Gods of a Different Kind

The Earth Breaks

Warning, this chapter and the next three will be very violent, if you cannot handle the concept of mass killing, ritualistic sacrifice, or torture do not read this or the next three. It will not be described in large detail, but the concept is there. Sorry for any people that cannot handle it, I hope I have not greatly disappointed you. But all and all I am proud of this chapter, it took longer then normal but it was worth it.

        "Face your Fears. Bend to them. For they will break you. It is not wrong to fear, but how you react to fear defines you. Will you face them, or will you bury them within your soul? Awaken Tellus, awaken."

        ***

        Ow my damn head, it feels like I have been drinking for a thousand years then run out of alcohol. This is the absolute worst hangover I have ever felt. Wait, where the hell am I? I was in a forest of some kind, this place seemed oddly familiar. I put both my hands behind my head to relax on the grass... wait. I took my right hand out from behind my head and looked at it. Why does this seem to not belong? No matter, I have things to do. What I have to do I have no idea.

        I walked in an unknown direction, for reasons not revealed. Something just seemed right about this direction. As if I am supposed to be here. I came upon a village of sorts, but much more modern then most... I think. Surprisingly the occupants were ponys. Perhaps I will be welcomed here.

        "Ave, may I request your name?"

        "Pig..." Was all I heard from the purple pony below me... touchy.

        "Excuse me..."

        "Don't speack tah' me as if yer' mah' equal!" Ok... Calm down... It has only been two of the occupants. Don't judge the place by two simple citizens.

        I passed by a group of young looking ponys, one seemed to look a bit like the second rude pony I had come across resembling a bit like her besides being smaller with a bow in their hair. While one of the others had wings and purple hair. With the last having a horn with a pure white coat.

        "Hello there" I said warmly, I enjoyed the company of children. Reason? They have yet to learned to hate as others have.

        The one with a bow took a quick spit right in front of me, the insult clear. I started breathing a little more quickly.

        "Ewwww a Demigod..." Stuck up unicorn.

        I looked at the last one, at first I thought she was more accepting then the others. But the sneer on her face said otherwise. I felt a sharp kick go into my right leg, gasping in pain I looked behind to try and see the perpetrator.

        "Get away from them you monster, I'll show you what we do to creatures like you." Said a rainbow manned Pegasus. She charged at me and hit me square in the chest, I slid along the ground from the impact. I could not take much more of this. With my blood boiling I sprinted out of the town. I didn't get far before a yellow Pegasus tripped me, sending me sprawling into the ground. I don't know how much more I can take...

        The rest of the citizens smiled at what had happened to me, they walked past me with satisfied looks on their faces.

        Leave, just leave. Don't let it consume you, remember what happened last time. Everything around me seemed to flicker in and out of existence. What replaced it for a few long seconds was a burning ancient village, littered with dead bodys. Many appeared to have been trapped inside of their own homes. Left to be burned alive. I stood up and looked around at the horrors that had befallen the people here. The flicker started again, what appeared was the hateful town I was in.

        I am calm... I am calm...

        "You disgrace the very earth you walk upon, leave this place you disgusting cretin."

        Panting loudly I tried to leave, but many ponys blocked my way. Don't they know I am about to lose it?

        "Lets have some fun with this pathetic use of skin."

        "Lets string him up and watch him bleed."

        "All I want is that monster out of town."

        I lost it... I gave into my anger. I can only take so much, I felt nothing until the deed was done with.

        ***

        I remember... Why did I have to Remember? Why only after it was done... Why not before?

        I AM a monster, I have... done things... to the only beings that ever cared for me. Why?

        I cried... I had nothing left to lose... all has been taken from me due to my insufferable anger.

        I know what I fear most, out of all I have ever experienced.

        "Do you now? Enlighten me."

        "I fear losing control, to hurt everyone I am close to. I fear not being accepted by those I love, which is why I have not taken a lover for over three thousand years..." This was true, I had never, truly, loved the ones I had children with. I had done it because it was asked, Demigod children are very strong and loyal.

