Today was going to be a good day, Aelius could feel it. He hadn’t been this excited in quite a while, actually. Why had he ever stopped traversing the northern plains?
He couldn’t quite remember. Sometime in the past, he had started to travel through the edge of Karasuthra forest instead face the monsters of the plains. He supposed there was some logic to it; he hated animals, and while there were plenty of animals in the forest, monsters were basically just very large animals, right? His healing aura still attracted them in droves, though the monsters seemed much more likely to attempt actually eating him. This was amusing, although he suspected it would get old rather quickly. As the power of one’s aura directly contributed to the strength of their barrier, Aelius’ barrier was nigh-invulnerable. While there were a few things that could punch through his natural defense, but any such damage was simply healed off in an instant. Still, monsters were so much more entertaining than weak little animals!
Rather than the wimpy entourage of deer and squirrels he was used to, Aelius had collected and tamed a pack of mighty beasts. He sat cross-legged utop the head of an enormous, bipedal raptor monster with massive jaws and hilariously tiny arms, flanked by an entourage of acid-spitting lizard men. Or lizard women? He couldn’t really tell, or for that matter bring himself to care. An impressive menagerie of other creatures pranced around in the wake of his aura, but he paid them no mind from utop his ferocious perch.
As powerful and intimidating his mount was, the creature didn’t seem very smart. Aelius needed only dangle his hand in front of the beast’s beady eyes and it would rush forward, attempting to catch his delicious-looking fingers. Aelius did not judge many things to be worth actual physical exertion, but wrestling this dinosaur to the ground and climbing onto its head seemed to be paying off in spades. He had initially just done it because he thought it would be funny.
Also funny was the little horsemen he could see off in the distance, scrambling to alert their town about the massive horde of monsters heading that way. Aelius had always wondered what would happen to a person traveling through a monster’s digestive system while in range of his aura. They would probably get trapped in the stomach, he supposed, as it wouldn’t be able to dissolve them enough to fit through the intestines; they would just keep growing back. It would be an infinite food source, but only so long as they stayed in his aura and Aelius’ power already supplied any energy a person might need to live in the first place. Overall, it would be completely pointless, which was a real shame. He would have very much liked to see someone get pooped out whole.
Alas, he had no time for such frivolities. Aelius was a father now, and his daughter sounded far more entertaining. He was glad he’d ended up missing all the annoying ‘raising a child’ steps and got to skip straight to the good stuff. It was great to be a lucky bastard.
Actually finding his daughter seemed like it would be somewhat of a chore, but it had been so long since Aelius had wandered with purpose rather than idle boredom that all the roses seemed to smell sweeter along the way. Marisol (and oh, what a sweet rose she was) had informed him Neoma shared his wandering habit, though apparently with the goal of avoiding people instead of ennui. Apparently, she didn’t want to risk harming people with her titanic powers. How had his loins given rise to such bleeding heart? It was a baffling quality, but also one he would enjoy taking advantage of.
Aelius watched the riders in the distance scramble about, preparing to engage his entourage. Cute little idiots, the lot of them. As fun as it would be to plow through them all, he was here to get information first and have fun second. At least a passing display of friendliness would help him get what he wanted. A detestable necessary, but patience was a virtue that paid off in spades. Life was arguably all about patience, and if there was one thing Aelius had an abundance of it was life.
Watching as the militia formed ranks to intercept, Aelius spurred his towering mount into a charge. From utop its head Aelius was perched nearly fifty feet into the air, a perfect vantage point to gaze down upon terrified mortals. Alas, though clearly comprised mainly of townsfolk the militia seemed well-trained, or at least used to being out of their league, for they did not scatter even as they were beset upon by sixty tons of muscle, teeth, and death. They had barely fifty men, yet still they nocked their bows and let loose a volley towards certain doom.
Or perhaps not so certain doom, as Aelius was surprised to find out. Though some of the arrows bounced harmlessly off the scaley hide of his entourage, a surprising number of them pierced deep into or entirely through the monsters’ armored flesh. Had they not been in range of his healing aura, some of his mid-to-small sized beasts would have certainly died. A fact that someone in the militia seemed to have noticed, because in the next volley of shots there was one that aimed a little higher. The arrowhead struck Aelius square in the face, and though it shattered against his barrier it still actually sort of hurt.
