Chaos God 5, page 1
part #5 of Chaos God Series
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Chapter 1
Sweat trickled down the middle of my back, and my body was drawn as tight as a finely-tuned piano. I narrowed my eyes and focused hard on my target as I willed the sword into my grasp.
“Focus on the feel of the handle in your hand,” Hezzig’s voice grumbled as he faced me with his hammer in his hands, and the bald blacksmith’s tone was encouraging and hopeful.
Then he lunged suddenly from my left, and I was forced to evade the shot when the sword remained stubbornly on the workbench.
Hezzig furrowed his eyebrows at me as he slowly circled around me again. He’d suggested trying to tap into my body’s natural survival instincts to strengthen the summoning magic, but so far it hadn’t helped.
I gritted my teeth and mentally called out to the sleek steel blade that rested a dozen feet away from me. I’d been giving it my all to improve and master my new ability of teleporting weapons to my side ever since I’d first done it with my morning star in the depths of the chasm. That was more than four months ago now, and I couldn’t understand why I was struggling so much to develop this new magic.
The morning star had appeared as if of its own free will on my mission to rescue the Vanir named Njord from his torturous imprisonment in the depths of the fiery chasm. Now, trying to pull a sword to me that was in plain sight caused me to break out in a sweat.
“Aarrrgghh!” Hezzig roared lightly as he swung at me again.
I felt the familiar sensation of my body preparing for a shift, but I held my body in its human form. Instead, I focused that energy and power into pulling the sword to my hand.
“Come on,” I growled under my breath as I pivoted out and away from my sparring partner.
“Focus your mind,” Hezzig prompted me, and then he hauled his hammer over his head.
The dwarf swung his hammer down at my head, and I held my ground until the very last second while I used every bit of mental power I had to call the sword into my hand. The annoying bit of metal remained stubbornly in place, and I rolled hard onto my shoulder to avoid getting brained.
At the same moment, Hezzig dutifully pulled his strike back and away. The momentum of his strike carried him another step past me before he turned back.
“Use your anger,” Hezzig suggested thoughtfully as he paused for a moment to allow me the time to try again. “Let it burn in your gut and feed your magic with the fire.”
I swiped a bead of sweat from my forehead as I nodded, and then I concentrated on the sword. I wasn’t about to let a piece of inanimate steel and leather get the best of me. With a deep breath, I refocused my mind, and I followed the dwarf’s advice. I imagined the exact feeling of the leather handle against the skin of my palm, and the heavy and perfectly balanced weight of it. Then I used the irritation burning in my gut like fuel to the inferno of the magic deep in my bones, and I coaxed it into life like the tiniest spark of fire.
I imagined that it was the only thing between my survival and certain death, and a slight warmth began to tingle in the center of my chest. My mind locked onto the tiny bud of warmth, and I willed it into life as I called out to the sword almost like I would call to Sylmarie.
The sword trembled the slightest bit on the table, and Hezzig’s sharp inhale of breath told me I hadn’t imagined it.
Then, right before my eyes, the sword disappeared into thin air, and in an instant, it reappeared in my right hand.
“Aye! That’s the way, your majesty!” Hezzig’s boisterous cheer echoed off the stone walls of Castle Levi.
A huge grin of accomplishment spread across my face, and my shoulders slumped with relief. Ever since I’d rescued Njord from the chasm I’d been working to improve this surprising new skill, and it had gone smoothly enough with the morning star at first. I’d expected to have to work at it, but when I’d started to try summoning other weapons to myself, it had become much more difficult.
Hezzig had theories about why the morning star had been easier for me to summon, and we’d been working the last month or so to test out his theory. He thought the specific type of demon blood the weapons were quenched in had some impact on this new magic of mine, but I wasn’t so sure.
This new power felt just as much a part of me as my shifting, but there was something in the back of my mind that told me there was something I was missing, some little detail that would fit all the pieces into place. I just hadn’t figured out what it was yet, but I was determined to keep working until I got it right. Today was a victory as far as I was concerned, even if it was a small one.
“See, I think there may be something to the satyr-demon blood,” Hezzig said as he walked up to me.
“I’m still not convinced,” I sighed. “I feel like there’s… something more to it all. I don’t know.”
“You will master this magic, King Levi,” Hezzig assured me.
The new title had finally stopped feeling weird, and now it just felt right.
“Thanks for your help with this, Hezzig,” I said to my friend. “Your expertise with the weapons has been helpful.”
“Ah, it is an honor, your majesty.” The dwarf’s beardless face turned ruddy at my praise. “And you have improved much the last several days. I think we should try again to work with your other weapons. Perhaps you are right, and the specific demon blood the weapon is quenched in has little to do with this new power.”
“Maybe,” I sighed. “I think a break is in order, though.”
“Aye, we have been at it a while now.” The dwarf nodded and swiped his arm across his bald head to wipe away the sweat there. “Fret not, your majesty. This power will improve, just as your shifting has over these many months.”
