The Telling of a Story

Part One

                  

Hidden in the depths of the ocean, Maructus waits patiently. Maructus prides himself on being a fair and just God, unlike his fresh water counterpart Omnipicese who mistreats his people. So when he found a stray Mateix on his secluded beach, he did not kill him. Instead, he demanded that the Mateix pay homage to him by bringing him something strange and exciting every day. As a result of their deal, Azonos has made his daily offerings to the Great Sea God. For generations, Azonos has managed to find new and enticing things for Maructus, but today the cycle may be broken.

Today, Azonos might not bring his God the simple thing he asks for. He has scoured the land for something unknown to Maructus, but the day has come where he has everything. Azonos has offered the Puff Flower which is a beautiful flower but when touched it releases a deadly gas capable of killing a Mateix. He had to pluck the flower from its home at the base of the heavy leafed Haganus and carry it at arm's length with his free hand clamped over his nose. Maructus took the flower and inspected its fluffy petals, triggering the deadly odor. Azonos had to sprint to the other side of the beach to avoid the gas, but the poisonous fragrance meant nothing to Maructus. He was a God after all so it would take a lot more than a few deadly gases to kill him.

For hours, Azonos paces in his home among the trees, wrestling with himself on what to do. It's not like he can simply appear without anything. Panicking, Azonos continues to pace the floor, counting down the hours until he has to leave his house and face the Great Sea God empty handed.

Meanwhile, Maructus waits at the bottom of the ocean, contemplating on what his devoted friend is bringing him today. For thousands and thousands of years, Azonos has brought him something new every day. Although he was a powerful God, Maructus was as giddy as a small girl when it came to new things. He glowed with pleasure at the thought of what the new object could possibly be. Settling down in his throne of glaucous colored coral, he made himself calm down. It had been many years since he had ventured past his beach, so the new things that Azonos would bring made him reminisce on the times when it was just him and Omnipicese and how they created the world. To pass the time, he reflected back onto his first meeting with Azonos.

Where his ocean met the shore, Maructus built himself a wall. Made out of dark grey stone, the wall was almost forty feet high, towering over anyone who dared come near. Along the side of the wall that faced the ocean, Maructus created murals of himself and the massive sea monsters he had created in order to keep the Mateix out of the oceans around the world. He loved his people, but he just needed some space. And besides, his children were doing a perfectly good job taking care of them, so there was nothing wrong with him returning his attention back to his original home. Proud of his accomplishments, Maructus dove back into the water convinced that that was the last time he would see a Mateix. But he was mistaken.

Azonos was looking high and low for something, anything he could bring to Maructus.  He passed The Glove and quickly shrank away. The Glove was a deadly plant that used its five feet long leaves with small, sticky ends used to catch it's prey. Wary of the carnivorous plant, Azonos returned back to his modest home hidden underneath a willow tree's gracious branches. Desperation had already begun to set in followed closely by an uneasy feeling. He had never forgotten to bring something and he was clueless as to how the most powerful God in the world would react to being let down. Nervously, he rummaged through his home. He tore through his only room as if his life depended on it and as far as he knew, it did. With his house a mess, Azonos fell to the floor and cried out for help. He did not know who or what would respond, but at this point he no longer cared. A sudden flash of blinding green light caused him to shield his eyes and look away. Against the constant twilight sky, a green entity shone in his room brighter than any sun he had ever heard of. With a sudden realization, he threw himself to his knees and bowed before the great Pluviara, Goddesses of the Forest.