Well now, that simply wouldn’t do. Aelius gazed outward, seeking the source of the rude projectile. A horseback-mounted thiro man was aiming another arrow his way, cat-like eyes gleaming as he aimed his shot. The arrow he fired crashed into Aelius’ forehead, shattering once again but impacting hard enough to sting. Aelius smiled. He would enjoy playing with such an impressive fellow. Time to make an entrance.
Just as his charging horde of immortal monsters was about to reach the militia’s lines, Aelius directed his giant mount to make a sharp turn to the right. Chomping out at Aelius’ delicious-looking hand, the monster immediately tripped on its shorter, adjacent companion. Careening out of control, the beast knocked the rest of the charging monsters over with its tail as it fell sideways into the dirt, Aelius riding it calmly downard as it inevitably skidded to a stop in front of the militia lines. Casually fishing through his pouch for a seed and tossing it behind himself, Aelius stepped off his mount’s enormous head and addressed his stunned audience.
“Friends!” he bellowed, grinning with anticipation, “sorry to startle you all! Traveling by monster is just so much faster than traveling by foot, wouldn’t you agree?”
Before the force before him could muster an answer, the seed Aelius had thrown hit the ground. Pouring his massive power into it, the seed took root and erupted into a swarm of thorny vines, writhing and lashing around each member of his collapsed monstrous menagerie. Holding the creatures in place, the vines bored through the beasts’ flesh, greedily drinking their blood like it was water. Even the burning acid that coursed through some monster’s veins was treated as a delicacy, consumed without any apparent harm to the plant. Though Aelius’ aura kept the monsters alive so long as he was around, the thorndrinker plant held even the largest one in immobile agony as it greedily sucked the creatures dry.
This was, Aelius now remembered, the reason he had taken to traveling Karasuthra forest. Though the deeper woods had no shortage of monstrous animals, the true gem of the area was its monstrous plants. Should he put his mind to it, Aelius could instill a degree of control over how a living creature grew or repaired itself within his aura, but it was far easier to enact this control over plants. He could do countless fun things with his favorite flora, though he needed to actually gather and keep the seeds of such organisms if he wanted to sprout them at will.
“Anyway,” Aelius continued for his dumbfounded audience, “could I perchance have a guide to your fair city? The monsters won’t be bothering you anymore, and I’m in the mood to celebrate.”
“Er… of course, sir,” one of the stunned militia men finally answered. “We’d be happy to show you. May I ask your name?”
“Aelius,” the titan said with a melodramatic flourish. “It is a pleasure to meet you, I’m sure.” Pointing at the thiro man that shot him twice in the head, he added, “I’ll take that one. The rest of you can go.”
Various droll noises of shock and astonishment scattered around the ranks of the militia as they reeled from the news. A few people bowed, many took off their helmets, and all lowered their weapons.
“Aelius? As in, the Titan of Life, Aelius? Thank you! Thank you, sir, for gracing us with your presence!”
Ah, empty praise. How he hated it. Perhaps he could linger in this town for a little while, teach them a thing or two. He had to make his debut somewhere, and what was the point of sweet-smelling roses if one never stopped to smell them?
“The rest of you,” Aelius repeated with a humorless smile, “can go.”
Pushing through the crowd, Aelius hopped side-saddle onto the haunch of the cat man’s horse, clutching his waist like a fair maiden swooning over her hero. Then, he slapped the mount’s buttocks with his considerable titanic strength. To his dismay, the well-trained animal staggered from the blow but did not rush away in a panic. Instead, its feline rider simply turned back to regard Aelius with a level-headed gaze.
“To town, then?” the thiro asked. His voice held many things: concern, awe, fear, a desire to hide each of those away in favor of a professional attitude– but worship, at least, was not one of them.
And this man had shot him in the face? Aelius suspected they would get along swimmingly.
“To town, my good man!” Aelius agreed enthusiastically. “And what is your name, my kitten companion?”
“Hanno, sir,” the thiro responded flatly as he coaxed his horse into a trot.