        "Is that all?"

        No... it wasn't.

        "I don't want to love another for them to only leave me, I can live forever but... they cannot"

        "Why not a fellow god?"

        "I never felt that click with any of the others... but when I felt it with mortals, I couldn't bear to know that I would still be young while they are old and withered. To watch everything I know and love to pass away before my eyes... I will assume you know that the way gods see time is very different from mortals, a hundred years would be the equivalent of a month to mortals."

        "Why did you not simply turn a mortal into a god?"

        "Many reasons... one that the rising of a god is often retaliated violently by other gods due to the fact that it would be seen as an act of war. If you turn someone into a god then it is very likely they would be loyal to their death, something in the gods universe is very dangerous to every other god."

        "And the other reason?"

        "I am one of the simplest gods, for me to try and give my powers to another would severely weaken me. You cannot get much more basic then earth"

        "Good... you have admitted what you fear, to escape you must fight your fear, I can do little. All I can do is offer advice"

        "Who are you?"

        "Reaper... it is my book that has caused this. But it may be for the best. For the one who has done this was, quite literally not themselves. Please forgive me for not acting sooner."

        "Please explain..."

        "My time with you has grown short, the others require me as well..."

        "Wait, what do you mean they are not themselves? Reaper? REAPER!" My crys fell on death ears as I was only met by silence.

        Before I could react the very world around me seemed to change, it was not flickering. More along the lines of bending due to some unseen force. The view of watching everything stretch, change, and bend infinitely caused me to become nauseated. I laid down on the ever changing ground and closed my eyes, anything to stop this feeling. Before long I fell into the embrace of sleep.

        ***

        "Where am I?"

        I had awoken in a court yard of some kind, I had little to no memory of my past, how strange...

        "Tellus... That my name? Weird if you ask me, but I'm not the one who named me, I think." Somewhere in the back of my mind came knowledge, it appears that Tellus means 'earth'. Even stranger.

        Well, I wont accomplish anything standing here so I should get a move on... what I need to accomplish is unknown.

        The large double doors that lead into the castle seems the most viable... although I would go there anyway because something seemed to be calling me, leading me, wanting me. Whatever the reason does not matter, all that matters is the result.

        ***

        The inside of the castle was quite spacious, almost ridiculously so. There were no tables, chairs, paintings, or doors. All there was was a single wide marble staircase, leading higher up in the large castle. This place gave me the creeps, the soft voice that was leading me was up those stairs... not like there was anywhere else for me to go.

        "Might as well"

        Up the stairs was a single hallway, with a single door at the end. The drastic change from marble to wood awed me, it was surprising that they didn't clash. Upon reaching the door I notice tiny writing on the door, off to the side so it would be difficult to see.

        'Face'... that it? This place is starting to get scary, but the draw to the door was intoxicating. I could not help myself from opening the door.

        On the other side was a room full of many paintings, they covered every square inch of space, there were many long corridors, many of little to no description. All but one, it had an enormous painting of a creature, it looked like a cross between a human and werewolf. It had no fur, but the same animalistic red eyes looked down upon me. Everything else about it seemed human, were did I get werewolfs from? Obviously this is a work of art depicting the monster inside ourselves.

        "Familiar somehow..."

        But that itching feeling in my mind was ignored as I sprinted down the hallway, the feeling was so strong. I paid no attention to the glass walls on either side of me, I didn't even look to see what was behind them. All that mattered was the door ahead of me. Upon reaching it I could barely walk from the high of being so close to the door, I only gave the witting on it a glance not even reading it.

        Opening the door with inhuman speed I gasped at what happened, the feeling was replaced by dread nearly to the point of irrationality. What greeted me was even worse...

        The being looked me in the eye, gave a smile, and then got up. It walked towards me slowly, perhaps from the anticipation of it, to relish in the feeling of my dread, or simply because it knew I couldn't run.

        "Hello Tellus, glad you could make it..." I only stood there with my mouth open.

