Part 5 - Blood of the King

Chapter 107 - The Struggle (Part Three)

Gwen and Conall were fighting back to back at this point, something the former never thought she'd be doing.

"I thought you said there'd be an army of the dead coming!" Yelled Conall over the howls and screeches of Kates.

"There is!"

Suddenly, for apparently no reason, the ground shook violently; the wind howled, and a noise boomed throughout the world. For a few precious seconds, the fighting ceased and all bowed their heads. When the wind died down again, the battle continued.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Conall.

"No clue!"

A blue crack appeared and from it marched hordes upon hordes of people. Those at the front were spider people, followed by people dressed similarly to Vikings but not quite. Even over the racket around them, Gwen and Conall heard the words 'fus ro dah' yelled and saw the blue shockwave crash through a line of Kates. Gwen stabbed another Kate and was about to move on to another when it was blasted away with blue sparks. Miles morphed his mask down.

"You're alive? Teresa said you went to a different narrative or something." He said to her.

"You can read the full story later. There're bigger problems right now."

"So I see."

Conall spread his golden wings and tore off to find another patch of Kates while the spiders exchanged a quick kiss and prepared to make their stand. The three Kates circling suddenly stopped and went stiff, as if standing to attention. Most likely, they were since Jeser emerged from the masses. His double-bladed sword was dripping with blood of all colours.

"It is time for you to face your final reckoning, spiders."

The pair lunged at the Scarlet King's second in command. He swatted Gwen away, but stumbled back with the venom strike from Miles. Gwen leapt back up, wrapping her arms and legs around Jeser's neck and trying to twist it to snap it. However, he lurched forwards, throwing her clear. Miles jumped up, trying to use Jeser's own move to their advantage by kicking him over; it failed and the general remained on his feet. He started to spin his double bladed sword, hurling it at Gwen who jumped over and threw her katana. It embedded itself in Jeser's armour and the general snarled.

"You truly are spider people: as pathetic as humans, as irritating as insects."

"It's what we do best!" Replied Miles with a mocking grin which he accompanied with a venom strike on the general's forehead.

The double-bladed sword flew back into Jeser's hand and he pulled the katana free, ignoring the blood that trickled from the wound. Instead of going to fight the spiders, he drove one end of his sword into the mud. Gwen froze for a second, then her eyes turned red.

"I cannot control you through dimensions as was my King's intention, but I can do just as fine job when you are here before me. Kill."

Miles remembered Max being controlled by Jeser. Gwen threw punches at him, but he blocked them before headbutting her in the face. She recoiled for a second and he took the chance to knock her out.

"My point is proven: pathetic as any other human."

"That's where the 'person' part of 'spider person' comes from."

Miles jumped up at Jeser, throwing his fist into his adversary's face as hard as he could only to be grabbed out of the air and hurled to the ground. At the same time, the sky darkened and it began to rain. Jeser raised his sword to finish Miles, but stopped and looked back in fear.

"He is here."

Conall wasn't sure what knocked him out of the sky to begin with, but what he saw when he landed answered it. SCP-058 was scuttling towards him at high speed. The immortal fired a beam of energy at it and it skidded to a halt, its stinger darting left and right, poised to strike.

"What's on your mind today, cow man?"

"I fear the falling of the rain and the strike of the lightning bolt for the Greatest comes bearing starlight."

Conall was about to fight the Heart of Darkness, but for the first time it stopped talking. The quiet lasted just for a second as clouds darkened the sky and rain began to fall.

"I dream of the fall of the Scarlet King in flames of his own creation. I see the darkness; I see the light. Dei Volente has come."

In the very centre of the battle, a jet of light streaked down from the sky. When it ceased, it revealed Max. The red trim of his spider suit glowed eerily; the sword in his hand made the Kates cower in fear. Thunder rumbled above, followed moments later by a series of lightning strikes that blasted apart most of the golems that had killed Teresa. With little more than a care in the world, Dei Volente slashed a Kate in half. The battle parted before him, and nothing dared walk in his wake. A Kate Sergeant refused to back down; it stood its ground, waving its tentacles threateningly. Max side-stepped out of the way of one and sliced his sword through it. The injury didn't heal and the Sergeant howled in agony. He grabbed its throat and stabbed Furore Mortale into the side of its head. His next challenger was a golem to which he snapped his fingers and it crumbled into a pile of rocks. Conall backed away from SCP-058 ahead, giving Max a clear line of sight with the Heart of Darkness. The creature huddled down a little, its stinger resting on its body.

