Chapter 3
The Rebel and the Beast
Valhalla Arena
The day had finally arrived , inside the Valhalla Arena , both gods and humans gathered to watch the very first match of the second Ragnarok . Most were enthusiastically chattering , excited for the upcoming match , but others , mostly humans , were nervously whispering , stealing glances at Ra . The man who had overthrown Zeus with a single overhead toss and the one who had started this whole showdown in the first place , he was observing the match in the god's VIP section at the very top level of the arena . He sat on a different golden throne , much grander than the one he had at his palace , its armrests were sculpted to resemble falcon heads , and precious red rubies were engraved on the backrests sides , and at the thrones top , was the Eye of Ra , placed in the center of a sculpture of the sun . Flanking him on either side of the throne were Huitzilopochtli and Amaterasu , who both sat in smaller , less grandiose chairs .
Seeing these insignificant beings gazing up at him made Ra's lips twist upwards in a cruel smile . Opposite Ra and his attendants observation box , on a floor lower than them , was Prometheus , Göll and Pandora . Prometheus gazed up towards Ra with a grim look , whilst Göll and Pandora gaze downwards at the arena , nervously awaiting the match that would soon begin .
Upon noticing Prometheus and Pandora next to Göll , Ra raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly , Huitzilopochtli gave him a quizzical glance , " What do you find so funny Lord Ra ? "
Ra smirked and gestured downwards towards the trio , " It seems … that Göll has found a way to equip her new einherjar with Divine Weapons , as well as hire a "strategist" . No matter though , our combatants will flatten them regardless . "
At that moment , a short man with a robot-like face and a green hooded cloak that covers the rest of his head , sporting a pair of goggles and dressed in medieval fur pants and striped shoes enters the arena and makes his way to the center . In his hands is a golden horn that doubles as a microphone . Heimdall , Watchman of the Apocalypse , and his Gjallarhorn had come once again to signal the beginning of the second Ragnarok as well as provide commentary on the upcoming battles .
Heimdall glances around , observing the packed audience , " Damn , it's not everyday a guy gets to signal the start of Ragnarok a SECOND time , but since Lord Ra himself decrees it ….. I'm gonna give this Ragnarok as much effort as the last one , if not MORE ! " With those words , he raised Gjallarhorn to his lips and blew into it , the loud noise signaling the beginning of the second Ragnarok . This was met with cheers from the gods and some humans , whilst the rest of humanity watched with bated breath , hoping that their saviors would lead them to salvation once again .
Heimdall smiled at their reaction , before clearing his throat and announcing through his Gjallarhorn towards the restless audience " Ladies and Gentleman ! I know you all have been waiting for the much anticipated first round of the second Ragnarok showdown ! So , without further ado , let's meet our first two combatants from both sides ! "
On the right side of the arena where the gods were seated , the two doors leading into the arena slowly creaked open on their hinges , on them was the terrifying image of a fierce crocodile with a huge gaping maw , almost immediately , the members of the audience were hit with a horrid smell , it smelt like swampy marshlands and bog and rivers . The same smell that Huitzilopochtli and Amaterasu had smelt in the Palace of the Duat . Similarly , the audience could hear the constant thump of giant footsteps as something huge made its way down the hallway and into the arena .
Heimdall wasted no time introducing the fighters , " Serving as the gods vanguard is THIS god ! But to call him a mere god would be inaccurate ! RATHER ! This BEAST , this UNSTOPPABLE SAVAGE FORCE has gained a reputation of being one of Lord Ra's most powerful enforcers ! Born from the creator goddess Neith , he is known as the god that is both revered AND feared by even his fellow gods in the Egyptian Pantheon ! "
The heavy footsteps were now growing louder as the god approached the arena closer and closer , children began to break into tears at the loud sound , and bury their faces in their parents arms .