“I know,” I chuckled. “I hardly have to think about my shifting magic anymore.”
“It is only a matter of time before you master this new skill as well,” Hezzig said. “And then no foul beast will be able to stand against you.”
“Which is good,” I laughed. “Because they just seem to keep coming.”
“Aye, those lava demons several weeks ago were of another sort,” Hezzig chortled.
About six weeks ago, a band of rabid-looking lava demons had emerged from the quenched lava fields. They’d been horribly emaciated and nearly insane with some kind of wasting sickness. I’d put them down easily, but it had intrigued me ever since. Something was changing in the world around us, and I suspected Njord’s benevolent final gift to us had much further-reaching consequences than just putting out the fires of the lava fields.
“It’s good that the demons are becoming fewer and farther between,” I said. “But it’s going to become problematic if we don’t have a steady supply for you to quench your weapons with.”
“Aye,” Hezzig huffed thoughtfully as he scratched at the stubble on his chin. “But I suspect we will be able to hunt down a spare one or two every now and then. Besides, we can always send you down into the chasm to bring a few climbers up for us, eh?”
The bald dwarf folded over with laughter at the idea, and I rolled my eyes at his playful teasing.
“That’s true, I guess,” I chuckled.
“I must say,” Hezzig coughed as he got his laughter under control. “I am still astounded by your actions during our last demon hunting excursion.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, your majesty.” The blacksmith nodded emphatically. “The way you shifted so seamlessly between your wolf form and directly into that… that winged bear-thing? It was astonishing to behold.”
“That was pretty good.” I smirked.
“Not just the two forms themselves, either, King Levi,” Hezzig continued. “But the grace with which you went from one to the other. It was like watching an eel swim through the currents. It was oddly beautiful, your majesty.”
“Thanks, I was pretty pleased with it, too.” I grinned.
There wasn’t much more to do in regards to the demons other than the hunting missions for Hezzig’s forge at the moment, so I’d been focusing on improving the castle grounds and the village.
My ladies and I had spent a few weeks in the village after I’d dealt with the climber demons within the chasm. I’d wanted to make sure nothing new was going to emerge from the bowels of Asgard before I returned to the castle, and we’d made several trips back and forth over the last months. The village and castle both had moved far past repairs and well into major improvements. The castle gardens were thriving just thirty feet away from where Hezzig and I stood, too.
“The gardens are flourishing,” the blacksmith pointed out as he saw the direction of my gaze.
“Yeah, they’re doing really well,” I agreed.
The large plot we’d dedicated to growing an immediate source of food was overflowing with greenery. Nestryn and Grenna, our resident botanists, assured me the garden would continue to produce for many years to come, so long as we continued to care for it. And already, fresh vegetables in a variety of bright colors sprouted out from every bush, vine, and leaf. I was damn proud of the hard work of my people, and the thriving garden had allowed us to focus on other projects.
The village was now surrounded by solid stone walls on every side, and the crops there were also thriving. There was no way to close the chasm, and for now the only thing that was keeping the climber demons at bay was the sheer show of strength I’d demonstrated in its depths. That had proven very effective over the last four and a half months, but I wished there was some way to close the wound in the planet’s surface for good.
A sharp whistle suddenly echoed through the castle grounds from the front gates, and Hezzig and I turned at the same time toward the sound.
“Ah, the scouts must be back,” the blacksmith said.
“Would you like to come with me?” I asked.
“My apologies, your majesty.” Hezzig shook his head. “I have some work to do, and a few more projects on the anvil.”
“Alright.” I smirked at the man’s childlike excitement for his smithing shop. “Don’t work too hard.”
“I make no promises, King Levi.” Hezzig grinned, and he disappeared into his shop.
The open-air workshop had been much improved, too, and now it had proper stone walls on every side of the furnace. It made for a sweltering interior space, but it protected the gardens from the heat of the smith’s forge.
Hezzig had hauled a mass of metal from the village’s old blacksmith’s stash to the castle, and now the dwarf had excellent workspaces in both locations. He’d worked almost nonstop for the last several months, and now nearly every one of my people had their own weapon and at least two pieces of armor. The tool sheds in the village were stocked with as many hammers, saws, hatchets, shovels, pickaxes, spades, and hoes that any farmer could ever need.
Hezzig had also managed to devise a glass furnace and was now utilizing clean sand and lime to increase the amount of glass containers and drinking vessels available. We’d had some glass items from the previous glory days of Asgard before Ragnarok, but we were badly in need of replenishing in that department, and I was impressed with how swiftly the dwarves had addressed the issue once I pointed it out.
I smiled to myself at how far I’d brought these people in the more than eight months since I’d crash-landed on this planet through a fucking wormhole. I’d found a group of survivors barely clinging to life under the tyrannical rule of a man-eating Demon Lord, and now we were thriving and shaping out a prosperous life together.
As I walked around the castle walls toward the front gates, I heard the steady thumping footsteps of my scouts returning. I’d sent out several of my faster warriors to check on the village, as well as a hunting group to the beach and a scout to the lava fields. It sounded like several of them were returning at the same time.