"I cower before the God of all that lives and breathes on the many worlds…"

Those were the only words it managed to get out before Max raised Furore Mortale to the sky and brought it crashing down. A lightning bolt blasted 058. It screamed uncontrollably as the High Elder God picked it up by the stinger and ripped the armament from its body before plucking off its four legs. He dropped the pinkish-red bovine heart and stabbed his sword through it. A lightning bolt struck the carcass again for good measure as Max turned in the direction of the Scarlet King's second command. His voice boomed throughout the world causing those nearest him to cover their ears and bow down in fear:

"Jeser!"

The battle parted between the two and God faced demi-god. Jeser narrowed his eyes, sparing Max's parents knowing it would only incur his wrath further. It was clear who the victor would be without the fight even needing to start, so the general decided he may as well ask for even the slightest chance. Max was, after all, still human at core…wasn't he?

"What are you?"

"You know that already."

Max's voice didn't fill the entire world this time, only as loud as it would be if he had no powers.

"But do I? What are you without that sword? Are you as pathetic as your parents?"

"The fact that I even have this suggests I'm some level above pathetic without it."

"Then prove it."

Humans, Kates, Quintari, Pritari and every other race watched with baited breath, waiting to see if the High Elder God would take Jeser up on his challenge. Max stabbed Furore Mortale into the ground. A Kate quietly tried to slip its tentacles around the hilt, but the abomination turned to ash.

"I'm not one to back away from an honest challenge."

Jeser drove his own sword into the ground.

"Then we begin."

The general and God charged at each other. As the general pulled his fist back to throw punch, Max jumped up and brought his foot up in his opponent's chin before backflipping to uppercut him with a fistful of lightning bolts accompanied by some from the sky.

From the edge of the fight, Miles looked at Gwen who had come around a few moments earlier.

"That puts my venom strike to shame."

"You think?"

Jeser hit the ground hard, grunting on impact. Dei Volente rose into the air, glaring down at the general.

"Are you satisfied I'm more than pathetic?"

The general grumbled, then stared straight at the sky.

"Forgive me, my King; I have failed you. I plead you avenge my fate."

The God dropped from the sky. His fist struck Jeser in the chest creating a shockwave that knocked the nearest bystanders over. With their commander dead, the Scarlet King's forces turned and began to flee for their lives. The rain eased off and the sky brightened as Max watched the armies of mortals chase them away with roars of victory. Of course, there were plenty of dead who could be classed as immortal, but one day Bastria would fall and their time would end. He could see it written in time as plainly as the words on a page. He pulled his blade free from the mud and wiped it clean before sheathing it on his belt. He didn't need to look to know some of the people he was closest to were nearby. Conall came up beside him, hesitantly.

"So…err…do we have to bow to you or are we on the list of exemptions?"

Max chuckled and grinned, turning to the wielder of the Ethereal Plate of Power.

"You're on the list."

"So…can I ask where you've…"

Conall had made eye contact with Max as he started the question. Now he was lost, floating through a world dotted with pin pricks of light. Where was he? What was he? How could he compare to the might of a High Elder God? He was nothing but a name and a mortal body.

"Conall? Conall!"

Max waved his hand in front of the Plate wielder's face, bringing him back to his senses. Conall dropped his gaze, staring at the ground.

"Sorry. I…got lost in your eyes."

Gwen laughed from a short distance away.

"Sorry. He's taken."

"Not like that! I mean…you try it, then, if you think it's so funny."

Gwen shrugged and stepped up.

"Let's see what all this…"

She was in a an empty world where there seemed to be nothing. Ten specks of light spun slowly; the ten Ethereal Plates. They came together to form an orb, which then zoomed out to reveal it was just another piece of fruit on a tree. She became aware of just how small she was in comparison to even the fruit alone.

"OK. Nobody is making eye contact with me again." Max concluded, turning away from his mortal mother who shook herself awake.

"I…Max…"

"We don't have time for this. Khahrahk's army will return one last time, and he'll be with them. All of his generals are dead; six of his seven children are gone with them. The anti-meme is arguably the strongest and the weakest. You'll have only a few minutes to kill it before you can never remember it again. Fortunately, a fight is the short straw for it."

"I'll kill it, although I'll need some help." Volunteered a revived Edward.