" So strong and mighty is he , that he is one of the few gods who were granted with the important responsibility of steering and guarding Lord Ra's Mandjet from mighty Apophis on its nightly journey through the underworld when the Chaos Serpent was still at large ! He has gone toe to toe against the Serpent on so many countless occasions that it is a wonder he still lives ! "
At this , many gods in the audience roared with cheers though there was a noticeable uneasiness in their voice , " No way ! That monster is going to be our first fighter ?! Lord Ra really isn't pulling any punches here , whoever the humans send out is done for ! "
" He is an UNTAMED FORCE OF NATURE ! His sweat alone can fill up the Nile river ! Unstoppable once he has locked on to his prey , Lord Ra is the only god capable of subduing him when he is in a frenzied rage ! He is the EGYPTIAN GOD OF CROCODILES AND RIVERS ! THE GUIDE AND GUARDIAN OF THE MANDJET ! THE UNDISPUTED BEAST GOD OF THE DUAT … "
" SOBEK ! "
Representative of the Gods for Round 1
Sobek ( Egypt )
As soon as Heimdall finished his introduction , the massive Crocodile God burst through the double doors still in the midst of opening . He stood at a staggering 10 feet , towering over Heimdall who began trembling in fear at being in such close proximity to the Egyptian god .
Sobek wore only a Usekh on his upper torso , showing off his broad chest and six pecs . which covered with the smooth beige scales one would normally see on the underbelly of a regular crocodile . The rest of his torso , arms and legs however , were covered with green spiky bumpy scales , along his black ran four rows of spiny scutes . In his right hand he held his signature divine weapon , a stave made of polished black quartz , with the visage of a crocodile's head at the top
Besides the Usekh on his shoulders , Sobek also fashioned a white coloured Loincloth with green accents, a golden belt on his waist with the symbol of the Duat on its center and a golden flap covering his crotch area . On his right Bicep was a golden arm ring , and four bracers with intricate green detailing covered each of his arms and ankles . On top of his head , Sobek also wore a Nemes , similar to Ra's except on top of it was a crown made of ram horns , a sun disk and feather plumes . His head was that of a Nile crocodile , his eyes reptilian and cold , when he opened his jaws , rows upon rows of sharp yellowed teeth were visible , and like all crocodiles , he lacked a tongue inside his mouth .
But the strangest thing of all , was that pooling off his body and forming a puddle around him , was a constant flow of river water . Now seeing any other god sweating so much that they could create such a large puddle would have been silly and humorous to the gods . But Sobek made it look terrifying , the puddle of water grew larger and larger by the second , threatening to fill the entire arena were it not for a huge moat dug around the perimeter of the arena that many seem to just notice .
His presence was greeted by screams of terror from frightened childrens and even their parents , both gods and humans alike in the front row scurried back , hoping to put more distance between them and the Crocodile God .
Sobek growled at Heimdall , who let out a tiny " Eep ! " Before speaking in a voice that sounded like the rumble of thunder . " Must you make me out to be such a brute Heimdall ? Perhaps I should TEACH you some manners when it comes to first impressions ? "
The face Heimdall made out of fear of offending Sobek was almost comical , " I-I apologize L-Lord Sobek , I was m-merely EXAGGERATING , uh , h-hyping you up one might say , m-making you seem more intimidating than y-you already are …. " Sobek let out a disgruntled " Hmph " at this , seemingly satisfied with Heimdall's response .
Wiping a bead of sweat away from his forehead , Heimdall continued with the Humans representative's introduction , " And just WHO is the human facing almighty Lord Sobek to achieve victory in the first round of Ragnarok No. 2 ? " he questioned .
" Is this man one who matches Lord Sobek in strength or speed ? NAY ! Or perhaps a man who matches him with equal savagery and raw power ? NAY ! The man who faces off against him today is , brace yourself for this folks , a man of the noble profession of POLITICS ! "
At this , many humans look at each other confused , what were Prometheus , Göll and Pandora thinking ? Were they really sending out a Politician to deal with the giant Crocodile God made of pure muscle and savagery in front of them ?
" In the early 20th century , the Russian empire under the autocratic reign of Tsar Nicholas II saw some of the darkest periods in the history of the country ! FAMINES ! HEAVY TAXING ! And TERRIBLE working and living conditions ! Not to mention its involvement in World War 1 ! AND SO ! Inspired by the works of the great philosopher Karl Marx , THIS MAN ! Set about in his plans to lead Russia to a new age with the promise of a better ideology in Communism , through REVOLUTION and by overthrowing the Tsar . "
The doors on humanities side of the arena began slowly opening as well , coloured red and having the image of a sickle and hammer placed in a cross , as the slow claps of shoes moving on the hard floor of the hallways was heard of someone stepping towards the arena at their own leisurely pace .
