The Tale of a Dog Hero

Downfall pt2

In every direction, for hundreds of miles, B3AST was so trapped in thought that time seemed to sit still... or was it the void of space playing tricks? Voices echoed through its head, reminding Oscar of his regrets and mistakes. Before it could notice the planet, B3AST entered its gravitational pull and fell toward its atmosphere, burning up. The heat felt like nothing to space, but the fall would hurt in the end. Closer and closer, it got to the ground. Just as it began to brace for impact, it was blindsided out of the air. The only thing B3AST saw was a flash of yellow and white. "WHERE IS SHE?!" The figure grabbed it by the neck as they hurtled through the air. This creature was at least 10 feet tall, able to scale over B3AST if needed. Oscar's face was revealed as B3AST slipped away. "Who are you-" Oscar was quickly shut up by meeting the ground. The iron grip around his neck may break at the rate he is being swung around. "WHO I AM DOES NOT MATTER! What did you do to Artemis?" Oscar is picked back up and turned around before being pressed into the side of an earthly wall. Finally having stopped, Oscar felt the planets freezing air against his fur. The person responsible for the change of scenery had long spiked golden hair with four spikes in a darker hue. The eyes shine crimson gold, and his outfit was nothing but a pure white robe that's made into a warrior's kilt above the knees. This man was no seeker, nor anthro. Oscar wouldn't be able to shake off this much damage otherwise. "Y-you're... Apollo? She told me he wasn't on this plane of existence anymore.. But she gave her life and her power willingly. I'm her surpasser-" Apollo cut him off, clearly not happy at that answer. "A likely story." Oscar's eyes widened, beginning to struggle, as Apollo reeled back his arm. Oscar began kicking around and punching his arm until he was viciously thrown forward. He traveled too fast to react, before landing through an open window in a shed, and inside a cage, which slammed shut on impact. Oscar regathered himself in the sudden darkness. It seemed he had been put in a barred kennel of sorts, but the bars were of void light, seemingly absorbing the regular light around it. Apollo opened the shed door within seconds of Oscar landing in this cage. His kilt swung around in the wind. "Set me free... now." Oscar grabbed onto the bars and began to pull on them. The bars creaked and shifted slightly but wouldn't move further. "Give it up." The supposed god rested, showing layers of muscle larger than B3AST's twofold while relaxed. In a corner sat a stool with a mug of unseen liquid resting on the seat, just out of Oscar's reach. Apollo stood in the opposite corner, far enough away for the void bars to mask where he was exactly. After speaking out and getting no further response, Oscar began making for an escape, trying to pry open the bars, kick them loose, and even squeeze through. The last thing he tried was using B3AST to stretch past his arm to grab at whatever was in the mug. "It's felt like days since I've had something..." Without giving a single thought, Oscar took a swig. Immediately, he felt his throat close and his breathing stop. Before he could react, B3AST had pierced into his throat, and the liquid exited through the pierced hole before healing. "Oh fuck! Gas? Why the-" Oscar was interrupted as the door swung open, just causing enough movement for Oscar to tell behind the darkness. "Did he just drink my gasoline?" A female voice whispered. "Yes, but he is quick. Spilled it on the floor. Go get some more elsewhere." Apollo spoke out loud, making himself present again. "That liquid-like thing... It flattens itself on your back, hiding. Show it." Oscar faced his voice and shook his head. "The only way I'm bringing B3AST out is to escape this place... It's not stable, wherever I am." Oscar summoned his pistol and aimed at a corner of the cage. In an instant, a bright hot chain wrapped around Oscar's arm. If his jacket hadn't been in the way, his arm would have burned a scar immediately. Apollo calmly made a response. "No. Let him. If... that... is Artemis', I'd like to see what he can do with it. You may leave." "Yes, master." The chain suddenly went limp, as it slagged away, into the darkness behind the cage, followed by the door closing. Oscar refocused his aim on the corner again and fired. Like the work of magic, the bullet phased through and crashed through the floor. "As I thought. You have divine powers from Artemis, but you are not a god." Oscar frowned at such an insult. "Doesn't seem like you're one either 'master'. Gods don't have slaves. Only worshippers." Apollo got close to the kennel and grabbed Oscar through the bars with ease. His hand, arm, and shoulder slid through the bars as if they weren't there. When he was picked up, the kennel dropped onto Oscar's face as he was carried. "How can you go through?" Oscar was thrown into a body of water, the cage shaking and slamming against him until he landed at the bottom. "I'm not mortal."