“Thanks for agreeing to show me around, Hanno!” Aelius said gleefully, knowing full well that Hanno had done no such thing. Hanno also seemed acutely aware of this, judging by how his ears pressed flat against his head in lieu of a response.
“I’m sure we’ll get along just fabulously!” Aelius concluded.
Hanno nodded, seeming disinclined to disagree.
“So you’re a titan with healing powers, then?” he asked. “I feel as though weeks of fatigue have been stripped from me already.”
“I am! Titan of Life, in the flesh! My bountiful aura washes over and invigorates all things, big and small, with health, vitality, and strength!” Aelius bragged.
“But you’re not doing it on purpose, are you?” Hanno asked, though it did not sound like a question.
“I am not,” Aelius confirmed, his grin growing ever wider. “How did you know?”
“Just a hunch,” Hanno responded quietly, and spurred the horse into a run.
A fat, stupid-looking man greeted the both of them when Hanno’s horse brought them to the gate. It was such an unremarkable town that Aelius would probably forget what it looked like every time he blinked. The fat guardsman waved as they approached.
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“Oi, Hanno!” he said, “Do you seriously have another titans-damn straggler? Why ya always ridin’ back with these things?”
“Apologies, Barry,” Hanno replied. “This is Aelius, the Titan of Life. He personally requested my escort. Please treat him respectfully.”
“Uh-huh. Even if this is Aelius, why would he request you?” Barry challenged. “Is this some kinda joke, ya furry bastard?”
“Um, no,” Hanno said, glancing at Aelius’ forehead. “I don’t think it would be very funny if it was.”
“Oh, on the contrary!” Aelius piped up, hopping off his spot on the horse, “I think it will be hilarious. Now, are you going to be useful and open this gate, or not?”
“Please,” Hanno added.
“Sure, fine.” Barry conceded, muttering to himself. “Seriously though, Aelius? That’s the second in as many weeks, fuzzface…”
Hanno sighed as the gate was opened, and politely lead a giddy Aelius inside as he hitched up his horse.
“Whataya think he meant by that?” Aelius asked as they entered the town proper.
“Probably nothing of importance or interest,” Hanno lied poorly. “It is Barry, after all. So, how can I help you with your business today, Titan of Life?”
“Ah, see, that’s the thing,” Aelius sneered. “I’m actually looking for another titan. My daughter, you see. It will be a very touching family reunion. I’m fairly certain she was heading this way, so if you know anything about that? That would be swell.”
Aelius watched as the gears turned in the confused and frightened Hanno’s mind. His ears splayed back, his tail was stiff, and even his professionally calm face furrowed as he came to a decision that would irrevocably change his life. Life was arguably all about change, after all, and if there was one thing Aelius had an abundance of… well, it was life.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about that,” Hanno lied, and oh was he a poor, poor liar. “I’d be happy to take you around town to ask if anyone has seen her, if you like.”
What a terribly stupid decision, Aelius mused. His favorite kind.
“Oh, no,” Aelius smiled. “That’s far too much of a bother. Just gather everyone here.”
“I beg your pardon?” Hanno asked.
“Don’t beg, you pathetic creature,” Aelius responded cheerfully. “Gather. Everyone. Here. The whole town. The entire kit and kaboodle. I want to see every man, woman, obarian and child shoved like a pea pod into this street, so that I may ask them all at once, and determine how much I like their answer.”
Hanno paled so fast Aelius could see it through his fur.
“Ah, on second thought, I may have seen another titan traveling–”
“Oh, so you lied to me, dear Hanno?” Aelius laughed. “Well that won’t do! I can’t trust liars. No, I’m afraid I’ll still need everyone. You have one hour. If a single resident of this pathetic excuse for a village isn’t lined up in front of me by then, well…” he idly tossed a seed up and down. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
“I… I couldn’t possibly…!”
“Time’s a-wasting, kitten,” Aelius taunted. “And unlike a liar such as yourself, I mean what I say.”
Horrified, Hanno ran off, shouting the names of people Aelius didn’t know and didn’t care to know. He would either get the job done or he wouldn’t, and it didn’t really matter. Aelius was going to play it by ear either way.
