Nyota appeared at the end of the line of archers, holding one of the medusan bows. Its steel construction made it stand out amongst the row of wooden longbows. A suitably unique weapon for a catgirl in a maid outfit. Men chuckled at the odd recurve. Though their awkward teasing did nothing more than confirm their fear.
Do all maids know how to shoot bows? Hmm… Nyota, what other secrets are you hiding? Thought Liam.
All the while, the portal continued to flatten, stretching open far beyond anything Liam had seen. It was over a dozen feet wide now, spinning smoothly in the wind. Unlike the other portals, this one had a blue aura to it, giving it the feel of a disk made from clouds.
The immense size gave Liam a front row seat through a foggy porthole. As a lip formed along the edge he caught a glimpse of what lay beyond. Two glowing yellow eyes appeared, burning with luminous power like two miniature suns. A scaled snout pushed through the portal, covered in iridescent white scales. Sunlight reflected off them, scattering a prismatic spray across Petra.
Liam fought the primordial urge to flee, suppressing his terror with enthralled fascination as the creature emerged from the portal. The triangular head of a pit viper followed the snout, tasting the air with its forked tongue. One golden eye peered down at the militia, dismissing them without a second thought, and roving past them in the same way an arboreal viper would ignore the leaves of a tree.
Oh, my, god, we are less than scenery to this thing!
The white snake swam through the portal, gaining altitude as it moved. Golden feathers sprang into being along a spinal ridge, lengthening in tune with the creature’s girth. A full twenty feet of the serpent had entered their world.
“Archers loose!” Ordered Eldred.
Six arrows flew through the air. An unlucky undulation of the creature’s slither caused the arrows to err, missing the feathered serpent by inches.
The twang of bowstrings echoed through the village as the arrows passed by the serpent, creating a sense of scale. White scales against a blue background had deceived their eyes, and now they saw that the winged serpent was far wider than their projectiles. A supreme creature of divine power who made nature itself stop breathing.
With a deep inhale, one last archer drew their arrow, the taut bowstring creaking in protest. Her target, the snake’s unyielding gaze. One slit pupil starred into another vertical pupil. Nyota adjusted her aim, heart pounding in her chest, and released the arrow with a silent prayer to Perun Taloc. The arrow streaked toward the serpent, destined for the ominous eye.
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It blinked.
Its eyelid deflected the arrowpoint with an effortless ease, sending the arrow plummeting harmlessly to the dirt road below. Though it had been an excellent shot. One that the serpent did not let go unchallenged. It rose high into the air, ascending the void as easily as Liam drew breath. Golden feathers splayed from its body, forming two golden wings. It beat them once, the downdraft hurling it into the heavens above. Fully emerged from the portal Liam recognized the creature. Quetzalcoatl, an American god of serpents and heaven.
Isn’t that supposed to be an Aztec god? Can these portals summon gods? Hey now, Thats… uhm, really not fair! That’s straight up cheating!
Electricity charged the air. Liam’s newfound powers making him keenly aware of another lightning wielder. Two golden eyes focused on Nyota, watching as she fearlessly set another arrow to the string of her steel bow.
“No!” Cried Liam, fear giving him the strength to run.
He could feel the ebb and flow of the snake god’s lightning mana. Could sense its confusion at being summoned into this new world. Disorientation slowed its mind, giving Liam a half second to gather his own strength. Thunder rumbled.
A bolt of lightning flew from the god, arcing for Nyota’s chest. Liam jumped, intercepting the bolt of lightning with his outstretched hand.
Lightning flowed into his body, taking the path of least resistance to the ground. With his mana manipulation skill, Liam guided the raw electrical power through himself, picturing it flowing into his hand, through his arm, into his shoulder, then across his chest to his other shoulder, through his arm and finally into his hand which shot the bolt into the ground. Simple, or so he thought, attempting to channel the strike as he would channel his own mana.
[Mana manipulation] increased to level 9
His hand burned and split, palm bursting apart between his ring and middle fingers. His arm erupted with flame, skin boiling instantly. Then it was over. The lightning passing harmlessly through the rest of his body and into the dirt.
Quetzalcoatl cocked it’s head, turning sideways so it could behold the mortal who had intercepted its lightning with one golden eye. Unblinkingly the creature watched him. Golden wings holding it aloft without moving.
HELLO YOUNG SON OF PERUN TALOC.
The thought exploded in the minds of every soul present. As loudly as if the serpent god had shouted in their ears. None could mistake the origin, nor would they have dared question the beast.
[Lightning] increased to level 14
Liam held his splintered hand, tears streaming down his face as he wrestled with the agony of his destroyed arm and the dizzying volume of the god’s thoughts. Around him the militia collapsed, mortal minds overwhelmed by an echo of Quetzalcoatl’s words.
AWAKEN, DAUGHTER OF LIGHTNING. SERVE YOUR KING.
Quetzalcoatl spoke a second time, shocking the militia into abject stupefaction with the force of its thoughts. Those who could move covered their ears in a futile attempt at quietting the deity’s speech. Fewer still saw the narrow beam of lightning shoot from its eye, piercing Nyota’s heart.
Liam was one of the few, he watched her fall, collapsing like a puppet with their strings cut. Crumpling in a limp mass of fur and cloth. Her silver gray hair contrasting sharply with the black maids outfit. Then the second narrow bolt of lightning entered his skull, channeling through his heart, and robbing him of all conscious thought.