           Panicked and in darkness, B3AST took action and engulfed Oscar. Oscar could barely tell what was happening as B3AST thrashed around until he found spacing between the bars. It began to break the bones in Oscar's hips to shimmy and squeeze in between them. As it got further, it broke Oscar's ribs to fit through, and then, in a slow crunch of his skull, Oscar had lost consciousness. Moments later, he managed to awaken above water, intact, but burnt of any spare stamina, as B3AST used it to keep him alive. Slowly, the mech dragged itself out of the water as Apollo stood nearby, arms crossed and studying its behavior. "So, you CAN escape with that thing. This is going to get fun. What did you do to Artemis?" B3AST let out a high-pitched whistle in response as it flipped him off. Before it could react, Apollo had broken its finger without seemingly moving from his location, arms still crossed. B3AST retaliated by summoning its pistol and firing at the hostile god. Suddenly behind, Apollo grabbed its head and stuck his fingers into its back, and forcefully ripped it from Oscar's body. Oscar dropped to his knees as he turned to see B3AST get sucked into a micro black hole Apollo created between his hands with a loud clap. In an instant, Oscar was powerless and defenseless. "So much for unstable. It has been contained easily..." Oscar dug his head low. It was his turn to ask questions, "...What do you want from me? Kill me if you think you'll get Artemis back, but I already tried to save her. She is gone. You don't know what I've done to try... but you don't know MY Artemis! This is MY dimension-" "You are a FALSE god with MY SISTERS VITAL! I feel her heart beating in you... But all I see is a mortal-" Oscar spoke out of rage at this point, nearly foaming up in a fit. "I HAVE EARNED GODHOOD! She GAVE me this, and I sacrificed MYSELF many, MANY TIMES! Call me mortal all you want, but I've never been more ready to PROVE YOU WRONG!" Apollo grabbed the hood of his jacket and lifted it until his face was even with his. In a slow, but impatient tone, he spoke, "You... are no god..." Oscar was ripped out of his jacket and thrown onto the floor, still tired from escaping his near watery grave. Apollo took the jacket by its arms and made to tear it in half before staring into the fabric; each strand hummed a familiar light. As it caught his gaze, he began to get lost in its craftsmanship.
              "This... She made this. For you?" Oscar looked up wide-eyed, springing to his feet. "Don't rip it! It's all I have left of her! It's the last thing I was given when Pollux-" Apollo snapped his head at Oscar and shoved a hand in his face. "Shhhhut... you replaced Artemis... but Pollux was there... she shouldn't have been able to do this..." Apollo looked to the sky to observe a constellation of stars. Oscar looked up and thought back to an old history book Artemis showed him when he was a kid. "Is that Orion's symbol? It looks different here." He was met with silence. "Apollo? Did Artemis lie to me about her past?"
"That IS Orion. Your gods had been mostly forgotten, retired, and put on a separate plane called Ventimore. When they die, thats where they end up. She replaced your god, and Pollux followed to punish her crime against the dimension's natural order... She shouldn't have left hiding as she didn't have much strength, but there she was... Looking for you. She died, and I was so upset." Apollo nearly shed a tear before he turned back to Oscar; his eyes burst in a radiant yellow. Oscar noticed the similarities in his own eyes, copying him with his divine sight, flashing blue sparks. Suddenly, Oscar's sight became impaired by the amount of energy he could see crackling off Apollo. The usual warped vision Oscar was used to seeing over the years disappeared on this planet. This was the first time he had activated this ability here, and it was clear what he saw now, only really taking in Apollo's divine appearance.
          "I must atone for her. I will show you her life and how she lived... It's the least you deserve. THIS, false god, is your divine sight. You are used to it, considering you're a patron of my sister. With it, you can sense other gods' prime life energy, or most gods say Prime Vitals. I can produce blinding light when I enter this state. Artemis used to guide her arrows with it. Wherever her eye trained, her arrow would fly true... can you do something similar?" Apollo made toward the cabin, motioning for Oscar to follow. "Does this mean you won't kill me?" He spoke as he retrieved his jacket, putting it on as he shivered in the cold. "I haven't decided yet. Answer."