A crowd began to gather as he waited, so in a truly uncharacteristic display of haughtiness Aelius grew himself a deep green throne to sit on. He was very proud of it, with soft armrests, fluffy, petaled seats, and thorns in all the right places to keep peons from pawing it. It also seemed to do a good job of drawing people to the right place, since no one in this hodunk town seemed to know what he looked like. How terribly rude. He had an entire stupid religion based around him and everything, you know.
Some amount of time later– Aelius wasn’t really keeping track– Hanno returned, panting for breath. A positively massive crowd had gathered around, so massive that Aelius couldn’t see the edge of it even from his elevated seat. Pushing through to the center, where Aelius had forced a clearing around his throne, Hanno reported in.
“There,” he managed between gasps for air. “Everyone… in the town… is on this street. Just like you asked. A number of them have seen a female titan pass through here, so I’ll direct them to you immedi–”
“Naw,” Aelius said, cutting him off. “You can just tell me. Where’s Neoma at?”
Shocked and enraged, Hanno stared at him with a complete lack of comprehension.
“Wh- but why?” he sputtered. “What was all this even for?”
“I dunno,” Aelius shrugged, standing up and walking towards him. “Maybe I just wanted an audience.”
Clasping one hand on Hanno’s shoulder and another on the top of his fuzzy head, Aelius squeezed and twisted. Screaming in agony, Hanno’s spine popped and his muscles snapped as his neck was opened like a stubborn jar of pickles. Aelius kept twisting, shredding the strands of muscle, skin, and esophagus that held the halves of Hanno’s neck together until they were thin enough to snap, sending his body crashing to the dirt. Held up high, Hanno’s disembodied head quickly began regrow the missing parts of his neck, regenerating spine, tissue, and blood. The start of new lungs dropped into place as a ribcage sped to catch up and hold them steady. Hanno’s new lungs formed a scream as a diaphragm grew strong enough to allow it and skin fought to cover his chest, fur close behind it. The rest of him fleshed out quickly afterwards, and when it was complete Aelius tossed his fresh, naked body next to his lifeless, headless original. The entire process took barely ten seconds, the crowd of watchers stunned silent and inactive.
“Pop quiz, Hanno!” Aelius barked once his victim had transitioned from screaming to simple ragged breaths. “What is a titan? Answer me honestly, if you would. You are a terrible liar. Really, just… the worst.”
Hanno turned over to face Aelius, naked and terrified. Not even the daily trials of the northern plains could have prepared him for this experience. The sheer terror of the situation wanted to compel Hanno to lie again, say whatever he thought the monster wanted to hear. Yet Aelius was right: he was a terrible liar. If this… thing wanted the truth, Hanno would share it.
“You’re just… a man,” Hanno told him. “Powerful beyond my comprehension, maybe. But still just a man, same as any of us. No wiser, no better. Just stronger.”
Aelius smiled, the most unsettling display of joy Hanno had ever known.
“A supremely correct answer, kitten.” he said, walking forward to stand over his victim. “I’m impressed. You know, not many people get that. Everywhere I go I’m worshipped as some divine entity, as if I’m spreading blessings from the goodness of my heart.” He shook his head. “Do you have any idea how painful that is to me? Getting all that credit, for something I don’t even want? Surely, you’ve had that happen before. Gotten praise for something you’ve never really deserved. Being applauded, for something that isn’t you. It eats at your soul, doesn’t it? Imagine that, every hour of every day of every month of every year. And I would just sit there, and take it, as it kills me inside, little by little. Too long have I lived like that, Hanno. I am not a god. I am a man, with wants and needs and feelings. I can no longer stand being loved for what I’m not.”
Reaching down, Aelius cupped Hanno’s chin, caressing it mockingly before grabbing him by the face and lifting him into the air once more.
“I think I much prefer being hated for what I am.”
Aelius grabbed Hanno’s shoulder and prepared for another twist, when a female voice from the crowd screamed his name. A demure, doe-like thiro woman rushed into the clearing, tackling into Hanno’s body in an attempt to pull him out of the titan’s grasp. Her utter ineffectiveness at that task was simply adorable.
“Claudia…” Hanno managed to gasp, “No… get away…”
“What a touchingly cliche scene!” Aelius mused excitedly. “I suppose I can do you as well, if you insist.”
