Genesis II
Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:25 am
Ages passed; races of mortals and their immortal gods came and went, and slowly the being known as Lokum returned to herself. She felt herself weak, lacking the strength to maintain a corporeal form she existed as a small sphere of fire, her most basic nature. She began again to journey, to explore this new, vastly changed Megaverse. Free from the oppression of the Old Ones the universe was open to wonders of life and light in countless variety and breathtaking beauty. Sadly, imprisoned though they were, the Old Ones’ influence was still able to permeate the dimensions and Lokum encountered their servants in various guises. Seeing that her quest against evil had not been completed with the defeat of the Old Ones she again took up the battle. Across countless worlds she waged her struggled against evil in its various forms until, upon a lush world of jungle and prairies, she encountered an ancient nemesis.
Hxchila the Soul Worm had not fallen with its master, deserting their cause in the final chaotic battles surrounding their defeat. Hiding itself from the exhausted victors was an easy task and the Soul Worm bided its time until, as was inevitable, the vigilance of the victorious waned. Skulking forth, Hxchila established itself as Lord and ruler over a primitive world, rich in life and nothing more. For generations Hxchila fed off of the souls and memories of the planets inhabitants, enforcing its rule through fear of its demon minions.
On this sad and beaten world there had at one time existed a culture more vibrant than its neighbors, enlightened and artistic that gave obeisance to the gods of Olympus. Hxchila subverted their worship through subtlety and manipulated pawns to overthrow their leaders, concealing his presence from the knowledge of Zeus. As a result, when the Olympians ceased to receive sacrifices and worship from a small following, they detected nothing amiss, a normal fading of their influence it was deemed and they dwelt on it no further. Only wise Athena suspected a deeper cause and growing discouraged by her fellow Olympians battles with the Asgardian gods she took up an investigation. Deeming her own strength proof against any threat of danger on such a world Athena took few precautions and fell into a trap lain by Hxchila and was captured.
Pleased with itself the Soul Worm was unconcerned when a lone Baal-rog returned from a punitive expedition sent to punish a city for refusing to offer tribute. The Baal-rog speculated that a powerful warlock defended the city as they were assaulted by elemental forces when they arrived and only he had survived. Wishing to flaunt its power in the presence of its captive, Hxchila seized the bat-winged demon and employed its soul draining powers, bragging that it would soon do the same to the goddess of wisdom. As the Baal-rog writhed in the grasp of its master a small ball of flame emerged from the pouch on the demons belt where it had hidden itself and while Hxchila was locked in the soul-draining trance, Lokum lashed out with tendrils of flame and summoned tornadoes, earthquakes and rivers of fire, destroying the Soul Worms attendants, killing its guards and leveling its stronghold. Finally, satisfied that she would not be interrupted Lokum delivered a powerful psionic attack, jarring Hxchila from his trance and freeing the weakened demon from the grasp of its tentacles. Lokum waited while the Soul Worm shifted its stunned gaze from the prone body of the still living Baal-rog to the shattered bodies of its minions and the piles of rubble that had been the pillars and walls of its fortress. Finally Hxchila's eye settled on the flaming sphere that was Lokum and she spoke; “Long ago you bested me, raped my soul with your powers, and sold me to your master. Through millennia of imprisonment and interrogation my thought dwelt upon you and the eternities of torment that you would suffer at my hands were we to meet a second time. Now that meeting is at hand.”
Hxchila the Soul Worm had been high in the favor of the Old One Agu and had learned many secret powers and mighty spells before abandoning him at his time of greatest peril. It had conquered this world through guile and subterfuge and had bloated itself through a century of feeding upon its power. Hxchila the Soul Worm recalled its deeds in service to Agu and remembered how it had been constrained from draining the succulent Spirit of Light to its death. Hxchila took thought that it was now its own master and that this time nothing could compel it to stop feasting until it had consumed the last delectable shred of the soul of this Spirit. Hxchila the Soul Worm deemed itself mighty.
Lokum had once been counted the greatest Champion of the Light. Created by the Old One Agu to vex his rival Erva, it was through her sacrifice that the Old Ones were imprisoned. The greater part of her power was consumed in her sacrifice, never to return to her until perhaps the day their prison fails and the Old Ones are loosed upon the Megaverse again. Yet so great was the strength of Lokum in those days that even now, weakened by more than half, Hxchila the Soul Worm found itself utterly overmatched. Defeated, powerless, and dying, Hxchila trembled at the approach of the small sphere of flame. “I could force you to cry for mercy, I could poison you and inflict living nightmares upon you, I could remove your powers and leave you to the inhabitants of this planet that you have tortured for generations, I could present you in chains at the feet of Zeus for his tender pleasure after the humiliation of one of his own. But I will not. I am and will always be a servant of the Light and I will grant you a swift and merciful death.”