"Hmm. I guess I can. Time looks like it slows a thousand times over. I can react to what happens, but I can't move faster than my body allows. Just my eyes." Apollo looked down on him. "If that's the best you can do, then you really are no god. ANY god can perceive like that. It's simply your reaction time. What else?" Oscar thought for a moment before explaining further. "I can look at the world as if my eyes were magnifying glasses. I could count every hair on your head if given the time to do so or shoot something all the way on the horizon." They reached the cabin and Apollo made to open the door, inside was minimal, but manageable, fit with a small training room where someone was fighting a practice dummy. The character was a bald dragon anthro with horns on either side of their temple, protruding forward. They wore a pink cheongsam, with a shackle around their ankle with a meter-long chain attached. They radiated untapped power and looked like a fairytale princess, yet fought as a warrior. As they entered the room, Apollo made himself present. "Zorayas! Introduce yourself to Oscar." The dragon turned her head and, in one great leap, landed in front of the two. Oscar was about to question how Apollo knew his name before she outstretched her hand. Oscar took it with curiosity at what he was looking at exactly. Something about her was setting of an uncanny valley response. "I'm Oscar. You seem oddly familiar..." She glanced him up and down. "Zorayas, and no. Not interested." Oscar seemed shocked at the response. "I- that's not why I asked... I have a wife." Apollo butted in. "Oh? Where is she then, I noticed you alone when I threw you here?" Oscar ducked his head and looked away. "I left so she'd be safe without me..." Zorayas turned to Apollo. "Riiiight. Running fixes problems with your wife... and welcome home, Master!" She bowed, and Apollo laid a hand upon her head. "Ever dedicated as always. You don't have to train EVERY day." She straightens back up, eyes worried. "I do it for you. So I can be strong enough for both of us." She moves a hand up to caress his face as Oscar rolls his eyes. "Are you his slave or his pet. Sheesh." Zorayas shot a cold stare at Oscar. "He is my everything. He gave me everything when I was left with nothing... My Master is the only reason why I'm alive... why I keep living." Apollo grabbed her hand and lowered it to her side. "Yes. And she has given me a reason to appreciate the small things I have in life. A completion of myself I thought I had thrown away... go on to your training." She nodded and headed back to the training dummy. As Apollo walked, Oscar followed. "Ya know, false god... there's more to actual love than intimacy. We appreciate each other beyond our bodies. We don't need your mortal desires- well... I don't need. She may be mortal, but she restrains her desires in the name of true commitment. That's love... what do your kind have? Lust?" Oscar began to get upset at the implications made about his wife. "Hey! I don't need lust either! Sure, we had a kid, but it's not like I have seven of me running around! Even then, Tippy loves me for WHO I am and what I stand for. She has been there almost from day one of this journey." Apollo put his hand in front of Oscar and pushed it to his mouth. "So you leave her behind and run away?. 'MY loyal love has never faltered, my love understands everything I do, and supports me for doing it. 'My FOLLOWER listens to what I say'... When do they need to? Tippy believes in you because you've made yourself believe you are a god... No more of this conversation. I grow tired of your bickering. Belief gives you strength, so be lucky to have it. Most don't, and Artemis had less. Now follow. I need you for something." Oscar and Apollo walk outside and off in a direction. Oscar leaned down and dragged his fingers through the grass... Earth? "Hey, wait... what planet are we on?" Apollo advanced, continuing the walk while explaining. "This. It is a replacement for Earth from the past, just outside your solar system. Has hills and water, but there is no sun close enough to warm it. It's why I live here now, a home, when I'm not in my dimension." While traveling through the