Chapter 57: Trials
🕑 Added 2024-01-07 23:04:34 +0000 UTCMagni spit to the side, a sharp thwacking sound letting Walker know where it landed.
"Why are you meeting all of the Greeks and not us?" He demanded, "You know they're a bunch of perverts, right?'
Walker waved a hand, "those stories were taken out of context."
"Oh really?" Magnis asked with a raised eyebrow, "And what are you doing with them right now?'
Walker thought it over, "They're giving me tasks that unlock their bloodline modifications for use in-."
Magni pounded the chair, "Exactly! They deal in bloodlines! Because all they're interested in doing is spreading their seed!"
Walker looked at the pages that Athena had given him before her exit, then refocused on the Nordic god, "And what do you three offer instead?"
Without speaking, Vidar stepped forward. Rather than the esoteric hand movements the Greeks made, she did a short dance, sliding from one movement to the next. Walker's overlay updated.
Optional Tasks Updated!
- - -
New Primigenial task: The Trial of Vidar:
Strength in silence, fire in vengeance.
Trial Completed: 0/1
Task giver: Vidar, God of vengeance and silence
Reward for completion: Vidar's strength
"Wait, you guys give quests?" Walker asked as he looked at it. In answer, Magni and Idun also began to dance, shifting and moving across the room in what could only be described as a form of primal communication. They both ended at the same time, Magni stopping while standing straight, while Idun was crouched with her hands out in supplication.
Optional Tasks Updated!
- - -
New Primigenial task: The Trial of Magni:
This is not a light trial, Creator. Give it only to those entities you deem to be resilient beyond all others.
Trial Completed: 0/1
Task giver: Magni, God of strength and resilience
Reward for completion: Magni's strength
New Primigenial task: The Trial of Idun:
The young do not know what value this time brings to them. Give this trial to one who understands the value of their youth, and strives to always go further.
Trial Completed: 0/1
Task giver: Idun, Goddess of youth and vigor
Reward for completion: Idun's strength
Walker read through it, then asked, "So, I can only give your trials to one of the sapients at a time."
Magni nodded after reseating himself, the two other gods taking up their posts beside him, "That is correct. We have an onus to not reveal what will be involved in the trials, only those you deem worthy of the attempt will know. Should they fail the trial of a Nordic god or goddess, only death remains as an option."
"Well, fuck me."
Idun looked at Vigar, who shrugged. Before either could step forward, Walker said, "What happens if they die after completing the trial?"
Magni looked confused, "I do not know. The trial will likely return to you, and the Nordic inheritance will reset, allowing you to assign it to another."
"I see." Walker nodded, "Thank you for giving these to me. It's very different from what I've grown used to from the Greeks."
Magni turned his head to spit again, but suddenly Walker was in front of him, "Don't." He swallowed what was in his mouth at the look in Walker's eyes, then got up. They all gave a slight bow simultaneously, then exited the office.
Walker sat back down and tapped his chin. Three trials for three sapients. He had to be really damn sure that he gave them to the right people, or they'd be dying for nothing. It had to be optional, something they chose to do for themselves. Walker nodded and called out, "Next!"
In walked Poseidon and his son Triton.
Each carried a trident and seemed to have an odd rolling gait as they approached. Walker remembered reading about sailors having something similar to their movements, which wasn't outlandish as both Primigenials were often associated with the oceans of the planet. Poseidon sat while his son stood next to the stone chair, acting as if he were the guard to a King sitting on his throne. Walker watched it all with a bored expression.
"So, you are the Creator," Poseidon said in a grandiose and deep voice. He was almost a twin to his brother Zeus, with the only exception being that the muscles rippling across his frame were built for speed rather than strength. The seemingly young Primigenial by his side kept his eyes straightforward while his father spoke, gaze unflinching.
Walker looked them both over, then sent out a brief pulse of black with threads of green, knocking Poseidon into his chair and forcing Triton to fall on his face. "How dare you!" the elder god yelled out, his face a perfect picture of affrontery.
"I have no interest in you both attempting to lord your age or status over me."
Triton stood up, his cheeks burning red as he yelled back, "That is not what we were doing you worthless pile of-"
Walker held up a piece of paper previously sitting on the corner of his desk, "Do you know what paper is? Probably not, so let me explain. It holds words for future reading.."
Poseidon righted himself in his seat, "We know what it is you buffoon."
"Great," Walker said with a bland smile, "these particular words were recorded by my assistant Virgil, with a few side notes from other assistants and some helpful Primigenials. Let me read it to you."
Walker straightened the paper out, "Poseidon has been heard speaking to his son, Triton. Repeatedly they have spoken of using their history and experience to influence the Creator," he looked at the two Primigenials, "that'd be me," before going back to the paper. "The influence they are interested in using relates to the current hierarchy of Sonata and the future of Symphony. Poseidon in general has said multiple times that his brother, Zeus, is worthless and should no longer be the Prime of the Greek branch. He has espoused these beliefs to his son, within hearing of Supreme Assistant Virgil, and been duly recorded. Supreme Assistant Virgil believes that they will attempt to somehow blackmail the Creator," he looked up, "still me," into doing as they please."
