Collide Gamer

Burning brighter than the Sun Part 2 – A Feast for Gods

Nathalia did not know why she ended up in Europe, or where she came from to start with. In the wake of her ascension to godhood Nathalia had to learn several things. How to cross from one Illusion Barrier into another, how to assume human form, how strong she was compared to others, how she could walk amongst the mundane without invoking Gaia’s ire.

God above gods, the supreme deity, Gaia, always watched. Rarely, if ever, did she intervene. Wordlessly, she had relayed one clear intent to the goddess of volcanoes: do not threaten humanity’s natural path.

At first Nathalia barely took her seriously and was reprimanded only in the slightest of ways but as time progressed Gaia became harsher. Gradually, over the centuries and millennia, she separated the Abyssal from the mundane and then finally Nathalia no longer dared to show even a single scale to a normal person. It wasn’t a great loss.

Nathalia also learnt of humans. Much, much more than she had ever anticipated. Most of the mortals were unworthy of her, that much was clear. They were loud, smelly, stupid and weak, relying on numbers for everything. How such a species was able to form the foundations for a being like her, Nathalia never understood.

However, she also learnt more interesting things. She learnt about the pleasures of carnal desires, indulging in both sex and food. She found a large number of people that were aware of the powers of humanity, using magic or other superhuman abilities, with the same restrictions Gaia had put in place for herself. Most of these were about as interesting as regular humans. A human was little more than an ant and an ant that could also spray acid was still just an ant to Nathalia.

Amongst those however she found some interesting individuals. People who had control over Illusion Barriers that managed to shut her out for a while, rarely permanently, for example. There were many other, more aggressive uses of magic. They would organize and create an actual challenge for Nathalia every once in a while. Highly talented individuals that were born with an ability, ranging from something as boring as elemental preferences to unique things like a blessing of Gaia, intact until the loss of one’s virginity. Nathalia regarded that one as a curse. Why would one regard an end to constant sex as a blessing?

The journey took thousands of years. Rarely in control of her own path, she just stepped between the Illusion Barriers she found and looked at whatever she found inside. A journey that, perhaps inevitably, brought her to him.

Nathalia stepped into the new Illusion Barrier she had found while drifting in the flow of the world. Listening to Gaia’s whispers was always tremendously boring so she had grasped at the first exit she could find. She ended up in a city unlike any she had ever seen.

It was massive, unbelievably so. Nathalia could barely believe that so many people could be in one place. It was even more surprising to see thousands of humans gathered inside an Illusion Barrier, trading magical items like it was a mundane market day. Nathalia turned her nose at the smell of sweat and human filth. If she had anything else to do, she would have left to escape the stench. Boredom overcame aversion and she began to walk.

The lack of attention paid to her was unusual. Her enticing form and her height made her the target of the desire of a lot of people, but everybody around realized the three-horned dragoness as what she was, and that it was better not to trifle with her. They scurried out of her way and otherwise went about their business.

Nathalia was happy with that. These humans were dirty and none of them looked particularly attractive, smart, or powerful and she only took interest in people who displayed a combination of all three.

As she walked, the people suddenly went from merely getting out of her way to clearing the street entirely. ‘An appropriate amount of space to make,’ she thought, pleased. ‘This city is interesting. Maybe I can find something to do here – or someone.’

“Get out of the way,” she heard a voice at her side. Nathalia glanced at the blonde in her golden plate armour. A goddess, that much Nathalia could easily make out by her aura.

Nathalia sashayed towards the blonde, giving her a once over. “You dare order me around?” the redhead asked, arms crossed.

“You are in the way of our emperor,” the annoying goddess barked another order, “get out of the way!”

Nathalia ignored the command and looked at the so-called emperor. He was a tall man, taller than she was even, with a hard face and eyes of green. His hair was short and brown, showing slight greying but overall the man didn’t look older than early forties. He wore a white toga and was crowned with an olive laurel.

At his side was a pale woman with long, silvery white hair that flowed down her back. She had silver eyes and wore an almost translucent dress decorated with shining stars. Unlike her annoying counterpart she was of a slender build and she looked clean to the point that the dirt of the city itself avoided her.

The woman was definitely a goddess as well but the man was… human, yet stronger? His aura was innately human. It didn’t possess the thickness one could almost grasp or the connection to the world that normally marked a god but it was also stronger than anything she had ever seen and weaved into its human exterior were a myriad of other powers. What exactly was he?

“Stand down, Sol.” The emperor said and stepped forth, “Greetings, goddess, it has been a while since another one of you arrived. I am Romulus, the ruler of this city called Rome and all of the lands around it. These two are my beloved familiars, Sol and Luna.” Sol clicked her tongue while Luna nodded curtly.

“I see. I am Nathalia,” was all the dragoness had to offer, as she looked at the man with interest. She had heard of Rome before but thought it overblown stories. Now that she was there, she had to admit that this city was indeed grandiose. However, she did not care about the city, she cared much more about this man called Romulus.