        "Don't worry I will make your stay as enjoyable as possible." I was pushed forward by a wall of stone, while blocking my exit in the process.

        "Fear..."

        "Yes, perhaps it would have been better if you had read the witting?"

        My mind was working at an alarming speed, time slowed down around me as I brought my thoughts together.

        Fight or Flight?

        ***

        'If I flee I will have to run in the opposite direction of him, So I would have to turn around and in that time it could attack me. I would be caught off guard and will likely lose in the end. It is an exact copy of me except... those eyes. It must have the strength of my rage, so I would likely lose again. Our strength, skill, and expertise are equal, the only thing different is that he has rage, something I feel myself lacking at the moment... and those damn eyes. I am good at countering attacks, so against any other opponent I would wait for them to attack, but against me? It knows this, and I doubt it will attack at any time since it has both my strengths and weaknesses. He seems to possess my powers, but are those as strong?

        'It has my strength but when my rage hits me, I find it much harder to use the concentration necessary to use my more powerful magic. Only simple things...'

        ***

        Fight or Flight?

        I launched myself into the air with a pillar of earth, going right over his head as I jumped. I caught him from behind and focused stone into my fist. I hit him with enough force to cave in a skull. The punch seemed to do nothing, I hit him well enough but he did not even move an inch.

        "My turn..." A kick hit me right across the face, sending me sprawling to the ground.

        "Get up..."

        I got up as quickly as someone can after having been kicked in the head with enough strength to shake a mountain.

        I stood at the ready, but my counter part seemed to have no interest in attacking, at least until I try to escape.

        Leaping into the air I did a spinning kick in an attempt to hit him square in the nose. While at the same time focusing a spike of earth on my foot. He grabbed my leg, then with strength only I match, he used the momentum of my kick to send me into the ground face first. I felt pain as my face was torn across the ground.

        "Get up..." I put my hand to my face as I stood up, my face burned like fire. Although I doubt I look much better now.

        "I have an idea, how about you try the same thing over and over again and hope the result changes" He said sarcastically.

        "If you don't step it up..." He didn't finish the threat, I knew full well what.

        My powers are most focused in physical contact, anything else is much harder to do without people believing in me. From what I can assume, the only other being here is myself. So my power is very limited.

        I grew angry from this, now my chances of beating him are even smaller... with horror I realized my anger was fading away, while my counter part seemed to be having trouble not ripping my throat out.

        Even fear itself cannot hold back my anger... with a roar he charged.

        ***

        I gasped in pain, I cannot take too many more hits. It is relentless... But never give in. For once you stop fighting loss is guaranteed.

        Although I would be in much better condition if I had given up, I was covered with brusies on every square inch of my body. Panting I readied myself for another one of his attacks. I blocked a punch to the gut just in time to be hit in the face with the other. I did not even have time to spit out the blood in my mouth before his foot made contact with the back of my head. I felt my face crush into the very stone beneath me, I am very glad that my skull is harder then mortals.

        He kicked me over to get a better look at me, blood was pouring freely down my face, preventing from seeing anymore then a blur of the monster above me. The thing I saw was his foot coming down on my head...

        Darkness.

        ***

        'Tellus, I have little time to talk. So just listen. The human mind is a fickle thing, it can moved, shaped, or formed into anything. Keeping this in mind you cannot begin anew until the previous is destroyed, or sunken into the abyss of the mind. To get over your fear you must destroy the concept of your mind, only after doing this can you get over your fears."

        "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

        "Goodbye..."

        "Wait... WAIT. Damn." I didn't have time to say another word as I was thrown back into whatever world I'm in.

        ***

        "Owwwwww..." I awoke in pain, every where hurt. I attempted to look over my body but all I accomplished was falling on my ass. I was in a type of forest, although the kind I do not often find myself in. A jungle, I had tried living in one seven hundred years ago but earth and water don't mix... well they do but not when erosion comes into play. The rain made it so the stone in the area was too weak for my needs. So my most of my powers are out, unless I have the strength to turn dirt to stone...

        Nope, hurts like hell though. Time to survey the damage...