“Welcome back, everyone,” I greeted my people as they marched back through the gates.
The blonde warrior sisters, Azariah and Arlindra, had led the group to the village, and their wide smiles told me they had good news to share.
“How is the village?” I asked the sisters.
“Very well, your majesty,” the eldest sister, Azariah, reported. “The workers have finished clearing away the last bits of debris from the burned orchard, and the final watchtower was completed three days before we left.”
“Yes, and the crops are thriving as well as our garden here,” Arlindra added. “The livestock herds are coming into their birthing seasons. Erik says he has three new foals on the way, and Jarod boasted nearly a dozen pigs with litters that are due any day now. The chicken flocks have flourished since your last visit to the village as well.”
“And we expect to have twice as many laying soon enough, but we’ve brought back as many fresh eggs as we could carry for now,” the pretty dwarf, Clara, boasted as she held up her pack.
“That’s great news,” I said. “What about the chasm? Any new developments?”
“No, King Levi.” Arlindra shook her head. “The chasm remains silent, and there have been no demons spotted from within.”
“Excellent,” I sighed with relief at the good news. “And the forest to the east of the village? Nothing in there, either?”
“No, your majesty,” Azariah confirmed. “The eastern forest has been quiet of demon activity. Though Eirlina has spotted the signs of wildlife returning to the trees.”
“Wildlife?” I asked with surprise.
“Yes, your majesty.” The blonde warrior nodded. “Eirlina reported that wild rabbits have been moving into the eastern forest, and she said there was at least one family of bears.”
“Whoa, that’s awesome!” I grinned.
Freesia’s grandmother had more skills than I could keep up with, and one of them was animal tracking. She’d been studying the animals all around the village as much as she was able to, and her studies had improved greatly since I’d freed her home from that snake of an elf, Gaelyra.
“How about Othid and the others?” I asked as I pictured the older and weaker villagers Freesia and I had brought to Castle Levi months ago to recuperate in safety. They’d returned to the village several weeks ago after Freesia’s thorough examination and approval. “Are they doing well?”
“Yes, they all seem to be very happy to be back in their homes again,” Arlindra said. “Sten was a bit sorrowful to see us return to the castle, though. He wishes to continue training with us.”
“I’m sure we can work something out for him.” I smirked as I thought about the dark-haired adolescent. When I’d first met him, he’d been having fainting spells from malnutrition, but he’d rebounded quickly. “I know Goren has been missing his companionship as well.”
“They became very good friends,” Arlindra agreed.
“Well, anything else to report from the village?” I asked.
“No, your majesty,” Azariah said.
“And what about the path through the forest?” I asked. “Any trouble from there?”
“We encountered nothing but rabbits, cockerels, and a few moose,” Arlindra said.
“The moose are returning?” I asked with a smile.
“Aye.” Azariah grinned. “I was pleased to see them as well. I had worried those parasitic demons had wiped out the entire population, but it seems their numbers are recovering well enough.”
“That’s great,” I sighed.
As every month passed, I continued to get more and more good news about the forests and lands around my castle that I’d cleared of demons. It was incredibly satisfying and heartwarming to know all of my efforts were still having a positive impact on the wildlife. Obviously it felt amazing to have saved the elves, dwarves, and humans of all the areas around me, but knowing I was helping the animals, too, was like extra credit on top of an A+ grade.
“They are beautiful creatures,” Arlindra mused as her sister nodded.
“They are,” I agreed. “Go, head inside and relax. Excellent work out there.”
“Thank you, King Levi,” Azariah said, and the blonde sisters headed inside.
I turned my gaze to the next group led by the young half-elf, Goren, and his human father, Quintus. There were several others gathered behind the father-son pair, and they all had large sacks and baskets filled to the brim with every manner of sea life I could imagine. Quintus’ basket was loaded with dark reddish-brown crabs that were trying to climb out of the top, and his curly-haired son held a huge mesh bag filled with oysters and muscles. The formerly sour-faced woman, Ylva, and her gray-haired sister, Merial, had smug smirks on their faces and a haul of large fish on their lines.
“Wow,” I whistled as the group walked up to me with their harvest.
“The shores are flourishing with new life, King Levi,” Goren said with youthful glee.
“The sea life populations have rebounded better than we’ve ever seen in my life,” Quintus said as he brushed a white curl away from his face. “I suspect the lack of wolf-sharks in the waters has a great deal to do with it.”
“And it is all thanks to you, your majesty,” another man added.
“I’m really glad to hear that,” I chuckled. “There’s good news all around. The village is thriving, our gardens are bursting with fresh food for us. Quintus, tell your wife to prepare a feast for this evening. We have a lot to be thankful for.”
“I am certain Ingrid will be more than happy to oblige, your majesty.” Quintus grinned.
“Great work, all of you,” I praised the group, and I waved for them to bring their spoils inside. “Don’t let me keep you.”
