Despite his antagonistic words, Drim did not immediately attempt to attack Rathe. Instead, he swung his arms back, meeting the large green portal that he’d spawned behind himself. Vines grabbed his wrists, as they did for all members of the Fiends For Hire around the room—Rusa off against the wall, Jaid where she’d been kneeling since their arrival, and any other outliers around the room. Then the plants pulled him back along with the others, huddling them up into one tight-kit pile.
Another green portal then spawned beneath their feet. More vines erupted from the floor, thick as trees, and they weaved together, creating a formidable cage that would repel nearly any outside force. But The Slayer didn’t stop there, wood panels built around the vines in several layers, followed by a wrapping of sharp thorns—all he could do to buy them a bit more time and deter their enemy.
“T-thank you, Drim,” Xard was the first to offer his gratitude for saving them from their oppressive state, as soon as he had the strength to form the words, lifting himself upright in the makeshift plant room illuminated by glowing buds.
Though he hadn’t seen Drimini perform the act, after having witnessed its effects and how Cosmos had controlled it, the king had come to a similar conclusion that blocking out the divinity would ease its effect on the others. It was a crude solution until the core problem could be dealt with, and it didn’t seem to be entirely effective, since his friends were still acting much weaker than he expected, perhaps another part of Rathe’s influence.
“Hey, umm, sorry about your mother,” Kada’s compassion took her down a bit of a strange detour once she sat up. “I know you guys weren’t too close, and you did something similar before, but I’m sure that was hard to see. And… I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I doubted she was there and thought you might just be going a little crazy. Though I believed you most of the time! But… proven wrong for the others, so that’s a relief.”
Phon’s appreciation was wordless but just as meaningful. She limped over to her brother as soon as she could and flung her arms at him, pulling him into the deepest hug she could muster.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, everyone,” Drim felt the need to apologize. “But the matter on the other end is taken care of. We don’t need to worry about Hower or his apocalypse plan anymore. Now stopping Rathe can have our full attention.”
“So this is it then, we’re really going to kill her?” Even though she was never too pious despite her upbringing, Jaid still had reservations about murdering a demigod, especially after having just been subjected to first hand experience.
“Yes, I believe that’s our only course of action,” the king reaffirmed. “After talking with him and now speaking with Rathe in person, I doubt we can ever come to a consensus. As long as she lives, as long as she still holds power over us, we’ll never know peace, never be able to see our dreams come to fruition. I can’t say that finding out she was responsible for my birth wasn’t surprising, but at the same time, it doesn’t affect my feelings or allegiances. She’s a threat, and we need to stop her.”
“So you met him? Cosmos?!” Chorus eagerly inquired.
“Yes,” Jaid confirmed while Drim nodded along. “He was incredible, and had a body unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And his presence was insane, even worse than Rathe’s if you can believe that.”
“How astounding!” The producer’s burgundy eyes bloomed with excitement at the prospect. “Someone remind me to hunt down The Beacon. She’d likely dissolve after hearing of this, and I’d love to film her reaction! Assuming we make it out of here, of course.”
“We will make it out of here!” The king shut down any thoughts otherwise. “Even if I have to throw my own body in front of you to protect you, I won’t let anyone die down here. No one else. And I trust that you all would act the same for everyone around you. Alone we might not be able to stand up to her, but together, we can do this.”
“Now, I will answer any other questions about Cosmos or what happened when this is over. But we need to start getting ready for this fight. Thanks to the plants, we aren’t at risk of running out of oxygen, but I also doubt Rathe will simply let us relax in here for as long as we want.”
To affirm his words, a moment later, the great vine cage raddled from a hard thump. They didn’t know exactly what the demigod had tried, but could guess based on their past bouts. It seemed she was already losing patience. Fortunately, their makeshift safehouse held up, but they wouldn’t know for how long if their opponent got more aggressive.
“Alright, what can you all tell me about her?” Drim asked for the lowdown. “Anything that stood out while you were fighting before?”
“Only that it didn’t seem to do much good besides pissing her off,” Alk delivered a gloomy yet fairly accurate report.
“Agreed,” Egawo could only sigh. “No matter what we did, she did not appear to get any weaker.”
“Nah, I don’t believe that,” Itsy refuted. “She may be acting tough, but we’ve definitely scarred her, I can feel it.”
“Itsy’s right, I’d bet money on it,” Roque offered his thoughts. “We’re wearing her down. How much, I can’t say. But that nuisance will fall if we keep pressing her.”
“For how long, though?” Niloy had to ask. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat already. She’s drained us too many times, and I’d forgotten how tiring it is just to exist as a human, let alone fight.”
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“Perhaps I can do something about restoring that,” Drim put forward. “If I did it at Bastion, hopefully I can do something similar.” The man, no, the demigod held out his hand. The needed incantation came to him effortlessly when he thought about what he needed to accomplish, and the crown on his head sprung to existence as he cast the ‘spell’. ❝Divine Intervention: Well of Life - Redistribution.❞
A green ball of light appeared in Thorn’s raised palm, and then luminescent vines reached out to everyone around him, gently touching each in the group, himself included. Life energy was drained from all of them, though much more from some than others. The siphon compiled into the glowing green orb, and then it erupted flowing back to everyone around in an equal amount.
“Okay, that feels much better, thanks for sharing,” Farian appreciated the gift of energy. “But if she drains us down again, I fear it will be all for naught. My serum won’t work well for those of us who have already had a dose.”