Walker put the paper down, "I don't know how you were planning on blackmailing me, probably something to do with your tasks or my Founders. I'm not sure and I don't really care. Honestly, that's par for the course here and doesn't bother me too much. It wouldn't take me too long to set you straight. However, this paper says something much worse." Walker put down the original paper and picked up the second one.
"Triton has spoken of bedding numerous Numbers, ah, that's a mistake." He scratched out the word Numbers and wrote Founders, then continued, "and spreading his seed across Symphony from the beginning, whether through force or otherwise. Multiple times N-Founders have been in danger of assault from the Primigenial, and have been saved through consistent movement and shifting of their persons without their knowledge." He looked up, "So, because you plan on molesting my Founders, the Primigenials and Assistants of Sonata have been forced to constantly watch you, just to make sure you were never alone with a Founder. Do you even know that they're only a little over thirty days old? They may look like young men and women, but they are surely not that."
"Listen here you..." Poseidon started to say.
"No, I don't think I will." Walker interrupted, then turned his attention to his son, "You grew up in a different time, and certainly a different place. That is never going to happen here. Just the idea that you thought it would be okay to treat my people that way, right after your own arrival, says quite a lot about you."
"They're only..."
"Humans?" Walker finished for him, "I was a human before all of this, and my understanding of Primigenial history tells me so were you. How long ago did you forget where you came from? How long ago was it that being human meant you were lesser?" Walker looked from the silent minor god to the door, "Come in!"
Ares, Apollo, and Zeus walked in. Walker waved his hand at them, "I've spoken to Ares and Apollo already, who then informed Zeus, that Triton will not be allowed anywhere near the Founders from this day forward. You are lucky, as both of them and Athena have spoken on your behalf. They believe that you can be redeemed, and as no action has been taken and this is primarily a thr-"
Triton kicked the back of his trident, and without warning, threw it directly at Walker who was still seated in his chair. Zeus began to call out, reaching a hand forward, but to Walker, it all seemed to happen in slow motion. He snatched the trident out of the air before whispering, practice at Ares, then threw it at the minor god of the sea. Rather than pinning him to the stone wall behind him, it cleaved directly through his leg and continued on, flying at a slight angle into space.
Walker winced as the Primigenial fell to the ground, screaming as he held the torn skin just below his hip, "Oof, that one I still need to practice. I'll apologize to Heph about the building later."
Walker looked at the screaming minor god, then to his father, "You were aware of what your son was planning to do. Forcing himself onto others is not and will not be tolerated here...or anywhere. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Pff," He scoffed in response, "As if you'd ever kill one of us."
Walker gave a bloodcurdling smile, his teeth shining through the edge of his lips, "You know, I grew up in a different world than you did. I even fought in a war, " Poseidon scoffed again, "I killed people, survived, and did my best to help others around me do the same. You learn something special about yourself when you first enter combat. You learn if you're a fighter or if you're a runner." The three Primigenials who'd just entered nodded their heads, ignoring the screaming man in front of them. "It may seem contrary to my nature, but I've found, I like fighting."
Poseidon blinked, and the next thing he knew his back felt like someone had hammered it in Hephaeustus's smithy. Feeling at his head, he noticed his jaw wasn't working the way it should. Turning to the side, which throbbed with an unusual feeling he didn't like, he realized he was lying on the grass outside of Walker's office. A hole in the side of the stone building told the tale of how this came to be. Another blink and Walker was standing over him, winding up a kick. Poseidon blacked out as the kick sent him soaring in the air for several feet before landing and rolling for several more. Walker heard a few screams from the Founders in that area, but he mentally shrugged. They needed to learn about how to deal with surprises anyway.
Walker nodded once and turned around. He walked back toward his office, entering the hole he'd made from initially punching the god of the sea, "I'll have to apologize to Heph about that too. Damn, he's not going to be happy with me."
Zeus commented, speaking loudly over Triton's continued screaming, "You may as well just remove the building and restore it using that system you use."
Walker shrugged, "I guess. Good idea." Walking over, he picked up Triton by the throat, holding the minor god as his leg bled into the stone floor, "It'd be easier than trying to clean up all of this blood too. Now, Triton," He placed him on the seat his father had just vacated, "do you know why I get so angry over this kind of thing?" He took a prepared bandage from Ares and wrapped it around the wound in an attempt to slow the blood loss.
The god tried to spit at him, but Walker dodged it, moving back into the area he'd just been standing only a moment ago, "Aside from the violation and just how wrong it is, it's the personal experience. You see, when you experience something personally, it leaves a mark on you. Smells, sights, just memories overall. The stronger the personal exception and shock related to the memory, the more it sticks to you. My partner when I was at war was a pretty woman, and the men around me consistently tried to make...moves...on her. She was married, and at the time, happy in that marriage. Those men were animals and nothing more. They deserved the same treatment you've just received." He stepped a foot closer.