Dropping Hanno, Aelius caught Claudia like a bear trap. Effortlessly, he lifted the doe into the air in Hanno’s stead and unceremoniously twisted her head off. Her piercing scream echoed through the crowd, abruptly silenced by her windpipe tearing to shreds. As her body fell, Aelius clasped the palm of his hand around the bottom of her neck, directing her head to stare down at Hanno’s body as Aelius moved forward to step on it.
“Sorry if you were hoping to see her naked,” Aelius taunted, “but once more than one person takes their pants off this starts being a very different kind of show. Too bad, huh? She can’t grow that beautiful bod back if there’s something in the way... like, say, my hand. Oh, but don’t worry, she’s alive. And completely conscious, what luck! Say ‘hi,’ Claudia!” He shook her around, to no response. “Ah, right, you don’t have any lungs.”
Claudia’s head twitched, eyes darting about in horror and jaw failing to form any words as blood leaked from her neck down Aelius’ arm. Hanno opened his mouth to spew some pointless drivel, so Aelius stepped on his throat.
“No no, you just watch,” Aelius insisted.
With his free hand, he gathered another seed. Hanno could only stare in horror as Aelius planted it firmly into Claudia’s head through the bottom of her neck. A vibrant plant grew around the opening, sealing it off and popping out a cute, purple flower where her body should be attached.
“There we go!” Aelius said, proceeding to idly toss her head up and down through the air. “That should keep her from getting a torso back. Of course, without a body she’ll die if she gets too far away from me. Easy solution, of course.”
Aelius stuffed her head unceremoniously into the white knapsack he kept his seeds in.
“I guess I’ll have to bring her with.” He smiled down at the horrified Hanno, who was struggling in vain to remove Aelius’ foot from his throat.
“Don’t worry. You’re coming too.” Aelius shook the knapsack. “I think I have room for one more. It’ll be a tight fit, but I’m sure that will be fine. You two seemed... close.”
One final time, Aelius removed Hanno’s head. Plugging it the same way he had Claudia’s, he addressed the crowd.
“I’m leaving now,” he announced. “Don’t worry. The rest of you will keep your heads attached to your bodies.”
The gruesome scene prevented any palpable feeling of relief at that, but it was still clear that most people thought they had just dodged a horrendous death.
“That,” Aelius continued, “Will be your punishment for boring me. These two fools at least tried, so I’ll let them come with. The rest of you?”
Aelius rummaged into his pack and tossed out some seeds.
“Well, once I’m gone, there will be nothing to keep you alive.”
Pouring power into the seeds before they even touched the ground, the thorndrinker plants all but detonated on contact with the soil, bursting through the screaming crowd to steal victim after endless victim. Aelius continued to ram bucketfuls of power into the plants, accelerating and shaping their remorseless growth faster and further. They climbed over buildings, across streets, and through anyone that stood in their way. Aelius didn’t believe for a second that the entire town had actually shown up, and wasn’t interested in his usual half-measures and lazy efforts. Truly flexing his titanic might for the first time in a very long time, Aelius covered the entire town, every square inch, with deadly, carnivorous flora. Each and every person, pet, and animal in the town was pierced and bound, forced to wait in helpless agony for him to leave and grant them death.
“Take a good look, kitten,” Aelius told Hanno’s head, forcing his eyes open with another hand. “I am a man, it’s true. But I am not just a man. I am a titan. Everything you hold dear exists only by the fleeting whims of my mind.”
He turned Hanno’s head to face him, releasing his eyes. Hanno blinked, but stared back.
“So here’s the deal. You and little Claudia are coming with me. And if you want to see her ever move on her own again, you will help me find my daughter. You will tell me everything you know, and you will do everything in your pathetic, mortal power to continue assisting me until we find her. Is that clear?”
Time passed, as Hanno’s eyes flickered around at the devastation of his hometown. Everything he had ever known, annihilated in the span of a few minutes. He could not fight, he could not run, he could not even speak, and there was only one thing left he even stood a small chance of saving. There was, in his mind, only one option.
He mouthed the words: North. West.
Aelius smiled.
“Good kitten.”