The Mortal Gods

Goyle gave a low tone growl, his eyes locked with Gänhir's.

"What..?" Gähnir asked in shock, looking down.

"Hm? What is it?" Elmond asked.

"Your dragon… he… said that Gena is dead."

"Gena? Wait… do you mean the old King of Dragons' dragon?" Elmond asked.

"Yes. And she was like a mother to Dagon… I imagine he came here only to find her corpse. He must have gone after Mourtas in a blind rage.."

"Then he's likely been captured or killed by now." Elmond spoke. Then his brow knitted. "So, who even is this Dagon?"

"Oh," Gähnir spoke without looking up. Elmond could tell he was distraught. "He's the son of Ayden, the previous Dragon King… he was our last hope. The ace in the hole."

"And yet everything has fallen apart. Well, it would seem we are left with only one option then." Elmond spoke.

"What would that be? Raiding the Annura Castle?" Gähnir joked.

"Not raiding it. Just… making a distraction. And then we can sneak in and release your allies." Elmond shrugged.

"You really think that would work? There's no way Dagon's cell is unguarded."

Elmond grinned, grabbing his sword. "Trust me, that is no issue."

"You seem confident in your skill." Gähnir growled, "but this is Mourtas and his army that we are talking about. I was one of the four dragon generals of the Four Kingdoms, and yet my power is nothing in comparison to that monster."

"You really don't trust my word, do you?" Elmond sighed, "well. It would seem that I need to show you how skilled I am. Maybe then you'll believe we can actually do this."

"What do you mean 'show me'?" Gähnir asked, "Are you suggesting we fight?"