        Would fucked up suffice for my condition? I somehow do not think so, although I cannot think of any other sayings with the same meaning. I was covered with bruises, I know what bruises are. Damaged muscle and blood vassals... so I am having internal bleeding EVERYWHERE. Fan-fucking-tastic.

        Ok Tellus, ignore the pain. Transform it into productivity. I am in an unknown jungle where I have no idea the extent of the wildlife or plants. For all I know everything in front of me could be coated in countless poisons that could kill me. I need a mental list of what I need to do...

1. Survive- working on it

2. Come up with a reason to survive-  I have not kicked Licens ass yet

3. Make a shelter- fuck that, I'm too damn tiered

4. Make tools- read above

5. Find food and water- start on that stat

6. Send a signal for help- No one knows my ass is here, I'm fucked.

7. Stay active- Yeah, can't have myself becoming insane from loss of human contact

8. ???

9. Profit

I added in the last two for kicks and giggles, you know, Why the hell not?

        ***

        I began coughing uncontrollably, to my horror it was blood. Great... I can't stay here, there is no drinkable water. Obviously it is the water with these deadly diseases and parasites. What little I can even find comes from the dew of the plants here, although I suspect the plants themselves are poisonous. I made a choice earlier, drink possibly deadly water, or die of thirst. It also seems that many of them here... destroy the mind so to speak. Causing hallucinations, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and bouts of memory loss. I have suffered these, but I will live. A gods immune system is very strong, I could likely eat most of these plants but I would be unable to function afterwards. For me to get sick from the water... this would kill near any mortal within a day.

        With no opinions I set out for a random direction, hell I'm already lost what is the worst that could happen?

         Oh shit.

        ***

        "Whos there?" nothing, like always, they hide when I suspect them but come when I don't. It turns out seven days without food, water, or any rest of any kind will really fuck you up. Nothing here is edible, nothing is drinkable, and everything is poisonous. I can't sleep for they watch me, I hear them, FEEL them... they are in my mind, my skin, my very soul. Yet it isn't enough for them, not until I am a shivering husk of my former self.

        Oh no it is coming... I tried to stop it but it cannot be stopped. The monsters here are horrid, I never saw them, but they are there... It must be so.

        "My skin..." They are crawling, biting, tearing, ripping, munching, crunching. I closed my eyes to try and escape the feeling... but I couldn't take it. With immense strength I ripped open my arms with my now sharp nails to get to the parasites.

        ***

        They are gone... but at what cost? Both of my arms are torn to shreds, but the pain didn't bother me... What did was the husks of the now dead parasites. I could not touch them... they were not there to begin with. My hands just went through them, I began laughing uncontrollably... what is real and what is not? I don't even know who I am anymore, do I even exist? Perhaps this is just a figment of the imagination.

        I was at my breaking point.

        ***

        Ten days, no food or water. I could barely crawl, my throat burned like fire. I will not live another day...

        Here I am... back where I started, no progress made, nothing to show for it. Crazy right? I traveled for nine days looking for what I need to survive and I end up right where I started... I no longer possessed the strength needed to fight off the needs of my body. I have to admit, surviving for ten days with no food or water while suffering through the affects of mind altering plants is impressive... although I admit I would have preferred for the plants to down right kill me instead of this. Least they don't affect me as much as they did, turns out constantly being poisoned by something grants you immunity to it.

        Something's different... is that writing on that tree? I tried reading it but failed many times, I had lost the ability to read... or so I thought as It suddenly became clear.

        "Bend"

        With that my memories were unlocked once again, what I had faced before this became clear.

        'Break yourself... you will begin anew'

        I will, looking around I realized many of the plants are recognizable. One in particular stood out, it was completely black, stem, leaves, and all. With a single white fruit hanging from it, it was only about the size of a cherry. Mortis Umbra, Mortuus Fructu, Demens Fructum, Mortis Osculum... The shadow of death, dead fruit, the fruit of a madman, kiss of death. So many names for a single plant, although it deserves everyone of them. This plant is famous because of what it causes... I recalled the description from a book that I had read due to the plants being near my home, about a thousand years ago. I did not question why this memory was unlocked from so long ago...

