Chapter 19: The Night of the Damned
"Nervous?" She asked as they stood at the bow together.
The spartan did not answer her right away, his eyes continued to watch the waters rippling past them as the boat made its way south. They were far enough away for the river to return to its normal dark blueish green, and not the streaked red of Giza's coast from the thousands of mortals' blood.
"Yes."
Her hand reached for his, sliding over the tough skin of his shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get through it. We always do."
"Hrrnph. I hope you are right."
Turning her head to the pale god she jokingly scoffed, "You think I'm wrong? The nerve, I swear." Her right hand pushed up to her chest, fingers splayed to mimic comical shock, but her eyes never left Kratos'.
The spartan unexpectedly turned to her, his expression unexpectedly solemn, even for him, "The same applies to you."
Her head tilted, confused. "To me?"
Nodding, Kratos continued, "Yes. If it goes…poorly, use your wings, flee. If you can, join Atreus through the portal. Do whatever you can to get out of her and survive. Even if I fall, you can carry on our path for your homeland."
The playful expression and tone left Freya. Her brows lowered, her lip curled in disgust. "You fucking ass. How fucking dare you."
The spartan had not been completely sure what reaction to expect from Freya, but even this response had his eyes widened a hair in shock.
"I am not fucking abandoning you. The…You…Ugh. You thick headed, bravado son of.. I swear. I'm not leaving you, Kratos. I don't give a single fuck if we're about to fight one god or a hundred gods. If you stay, I stay. I'm not leaving you to fight alone, Kratos, not ever. Get that through that dense, bald, fucking head of yours! What happened to a few hours ago when you JUST said you realize my strength as a warrior? You'd stop trying to protect me? That we'll fight these gods together! If you try to tell me to leave you alone here, even utter a single breath of it again, I'll take these swords and cut your damn head off myself!"
She did not realize her volume had raised as high as it did, and that she had ended in angrily shouting into her partner's face. Her eyes quickly scanned around the ship to see the other gods giving them sparing glances, quietly trying to continue their conversations and pretending they weren't overhearing. Atreus had his back turned to them as he sat on the opposite railing looking out over the river, having mastered pretending to not be present for moments such as this.
As her chest heaving slowed from the shouting, the goddess' irritated glare turned back now to Kratos, who was looking at her with…something unusual. It wasn't an expression she had truly seen on his face before. His brows were raised, but not in shock. His eyes looked, regretful? Upset? His mouth was slightly agape, lips tilted slightly downward at the corners.
"My asking for you to leave if things turn for the worse was not to discount your ability as a warrior, or to say I do not need you by my side in this fight. Just..if all of us here are to die, I would prefer to see Atreus, and you, continue on. Only if it came to that," he murmured after a few minutes of tense silence.
An exasperated groan came in response. "Yes, well. That isn't happening either. I'm all in support of Atreus living on, but I'm not leaving you here. I don't care what the odds are or who we face."
He took a step towards her now, and another. Their faces were but a few inches from each other. Her eyes softened, her grimace flattened. They stared like that for a few moments. Eyes locked, as they rocked on a boat sailing south on a river to very likely certain doom beneath a crimson sky and bloodred, glowing moon. The god's eyes closed now, and he leaned in. One of his strong hands reached up to gently cup the back of her head, at the base where skull met neck, softly pulling her into him. Freya was frozen in shock, not sure how to react at first. As the spartan leaned in, however, his head tilted the slightest edge downward. His smooth, warm forehead rested against hers. Smiling, the Vanir goddess joined in resting her forehead against his. Her hand reached up to rest fingers on his arm, welcoming the embrace. They stood like that for what felt like dozens of minutes, but she wasn't sure. The sounds of the water lapping at the boat, the sharpening of steel and murmured conversations on the deck, it all melted away. In that moment, the two of them were alone on that deck. Nothing that happened in the coming battle or uncertainty in their fate would change that.
