Chapter 704 - Incursion

“How much longer?”

“A few hours,” was Iris’ response to Zeke’s question.  Her attention never wavered from whatever she saw through the grey mist.  Zeke had learned that she had some skill that let her navigate the void, but she’d been unable to adequately describe what it allowed her to perceive.  “Then fifteen minutes for you to reach the planet.  Incursion will not be pleasant.”

Zeke nodded.

That was within his expectations after his most recent conversation with Oberon.  The greater god had reiterated that infiltrating another god’s domain – especially without that god’s permission – was typically all but impossible.  The only surefire way to bypass those protections was to overpower the god, as had been the case when Simeon entered Oberon’s domain.

The only reason Zeke had a chance was because of his own nature as a primordial, combined with a little extra push from Oberon.  Meanwhile, the army would only enter once Zeke occupied Simeon’s attention.  Otherwise, they would surely be repelled – even with Iris’ skills working to help them slip through the defenses.

In short, it was only possible due to many factors working together.  If even one failed, there was every chance that everyone would be slaughtered, and Zeke would be doomed to a short life of being repeatedly ripped apart until he simply ran out of divine energy. 

Not something anyone would look forward to, but after everything he’d endured in Hell, Zeke was afforded a unique perspective.  He was well aware of just what such a thing would feel like. 

Pushing that from his mind, he focused on the rest of the plan. 

Once he was on the planet and had engaged Simeon in battle, the others would board the ship’s boarding vessels,  Those would allow them to bridge the gap between the ship and the planet.  Upon reaching the surface, they would split up to fight their way to the seven temples that empowered his domain.  Destroying those focal points would hopefully allow Zeke to fight Simeon on equal footing. 

Mostly.

Simeon would still have the advantage of experience, levels, and his home turf.  However, Zeke hoped that his sheer resilience would let him overcome the disadvantage.  On top of that, his people had orders to slaughter as many of Simeon’s faithful as they could, which would cut the greater god off from a significant portion of his divine energy. 

A good plan, but one where plenty could go wrong.  Zeke didn’t even need to go through the list to know that victory was far from assured.  With so many failure points, the opposite was probably far more likely.

And yet, he knew they didn’t have much of a choice.  Simeon had begun the war when he’d invaded Oberon’s domain.  Now that the dwarf’s weakness had been revealed, it was only a matter of time before someone else tried to bring him down.  Doubtless, they would succeed. 

If they waited, their chances of victory would only decrease.  The time was now. 

So, Zeke stood near the railing, his hands behind his back as he braced himself for what was to come.  If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he was a little frightened.  Certainly, he’d been through so much during his descent into Hell.  He’d survived, overcoming any and every obstacle thrown in his way.  However, that didn’t mean he wanted to revisit the agony that had been forced upon him. 

And yet, the entire plan hinged on just that.  To prepare for what was to come, Zeke focused on his mental preparations.  Thankfully, Eveline remained silent, and everyone else left him to his own devices – at least until Iris announced that they’d arrived at their destination.

To Zeke, there was nothing to indicate as much.  The gray haze looked the same as it ever had, and he could feel nothing new in the void.  Instead, the same layers, the small tendrils of the worm-like creatures that made their home within the alternate dimension, and the oddly resonant divine energy were no different than before. 

But he trusted Iris’ skills.

So, he opened his eyes when he sensed Pudge approaching.  The bearkin looked ready for battle, wearing black armor so jagged that it probably should have counted as a weapon in its own right.  He stopped only a few feet from Zeke, then said, “We will succeed.  You will not suffer long, brother.”

Zeke sighed.  They all knew what was coming for him.  He’d made no excuses.  He hadn’t lied.  And Oberon had confirmed what was coming.  There were no illusions about what he would need to endure.

They had objected.  Talia, especially, but Pudge not far behind.  Even Silik had tried to convince him there was another way.  And though the kobold general had been quite eloquent, advocating for the slow approach where they gradually built their strength, Zeke had been unconvinced. 

He knew the score.

He knew what drove Simeon and likely the other greater gods.  He was a threat to them, and one they could not allow to persist.  On top of that, Oberon had shown his weakness, and like a pack of opportunistic scavengers, they couldn’t resist the call to take down their diminished prey. 

No – as he’d told himself a hundred times since, the time to act was now.  Any delay would spell their doom.  Eventually, the others had been convinced, though they weren’t happy about it.  For Pudge’s part, he seemed resigned to Zeke’s plan, and instead of resentment, he’d dedicated himself to the task at hand.

If Zeke was dead set on throwing himself into an unwinnable fight, then Pudge intended to make his sacrifice worth it.  Fortunately, Silik and the kobolds were well-accustomed to war, and they’d used their long experience battling across the Eternal Realm to devise a plan that they hoped would see them to victory. 

Zeke hadn’t inserted himself into those plans.  He didn’t need to know how they were going to approach the battles.  Instead, he only concerned himself with his role as a distraction. 

Or punching bag, which was more likely.

In any case, it was a task to which he definitely didn’t look forward with any sort of excitement.  Instead, it was resignation that gripped him until, at last, it came time to board the small boarding ship that would take him to the planet below.  It looked like a rowboat, though one that could hold a few dozen people.  Apparently, Iris could use one of her skills to conjure hundreds of them.