land, he observed the bright sky. Apollo left Oscar on the ground as he flew above a few trees. Oscar got to climbing up one and yelled out. "How come it's broad daylight if there's no sun to light or heat the place?" Apollo looked down at Oscar and held his hands out to his sides. "I'm the god of light. Do you forget what I'm capable of?" Oscar jumped off one tree into another until reaching the top. Noticing Apollo's stare, he asked "What are you looking at? I'm my own god. "Hm. You're not very strong for being 'the strong one' are you? You seem slightly weaker than her still." Apollo began walking up in a vertical line, as Oscar sank down on the tree. "I wish I had Ohm here... he'd love the free air to enjoy... not just constantly running. It was one of her best gifts for me before she passed. She gave him the ability to carry me as a feather in flight." Apollo turned back around and grabbed Oscar's hand to lift him into the air. "Disappointing, you can't even fly with that low mana. Speaking of which, what happened to her whole Vital? You may be a false god, but you're also an incomplete one. Did HE do that when Artemis died?" Oscar looked ahead, feeling the wind hit his face, noticing the visions of chaos were getting easier to see through without needing his powers. As if his retinas were finally clearing out the images burned in for so long. "No. I gave Tippy two pieces of Artemis' divine power. The willpower to mentally strengthen her, and the ability to revive creatures. I kept the rest, but have plans when the time comes... Hey, if you can fly so well, how come you're walking up instead?" "Different plane of existence... Something caused a tear through this plane so now... We must enter the correct way." Oscar lowered his head in thought. He had just realised how awful his shoes had gotten over time. They were worn and beaten, the grooves were sanded down on the bottom, one of the laces are half tangled, and one of the tongues was nearly falling out. He kicks them off and watches as they fall far down at this point."Just gotta be more careful, I guess." He turns back to see Apollo walking with his eyes closed. A composed face was worn while Oscar held on his hand. "So. Anything else? You ask useless questions, you lose almost half of your power... You've disrespected my own sister after her death by splitting her into pieces. Tell me what other reasons I should kill you for..." Oscar fell silent, realizing the height they were climbing.... and the long fall. The makeshift Earth seemed smaller, but the gravity felt almost normal, if not slightly heavier. As he slowly rose with Apollo, he noticed fewer oceans and more rivers. Hills were as tall as canyons, and even simple rivers had speeding currents. The general life around had seemed to be in its early stages after the dinosaurs. More oddly, it didn't feel that different when they were closer to the planet. "The atmosphere is either thick or very large.What a strange world... but I guess I'm stuck for a while..." After a few hours, Apollo lifts Oscar over his shoulder and onto a glowing, golden cloud. Oscar peers up rows after rows of misty dust. "How are we standing on a cloud? It shouldn't be a solid..." Apollo stuck his hand out toward a golden gate. "Welcome to Ventimore. I had mentioned it earlier briefly..." Oscar began to follow Apollo as he headed up the cloud toward the gate. "Do we have one on Earth?" Apollo turned to Oscar with a disapproving look. "If you do not listen to my words, then I may as well end this early. THIS is the original Earth! There is only one Ventimore." Apollo pointed downward at the planet below. "Now shut up for once and observe your surroundings in peace!" As they wandered up, there sat a small receptionist woman. She wore a small folded hat and a tidy dark blue vest. The rest was hidden behind the proportionally large service podium. "Apollo! Is that a guest or another of your students?" He simply raised his hand in dismissal. "For a limited time, both." As they passed her, she waved at Oscar. "Well, good luck! See ya later!"
Upon passing the gate, Oscar was berated with bright light and gods enjoying themselves by partying or relaxing in the distance.