        ***

        "Mortis Umbra is possibly the deadliest plant that had ever been conceived. During the time of the worlds beginning a single god, a god of death, got into a competition with a fellow god, a god of chaos. They wanted to know who could create the deadliest plant, the god of chaos believed it would be easy, as chaos is required in all creation. He had believed that he could out smart the god of death. He devised a plan to show her the power of chaos itself, he would make a plant that caused insanity, a favorite of his. While at the same time causing unimaginable pain.

        "The god of death knew of his intentions, it was a part of the competition for the other to eat the fruit, overcome by pride she decided she would continue with the competition. She knew she would become insane upon eating it, but if she was going to go insane she would do so with power. So she made what became known as 'Deaths kiss'. A single plant with a single flower, no one knew what this plant would cause as it had never been seen before. She told no one what she had done to the plant, there was enough poison to kill thousands of mortals and many gods with just a single drop from the fruit.

        "On the day of the competition the god of deaths lover discovered her plan. He begged her not to do it but she was determined, he had her make one promise though, one that saved countless worlds, a cure. She followed his request, and made it so a single creature could consume the plant, a creature that her lover had made. For only its poisonous spit could stop it, although one had to first look into the beasts eyes so the poison would not kill it.

        "Many gods had come to watch the competition between the two gods, although deaths lover was told not to be there he came anyway, staying a good distance away so she would not see him. Many believed that chaos would win as the plant he had made bore many red fruit, all of which screamed in the torturous anguish of countless individuals.

        "As both gods put the others fruit into their mouths many believed that deaths plant had no effect, as the god of chaos was completely fine while deaths eye were wide with fear from invisible opponents, while screaming from the immense pain. Without warning the god of chaos slumped over, dead. His body turned into pure red energy as it flowed into death, increasing her insanity ten fold by the increase in power. With a rage unmatched by any she began killing the gods around her, herself and the former god of chaos were the strongest of all the worlds gods at the time. For her to have that much power sent what little remained of her mind over the edge, and became the first mad god.

        "It took four gods working together at the same time to defeat her, they combined their powers into lightning, something that in most circumstances happens when Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth work together. Water turns to steam, fire ignites it, wind shapes it, earth directs it.

        "One of those was her lover.

        "Overcome by rage that her lover had turned on her, she did the most powerful curse that had ever been preformed, she cursed the plants that Chaos and herself had made, they would forever be bound together, and that it will grow in all current worlds. The plants formed together into a black plant, with a single white fruit. If any being were to eat it they would see unseen enemies, feel the pain of hundreds of tortured souls, then die a blubbering mess of their former selves, all within two minutes, as the time it takes to kill was expanded so the one who ate the fruit would feel as much misery as possible.

        "She died with one last insane cackle as the plant she had created disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, transporting itself to the many realms that had been created.

        "Deaths former lover wanted to right her wrongs, in hopes that others will not suffer too badly. So he sent his creature to all the worlds, the creature would always know where the plants was, and would save those who ate it. It is unknown what element he possessed, or what the creature is as the being had been killed off in many worlds due to the worth of its eyes, and scales. So in time, the plant, as well as the creature, were forgotten. That was until the plant began reappearing in worlds, while many had believed it had been killed off, known as nothing more then a legend.

        "Many worlds died from the plant without the creature there to save them, as the beast eats the fruit of the plant so that it may not spread. There are few worlds left that house this creature, so the job of controlling it often went into the hands of the worlds god of death.

        "If one finds the plant, proceed to alert your worlds god of death to take care of the problem, as the only way the creature will show itself is if one ate the fruit, something that will likely cause death in the end anyway"

        ***

        That is all I needed to know. It is the only thing that can kill me, as I do not even have the strength to kill myself.

        With shaking hands, I took hold of the fruit, and put it into my mouth... the last thing I remember are the words...

        "Break"