This is part 9 of my Ascension of Azaron series, the plot of which is heavily reliant on events in the previous chapters. I encourage you to read those for context before jumping into this story, unless that's your thing, in which case welcome.
Part 9: Conquest
The mage council was dispatched quickly, and while many mages defected and would need to be hunted down, most fell in line and began a more direct rule over the mortal worlds.
This event was the final straw, and the gods began independently mobilizing their forces; monsters, mortals, and angels alike against the armies of Azaron. But Azaron, with his powerful connection to the veil, caught them off guard and opened portals across the heavens, unleashing his own armies against the gods before they had finished their preparations. This surprise attack, while effective, was not enough to knock out the gods, who recovered and held many strong points, but it kept the initiative in Azaron's hands while he searched for more allies to his cause.
The opening months of the war had worked in Azaron's favor as the gods were not united and some held back. While the Norse, Egyptian, Slavic, Babylonian, and Aztec gods were at war with him, many other pantheons had not committed to war yet, and Azaron was keen to try and knock out his current enemies before others joined. Speed was of the essence.
As his advance slowed, he was searching for anything that could tip the scales back in his favor. One day, Cosima informed him that an emissary had been sent to discuss a potential alliance. Azaron agreed to meet her, and soon he was shaking hands with Pheamiril, a powerful woman possessed by the spirit of the phoenix god.
Pheamiril was rather tall, slender, and beautiful with soft young features. However, her youthful appearance was betrayed by crystal blue eyes which held the wisdom of ancients. She had clearly seen much but held it away from prying eyes. Her fiery red hair flowed elegantly down her back and rested behind a small silver crown with iron wings. She wore light armor of polished steel and leather and kept a sword at her side. Her hilt hung from a braided gold belt, and she stood as one who knew herself well.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he politely asked.
"I came on behalf of the Venuses. Warrior women known also to many as Amazons or Valkyries."
"You are not one of these Venuses?"
"I am not, I know their queen and she asked this of me as a favor."
"I see, and do you personally have any investment in this venture?"
"I would like to assist the queen as she has been a friend of mine in the past. I am also providing my home as a neutral meeting place."
Azaron nodded and thought this over, then agreed to go with her to her home.
Pheamiril opened a portal and stepped through, gesturing to Azaron to follow as she did.
Azaron joined her and found himself in a dense jungle in some unknown realm. They walked for a short time before coming across a large house resting on the mighty branches of a massive tree. They flew up to the front door together and entered her home.
"So, this is where you live?" Azaron wondered aloud as he scanned the area. While there were some trophies of past battles, skulls, weapons, bones, and armor as well as old furniture strewn about. There was nothing extravagant to denote that she was the phoenix goddess. The home was made of strong wood but was most likely built by her or a friend. It lacked any defining qualities and was very simple in design.
"It is, for now." she sighed, going through her cabinets to get some ale.
"Not what I would expect."
"No, I travel a lot. Having a permanent place isn't... isn't really my thing," she explained absentmindedly as she inspected a glass for dust.
Azaron nodded as he looked at the huge skull that sat in the center of the room. "And where might this..."
She looked up "Oh, a cloud giant was terrorizing a kingdom, taking half their crops and livestock. I was asked to slay him and when I did, I brought his skull home so I could remove the gold teeth and sell the eyes."
"And the money went to?"
"Well, that's my business," she rebuffed him as she filled the glasses.
"Of course," he relented. He said nothing more but took note of the various scraps of armor, weapons, and body parts which she collected.
She held out a glass to him, pulling from his investigation.
He took it with a smile and they drank together in silence for a time before he turned to her. "So how does she know to come?"
"She was going to come anyway; it was just a matter of if you'd be here or not."
He nodded, then looked back to the skull. "You are clearly a very skilled warrior."
She shrugged, "I help those who need it, and take anything I might need."
"You must know magic, No one harvests giant eyes or manticore tail without knowing what they're doing," he insisted before taking another swig.
"I have a variety of skills. I've lived a long life and I find it practical to have a wide base of knowledge."