"You, and and the actions you were planning to do with the approval of your father, are detestable." He slugged the minor god in the stomach, making sure this time that it was just hard enough to cause his diaphragm to spasm. He nodded to himself as Triton folded over, trying to catch his breath.
"Better. As I was saying, I have no place for you in Sonata, nor Symphony for that matter. I was prepared to either shift you to a new planet I'm about to receive, or imprison you until I could figure out a better way. But, you attacked me, and experiences related to consequences are very important. It leaves a mark in the memory of a person, one that isn't likely to fade." He looked at the creature before him, whose formerly tan body was slowly growing paler by the minute as the bandage failed to stem the tide of his bleeding. "Now, I called these three in here for one of two reasons. Either to watch guard over you." He held up a single finger to the minor god, "or to witness what would happen when your lofty former position no longer placed you on a high pedestal. I mentally prepared myself for both."
He looked over at Zeus, Ares, and Apollo, "There was an interesting system in place on Earth before courts came to be. We could do trial by ordeal, where the subject, being Triton here, would have to endure a pain or physically demanding test." He tapped his chin as he looked at Triton's leg, "I don't think that quite works," He looked back at them, "We could do an oath of repentance, although I seriously doubt either he or his father will stop with any plans they've already come up with. And, restorative justice won't work in the slightest." Walker sighed, "Exilement or abandonment might work. We could throw him at Romulus or Remus and see how he does."
Apollo spoke up, "What are the conditions like there?"
"Mmmm," Walker hummed to himself, "When last I looked, it was full of nightmarish monsters and creatures, things that would wipe us out in a heartbeat. By that I mean us as a people, I'm not sure how I would hold up against them."
Each of them looked at Triton before looking at each other, "I believe this is for you to decide, Creator." Zeus said, "While he comes from our line, and is one of us, we cannot abide by forced carnal relations and the hostile removal of a prime."
Ares and Apollo nodded with their father, showing agreement.
"Just to make sure I understand this, you agree that Triton should die for the conspiracy of rape and undue influence on the Creator of Symphony and Sonata?"
Zeus nodded, "Yes."
Apollo nodded, "Yes."
Ares just said, "I agree."
Walker nodded with somberness, "Okay. I'll do it myself then. Let it not be said that when things became hard, I held back and didn't do my duty here." He turned to Triton, cracking his fingers, "It's been a long time since I've killed a man, and I'm happy to have these three with me." Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Executions should always be witnessed." Saying so, Walker reached his large hands down and grabbed both sides of the minor god of the sea's head.
Triton looked up, his pale lips saying only one word, "Mercy."
Walker moved his head from side to side, "The only mercy I'm granting is swiftness."
Walker twisted his hands in opposite directions. A loud snapping sound echoed out of the hole Poseidon had exited from. The sound traveled far enough for it to be heard by those still waiting to speak with him as well as those checking in on Poseidon. The pieces of stone littering the ground around his office gave many apprehensive feelings about approaching Walker's office just then.
Walker stepped away without looking at the body and sat down in his stone chair.
"Any protestations about how this occurred?" He asked as he settled himself.
Ares and Apollo looked at their father, who gazed back with a hardness in his eyes. He shook his head, and both followed suit a moment later, "It had to be done. He planned on spreading his line throughout the new world, but there are no guarantees that he'd be able to father children with these....Founders. Even if he weren't considering force, I'd still be against it. That is not what we are here for." Zeus shook his head a second time, "I am sorry it had to come to this. Our bloodlines are meant to help Symphony, our lineage need not be a part of it. That's what they didn't understand."
Zeus looked down at the body in the chair, "Poseidon had hundreds of children. He had always been focused on the reproduction of his line rather than the creation of a stronger one through awakening and adoption. Triton was his first-born son, and I'm afraid this will hit him hard."
Walker nodded, "I'll look into creating something that can hold him. For now, you'll have to split his and Triton's former training amongst the others."
"Done," Ares said.
As he finished speaking, Triton's body flared blue before it began to burn with a sapphire flame. Starting from his feet to the top of his head, the body burned away as wisps of energy trailed off and rose to the sky. Walker was about to ask what was happening when he noticed the three Primigenials in front of him acting just as shocked as he was. The blue aether pooled together and began to swirl, creating a spinning disk.
"What the fuck?" Was what Walker got out before they shot toward him and entered his open mouth. A moment later, he felt an involuntary pulse of black with blue and green coloring shoot out of him, splashing across Sonata and spreading even further than the bounds of the planet.
Unknown changes occurring.
.....Scanning.....
.....
Godeater recognized.
Beginning the Godeater system.
Comments
Joshua David Mullenary
Didn't think it would work with the subject material
Baron of Awesome
Still think it would have been funny to have a Phoenix write style trial and court case
Jeremy Young
TFTC. A good change.