"In this plane, there are fewer rules you must follow, but you can not intervene with the real world. Doing so is a crime, like the one Artemis performed." Apollo turned to Oscar and opened a rift between his hands, letting a familiar looking wisp fly out. Oscar widened his eyes at Eleanor, who flew into Apollo. "Woah! Is that your wisp?"- off in the distance, a familiar voice was heard at the same time, "Woah! Is that Oscar?" He turned around to see a rabbit hybrid anthro jumping over obstacles to reach him. Oscar looked them up and down before asking, curious at how they knew him. "Hey? Am i supposed to know you from somewhere?" The rabbit's eyes dropped and their ears sagged. "I know I look different, but I figured you wouldn't forget the art of 'Distrust'..." Oscar's eyes sunken just as low, frowning at her. "Maeve... how are you here? Didn't Pollux make you his undead?" Maeve got closer and rested a hand on his chest. "Oh Oscar, I wish you were there. After you all put me to rest, Apollo actually visited to find you, and instead saved me. I was remade into this, same for Zorayas... well, she was spiritually changed. Mine was physical!" She motioned to her new body. Her ears remained the same, but lower revealed a smooth rabbit face with hidden larger teeth stretching around her head and curved slits for a nose. Her legs had deer-like hooves, but her thighs were as big as an ox's. Her chest exposed featuresless curves, and looked sleek, compared to her arms. At the elbow, there was nothing but seemingly mechanical joints. Her forearms looked broken and splintered near the elbow. She seemed to be put together with what was salvageable. Oscar moved her hand from his chest and took a step back. "Putting you to rest is not the same as watching you burn away and melt in our driveway. I won't ask how, but you keep your body off mine." He walked past her as Apollo made his way further into Ventimore. "Pay attention, false god. We are not here for leisurely strolls. You will be conversing with the gods here to learn of our history. You will work to become stronger and do their bidding. You will be challenged by these washed-up gods and likely beaten into unconsciousness. Your new purpose is to survive for at least one year. When I think you are ready, you may train with Zorayas until SHE believes you are ready. Afterward, you will be my patron until I believe you are fit enough to reclaim your world. This is the vision I see-" Oscar moved ahead of him and tried to stick his hands out. "Woah, woah, I'm not doing anything. Once I find a way back, I'm gone. Your the one who took me, remember?" Maeve was following behind before chatting in. "I've been here a while, Oscar. Half are just drunken idiots. The other are dying off as their final worshippers forget or pass on themselves." Oscar began to question if that could happen to him. Apollo walked through Oscar's attempt to stop him, nearly trampling the dog. "You will stay here, and you will learn. You will fight. You will grow stronger, and you will do it, or you will never get off Ventimore... Maeve, here, please... good luck." Maeve grabbed Apollo's hand as they disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, scaring or gathering the attention of the other gods, now looking at Oscar. "New kid?" "That white fur kid replaced Maeve." "Who's the lost pup? Hehehe." The gods began making comments about his smaller size and species, sparking Oscar's reaction. "Oh, what? I didn't hear a word of this to Maeve when she was here, but you all want to start the comments now?" A few drunkards laughed at him. "SHE earned our respect. She fought her way up the ranks, and you ain't gonna act no different. You want respect? Earn it." Most gods dismissed Oscar's attempt to verbally challenge them. Either refusing to acknowledge his words, leaving the area laughing, or putting him in his place with a single strike to the forehead. "Listen, kid. You fight like you're an amateur boxer. Whoever taught you only knew how to fight mortals. If you wanna fight a god, you gotta learn OUR way. Clean that ego off and grow some humbleness instead." Oscar picked himself off the floor after being thrown down again. "...I learned from a street conman, what do you expect? What do you want me to do?" The god wiped a bit of alcohol from his drooling lip, and intrigued himself. "There we go... Maeve got her way up by asking that exact question. I'll give some advice from the god of death. A god doesn't throw his power wherever, all willy nilly. You direct and deliver strait." Get that firstly." Oscar walked back toward him."Oh, a strait? How's this for a STRAIT?" Oscar reeled back his fist, and just as he threw it, the god slid out of the way with ease. "You don't know me? Personification of death?" Oscar's fist flew through the air, leaving his knuckles aching for something solid against this god. "You're in here for a reason. Just help me get stronger and fight!" Still weaving around his fists the subtle flap could be heard with every change in direction. "Oooh. That's not how Maeve did it. You gotta get the respect. Re-spec-ta! Ya get it?" Oscar huffed and crossed his arms, hiding his angered pain. "Alright, fine! How would I earn 're-spec-ta' here." The grinned and nodded at the dog. "Ooh, I think I'm gonna like you. Everyone got a bit soft on Maeve, after a while. That mortal grew to act like us, I can't lie... but I'm gonna do you right." Before Oscar could react, he was grabbed by the jacket and dragged off further into the party happening around. "Who the hell even are you?" When Oscar was tossed into the middle of the party the god stood tall, spread his arms, and flapped his wings. "The god of gentle death. Madam Death is my other half. We actually are seperated thanks to you." Several other drunken and rowdy gods surrounded Thanatos and Oscar, examining him.