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7. Bloodshed

Reaching deep within himself, Caedes starts to draw from the well of power that resides there. A god’s power can be used in many ways, using a miracle to grant a divine title happens to be the most difficult and expensive way. Changing their appearance or the appearance of their domains is easy, similar to moving furniture or painting the walls. Influencing events in the mortal world, however, takes much more power. Giving a simple nudge in one direction would be the equivalent of trying to get someone’s attention through a window and directing them to the desired goal. Speaking directly to a mortal is even harder, basically having to shatter the window to allow your voice to be heard. Granting a divine title definitely takes the cake though, you have to build up enough power, control it long enough to properly aim it, and infuse it with a sense of purpose. So basically you have to blast the wall off your house, send it hurtling in the correct direction and make sure it knows to open the door around a single person so they don’t get flattened. Doing it alone is rarely done, usually two or more God’s work together to make certain everything turns out the way they want it too. The problem is Caedes wants to keep this little secret hidden for as long as possible, there is no doubt in his mind that given enough time to grow, that little shapeshifter will become a calamity this world is not prepared for. His power begins to take shape in front of him, thrusting his hand into the invisible vortex, Caedes begins to insert purpose. The swirling ball of power practically begs for meaning.

What am I? Caedes begins to chant, infusing the very essence of his godhood into the words. You shall crown the champion of Carnage, the king of savagery, the heir to brutality, the bringer of bloodshed!

The vortex of intangible power darkens to a deep red and starts to violently slam against the borders Caedes created, desperately wanting to escape its prison and fulfill its purpose.

WHO?

With a heavy grunt, Caedes brings up the location next to the roiling vortex and begins directing the struggling power towards the shapeshifter. The invisible prison begins to crack under the strain, strands of the contained title hurl themselves towards the spreading weakness. With a groan, Caedes collapses to his knees, no longer able to contain the maelstrom of power. The prison bursts and the raging storm sinks into the mortal realm and plummets towards the general area of the cave.

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Caedes watches from the ground as the red cyclone splits in half, each half plunging towards a different creature, one within the cave, and one a few miles into the forest.

”Well fuck”

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Von prowls the floor of his cave in the guise of a bobcat, searching for any unlucky creatures to add onto his kill count. Though most creatures in the cave no longer give him a substantial amount of biomass, they still supply him with other benefits. Through experimentation, Von has realized that the more he kills of a certain species the more changes he can make while in its form. When taking the form of a brown rat Von can now choose the size and other specifics instead of just copying the creature exactly. Von can become a rat barely larger than a human finger, alternatively, he could also become a rat over two feet in length. The colors, the size, the fur length, and many more variables become easier to manipulate the more of a creature he absorbs. Armed with this knowledge he has decided the only possible course of action is to kill everything and anything that moves.

Pouncing towards a lizard currently scrambling towards the cave entrance, Von suddenly collapses. A massive presence looms over him as he struggles to stand, power courses through the air as the pressure builds around him. Then without warning the energy collapses into himself and the pressure fades. His body courses with power and dark red cracks split his skin in several places, a guttural scream leaves his mouth as the power tries to rip him apart. Then as if it never happened, the pain fades and in its place is.... strength. His veins pulse in rhythm with his heart, drums beat deep within his gut, a literal typhoon of power surges through his muscles. He can feel himself grow stronger, faster, smarter. The cyclone of energy grows in intensity as it flows through him, as it reaches its climax it suddenly loses its power and returns to circling deep within him.

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”What?” Completely and utterly confused about what just happened Von turns his attention towards himself. As he does so he realizes everything is tinted with a dark shade of red. His very soul seems to contain a raging tempest of power. It is also plain to see that something is missing, though Von does not know what he is looking at, he can sense that something is lacking. Focusing on just that area his soul receives a tug from elsewhere in the world. Looking towards the entrance to his cave Von does not search with his eyes, instead, he reaches out to that thread connecting him to the missing section of power. The missing half responds, two miles away a second cyclone rages, identical to the first. It’s growing closer and fast.

Von begins to prepare to receive whatever holds the other half of His Title.

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