Blazing Glory Ch. 14

"Finally," Kendra whispered in pained relief of being rid of that vile woman for good. It was her own fault for working Kendra up into a rage with her taunting. Using the remaining strength she had, she brought her hand down upon the base of the stone spike. Unable to withstand such force, the stone easily shattered. Her body tumbled to the ground with the remaining stone still in her torso. Her hands seized the stone, screaming as she almost finally succumbed to darkness as she pulled the stone out of her body. Tossing it aside, she finally collapsed as all strength to move left her.

"I'm coming Blaze. I just need a little time," she whispered, lying their limply and slipping into sleep as her body began to heal her body's massive trauma.

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Blaze stood there in amazement as he looked out over the wastelands in front of him. Despite the fact that he had been through various landscapes on this journey, this one seemed the most hostile to him. There was no vegetation to be seen anywhere. Only rocky terrain lay before him as whirlwinds of dust spotted the landscape. In the distance was another large mountain rage. Amongst the craggy peaks was a very angry looking volcano sending plumes of ash into the sky that rained down on the vast plain below. In the middle of this plain running north and south between the two mountain chains was a large castle.

"That would be where your goddess is," Rizarra said as she stepped up next to him.

"Koas certainly makes no secret of where she stays, does she?" Blaze joked half-heartedly, swallowing with nervousness as he sensed the final confrontation drawing near. The drowess nodded.

""I have only glimpsed this land once. Normally it is rife with activity such as slave trading or battles between warring factions. It is eerie to see it so quiet," Rizarra spoke with visible discomfort. "This is likely where she unleashed her forces. If she is to gather more to renew the war, they will have to be gathered from far away to the north and south."

"So my approach will go largely unnoticed," he sighed in relief before noticing the wary look from the dark elf. "No worries! I give my word to still be cautious."

"Xas," Rizarra smiled slightly in her own relief. "For my sister's sake, you had best be. Speaking of which, I will go back to find her and your friends. I will lead them here to come aide you."

Blaze smiled and gave a small wave as she turned around and disappeared into the tunnel's dark entrance. He sighed again while looking after her. The human supposed it would be the best idea if he waited for her to bring them to him. However, many questions weighed heavily on his soul. What if the forces Koas was mustering rallied in the plains in front of him before they arrived? Worse yet, he feared that the battle with the goddess would put the others at risk. It was selfish of him, he knew, but he could not bear the thought of losing any of them. Koas would surely know this and use this against him.

Resolved to finish this before any others suffered, the human warrior stepped forward and proceeded down the beaten path into the goddess's domain. It was a long trip journeying across the plains. Hours passed as dust blew past his feet. Blaze's eyes kept careful watch on his surroundings for any possible ambush. No hostile greetings came to him during all this time as the large castle grew larger with his approach. Perhaps Koas had really sent away every soul in this area. Or was she confident no one like him would even make it this far?

It took him nearly another hour to reach the castle. Hand on hilt, he entered the front area that appeared to be a large courtyard. The remnants of an encampment's command center littered the ground around a tall stone figure. He studied the figure the flowing hair around her curvy body, hands clasping sword in one. The other hand reaching high above in triumph as it held an open flame that crackled in the silent air. Sword and flame, huh? Symbols of war and destruction. This goddess was truly in love with causing chaos in the world.

Shaking his head in wonder at the thought, he quietly made his way through the large doors he found at the other side of the courtyard. His suspicions were confirmed as silence greeted him within the large hall. The only sound he could hear was the pounding within his chest. This absence of anything was heightening his wariness. His hand slowly reached back to rest upon the hilt to be ready. The footfalls echoed softly through the air as he made his way up the stairs of the entrance hall up to another set of large doors.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door slowly and glanced within. Darkness within greeted him with the exception of something that appeared to be at the opposite end. Two glowing white eyes glared out of the darkness, the air around the crackling with the intense heat. The hatred those eyes contained made him swallow deeply and quietly close the door.

"Well," he said shakily as he began walking toward another hallway off to the side, "No one in there. Moving on..."