“Nathalia, an interesting name. Would you care to continue this conversation in my palace?” the emperor asked and pointed at a huge building in the distance. She did not mind. As a matter of fact, she was very much interested in what this man had to say, just as much as she was about other capabilities he might have.

She licked her lips. “You better have a feast worthy of inviting me.”

He had and that made him even more interesting. Getting offered a good meal was the proper way to greet her. Nathalia sank her fangs into some kind of boar meat. She didn’t care all that much what it was, only that it was delicious.

“I hear you are a dragon,” Romulus said as he watched his guest devour what was provided.

“Indeed, but how do you know?” Nathalia had met a few dragons in her lifetime, like her adoptive brother, but they were a rare species and most of them preferred seclusion. It was easy to make out one of her kind in human form simply because they all shared the same language, Drakonian, a language everyone else understood but did not speak.

“Your language, I am the one responsible for the spell that translates it,” Romulus explained and grabbed a loaf of bread himself.

Nathalia raised an eyebrow, why ever somebody would do something this useless to themselves was beyond her. Romulus had no reason to have that kind of spell other than that he could. Looking at his aura again, it was probably little more than a drop in a river for him.

“You happen upon Rome at the best possible day,” Romulus said suddenly, “Today is the banquet of Gods, as one of them you are invited.”

“Sure, might break the monotony,” Nathalia agreed off-handily.

“Good, because it begins now.” Romulus clapped his hands.

The doors of the palace suddenly opened and beings of higher power poured inside. Angelic sages, demonic deformities, humans with animal parts, men and women made of raw elements, and other weird mixtures between lifeforms. Gods and Goddesses in all kinds of shapes, some small enough to be overlooked and others so big Luna and Sol, who acted as overseers, had to tell them to change forms into something more fitting.

Nathalia just kept eating. None of these gods proved a threat to her. Most of them were Gods of Knowledge, Life or other such pansy things. Not her, she was an avatar of pure destruction. Romulus left Nathalia alone to greet his guests, she let it pass, there was another visitor who had caught her own eye and it was a returned feeling.

A fire elemental stepped towards her. He had the crude shape of a warrior with an axe and a sword hanging from his burning hips. His whole form was just living flame and made any detail a variable. “You and me, we are alike,” he just said and extended a hand. Nathalia nodded, it was true, this one was a fellow god of destruction. “My name is…” there was a noise Nathalia couldn’t interpret as a name but instead was just the feeling of glory, death and terror, the feeling of battle.

“Mhm, you and me will get along nicely,” Nathalia said, ignored the hand and pulled the warrior close, “we will talk after this is over,” she whispered into his ear. Fucking a god was always a worthwhile experience. She pushed him away afterwards, she had other things to attend to. A great many potential partners were around, as were a great many foods and games.

The banquet was a ‘happy’ occasion, with jovial laughter and casual competition. All of that changed when the closed main door was suddenly flung open. One final guest arrived.

A giant humanoid with short black fur appeared out of nowhere. Nathalia was equally disgusted and fascinated by it, as he reared his head. The skinless skull of a rat, crossed with a goat and perhaps even a wolf, four horns extending from it. Hunched forwards, he stepped into the now silent room, his motions an artful mixture of fluid and creepy.

“Romulus!” the Horned Rat said in a very happy tone, “how unlike you to not invite me.”

“It is absolutely like me. After the ruckus your words caused last time, it was the best decision I could make,” the emperor said, stepping towards the big creature. The late arrival grew, to maintain a taller stature than the emperor.

“What is this about?” Nathalia wanted to know from a nearby dragon, much lower in power than she was.

“The Horned Rat spoke a prophecy last time, something about Romulus' greatest project burning in the flame of destruction,” he answered quickly.

“Good boy,” Nathalia patted the lower god on the head and focused back on the happenings.

“Ah, I see, the Abel does not fall far from the tree,” the Horned Rat made a cryptic joke. The words were enough to make Romulus’ face darken with rage.

“Begone, Muris,” he spat out. “Your scheming words are not welcome here.” It was a warning nobody could ignore. Not even the Horned Rat, who was at the peak of his power at this time. A power that caught Nathalia’s interest, even if his appearance did not.

“Oh, oh, I see, oh well.” The red orbs that served as the god’s eyes glanced at Nathalia for just a moment. Then, he raised his voice again, the words carrying an unnatural weight and a meaning beyond expression. Several of the weaker gods collapsed to their knees from the sound. “I already did what I wanted to do here anyway.”

The scene froze. “So that is how you met Romulus and the Horned Rat, huh?” Ferikrona said, “Things seemed pretty dandy back then, and you were both much stronger. I wonder what happened?” She giggled knowingly.

“You looked at my history,” Nathalia responded in an angry tone, “You are perfectly aware of what happened.”

“You are right, I do, Pompeii happened.”