Hxchila the Soul Worm had not fallen with its master, deserting their cause in the final chaotic battles surrounding their defeat. Hiding itself from the exhausted victors was an easy task and the Soul Worm bided its time until, as was inevitable, the vigilance of the victorious waned. Skulking forth, Hxchila established itself as Lord and ruler over a primitive world, rich in life and nothing more. For generations Hxchila fed off of the souls and memories of the planets inhabitants, enforcing its rule through fear of its demon minions.
On this sad and beaten world there had at one time existed a culture more vibrant than its neighbors, enlightened and artistic that gave obeisance to the gods of Olympus. Hxchila subverted their worship through subtlety and manipulated pawns to overthrow their leaders, concealing his presence from the knowledge of Zeus. As a result, when the Olympians ceased to receive sacrifices and worship from a small following, they detected nothing amiss, a normal fading of their influence it was deemed and they dwelt on it no further. Only wise Athena suspected a deeper cause and growing discouraged by her fellow Olympians battles with the Asgardian gods she took up an investigation. Deeming her own strength proof against any threat of danger on such a world Athena took few precautions and fell into a trap lain by Hxchila and was captured.
Pleased with itself the Soul Worm was unconcerned when a lone Baal-rog returned from a punitive expedition sent to punish a city for refusing to offer tribute. The Baal-rog speculated that a powerful warlock defended the city as they were assaulted by elemental forces when they arrived and only he had survived. Wishing to flaunt its power in the presence of its captive, Hxchila seized the bat-winged demon and employed its soul draining powers, bragging that it would soon do the same to the goddess of wisdom. As the Baal-rog writhed in the grasp of its master a small ball of flame emerged from the pouch on the demons belt where it had hidden itself and while Hxchila was locked in the soul-draining trance, Lokum lashed out with tendrils of flame and summoned tornadoes, earthquakes and rivers of fire, destroying the Soul Worms attendants, killing its guards and leveling its stronghold. Finally, satisfied that she would not be interrupted Lokum delivered a powerful psionic attack, jarring Hxchila from his trance and freeing the weakened demon from the grasp of its tentacles. Lokum waited while the Soul Worm shifted its stunned gaze from the prone body of the still living Baal-rog to the shattered bodies of its minions and the piles of rubble that had been the pillars and walls of its fortress. Finally Hxchila's eye settled on the flaming sphere that was Lokum and she spoke; “Long ago you bested me, raped my soul with your powers, and sold me to your master. Through millennia of imprisonment and interrogation my thought dwelt upon you and the eternities of torment that you would suffer at my hands were we to meet a second time. Now that meeting is at hand.”
Hxchila the Soul Worm had been high in the favor of the Old One Agu and had learned many secret powers and mighty spells before abandoning him at his time of greatest peril. It had conquered this world through guile and subterfuge and had bloated itself through a century of feeding upon its power. Hxchila the Soul Worm recalled its deeds in service to Agu and remembered how it had been constrained from draining the succulent Spirit of Light to its death. Hxchila took thought that it was now its own master and that this time nothing could compel it to stop feasting until it had consumed the last delectable shred of the soul of this Spirit. Hxchila the Soul Worm deemed itself mighty.
Lokum had once been counted the greatest Champion of the Light. Created by the Old One Agu to vex his rival Erva, it was through her sacrifice that the Old Ones were imprisoned. The greater part of her power was consumed in her sacrifice, never to return to her until perhaps the day their prison fails and the Old Ones are loosed upon the Megaverse again. Yet so great was the strength of Lokum in those days that even now, weakened by more than half, Hxchila the Soul Worm found itself utterly overmatched. Defeated, powerless, and dying, Hxchila trembled at the approach of the small sphere of flame. “I could force you to cry for mercy, I could poison you and inflict living nightmares upon you, I could remove your powers and leave you to the inhabitants of this planet that you have tortured for generations, I could present you in chains at the feet of Zeus for his tender pleasure after the humiliation of one of his own. But I will not. I am and will always be a servant of the Light and I will grant you a swift and merciful death.”