"Where do you primarily operate?"
"The Etherscape."
"-I am unfamiliar with that realm," he admitted with confusion and great interest.
"When the gods put the veil up, many mortal worlds were left on our side of it, and they were much closer to the wars between the gods and other entities, so they had to adapt quickly. They have technology and magic far beyond anything that can be found on the mortal side of the veil. They entered into a pact and crowned an emperor to govern the many worlds to help secure them from the many outside forces that sought influence there. Law is very important to them, and they've been through a lot, but the system has endured, even in the absence of an emperor."
"They lack a leader?"
At this point someone landed like a sack of bricks on the front porch, then entered with a confident stride. She wore the furred hide of a great beast as a cloak clipped by a small gold chain. Her short blonde hair was clipped back with bone and rested just over her right eye. Her large white wings resemble that of a pegasus as they curled up to hug her back. Her blue eyes pierced across the room and found the man she was searching for. Her cold eyes locked on to Azaron as she slowly approached the dark man.
"You are Azaron?" her strong voice carried surprisingly softly across the large central room.
"I am, and you must be-" as he reached out to shake her hand he was interrupted.
"Istoril, Grand Venus," she proclaimed as she took his hand with a firm grip.
"Of course. You wanted to negotiate?"
"Yes, once I've been given a drink," she glanced at Pheamiril with a small smile.
"I wouldn't be a good host if I didn't provide ale," the red head chuckled as she made her way to the cabinet. "Please, sit you two."
Istoril and Azaron sat across from each other as they relaxed.
"You must be hot in that," Azaron pointed out, gesturing to the large fur cloak.
"My internal temperature is always well regulated, I wear this because it looks fantastic and it shows my second greatest kill," she smiled smugly as she looked down at the white and gray fur that encased her.
Azaron chuckled, "I can't argue its visual appeal, and what did you kill to obtain it?"
"I killed the winter wolf of the frost giant king Laufrey," she proudly proclaimed.
"Fascinating. And what was your greatest kill?" he asked with excitement.
"I killed the great dragon Sakaroth and made armor from his scales!"
"Oh, don't get her started, she'll go on for days," Pheamiril interrupted, handing everyone another mug.
"I find this to be quite interesting actually," Azaron insisted.
"She is right though, I come here on important business, and we should focus on the task at hand," Istoril sighed.
"We will continue another time then," Azaron smiled, and raised his glass to her.
Istoril chuckled "Indeed we shall," then knocked back her ale.
"I should've just rolled the keg over here," Pheamiril sighed.
Istoril finished her drink, wiped her face with her arm, and placed the mug on the small table in front of her with a satisfied sigh. She then cleared her throat and sat up straight. "I came here because word of your conquests has spread and the gods have asked me to assemble my forces to come to their aid. I was ready to do so until another thought hit me." Istoril grumbled uncomfortably at this and paused for a moment.
Azaron raised his eyebrow, wondering what exactly she wanted from him.
"Long ago there were adonises," she continued "Great men who we would copulate with us venuses to continue our race. They died out ages ago, having died in wars of the gods, or being lost to the mortal realm where they had offspring. However, it was prophesied by Cosima that one day one with lineage linked to an Adonis would rise and his blood would hold the great power that the adonises used to have hidden within himself."
"And you think I am the adonis?" he inferred.
"That is the theory, in which case I'd be more likely to side with you than the gods since you could breed with our people and produce more venuses. We do have a substantial population, but our numbers have dwindled over the millennia, and we are unable to replenish them. If you are the adonis, then our crisis would be solved."
Azaron nodded and considered this "And I assume we'd have to... copulate for you to be sure?"
"-What gives you that impression?" Istoril asked with shock.
"Every time I become more powerful it's because a queen sleeps with me. It's sort of become a pattern so I figured it was worth a shot," he shrugged.
"I see... well your instincts serve you well," she admitted with a shrug.
"And what if I'm not the adonis?"
"Then I capture you and turn you over to the gods."