"Come in... Blaze," a distinctly feminine voice echoed out of the room. The human warrior froze. His instincts screamed at him to run away. After a moment of considering that action, he doubted he would get very far. It would also go against everything they had strived for. Mentally admonishing himself for that brief moment of cowardice, he turned about and threw open to door to march right inside before any other doubts entered his thoughts.

Blaze looked about at the room now lit by the flames within the sconces along the wall. Where those fearsome eyes had been sat the tall goddess on a ghastly throne decorated with skulls. Even though he was taken aback by the throne, he was further astounded by her beauty. Blaze had always imagined the evil goddess to be some twisted form. Yet sitting before him was a lavender skinned beauty whose elegant body was encased in a purple dress held up by shapely hips and full breasts. Long black hair flowed about her as if she were underwater. Glowing red irises fixated him from her yellow eyes, the only physical hint of her dark alignment. Full lips curved backward into a knowing smirk.

"Welcome, 'hero' to my home," the goddess spoke as she rose to greet him as he approached, her footfalls descending the stairs softly. His hand tightened painfully around the hilt of his sword but he did not draw. "I have to congratulate you on making it this far. I would not have guessed you would come to face me directly. I received no word from my servants of your coming. I have not heard from them recently, which I must assume means you and your comrades dealt with them."

Blaze observed the fists of the goddess tighten slightly as her eyes flashed momentary rage that was barely contained. He drew up to a halt as she came up to him. He couldn't help but swallow slightly again as he looked up to the goddess, her height the same as Stavros. These gods certainly were larger than life in stature as well as power. Koas looked down her nose at him, noting his refusal to kneel in her presence with derision.

"So at this juncture, it raises the question... What purpose do you hope to accomplish between us by coming here?" she asked simply.

"I..." he cleared his throat before meeting her gaze directly, willing every ounce of confidence to come forward with his words and appearance. "We have learned you intend to renew the war by rallying more forces here."

"Well now," the goddess hummed as her finger gently tapped her temple in mild irritation, "This is rather surprising that you found out. I was counting on all of you become complacent with your supposed victory. But you are correct, dear Blaze. Now that you know of my plans for continuing the war, what of it?"

"I have come to ask you to stop this once and for all. Leave our realm alone, Koas," he answered honestly. Koas's hand dropped down in shock from what she heard before she threw her head back, laughter bubbling out of her as if he had told her the most hysterical joke she had ever heard. Blaze grimaced slightly but held his posture firm with his resolve. He wanted to resolve this peacefully if possible.

"Blaze. Blaze!" the goddess laughed as she stepped back with arms waving around to the room around them. "Do you not remember who rules over this castle, this land, this realm? My true nature as an immortal goddess is chaotic evil! Glorious chaos is the purpose of my being just as Stavros is for order and peace. Asking me not to pursue bringing chaos to the world is like me asking you to stop breathing. Although, that would be delightful if you could do so for me."

He frowned as his grip remained tight on the hilt of his blade. "So you refuse?" The dark goddess turned aside with consideration for a moment before glancing sideways to him. The way those lips curved upward gave him chills.

"How about this consideration, Blaze," she hummed softly. The goddess he began to slowly circle him. "You surely know by now how much I loathe your existence. How I've longed to know with finality that you met a horrible, bloody end. To earn such malevolent desires of a god is worthy of praise in the highest order."

"I am not really su-" Blaze began in protest before she cut him off as she walked around his back.

"Now, now! Blaze! Do not sell yourself short," she admonished him like a child. "It is something you should be proud of. At first, I only thought you as an amusing distraction from my plans. Little did I know how quickly you would demand my undivided attention as you began to interfere so often with what my servants were doing. You forced me to recognize your talents. Your worth."

The goddess came full circle and fixated him with her gaze so he could see her complete honesty, "Why not serve me from now on with your talents?" Blaze stared at the goddess as she continued on with her measured steps. His arm reached up as he tried to speak, but he was so dumbfounded that he could not bring any words forth. The young man shook his head quickly to clear his mind.