"I'm with you." Said Conall.

"That means the rest of you will have to make your stand against the rest of the army. With ours, of course. I'm not expecting you to kill thousands of Kates with just six of you. That leaves me to deal with Khahrahk."

"Alone?" Asked Ganke.

He had been conscripted with the rest of Premis.

"I'm a High Elder God. Khahrahk is a Low Elder God. My kind are the only thing he fears."

"Your kind? So you aren't human anymore?" Asked Miles.

Max shook his head hastily.

"That's not what I meant."

"Are me and Gwen still your parents? And is Charlotte still your sister?"

"Yes. We're still family. God or no God, that isn't changing."

He could tell his father breathed a sigh of relief, although he had a feeling nobody else noticed. He decided to forget it and returned to the matter at hand.

"I understand everyone is scared, but I need you all to promise something. We have to do whatever it takes to stop Khahrahk here and now. This goes against what I just said a little, but I'm still getting used to being a God and I'm not as strong as I one day will be. Things may come close to us losing, in which case we burn the Tree."

Revived Teresa groaned.

"We aren't burning the Tree. Trillions will die, and you'll have to live with that decision forever. Trust me, Max: there are some calls you don't want to make and this is one."

Dei Volente rounded on the revived commander. There was a thundering boom as he turned.

"When will you accept there may be no alternative? I don't need your approval. I don't need anyone's approval. I will do what I have to do to let some people live on, even if it means sacrificing countless more. Those that die from Premis, Secadis, Treladis and Vaxar will go to Bastria and live on while Noladis survives."

"I agree with Max." Said Gwen.

"Same here." Said Miles.

Edward, Charlotte and Ganke sided with the God too. Teresa sighed.

"Fine. But I won't be the one to do it."

Teresa had returned to the spot where Churchill had made his speech and the leaders had witnessed the arrival of the remaining 'tari' species. Sadly, the British Prime Minister was dead, killed with a rifle in his hand beside his people. He was probably somewhere amongst the ranks of the dead, but the commander hadn't seen him. In the distance, she could see the remnants of Khahrahk's army awaiting their King's arrival. The Tree itself seemed to have changed a little: many of its branches now pointed towards the ground. It looked a little like it was trying to bow to something, probably Max. Just as she was thinking this, Max himself came up beside her. She sighed, wondering what the God could want with her. He would probably try and convince her to burn the Tree again.

"Out of curiosity, do you have a problem with me?" He asked.

"I'm not exactly happy you were missing for most of the battle, but I think killing 058 and Jeser makes up for that."

"In general, I mean."

"What makes you think that?"

"The way you act. Although, thinking about it, it's the way you acted around my mum before you refused to give her the Animator. At least, that's how the records tell it."

"So long as you don't stab us in the back, I have no cause for concern."

"I don't want to burn the Tree, but if it's the only way to stop Khahrahk then that's what we have to do. Creation is beautiful, even more-so when I close my eyes."

"If something looks better with your eyes shut, it looks horrible."

"Not for me. When you close your eyes, you see nothing. When I close my eyes, I see everything."

"Sounds poetic."

"I guess it is."

There was silence for a few moments as Teresa gathered her thoughts to answer Max's original question.

"I do have a problem with you. You're only fifteen, but you're one of the most powerful beings in the omniverse. Your mother once held a similar title, that was quite obviously a mis-label in the grand scheme of things, but she abused her power and killed countless innocent people."

"I can see why you're worried, but I'm not my mum. Plus, that was an Ethereal Plate; they actively try and turn someone crazy. My power doesn't; it just feels like another part of me. Kinda like having braces; you get used to them after a while and they're just another part of you."

"Gwen said she would use her power for good when she first merged with the Plate. Then she went and killed seven billion people along with every other living thing in 7065."

"Again. I'm not my mother."

"But you're an easily influenced hormonal teenager. You shouldn't be calling the shots."

"Should have thought of that when you made me senior director of the Legion. Either way, I am what I am now and you can't change it."

"I won't argue with that. While we're mentioning your mother, she wants to talk to you when you get the chance."

"Right. I'll go find her. Have fun!"

"Is that a God's command?"

"It is now."

Gwen was helping to clean up the mess that had been the ring of artillery around the Tree before the Meatball Demons had their way. She looked up when her spider sense told her Max was nearby. She made sure not to make eye contact, not feeling in the mood to be hit with a vision.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah. I said we could talk about what you said before I went to the narrative above later, and that was earlier so…"

"Oh…yeah…I forgot about that."