" HOWEVER , he was exiled to Switzerland in July of 1900 before he could carry out his plans , forcing him to watch as the February 1917 uprising played out , forcing the Tsar to abdicate his throne and leaving Russia in the hands of an incompetent and corrupt provisional government ! But on April 16 of the same year , he managed to return to Russia through assistance of the Germans with the intent of undermining the current government and pulling Russia out of the war ! And through a series of events , MANAGED TO SEIZE POWER AND TAKE CHARGE OF THE COUNTRY ! "
The clapping sounds grew louder as a middle aged man of average height entered the arena. He was well groomed and dressed , in contrast to Sobek , who was dressed in a grand and intimidating manner . The man was dressed in a simple black three-piece suit , a polka-dot tie , black long pants , and a flat cap to complete his look . He was nearly bald , fashioning a Van Dyke beard , and the remaining black hair on his head formed a ring around the back of his head starting above each of his ears . The only thing that looked out of place on his attire though , was a strange crimson disc located in the middle on his chest that showed a sickle and a hammer forming a cross , the symbol of the Soviet Union .
" His time in power was short but controversial . As the saying goes , " The road to hell is paved with good intentions . " While his rule did see famines , repression , and millions of people executed or sent to die in camps . Even his enemies had to admit that he fully believed in his cause , living modestly and working tirelessly from his student days to his premature death in January 1924 . And was a man who truly did believe in his cause and ultimately was indeed trying to work for the good of his people . "
Heimdall paused for dramatic effect , as the two combatants sized each other up . " SO WHO IS THIS MAN ? Well , History remembers him as THE FATHER OF COMMUNISM ! The REBEL who changed the course of one of the world's LARGEST COUNTRIES ! But was he a HERO who TOPPLED an oppressive tyranny ? Or a VILLAIN who replaced it with ANOTHER ? Regardless of your opinions and views about him , he now stands HERE as mankind's representative in the first round of Ragnarok number 2 ! I GIVE YOU … "
" VLADIMIR LENIN ! "
Representative of Humanity for Round 1
Vladimir Lenin ( Russia )
The announcement of Lenin's name led to cheers from his fellow Soviets sitting in the front row seats of the arena , as well as other Russian members of the audience . However others stared at the two combatants , comparing the shorter , less beefy politician who looked like he was close to reaching his twilight years . And the hulking Crocodile God with more teeth than they could count . They weren't liking the odds .
The gods clearly thought so too , with those who wished for mankind's survival groaning and burying their faces in the palm of their hands . Whilst those that had voted for humanities destruction , jeering and laughing at Lenin . " A politician ? against THAT beastly god ? SERIOUSLY ? That silly Valkyrie and her Titan bodyguard must have already given up ! "
Huitzilopochtli burst out laughing , " BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! WHEW ! I mean , I know that politicians are an unscrupulous and conniving bunch , but I'm pretty sure that they usually don't make good fighters in a DEATHMATCH ! " His attitude was shared by Amaterasu , who placed a hand over her mouth and was giggling slightly .
Ra however , did not agree , his eyes were narrowed as he glanced from the two fighters to the trio who had banded together to save humanity . " I wouldn't celebrate just yet , you two . Humans may be weak and corrupt , but there's no way Prometheus would have sent out someone so unassuming against any god, even ones weaker than Sobek unless he had a plan to back that decision up . "
Amaterasu raised an eyebrow , " you mean to say that Prometheus is trying to get us to lower our guard by sending out an unlikely fighter ? Then surprising us with an unexpected trick or something of the sort ? "
" Perhaps …. " Ra replied , glancing at Prometheus , " Just what do you have planned in mind , Prometheus you flithy traitor . "
Pandora gulped as she saw both the gods , and humans reaction to Lenin acting as their vanguard , she turned to Prometheus , " I really hope you know what you're doing Prometheus , i think it would be best if we can get out of this whole thing with as little casualties as possible . "
Göll sighed , " If only that was possible Pandora , but knowing the gods and with my experiences in the first Ragnarok , losing some fighters is an inevitable outcome , right Prometheus ? "
Prometheus merely nodded his head , his attention and gaze solely focused on the two combatants standing face to face in the arena .The tension between the two of them was thick , and Heimdall could feel it as well , it was time to start the match " Now that both contestants are introduced , let us not waste anymore time ! LET THE FIRST ROUND OF RAGNAROK NO.2 , BEGIN ! "
Alright , and the two fighters of round one have been introduced , tell me what you all think about this match up and who you think will win this bout ?Hopefully i will be able to get the next chapter out soon so you all can get to the fun action scenes