"I wouldn't say fight." Elmond smiled, "Just a friendly duel is all."

~~~~~

'Gates of Adehyu..?' Mourtas thought, confused, but before he could ask anything about it, the Ash Kin extended his hand towards Mourtas, the baggy sleeve hanging down.

"My name is Rigurd. I am one of the Priests of the Black Rose." The man spoke.

'Priest?' Mourtas thought. 'Just what really is the Black Rose?' He hesitantly clasped the man's hand and shook it slightly, before they both lowered their own hands.

"I presume you already have two of the scales, correct?" Rigurd asked.

"Yes."

"So then all that is left is the last two dragon gods and the king himself."

"Do you know how we would get the scales?" Mourtas asked. "From my knowledge, the only one able to receive the scales is Dagon."

"No one ever said the scales had to be in peak condition." Rigurd spoke coldly. "We can pry the scales free from the Gods' rigid corpses."

"So you want me to kill the Dragon Gods." Mourtas spoke, his eyes narrowing. "You are kidding, right? You expect me to bring down the very Gods that built this world?"

"Built this world?" Rigurd asked. "You still don't know, do you? Hm. I suppose not many do."

"Know what?"

"How this world came to be as it is now."

"Oh? Are saying that the story I know is false?"

"You mean about how the Dragon God's forged the earth, the Leviathans the sea, phoenixes the volcanoes and griffins the forests and sky? Yeah. That's false."

"Then tell me, what is the true story? Please," Mourtas waved his hands dramatically, "tell me the truth to the lie that is my entire belief and religion as a Kin."

"Very well." Rigurd turned bowing his head as he slowly strode past Mourtas and towards one of the torches.

"Many eons ago, this world was a perfect Eden. Dragons, Leviathans, Griffins, and Phoenixes all lived in harmony." He stopped, looking back at Mourtas. "As well as the fifth race."

Mourtas raised his brow, in doubt, but continued to listen nonetheless. No where in the records has there ever been a statement of a fifth primordial race.

"These races all lived separate of one another, only ever crossing paths when soaring across the endless sea, leviathans coiling in the depths below."

"Spare me the details. I don't need you to read it to me like some childish fantasy." Mourtas spoke.

"Hm. Very well, then. This world was devoid of humanity, at peace and calm. No wars stirred and no battles waged. There was no bloodshed." Rigurd went on, "but, this would not last. Within the continent of Eldreasia, the Gates of Adehyu laid dormant, sealed shut by the hands that had crafted them."

"And what hands might those of been?" Mourtas asked out of curiosity.

Rigurd reached his hand towards the torch, grabbing a shimmering ember and holding it in his palm.

"The Primordial King."

Mourtas's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to piss me off? That is a mere fairy tail, a child's bedtime story. And you are trying to convince me-"

"This it is the progenitor of all things? Yes. I am. Because every tale is rooted in some way to reality." Rigurd said. "The Primordial King. The originator of all things; creator of the five races."

'Four.' Mourtas thought irritably.

"But, do you recall, in the old story, the one that would be read to the children of this land through pages of stone, the Primordial God gave birth to each race one at a time.. but do you remember how they came to be?"

Mourtas thought for a moment. He recalled the pages that his own mother would read to him when he was young. His eyes then narrowed.

"The gates swung ajar, and from the glistening stars came the shimmering scales of a great dragon." Mourtas spoke, reenacting the line from the book.

"Precisely. But have you ever wondered just what those gates led to? Just what was that doorway? How did it come to be? You would never think of this when reading the story. After all, the main focus is the birth of the other races. No one pays attention to the gates; all you assume is that the Primordial God created them, from nothing."

"Let me guess. That's a lie?" Mourtas asked.

"Almost. It is true that the Primordial God created the five races, but, he didn't make them from thin air. To do it, he created a gateway to the heavens, a corridor into the very fabric of reality itself. This gateway connected our world to others, and from those other worlds came the dragons, griffins, leviathans and all." Rigurd gently blew on the ember as it's fiery light began to dwindle, rekindling it.

"Then why did the Primordial God close the gates?" Mourtas asked.

"Because. Adehyu was a mistake." Rigurd spoke. "The last thing to leave those doors, was the Mortal Gods!" Rigurd spat, hate and disgust dripping in his tone like venom.

"The Mortal Gods?" Mourtas asked, confused.

"Yes. The gods of mankind. There were six total, and with them, they brought about the era of mankind in our world. The beginning of the endless plague that seems to suffocate our world." Rigurd crushed the ember in his palm.

"You honestly expect me to believe this… fairytale? The humans? Having their own gods? Are you daft?" Mourtas spoke.

Embers began to rise from Rigurd's body. "Does this seem like a joke to you?" He questioned, turning scarlet eyes of rage towards Mourtas.

Mourtas's eyes narrowed. "Suppose not. But how do you expect me to believe this? It goes against everything Ive known and believed, ever since I was a mere Dragling."

Rigurd sighed. "Of course. I should not have expected you to accept it all so quickly. After all, you grew up with very different beliefs. But that is exactly what the Primordial God wished for."

"Why?"

"Because. Humanity, their coming brought out the creation of war. The first ever war of our world came about due to humanity's boundless greed." His eyes became dark. "And the Mortal Gods' abhorred bloodlust."

"Are you saying that the Mortal Gods used their creations' greed as an excuse for mindless slaughter and war?"

"Yes. The human race is chaotic, greedy, brutal, and animalistic. They have no honor, nor any semblance of the purity that the other races so perfectly held."

"So what happened to these Mortal Gods?" Mourtas asked.

Rigurd sighed. "The Primordial sealed them away within the Gates of Adehyu."

"Then why exactly do you wish to open those very gates that gave birth to this era of destruction?"

"Because. If we can hatch all of the Chaos Gods, then we can use their power to obliterate the Mortal Gods. Tell me, do you know what happens to a race once all their Gods have been slain?"

Mourtas's eyes narrowed. "They all perish. It's called the Plague of Tyrants."

"Yes."

"So that's it. Your goal is to end all of humanity by obliterating their own gods."

"Correct."

"And what of the half mortals? They are all half Kin half man. What will become of them? Will they perish as well?"

"No. They will only be a cursed reminder of the disease that suffocated our world." Rigurd spoke.

Mourtas lowered his eyes. 'To end all of humanity. To end all bloodshed that grips this world. Would it truly be possible?'

"Well, Mourtas? Are you willing to help us… bring an end to the tyrannical reign of mankind?"