Finally, he pulled back. His eyes did not meet hers, instead he looked down gazing itowards her legs. "Thank you, Freya."
Smirking, she retorted, "Stop being such a stubborn idiot then."
The spartan snorted before faintly smiling. "I will try."
It only took a few hours to reach Memphis. It was a silent ride after that, practically no one shared words, all too focused and anxious for what was to come. Atreus sharpened his katana, as well as Ingrid, who never floated far from him. Freya was inspecting the cursed dagger she received from the dead hands of Set. Kratos sat silently, his legs crossed, wrists resting on his knees. His mind raced too fast to meditate, but he could attempt to slow his thoughts.
Some of them could have flown of course, like Freya, and reached the city faster. They could have called for Angrboða and the portal. Both Atreus and Kratos still held the small orbs for the giantess to find them for Fenrir's gateways. But the portals would not work for the Egyptians most likely, and even more dangerous was the uncertainty of Memphis. They could be walking into a trap, a waiting army, several powerful enemy gods. Having one or even a few of them arrive before the rest of the party could be disastrous.
Bast was the first to notice in the distance. There was a slight bend in the river, with large dunes of sand obscuring the other side. The night was quite dark, but the unmistakable towers of smoke rising from behind them was nigh impossible to miss. Memphis was burning, and as the ship rounded that corner, a city aflame came into sight. The sky did not reflect the glow however. With its light blood red color already, the orange hue of the fire shone little upon the unending grim expanse above them. From the boat, even at least two miles away, they heard the cries and screams of slaughter ringing up into the night's sky. Every god on deck braced themselves, gripping their weapons tight. They were venturing into Hel itself, made real in the mortal plane.
As they grew closer, the shadowed forms of massive chaos beasts dumping human corpses into the river came more easily into view. These beasts were much larger than the smaller ones that had laid siege to Giza. Some bore the forms of cats, crocodiles, arachnids; many jostling outlines amidst the dancing flames and broken buildings. Suddenly, the boat jolted back with a thunderous creaking. The massive jaws of a monstrous crocodile slammed down on the rear of the boat. Kratos jumped and slashed his glowing blades across its nose, spewing a flood of blood forth. Continuing to splinter from the pressure the jaws spawned as it bore down on the vessel, the boat felt ready to break in two. Then, a massive stone pillar jutted forth from the nearby rock cliff at the water's edge, piercing through both of the reptile's jaws. The monster roared as Geb leapt up onto the horizontal pillar and growled, "I will send every last one of you abominations to Anubis myself." The rock column split, compacting into a sharpened edge and spun, slicing the ends of the jaws clean off. "Go spartan, we will handle the creatures!"
Kratos nodded to the rageful god of the earth and vaulted over the ship's bow to the shore as Freya's wings sprang forth and Atreus morphed into a falcon. A majority of the accompanying Egyptian deities followed them soon after, while Geb and a spare few remained to finish the colossal crocodile. They were half a mile from the city now, the forms of the beasts coming more clearly into sight. Some of them started charging for them, but most kept to their task of taking corpses to the river. Some form of demonized dog was running for them now, but a flurry of Kratos' blades left it with one less foot. The trio kept their charge forward, the other gods breaking rank and turning their attention to the beasts as they came upon them. Bast kept pace with Kratos. She was clearly faster, but wasn't a fool and didn't want to rush in alone. There was no saying when one of these powerful, unknown gods would spring out from the chaos and bloodshed.
They needn't wait long however, as soon one of the guilty members of this genocidal group presented themselves. It was a long, white serpent. Probably sixty feet long, with golden scales that looked almost like a statue coiled in wait in the city's center. It made no move to attack, it was just laying there. The serpent's head turned towards them as they arrived, its glowing red stare unwaveringly directed straight at them with eyes lacking lids. The creature's gaze was unnerving. Despite being but a miniscule fraction the size of the world serpent, it still wielded a very dark presence.
