worship him. Exon could already feel their contributed power making him stronger. Exon soared on to the next village. He was on a roll.
Pookie utilized the GWS to get to the western-most town, and then traveled on foot to the nearest unowned village. As soon as Pookie arrived, lumbering over everyone and casting them in his shadow, people immediately started churning in belief. Pookie waved at the village, and then did a one-hand stand for all to see. Everyone was very impressed. He then cast a Miracle Flock Increase miracle followed up by a Heal Increase, just as his master did. He then cast a basic Storm miracle over the village, scaring some people (Exon did not understand why Storm miracles scared people. They don't hurt them. They don't destroy anything. They just water all of the fields. He figured as long as it did just that and only the basic form was utilized, it was fine for converting villages with). After taking refuge from the Storm miracle, the people quickly flocked back to Pookie, eager to see what else he could do. He went and picked up a tree and placed it in the village stores, then went and retrieved some fish from a nearby river and placed them in as well. The village was sold. They believed in Exon. Pookie made a V with his fingers to symbolize victory. He then plodded onward towards the next village.
Exon had arrived at the next village, but to his astonishment, a creature he had never seen before was already there, busily trying to convert it. Suddenly a goddess, one of Katherine's underlings, appeared and got in Exon's face. "Well, well, it's Exon! Too bad you don't have your creature with you! With you so far away from your line of influence, you can't possibly do anything to stop Davine from converting this here village!" boasted the goddess. Davine, a horse, was of relatively large size, and was rapidly converting the village. What was worse, however, was it was not exactly using the nicest tactics to convert with. Davine would kick open a building or set it on fire, then repair it, producing belief for both actions. Exon winced. "And you are...?" asked Exon. "I'm Cindy, Katherine's associate." sneered Cindy. "It won't be long before this village is mine. And when it is, I'll be able to stage an assault on your realm!" Davine had a villager hanging from his hooves right over his mouth. With the devouring of that villager, the village may have believed in Cindy. Exon snorted. "Yeah, only too bad my influence does in fact extend this far." "What-" *ZAAAAAAAAAP* Exon had casted a Lightning Increase miracle. A huge lightning bolt flew from Exon and struck Davine, sending volts and volts of energy up and down him. Davine cried out in agony. "Oh, you like that, eh?" mocked Exon. "Well eat this!" *KA-BOOMZAAAAAAAAAP* Exon casted a Lightning Extreme miracle on Davine. Massive bolts of crackling electricity pulsed through Davine's body, causing him to spaz out and flail his arms madly. When it was over, Davine collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He then disappeared, as he had teleported back to Cindy's temple. "!!!...You!...you will pay for that!" snapped Cindy, flying away. The villagers watched the spectacle in amazement. Exon proceeded to convert the village.
Pookie had reached the next village to convert. As he arrived, it was evident that this village would prove to be resillient against conversion. Pookie was getting hungry, too. And when he was hungry, he'd run out of fuel to cast miracles with. Pookie could really have gone for one of the nice cows herding around the village, but he recall Exon's strict dieting rules and decided to go get himself some fish instead. Smacking his lips, Pookie began his usual conversion routine on the village. This chipped away at the village's belief, but was taking longer than Pookie or Exon would've liked. Pookie decided to use one of the many aces up his non-existent sleeves that Exon had shown him. Pookie went to a nearby rocky outcropping and smashed it into smaller rocks. He then took these rocks and repeatedly crushed them until they were pounded into pieces of rock about the size of a villager's fist. Backing up, Pookie then drew an incantation in the air with a fuzzy aura and casted a Fireball Increase miracle on the rocks. *Whoosh* The rocks were all alight, burning with intense heat. Pookie then blew so hard on the flames that they died down, leaving red hot coals. Pookie then took some sheep from the village's herds. The villagers were uneasy and were hesitant to decide whether to run away or stay and see what he was up to. Pookie then grilled the sheep on the hot coals. It was a barbeque! The villagers rejoiced and gobbled down the feast Pookie had laid before them. Needless to say, Pookie won the hearts and belief of the village. This victory was short-lived, however.
Boom. Boom. Boom. A huge rhino suddenly walked into sight, leashed with the rope of learning to a goddess. "Oh...what a postcard picture this scene would make. Too bad we'll have to destroy it! Trash it, Benjamin!" The leash was suddenly changed to the leash of aggression. The rhino beat it's chest with it's bulky arms and roared, raising it's head back and holding it's horn into the sky. A child ran away from it's parents up to the Rhino, naive and unaware of the danger the creature posed. The rhino snorted and kicked the child, sending it flying into the horizon. The Rhino then started to perform an offensive miracle.
Pookie would not stand for this. "Rrrrrr..." he growled. Just as the creature was about to cast his miracle, it suddenly was interrupted by redhot coals being thrown into his eyes. It cried out in pain. Pookie had kicked the barbeque coals into Benjamin's face. Pookie then charged while he was clutching his face. "Bejamin! Watch out!" yelled the goddess. But he was still to busy wiping his eyes. Pookie bended down just as he barreled into him, knocking him down with his shell. Pookie and Bejamin got up, and a white circle appeared off to the side of the village. Pookie and Benjamin walked into it, growling and baring their teeth. Pookie gave Benjamin the finger. Benjamin crouched, then charged at Pookie with his horn. Pookie sidestepped and retaliated with a closeline which flipped Benjamin on his back. Pookie backed up, then cast a Strengthen miracle on himself, followed by a Weaken miracle on Benjamin. As Benjamin got up, Pookie lunged at Bejamin, who darted out of the way. Pookie's fist missed and slammed into the ground, which, with the effects of the Strengthen miracle, ruptured the ground, sending cracks in all directions. Pookie sweeped Benjamin and backed up. Bejamin threw a punch at Pookie, which hit him in the jaw. However, the effects of the Weaken miracle had taken their toll, and the damage of the blow was significantly reduced. Pookie countered with an uppercut which made Benjamin dizzy. Pookie backed up, and suddenly launched into the air while twirling, and executed a punishing blow right into Benjamin's snout. Pookie had used his special move. Benjamin was thoroughly knocked out. "Blast you, you accursed reptile!" screamed the goddess as she vanished. Once again, victory was Pookie's.