They walked a short distance away and sat down on a rock.

"I can't exactly remember what I said, but I felt like crap after it. I tried to find you afterwards but…"

"I know."

"You do?"

Gwen took out her phone and pulled up the original version of part five of the fan-fiction.

"Everything that happened since Miles was shot by that Carolus Rex guy."

"Those were easier days, weren't they?"

"I was dead."

"Oh yeah…I forgot that too. But…err…what else is in there?"

"It's how I know you and Grace were sleeping together. It was only implied, but it was kind of obvious."

"Let's not talk about that. So, about what I said. I'm sorry. I was just pissed off about The Factory raid and I had my guard down a bit."

"That's not the best thing in a boxing match."

"I mean my mental guard. Boxing is good for getting your anger out. Of course, Jacob is dead now so that won't be happening again anytime soon."

"I'm sorry to hear that, or read it. But I think he's just as alive as Miles. I wouldn't be surprised if he's somewhere in the army of the dead."

"He will be, somewhere."

"Well, back to what you said, you're forgiven. I know power to forgive and stuff is supposed to be in the hands of gods, but I'm not religious so it doesn't apply to me."

"Thanks."

Gwen didn't expect a hug, but she got one.

"Should I start a religion worshipping you?" She asked jokingly when he let go.

"Hell no. I haven't done anything god-like yet. And I don't want to be the centre of attention."

"Good. I've met a being possibly more powerful than you, so I'd be more likely to start one to him."

"Really?"

"SCP-3812. After it took me to the next narrative, it merged with the Author and he hit me with a train before deciding that changing the world was a bad idea."

"Sounds like quite the story."

"Not really. Anyway, I'd say you've done some god-like stuff. Hitting people with lightning, killing a child and general of the Scarlet King. Don't be too humble about stuff; take responsibility. That goes for the bad things you do as well."

"I'll remember that."

Max glanced to the side; Gwen was watching him with a sad look, but she dropped her gaze to avoid eye contact.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't see my son when I look at you anymore."

"You'll always be my mum, and Dad will always be my dad."

"Time will tell, I guess. Can you see time?"

"Everyone can. If you mean differently, then yes. It's kinda like a tapestry with each event painted on. The ones further away are harder to make out, but what's happening now is crystal clear. That's the best way I can think of to describe it."

Gwen smiled, then shook her head vigorously.

"I should get going. There's a lot of work to be done and Khahrahk could arrive at any moment."

"The fact he hasn't makes me wonder what he's doing."

"Me too. Don't worry. He can't get any stronger."

"I really hope you're right."

Stanley called Max over to Ethereal Legion headquarters. There, the scientist presented Max with some upgrades for his suit.

"If I'd known this suit was actually being made for a god and it wasn't a joke, I'd have offered up some more functionality I've been working on as a side project. Forgive me for my stupidity."

"Maybe, if you never ask me to forgive you again. And you're about as far from stupid as can be. So, what you got?"

Max pulled his sword from its sheath and placed it on a table before pressing his hand to his chest and handing the programmable matter ball to Stanley who plugged it into a computer.

"The biggest addition is something I call Project Dreadnought. It allows the suit to basically turn solid instead of this rubbery-fabric feel. By turning solid, it absorbs impacts from sharp edges much better. It can also help protect the wearer from other high velocity impacts, such as a fall from high up. If your speed exceeds a certain value, Dreadnought kicks in. Obviously this isn't the most revolutionary change, but it might help out."

"Keep up the good work, Stanley."

"If there's anything else, your wish is my command."

"I'm still human; I literally said to my mum like five minutes ago not to start a religion worshipping me."

"Right, right. Well here's your suit."

Max took the ball and held his palm facing up. The suit floated a little before he let it sink back down and pressed it into his chest where it morphed around him. A slightly improved HUD appeared displaying his vital signs. At the same time, a robotic voice spoke:

"Good afternoon, Master Morales."

"Oh. Hello Corbo."

"I understand you have become a High Elder God. A little step up from Spider-Boy, isn't it?"

"Just a small one, yeah. Thanks again, Stanley. It's been nice knowing you."

Max held out his hand which Stanley shook cautiously. The God picked up his sword and sheathed it before leaving with a final wave at the scientist.

Crossovers in this Chapter

- SCP Foundation