Perhaps even thousands.

A good thing, too, because otherwise, the plan would never have worked.

Zeke turned to find Oberon approaching from where he’d remained sequestered in the hold.  The dwarf looked worse than ever, his cheeks hollow and his skin sallow.  Even the flowers in his beard had wilted slightly. 

“Don’t say it.”

“What?” Zeke asked.

“I know I look terrible.  This is what happens when I leave my domain.”

“Can I –”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” was the dwarf’s curt response.  “Stand still.  I need to lend you some of my power.”

With that, Oberon blazed with divine energy.  It was different than what Zeke felt within himself, though with enough similarities that he could recognize it for what it was.  He flinched a bit when that energy descended upon him, wrapping itself around his body in a thin mesh.  His own divine energy rebelled, pushing against it, but after Oberon offered an admonishment, Zeke pulled it back. 

Soon enough, the mesh settled on his shoulders. 

“There,” Oberon sighed, his shoulders sagging.  “I call it camouflage.  It should help get you inside.  Simeon will notice you as soon as you fully enter the domain, so it’ll be up to you to keep him from throwing you out.”

“I don’t think that’s his goal.  I think he’ll try to kill me.”

“Probably,” Oberon agreed.  “I hope you’re as indomitable as you seem to think you are.  Otherwise, a lot of people are going to die.  Including me and my faeries.”

“I’ll do my part.  You and the armies need to do yours.”

With that, Zeke summoned a gate, which would allow the armies to flood out from the Crimson Tower.  At least for as long as he survived.  Even as the kobolds filed out, he took his place at the center of the boat.  Iris took hold of it, then used her skills to guide it away from the larger ship.

Soon enough, he passed through the grey mist and into the void.  Immediately, he felt closer to it than ever before.  It was almost like he could reach out and touch it.  Though Zeke knew that would be a very bad idea, he was tempted to do it, if only to get more information about precisely what it was. 

He pushed those temptations aside, focusing on the task at hand. 

The trip to the planet that housed Simeon’s domain was not a long one.  Just ten minutes, and the bow of the boat breached the outer edges.  Suddenly, the mist parted, and he found himself looking down at a world of water. 

The boat continued down, and Zeke couldn’t help but be reminded of swimming through the massive waves of the circle of temptation.  Though, as he drew closer, he realized that the setting was much, much different.  For one, the waves were a good deal tamer, the waters much clearer, and the seas shallower. 

In addition, Zeke saw more than one landmass, establishing the place as an archipelago of small islands.  Upon those islands were hundreds of thousands of people.

Zeke only had a moment to recognize that before he felt something streaking in his direction.  He only managed to leap free of the boat a second before it shattered into a million splinters.  The impact sent him cartwheeling through the air, and it was a few seconds before he took enough control to see what had happened.

In the distance was a small speck that Zeke took to be Simeon, and judging by the streak of energy racing in his direction, he’d thrown his harpoon at the boat, destroying it in the process. 

Zeke fell, throwing out his arms in an effort to arrest his momentum.  But he didn’t activate any skills, preferring instead to preserve as much divine energy as he could manage while still surviving.

He hit the water about thirty seconds later, torpedoing through the liquid until he collided with the silty seabed.  He rebounded, then shot to the surface just in time to throw himself out of the way of another harpoon cast. 

It blistered his skin in its passing, boiling the water and causing a small earthquake when it hit the seafloor.  That impact threw Zeke toward one of the landmasses, and he hit a small building that looked like a single family dwelling.  The occupants were killed instantly, and Zeke didn’t come to a stop until he rolled up the incline of a nearby mountain that jutted from the center of the island. 

That was when Zeke picked himself and managed to get his bearings.

Simeon floated nearby, hovering over him and radiating menace.  In his hand was a glittering harpoon, and upon his face was an expression of raw, barely contained fury. 

“You made a mistake coming here,” the greater god spat.  “I will rip you to pieces, then feed you to my people.  Primordial flesh must be as beneficial as any natural treasure.”

Zeke cracked his neck, then spat a glob of blood upon the mountain. 

“Big talk, little god.  I seem to remember that you were the one who fled our last battle, your tail tucked between your legs,” Zeke remarked.  He rolled his shoulders.  “I figured I’d give you a bit of a handicap here.  You know, home field advantage.  I’m guessing you still can’t beat me.  You’re barely even a god.  I bet the others make fun of you when you’re not around.  Even Mak’tar put up a better fight.”

“You will regret this,” Simeon growled.

“Maybe.  It wouldn’t be the first time.  But I doubt it.  You’re too weak to make me regret anything.  I bet –”

Zeke’s taunts did the trick, and before he could finish his statement, Simeon threw himself forward.  Leading the way with his harpoon, he moved so quickly that Zeke saw nothing but a streak of light before his chest exploded into agony. 

And literally. 

Flesh, bits of bone, and most of his organs went flying.  Zeke couldn’t even muster the breath to scream before he was forced to activate [Hand of Creation], mending the damage only a moment later. 

He coughed.  “That all you got?” he asked with a lopsided grin.  “No wonder they can’t go three minutes without insulting you.”

Simeon shouted inarticulately as he devoted himself to outdoing his previous attack.  Thus, Zeke’s distraction began.  He could only hope it would be enough to seal the greater god’s defeat.