Orlek was massive. Celeste wasn't sure if he had been this big when Jasper had fought against him almost three hundred years ago. However, the goddess of creation felt herself dwarfed underneath the massive ork god.
Orlek's axe seemed to split the earth underneath itself, even when its sharp edge was nowhere near touching the ground. It was as if the earth itself was slashed just from knowing how sharp the axe was. The head of the weapon was about the size of Celeste's body. The haft of the axe seemed to be the size of some of the trees located in the forest. Indeed, it was a weapon worthy of a god.
Celeste's eyes moved to Orlek. The bulging muscles on the ork god's body could only be described as excessive. The goddess was sure she could see muscles that shouldn't exist, as if the ork was a parody of a bodybuilder. Power surged through the divine ork as he rolled his shoulders. He was sporting some mismatched armour. It was mainly leather, though it had patches of chain-link sheets and even a couple of plate armour pieces scattered around.
What was more interesting, though, was the tear in the world, which hadn't closed. Behind Orlek, spectral arms could be seen, reaching out and slowly wrapping around the god's limbs and body. The ork didn't seem to even notice them, and as he stepped forward, his movements weren't hindered. But the spirit world was definitely calling to him.
"You dare take my chosen for yourself? I know your stench. I killed you before, worm." The Orlek looked down at Celeste. The goddess didn't answer since she was still trying to figure out what to do.
From this angle, Celeste could see that the ork god had a nasal ring between his nostrils. It was thick and heavy and would probably be hard to lift, even if it wasn't attached to the angriest god around. However, it still seemed to move as the angry god flared his nostrils.
Celeste tried to remain calm. However, standing before this massive god, she felt tiny and weak. Orlek was, without a doubt, one of the oldest gods. Before Celeste could respond, Orlek pointed his axe at her, and a torrent of spirits sprung from the hole in reality.
"I am the god of Orks and Spirits. Do you know how I got these Domains? Do you know how I, without magic, claimed the throne in the spirit realm? The very thing most necromancers and shamans seek?" Orlek bellowed.
The spirits hammered into Celeste, and despite her control over the Death Domain, they still hit her hard and fast, making her fly back into the crowd of orks. She could feel how the spectators died around her as they were graced by the spirits. She was unsure of just how many of them were possessed by the spirits that Orlek spewed forth. But she flexed her Death Domain to ensure that they wouldn't rise again.
"I defeated them. Nothing can be slain in the realm of the spirits, but I went to each one and beat them into submission because I AM THE STRONGEST!" Orlek screamed the last part. Spit and bile flew from his tusk-filled mouth as he asserted his superiority.
Celeste took in the situation.
Health 38/40 Energy 5/7
The attack hadn't taken too much out of her, but it was surprising that she had taken any damage. Her Death Domain seemed to not render her immune to any death effects, but she probably took reduced damage from those sources.
Her missing energy was partly due to the miracle she had performed to temporarily access the death shroud ability and use time as a weapon.
She slowly stood up, realising that the corpses of the orks she had been blasted through had formed almost a corridor between herself and Orlek. She could see Spif and Spaf standing guard next to the tree they believed was the Tree of Life.
There was a blatant solution to defeat the orkish god. Celeste could simply name Orlek with her Reaping Word, instantly killing the god. However, she quickly pulled up the description of the power.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/23p74HGZ/image.png]
Celeste knew that Orlek would be considered a worthy foe. So she would have to damage the ork to even attempt it, and even then, she would be wasting Energy for the entire day for it to potentially fail. That wasn't even accounting for the fact that Orlek seemed to have some control over spirits and might even have a Death Domain himself, meaning that he might counter any Death power she threw at him.
The goddess of tinkering realised that she might be completely out of her depth at this point. She wasn't built for combat, at least not without having access to her Death Domain.
Celeste had been thinking for too long. The massive ork was charging towards her, the ground shaking with each step of those gigantic feet.
The axe came from nowhere, and even with her precognition, it seemed to be everywhere at once. It hammered into Celeste, biting into her body, and while it was unpleasant, she could not feel pain, ensuring that she could still think.
Health 28/40
That single attack had taken 25% of her maximum health. Celeste could feel how her divine body struggled to keep itself together. Remembering what Jasper had told her about most people having a single hit point, she was sure that a blow like that would be able to wipe out armies.
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She took a more defensive position, trying not to let her Domain dodge for her, and instead trying to think of a plan. What domains could she use?
The first option was the Goddess's Journeying Domain. She considered what had worked against Raffael Moordet, where she had called Kelllwan and Ewen to help take down the Demon-infused mortal, now turned god.
