After "The War of Myths"

[no99]

Not long after returning from the mission, Suma is in a lounge, with a bottle of wine in one hand. She said that she would tell her story, so here she is. She takes a long, deep drink straight from the bottle before she begins.

"Once upon a time, there was a fool and a pharaoh. The pharaoh made a wager with the universe that mankind's nature was to wage eternal war, with peace naught but a passing distraction. With his power, he raised an army of ninety-nine gods of war, cursed to a life of unending warfare. The fool murdered the last, and became a war god herself."

"Whenever a war god dies in battle, the pharaoh replaced them. Whenever a war god chose a life of peace, their gifts vanished, and upon their death they could not be replaced. However, such was their ferocity that none turned away from the path of bloodshed for centuries. The fool was among the worst of them, killing for the joy of it for many years."

"Then, one day, the fool realized that, for all her enjoyment, the war gods brought with them nothing but misery wherever they went, a plague upon the world. So, she decided to get rid of them. One by one, she fought them, defeated them, and forced them to forsake war or die. Over thousands of years, she thinned the ranks of the war gods. Many chose death over peace. They were replaced, and their replacements met the same fate. Four thousand years after the journey began, five war gods remained - the fool, the pharaoh, and three in between."

"I am Suma. I lost this eye killing the original War God No. 99. It is now my title. I will continue to fight until none remain."

Another long drink. Until none remain - she counted herself among them, too.

"Njall, will you tell your tale as well, or shall it wait for another day?"

Comments

[no99]

I am not so vindictive that I'd hold a grudge for something that happened that long ago.

[abugslife]

Good. I do admit that while my ancestors had the common sense and courtesy not to intervene with Earthlings' civilization, the fact that they tricked you just to receive free food and supplies is not entirely fair. Learning that who you thought to be gods turned out to be just a few lazy explorers must have been disappointing.

[no99]

A god is a symbol. Ra is not a lazy explorer from another world, Ra is the sum of all the works done in Ra's name.

[abugslife]

Ha, a keen observation. And the work done in the name of war gods, presumably, was only slaughter.

Do you know how did the pharaoh - your final nemesis - obtain the great power he used to create the war gods?

[no99]

How did all the great sorcerors of old get their powers? The world used to be full of such things. In my youth, I saw no reason to wonder about them.

[abugslife]

Just another way in which Earthlings are fascinating. Magic, mystical powers... Nobody on Geb ever harnessed such things.