"Welcome, Ghossssst of Ssssparta. It is an honor to meet you. You may call me Apophisss," it spoke from an unmoving mouth. A long forked tongue darted out wafting the air every few seconds.
"That is the demon of chaos. Apophis. The one responsible for these beasts, and surely what happened to my son," Bast hissed with absolute hatred dripping from her words.
The snake's head ticked to the left, "Bast? I hardly recognized you. Do not fret. Your sssson was begging for me to transssform him after the endless daysss of torture. He was in my care for monthssss. His agony was…wonderfully delicioussss. He did not care what happened to him, so long as it ended."
A mad roar erupted from Bast as she moved to pounce, but was stayed by Kratos' outreached arm. "Do not let him provoke you," he uttered as he glared forward at their foe. "He baits you to make a poor decision. We will kill him, but on our terms."
Apophis' head rose now, its neck widening out into a massive hood as it stared down at the group. "Do not worry, Bassst. You will see him sssssoon." With speed as quick as lightning the snake's head struck forward, long fangs bared and aiming for the spartan's body. They all managed to dodge, albeit barely, and Atreus was able to successfully fly an electrified arrow down its throat. The snake shrieked in pain as the lightning bit at its innards, shaking its tail and leveling a building. Apophis doubled back, and struck once again, this time aiming for the building behind his opponents. Stone and brick showered Kratos and the others from behind. Kratos managed to get his shield up to defend himself, while the others flew or sprinted to duck out of the way. While the spartan was shielding from above, the serpent's golden tail whipped forth. It struck him on the right side and sent him flying into a fractured home to their right.
Freya flew down along the snake's side for a few feet, dragging the kris blade and tearing open its flesh. The cursed weapon did its duty, searing the scaled flesh and eliciting another screech of pain. Kratos emerged from the dust of the crumbling building a moment later, chaos blades spinning on their chains and glowing their orange, fiery hue. One lashed out, glancing off the snake's golden scales, while the other successfully lodged into the wound Freya had created. With a strong pull of his arm, the blade managed to tear the wound open another few feet until the snake spun and pulled back. Atreus continued to send arrows at the golden, reptilian body, but none managed to pierce its near impenetrable hide of armored scales.
"His scales are too strong, none but Ra managed to wound him before. It seems whatever dark magic that sword has can manage the task at least," Bast sighed as they regrouped on the opposite end of the square.
"You, wiiiill regret that, I asssssure you," Apophis threatened with his fangs dripping venom from their tips as he hissed.
There was movement to their left, and their eyes snapped to follow it. The skeletal form of Khonsu strode into the square now. The empty socketed skull of the Egyptian moon god was haunting as the head turned to meet their gaze.
"Welcome. May I suggest a temporary truce? Kratos, I've been told you often seek peace before bloodshed. Perhaps we should speak before this turns more violent for either side," the skeleton beak spoke.
The blades in Kratos' fists grew even more fiery red now as the spartan glared down the new arrival. "You already have slain thousands of people, killed several of your own kind. Blood has already been shed. Words will do nothing for you now."
Khonsu's skull nodded slowly in agreement. "Yes, but you do not know us. You have no allies or bonds here. Ra was desperate and reached out to you for aid. He is not the perfect, mighty being you presume him to be. I assure you. He is a selfish, loathsome fool. I did Egypt a favor ending his reign."
"You're an arrogant prick that is so self confident every word out of your mouth you find to be without error. I've known too many men like you in my life," Freya shouted as she brought the swords in both hands up into a battle ready stance.
The moon god scoffed at that. "You northerners, so quick to judge. What do you know of me? Of my struggles? Of the struggles of my people. Ra has us hiding amongst the mortals, like cowering dogs. We could do more for them if we guided them. Why let the pharaoh sit the throne when it's truly us that wields the power? Ra never wanted for anything in his life. He was spoiled, entitled. He didn't give a damn for mortals. If he were not dead I would have suggested you ask him how many mortals he had sacrificed. How many slaves died beneath his sun in these lands. You come here to serve the whims of a self obsessed, brazen fool. He never knew pain, hunger, strife. But I..I am a cursed being, Kratos."