Celeste had to break up her thoughts as Orlek's axe threatened to split her in two. The world shivered around it, as the sharpness threatened to pierce reality again. However, Celeste knew she couldn't trust her precognition. This time, she dove out of the way before her divine powers told her to do so. The tree behind her was halved. There wasn't a loud bang or a crash, but a thin line ran down the trunk of the massive oak tree. Sap already leaking from the wound as if it was blood.
Turning her thoughts back to her options with the Journeying Domain, it was clear that she could call upon any allies. She might pull on Jasper and Martin, but she couldn't have any other gods appear from different planes without Jasper's help, and any mortal army would be torn to pieces by the orkish god. Calling upon her friends would have to be plan b, as they were in the middle of their own tasks.
Another swing, and Celeste couldn't help but notice that Orlek wasn't tiring. If anything, he was getting faster, as if the brutish ork was just limbering up from the attacks. A vicious smile spread on the ork's face. She still managed to dodge the attack and could hear the wind splitting from the swing. This time, it was followed by the crashing sound of trees falling over.
"You are fast, and you can take punishment. You are much more fun than the spirits of my realm." Orlek grumbled and readied himself for another attack.
Then there was Celeste's newest Domain: Health. She hadn't had time to look it over, but it felt more for healing and aiding than anything else, and she really didn't have time to look over every single option in the middle of the fight.
Another slash, though as Celeste dodged it, Orlek let the momentum of his swing carry him through, striking her across the face with a fist, which sent Celeste flying through the forest until she hit a tree sturdy enough to make her stop.
Health 22/40
It didn't do as much damage as the weapon had. Still, Celeste felt that the axe wasn't aiding Orlek's combat ability but was more for aesthetic purposes. However, the axe was clearly what had let Orlek enter this world. That realisation slowly made a plan come together in Celeste's head. After all, she was the goddess of tinkering.
She couldn't defeat Orlek outright, not only because the god was stronger than her in battle, but also because Orlek was an integral part of the game, and the AI probably wouldn't allow it. So, she would have to trick the brute instead.
The first task was getting that massive axe away from the ork, and Celeste only really saw one way. She would have to touch it.
She steeled herself, knowing that one wrong move could end her current session. She prepared to try and catch the blade of the axe as Orlek swung it at her, the thrill of the risk sending a shiver down her spine.
Health 6/40
The discomfort that the Full Virtual Reality system generated was bordering on pain. She could see her life plummet, which surprised her. She had caught the blade between her palms and stopped it before it had reached her body, but even then, the divine artefact still hurt her, as if she had been hit by a straight blow.
Orlek grinned. His tusks made the gesture look feral on his face. "Not long now, false god." He spat out, and Celeste felt his warm breath over her, which made her gag.
She focused and realised she could feel the artefact and its powers just from touching it.
Oathbreaker - Orlek's Axe. [https://i.postimg.cc/2mFkncmm/image.png]
This weapon was powerful, and Celeste couldn't imagine how much Worship Orlek must have poured into the axe. She had been right, though. Oathbreaker didn't really enhance the Ork's strength but simply allowed him some much-needed utility for his power set.
Celeste gritted her teeth and tried to will the axe out of existence. However, she found that she couldn't, no matter what she did. This magical item had become self-aware, and unlike the dagger she had removed from Mordecai, it fought against her might.
However, Celeste was still the Goddess of Tinkering, and by spending two Energy, she forced the Oathbreaker to become dormant for a year and a day.
The magical artefact became heavy, and instead of being a divine instrument of conquering, it was simply a lump of metal.
It had taken more Energy than she had expected. Still, as the brute of an ork pulled the axe from her grasp, it did mean that her precognition could suddenly easily follow every single one of Orlek's movements.
She realised that the Oathbreaker was no longer cutting through time itself, which had been messing with the Time Domain. With the advantage gone, Celeste started to dodge the attacks consistently. It wasn't easy. Orlek was still fast and strong, and she barely had any health left.
In his frustration, Orlek threw the axe after her, screaming incoherently like a spoiled brat who had been told that playtime was over.
"YOU TAKE WHAT IS MINE! I OWN IT! I OWN THEM! I AM STRONG!" The bellowing voice of the ork seemed to echo through the woods, along with the sound of trees getting split apart from the thrown weapon.
Celeste didn't engage in the taunting. She hadn't spoken to the ork during the entire fight, simply allowing him to wear himself out, which hadn't worked. With his weapon gone, it was time to finish things up.
Celeste started to dodge in more deliberate ways, slowly moving towards the rift in reality, as she knew that she couldn't take Orlek in a straight fight. Each dodge brought her a little closer until, finally, she was in front of it.
It was time to end this, and with a gleam in her eyes, the wounded Goddess smirked. "I will take all that is yours and make it mine. Your weapon, your chosen, and now it is time to take your throne," she said, stepping into the Spirit plane through the rift in the fabric of space.