“Some of us still can’t use our Curses on her either,” Rezin added, saddened by his own uselessness.
“And as long as that divine light, or whatever it’s called, is etched onto the walls, we’re practically useless,” Tize brought up the worst issue. “It seems you’re the only one who can wholly withstand it, Drim. So as soon as we left this space, we’d be weakened again and unable to help. Frankly, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to face her alone.”
“You’re absolutely right,” the king didn’t disagree. “While I do think I stand the best chances against her main body in a head-to-head fight, I won’t be able to do this alone. Without you all, I don't stand a chance. So we will do this together.”
“First, I’ll say that your attacks definitely were having an effect. I believe she’s just been good at hiding it, but ultimately, she’s like us. The more energy she exerts, the weaker she gets, and all we need to do to win is exhaust her until she’s used up every drop. It’s difficult to explain how I know this right now, but I ask that you trust me.”
“And second, my instincts are telling me that I have a way to counteract her dominance over us, something that will remedy each of those issues. Hmm, it appears that the requirement is for you all to have faith in me,” the man stood up and shuffled his way to the middle of the pack in the close-knit space. “Hopefully that’s something I’ve earned. I guess we’ll find out.”
Thorn held out his hand once more and Pox appeared in his palm, teleporting from his spot on the back of the man’s head. “I’ll need your assistance it seems,” he requested the creature’s aid. The divine familiar sat upright and at attention, ready to put in his best effort, though all he really needed to do was just sit there.
More words then flowed from Drim’s mouth unconsciously. Frankly, to him, they sounded like he was spouting random zjik nonsense, but it didn’t matter as long as it worked. He’d say anything he needed to, even if it made him feel foolish.
❝Those who feel shunned by the divine, betrayed by their ruler, abandoned by their god. Those who feel powerless against an overwhelming threat without recourse to act. Those who have lost hope. Know you are not alone. Though your own has failed you, another will always listen. Help will always come.❞
Suddenly, the cage began to rattle again, though not from the incantation. Rathe was suddenly far more desperate to intervene, thrashing against their plant protection again and again, not allowing for any reprieve. And by the sound of it, some of the outer wood was starting to crack. But the chanting demigod chose to ignore it, not stopping to panic or even for a breath.
❝Hear me. Hear my voice, and listen to me now. I am Thorn, Demigod of Nurture. To you who find yourself without a prayer, take my hand. Have faith in yourself, have faith in me. Become my follower, grant me your trust, and I will walk beside you in your fight, guide you to your dreams, and lead us all into a new world!❞
❝Divine Blessing: Baptism!❞
Thorn’s entire body shimmered as mystic wisps flowed down from his glowing crown into his hand. There, Pox briefly absorbed it, and the creature’s facial scar also lit up, surging with its own energy. Power erupted in every direction, hitting each member of the Fiends For Hire, and one at a time, they themselves experienced a torrent of force that made their bodies sheen.
It set off a chain reaction, now bombarding their barrier from the inside while Rathe attacked from the outside. And it couldn’t have been better timing, because their protection was otherwise compromised as a stone hand clawed its way through the vine of thorns. But the cage was no longer needed, and it certainly didn’t survive, blasted away by the chaotic transfer of divinity. And the Rathe spawn that had been hacking away at it were thrown as well, most shattering against the walls from the sheer impact.
Now once again exposed, each member raised back to their feet, standing strong and powerful, despite the glow of Rathe’s will that was etched to their walls. They were no longer affected by it, and looked healthier than when the battle had first started—entirely free of the Demigod of Haste’s oppression.
Only Drim seemed to suffer from it, suddenly keeling over for just a moment before returning upright, clutching his head.
“Are you okay,” Phon naturally rushed to check on him.
“Yes, I’m fine, that didn’t hurt me,” the man assured her. “Rather, it’s just a rush of new knowledge surged into my head. I now have a better understanding of each of your powers. Each of your abilities should work on Rathe now, even some that might have been otherwise limited by aura and life. Kada, you should be able to melt the area, and Phon, you should be able to teleport all of Rathe’s minions now, but I doubt you’ll have luck with her primary form. Those of you with mental-based Curses might struggle against her main body as well.”
“And Laurim, you should transform into an Ankylodillo,” Drim suddenly directed.
“Erm, okay,” the girl nodded. “I don’t know what that is, but here goes! Transform: Ankylodillo!” Shortly after the egg hatched into a large monster, it became obvious why it’d been suggested. A hard shell that could roll into a ball, dotted with rigid protrusions for both grip and damage. Not to mention the giant swinging tail with an equally large boney hammer at the end—perfect for crushing rock.
“I see…” Rathe stared ominously from her throne, having briefly stopped her assault. “I underestimated you, Drim. Or should I say, Thorn. Quite honestly, I’m not sure how I should feel. The ingenuity you’ve displayed is incredible, and as your mother, I should be proud. However, as a demigod, my pride demands that I be enraged!”
“You don’t even know what you’ve just done, do you? What you’ve just enacted is strictly taboo in divine society. You’ve stolen from my own flock and turned them into your followers. Because they are now under your rule, my ability to weaken them is gone. And since you’ve made them your direct disciples, the divinity of other demigods will no longer affect them. Quite the brilliant move. But also an act of war!”
Rathe rose from her seat, brimming with fury as her arms stretched out wide, clawing towards the ceiling in anger. “So you think you have the upperhand now?! You foolish child. Let me show you what it really means to go up against the Demigod of Haste!”