His strode never broke since his arrival. He was standing dead center of the square now, directly between the party and Apophis. Khonsu wielded no weapons, his hands out with palms raised showing his intent for peace as he continued, "While the other gods here were born with perfect physiques and physical forms, I received no such gift. They can drink, fuck, feast, celebrate to their life's content. I feel nothing, spartan. I have no hunger, I have no sensations, no thirst. I am, as my appearance truly suggests, a walking embodiment of the dead, left to rot. While the other gods could find love, produce offspring to join their ranks as new gods. As they feasted, thrived on the backs of their slaves and mortals' toiling. While they ate to their hearts' content while all living things around them suffered in this festering desert…I suffered too. My curse is life, Kratos. I did not ask to be the god of the moon. I did not ask for this failure of a form. I did not ask to be born, to be this. This is not living."
Bast roared in opposition, her bloodthirsty canines outstretched, ready to taste another god's neck. "You know nothing of Ra! You never accepted any branches of peace or kind heartedness he extended. You'd rather sit and hate us from afar in your dark caves. You were trusted with the moon, one of the most powerful sources of strength! You are a pathetic sack of shit and I will fucking kill you!"
Kratos' blades never ceased their low simmering, and his glare never faltered. "You do this, killing the mortals in droves. Assassinating and torturing your own kind, because you cannot feel anything? Because you are a god that cannot have children, or eat, or drink. You threaten to undo these lands and possibly the world for this? I claim no love for any of your kin. But every word that comes from your mouth reeks of an arrogance and self importance I have not experienced since Greece."
Khonsu chuckled in reply. "Fair enough, spartan. Believe or no, that is how this started. I wanted to feel something. I wanted to give the mortals what Ra would not. Now, I take joy in killing my own. I will create a better Egypt then that which ruled under Ra's ignorant fist. I will not hide, and I will guide the humans into a new age of prosperity again. My kin earned their fates, and they deserve no love from me. I would gladly end all of them, and soon, I will."
Hundreds of feet away, a chaos beast walked with a corpse clutched in its teeth. It was a hyena, transformed to look like a demon on earth. Its teeth were thrice their normal size, bones piercing from its ankles and knees as it had been forced to grow so quickly. The beast wasn't nearly as big as most of the others, its shoulder only eight or so feet high. Its mind was cloudy now, barely focusing on anything. It wasn't concerned with thirst, or pain, or exhaustion. The creature remembered the feeling of the painfully hot sand beneath its paws, heated by the uncompromising sun. Memories of mating, feasting, playing with its offspring amongst the shallows of the large river came and went. It felt only hunger and rage now. A new driving force echoed in its mind. Not one that hadn't naturally evolved over its life, but one that had been instilled within it.
Bring the humans to the water.
The hyena did not care as the bloodied waters began to rise up its legs as it entered the river. When it was a normal animal, the cool water felt good on its fur after a long day in the unrelenting desert heat. Now though, it only concerned itself with hunger. The corpse dangling in its mouth was that of a young woman. She had been cowering in the corner of her home when it had found her. It bit down too hard upon the kill, however, slicing a leg from the body. It paid no mind to the mishap now though, as it began to finally devour its kill. It dropped the corpse into the river, and a demonic, high pitched chuckle came from its throat as it shredded the meat beneath the water. It was happy, it was feeding, and soon it would go search for more. But it would not be needed. The bloodied water of the Nile began to softly glow.
Hundreds of feet from the hyena contently filling its stomach, Khonsu stood. Feeling the surge of power, feeling the rush of energy racing through his limbs. If his skull could smirk it would. That hyena had delivered, at long last, the twelve thousandth mortal's corpse to the river. The book and all of its power was open to him now.