"Koas, after all that has been done, how could you even think I would begin to consider such a proposal?"

She merely smiled to him, as if he did not fully understand the implications of it. "It is not hard to consider. You have the makings for a great leader by how you've lead your little band against my plots. I have seen how ferocious you are in battle with skill that is far above what most common mortals display. Do you not like the offer I am giving you? Think of the rewards of accepting. You would gain fame and notoriety throughout the ages as the one who lead my armies. You would reap treasures and wealth beyond your imagining. The words from your lips would carry greater weight than any kings or emperors."

Koas observed the human looking down to the ground as the temptation of her words began to seep in. It was a natural gift for the gods to be able to influence mortals with the silvery words of their tongues, coaxing them to do what they wanted. Mortals were weaker in mind and body after all. The dark goddess smiled as she thought of another perk.

Blaze felt his consciousness in turmoil from her promises. Could he do it? He had set out to become a hero from the very beginning. Wealth and fame were what he had desired initially. He shook his head to try and clear his mind of such thoughts. He felt something soft press against the back of his head and he froze in terror. He had let his guard down. Not only that, but that softness was at the right height that could only be the full, luscious breasts of the goddess. He felt her arms wrap about him, hands sensually sliding down his arms.

"Or perhaps, you desire something more physical considering the feminine company you keep. I could offer you pleasures greater than any you have experienced so far. Think of it, Blaze. Every night you would get to ravage the body of a goddess to your heart's content. There would be no taboo that we could not explore together," she whispered suggestively behind him. Blaze's mouth went dry as the other head screamed at him to go for it, but one thought stuck in his mind to counter the promise of her words.

"Why would you do that?" He asked, looking over his shoulder up to Koas. "I thought you hated me with all your being. How could you willingly have sex with me if you've felt that way for so long?"

Koas chuckled softly as her arms withdrew from him. Blaze let a subtle sigh of relief escape him as he felt the soft warmth of her breasts leave him. She started walking around him again, albeit more sultry. Was the dark goddess truly trying to seduce him?

"Yes, Blaze. I hate you. But I am willing to overlook everything in the past and forgive you as long as you accept this offer," She answered as she came to stand in from of him once more. Her hand reached up to trail her pinky down the exposed flesh of her upper breast before meeting the edge of her dress. The sharp nail suggestively tugged at the fabric as if to pull it down to release that large breast from its confinement. "As I said before, my purpose is to bring chaos into this world. I would do anything to make that happen, even letting a former enemy pump his seed into my holy depths as often as he wanted."

Blaze couldn't help but feel fully aroused at the ideas she was putting in his mind with her suggestiveness. The physical pleasure with an immortal succubus like Kendra was an out of this world experience. Could sex with a god make that pale in comparison? Despite his curiosity brought about her words, in the back of his mind were the feelings he had for Kendra and the others that he could not bring himself to betray. Kendra was the love of his life. Nothing would change that.

"Now, Blaze," Koas spoke with an edge of firmness, signaling the entertaining banter was over. "You've heard my offer in all that I will give. What say you?"

"If I were to say no?" Blaze asked.

"Then we would be at an impasse. Despite what you have said, I will not cease my plans with the war. Either you are a part of my army or you stand against it in the coming months," Koas answered frankly.

Blaze closed his eyes as he drew in a deep breath as the answer came to him. The metallic hiss of metal rang in the air as the human drew the blade out of its sheath. He pointed the sharp leading edge of the blade toward the dark goddess.

"This is my answer," he said firmly. "Either swear a binding oath as a goddess that you will no longer pursue your ambitions or I will end your existence here and now."

The goddess stood there silently for a moment as she heard his petty threat before regarding the blade pointed at her. Her eyes narrow slightly before widening in recognition. What confused Blaze was the absence of the fear he expected her to be in. Instead, the goddess smiled brightly in answer to his threat before laughing in pure delight. Before his eyes, her body swiftly dissipated into a lavender mist that swirled about to fill the room. Blaze staggered backward from this, quickly drawing the second blade from its sheath. His breath quickened as her laughter continued to echo throughout the room.

