Author Games: Ragnarok

Task Nine: Phenomenal Cosmic Power

The Fates stand, silent as the stone of the great hall around them. The tapstry is on the floor, but something is different: instead of a vibrant, moving picture of the arena, the image is flat, frozen. The artistry is still present, but the magic has been drained from the thing. The only remnant of its former power is not even a part of the cloth, but rest upon it.

Your eyes are unmistakeably fixed to that single item: a scarab beetle, shining with the golden glow of sunlight and ichor. Khepri, the scarab of the morning. God of light. Order. Rebirth. The other aspects of Ra have long since faded away, and the only reason Khepri has survived so long is his astounding ability to renew himself. Today, however, is the end of the road for him; after being pumped full of power, he'll be nothing but a tool for the revival of one being. You.

A few quick strides, and you're next to him. Instants away from being powerful again, far more powerful than when you were at your prime and empires bowed to you. The ability to change the world for good is literally within your grasp.

You have fought. You have sacrificed. You have given up your power and earned it back with the blood of your foes. You have outwitted the mortals, battled the roc, braved the springs, and defeated Camazotz the Blood-Drinker once and for all. You have earned this power, and there is no one left to stand in your way.

Rebirth is yours. A brave new world is yours to shape as you see fit.

So only one question remains: what is your wish?

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

You have won, the sole survivor of Ragnarok. The Fates present you with the shining scarab shell that contains the combined power of the fallen gods.

In your hands is the power to perform an act of near-unlimited power, one that will fix your image in the memory of humanity forever. Schools will teach about this very soon in quiet, awestruck tones. The gods and their power will never be forgotten again.

What will you do with this all this might? Given a moment of infinite power, what will be your historic act that will upend humanity's understanding of the world?

Creativity is key here, everyone: as long as you fulfill the requirements, you can go nuts. If I get entries less than 1000 words I'll be a little sad, but I won't make it a requirement.

Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far. Using a system borrowed from the wonderful RappyTheDinosaur, voting will work like this:

Everyone who votes must send in a list of the tributes, organized in order of how they should place. First place will be worth four points, second place worth three points, third place worth two points, and fourth place worth one point. You may include yourself in these rankings, however, you may not have yourself in first place.

The final rankings will be decided based on total point accumulation; first place going to the person with the most points, second place going to the person with the second-highest amount, and so on.

Due date: Saturday, April 25, at 5 PM EST

This is the last task, people. Make it count.

May the odds be ever in your favor.