Author Games: Ragnarok

Task Two: Bang Bang

Camazotz stared at the tapestry, impressed.

"Well. I must confess, I didn't see this coming."

If he hadn't known, hadn't touched it himself, he never would have guessed that the tableau in front of him was woven out of cloth. A sprawling forest, each tree and rock picked out in exacting detail, spread on the floor of the hall. As he tilted his head, trying to spot some flaw, some disconnect with the eerie three-dimensional quality of the thing, the Fates stood in a swish of gray cloth.

Bat-god. The arena is prepared. Have you brought the symbols?

"These?" Camazotz picked up the bag of tiny clay figurines, each one shaped carefully into the image of a god. One Fate nodded.

Place them on the arena, around that clearing.

As he moved to do as they directed, the Fates stood and silently moved around the out edges of the tapestry. They turned, each facing inward towards the circle of clay figures. He finished placing the last of these and quickly moved off the tapestry, casting a curious glance behind him.

One Fate raised her hand over the arena, and a shiver went up Camazotz's spine. He could practically smell power coming from the three goddesses, power on a level he hadn't felt for centuries. 

We, the sisters three who spin History, come now to consecrate a battle of gods.

Another Fate held out her hand, a wrinkled, liver-spotted digit that Camazotz had no doubt could snap his neck like a twig.

The tributes have gathered. Twenty enter, one shall leave.

The final Fate extended her hand with the others, and they intoned as one with a force that caused the building around them to tremble.

Hear us well, gods of America! Hear us well, earth upon which they battle! Hear us well, Khepri, scarab of the morning who shall be nourished and then devoured! We bind you, past, present, and future, to this battle, to the clash of immortal against immortal. Let the cries of war echo through the land! Let ichor fall like rain upon the soil!

The Fates reached down and touched the edges of the tapestry. A light haze rippled across the forest, rapidly reaching the circle of statues. They slowly sank into the tapestry, taking on color and motion as they did so. Once each statue was completely absorbed, they stood once again.

Let Ragnarok begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Task:
With the Fates’ power, your god is whisked away into the arena. The bloodbath begins.
Each Fate has created a distinct arena for the battle, all within the same geographic area but in different times: the Forest Primeval, the Great Metropolis, and the Ruins of Civilization. The arena will change between these from task to task.
The bloodbath will be set in Lachesis’s Forest Primeval, an old-growth forest in North America before human settlement. Though the ancient trees seem peaceful, various dangers, both natural and supernatural, haunt the woods. Be wary of your surroundings, as the greatest danger might not be from your competitors...
The other arenas will be used for later tasks. In all arenas, Godly Weapons are available for use, oftentimes hidden from plain sight. Remember, it takes a Godly Weapon or a Fatal Weakness to permanently kill a god.
Ragnarok is come. Let the Games begin.
Kills: Four tributes must die in your entry. Your tribute must see them die, kill them, or find reasonable evidence that a death has occurred recently (i.e., a severed head.) You must send in two ballot deaths in addition to these. Eight people will go up for votes. Six will be eliminated.
+1 point for best quote
+1 point if your Godly Weapon has an actual mythology that is mentioned (think Mjollnir)

Due Date: Monday, February 16, 5 PM EST, 10 PM GMT