"Really now? I suppose Stavros was the one who mentioned how we gods can be bound by the oaths we've sworn," her voice laughed mockingly all around, making him spin about in trying to see any attack. "I suppose if you are threatening me with that sword, you know its history in relation to the Natori."

"Yes. The Natori made weapons such as these to combat immortals. Even the gods," he shouted, anger growing at her continued laughter as she apparently viewed his threat as trivial.

"They foolishly thought the start a war against the gods. Thus we destroyed them completely in response. The slaughter was so bloody that the majority of the gods afterwards made all of us swear an oath that became the Natori Pact. We were no longer allowed to directly harm another mortal. But there was a condition," she laughed with increasing mirth.

"And that would be?" Blaze asked, already fearing he knew where she was going with this.

"Should any being threaten one of us with a relic from the Natori," she hummed with satisfaction, the mist swirling about the room with growing velocity. "We gods are freed from our oath in that instance to take whatever actions necessary to protect our existence. Which means..."

Blaze jumped as the fires in the sconces were snuffed out, plunging the room into darkness as it became deathly silent. The only sound was the rapid increase of his breathing as he frantically searched the darkness for any sign of the goddess.

"I can kill you now," Koas's voice whispered venomously, her breath tickling his ear.

The human gave a shout of fear as he slashed in that direction. His blade sliced through air and nothing else while her laughter echoed once more. Shit! Blaze cursed himself mentally. If he hadn't been such an arrogant fool, he could have left without her being able to lay so much as a finger on him. To think that the presence of the Natori weapons would make the goddess cower to his demands was idiotic at best. Now he was truly in the fight for his life by granting Koas her most cherished wish in being able to kill him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he caught faint wisps of the mist disappearing further into the darkness. He waited a few tense moments, listening intently. But no sound came.

"Come out here, Blaze," the voice of the goddess commanded, filling the air with her words. Despite the loudness, he did not doubt her words as they sounded like the she was calling him from outside. He rushed back the way he came and out through the courtyard. Lightning crackled against the blackening sky as the volcano raised havoc with a fresh eruption.

Blaze drew up to a halt as he saw what waited before him. "Oh shit... Now that is just not fair..."

Koas stood waiting in the distance out on the plains with her back to the volcano. She was no longer much taller than him, but gigantic as she towered above the ground. She had to be at least a couple hundred feet in height. The purple mist swirled about her body in such a way that she did not appear fully solid. The goddess hunched forward eagerly, hands beckoning him towards her impatiently. Her eyes were glowing white with malice.

"Yes. YEEESSS! That's it, Blaze. I no longer want to wait hearing your screams before I snuff out your insignificant life! Come fight me 'hero'," She said with that last word dripping with mockery.

Blaze looked down at his swords as he briefly thought that last word over. It was the dream he had set out for from the very beginning. After all this time, that goal was finally in reach. But he knew now that he wasn't worthy of being celebrated as a hero. He had his faults and made mistakes that you never hear heroes make in the legends. No. He was no true hero and never would be. He was Richard Thorburn, a man who only wished to put an end to the suffering of many. He could feel a small vibration begin to increase within the hilts, as if they were drawing upon the power Koas was exhibiting.

The tips of his blades hovered just above the ground as he stepped forward toward her. His footfalls soon increased as he began to run out toward the goddess as a surge of energy filled his being. It was a weird sensation as his feet sounded like they were hitting the ground with greater force. He sprinted across the distance at a pace that would have had him breathless. Yet he continued on unabated. As the human closed the distance, he saw Koas grimace as her hand reached to her head in pain.

"Damn you and those annoying relics," she growled angrily as her other hand raised high above her. A swirling mass black flame appeared above her hand. The sphere grew larger and more violent until the roaring inferno was the size of large ship. "You think you can weaken me by taking my power for yourself? Then help yourself to this!"