Tread Lightly

*************

Wyatt Graves

My eyes burst wide open, and water fills them. The tears don't fall, but they aren't far. Digging in my heels, I stand from my cross-legged position, warning those near me.

"Isaac is dead. They are coming. Now."

Birdie jumps out of her seat, rushing ahead to the entrance of the Underworld, yet I wave my arm, stopping her completely. She looks at me, confused, wondering why I'm doing this. I don't look at her, instead staring into the whispering darkness of the depths.

"Back up. Head to the surface. The only ones who can come anywhere, even near the hole, are Angels. I spotted six Gods. There was no sign of Louis, Killian, or Leviathan. Though, it sounded like they were still alive."

The Virtue's head bobs up and down, her short hair reflecting the light of the underground torches. Then, she immediately turns tail and sprints through the halls, shouting for Silas to follow. The man does, not wasting a second as he knows just how terrible this is about to be. The fear and anticipation in their actions are palpable, heightening the thickness of the stale air.

I begin tapping the ground with my leg, anticipating the approaching disaster. As I do so, Lennon gets up from the ground unhurriedly. Grasping his blade, he places his palm against it, letting the metaphysical steel rest on his flesh. Still, that flesh is bound by bandages. As always, the swordsman prepares for another battle without being at his best. Though... could anyone really beat him at his best?

"Are you ready? The others might not make it here in time."

The swordsman bows his head slightly as a long breath fills his lungs. Why did I even ask?

"Yes. Dia and I shall kill any that tries us."

Besides the harrowing nature of his words, I feel relief, even if that blade may one day be pointed toward me. Lennon Hull is one man that all should fear to face in a fight of any kind.

"Good."

I speak to him simply, feeling slight vibrations through the ground originating from the depths of the lightless corridor beneath the many skulls and skeletons ingrained into the gate. Then, I open up to Blodwyn.

"I'm a little better. But this will be mostly you. Is that alright?"

My partner practically bounces within my chest as his words are so heartfelt that I could not possibly refute him.

"Yes. We'll be stronger than ever!"

Nodding, I bring my right arm outward from my body, letting a bone of blade emerge on it while Madness blooms, manifesting a Ballista to fire the Soulbone. Lily is unholstered swiftly with my left, and I point both weapons to the darkness without hesitation.

Lennon does his own martial art of some kind to match my Colt and hand crossbow. Crouching slightly, the tip of the man's Claymore directs backward, vibrating against the subtle breeze beneath the surface. Both his 'hands' are tightly bound across his sword's handle with such concentration that the blade wouldn't rustle water if placed atop it. He is ready. And so am I.

A moment passes, then two, as we are so wholly encapsulated in this wait that I don't notice the two Colts pointed alongside mine until Johnny taps my shoulder with Fate Sealer.

I twist my eyes backward just a smidge to see Granulen sliding Lennon a cylindrical object. The swordsman shakes his head, but the Grayskin doesn't accept no for an answer. Timemi shakes his head, swirling a finger before tapping Lennon's shoulder. With that, the bomb vanishes as a tattoo emerges on Lennon's body.

"We're all good to go, Johnny. Everyone has their bombs now—even hardhead."

My favorite gunslinger nods to the two non-humans as they both retreat to the edge of the room, something that will do very little for people of our strengths. Though, three others are not in the room with us, namely Ytern, Natos, and Bonfire. Instead, there are just the five of us Demigods.

"Whatever you do. Do not die without igniting your 'Sinkers. Ytern has the north, Natos the south, and Bonfire the west."

Long seconds pass as the tension only rises, Johnny's brief pause in speech vanishing. The man seems almost built for moments like these. When the stress is at its highest, Caldwell delivers a cool, calm voice that embraces his greatest strength—his willingness to die for what he believes in.

"None of us know how today will go. And that's alright. All we can be are guardians today. Though you might not want to be one, that is what we are: protectors of what little remains in our barren section of the universe. It is my honor to stand here among you four."

The man's voice turns from the calm, collected man I know to one that is shouting at the top of his lungs, the words picking up motion with each syllable as the vibrations grow.

"We are not all that remains, but we are the tallest shields! Without us! Millions will die! Stand your ground! At the very least, boys! TAKE ONE WITH YOU!"

My heart ramps up in volume, for Blodwyn feels the intensity of Johnny's words. The lowest Sigiled and weakest being here matters the most at this very moment. My whole body is energized, and I feel a strength I haven't felt in multiple days. Still, I don't look at Johnny Caldwell, though I wish to.

All eyes remain firmly locked onto the dark depths as footsteps finally ring out.

"For a thousand years, we have lived and died in fear, in oppression from these beings. No longer. By gunpowder, steel, and our lives, we will be free. We will not be bound! Until the very last man, we fight!"

Hearing Marshall's words at the very end empowers me just as three pairs of feet appear on the edge of the darkness. None are born by humans, and all belong to figures that make my eyes tremble.

The Gods step through the Gate of Death, their presence warping the air around them. Baw-waw, the Goddess of Autumn, is the first to emerge, her sharp leaves rustling like a deadly whisper. Her eyes, a deep, unsettling green, sweep over us with a knowing dread. The creeping sense of doom that accompanies her makes my heart pound faster, but I stand firm, gripping my weapons tighter.

Jesu, the Black Imp, follows closely behind as the slayer of Isaac Erno. His form is a chaotic dance of molten rock and seething magma, the air around him shimmering with heat. His pestilent yellow eyes lock onto us, and a twisted grin spreads across his molten face. The ground beneath him sizzles, leaving scorched footprints in his wake.

Finally, Uktin, the God of Poisons, flows into view. His entire being is a liquid mass of purple death, undulating and shifting without any discernible pattern. His presence exudes a toxic miasma that makes my skin prickle. The smell of decay and rot fills the air as he advances, his amorphous form pulsating with lethal intent.

I catch Jesu opening his mouth to speak, but he never gets the chance to do so as someone makes the first move. And, surprisingly, it isn't Lennon.

Gunshots shatter the air, a thunderous roar that reverberates through the battlefield. Johnny darts to the side before Glitching the Colts in his hands, barrels smoking despite the dying of time. The force of the shots is immense, like the wrath of the Gods themselves. Uktin flows like quicksilver, evading one bullet with a liquid grace as it goes straight through him. The other bullet finds its mark in Jesu, striking him with a force that sends him hurtling back into the dark abyss of the Gate of Death's passageway.

The impact shakes the ground, and for the slightest moment, a shocked silence falls. Baw-waw's eyes blaze with fury, and with a shriek of rage, she dashes towards Johnny, her leaves slicing through the air like razors. But I'm at his side, ready. Stepping forward, I position my right arm between her and his vulnerable flesh. The sharp leaves connect with my forearm, yet they stop, unable to penetrate the unbreakable metal hidden beneath the skin. Sparks fly, and for a heartbeat, time freezes as their eyes lock.

Baw-waw's gaze is a storm of anger and disbelief.

"Impossible!"

The Motherbound God with a shifting form of leaves hisses, their voice a venomous whisper. I smile back at her, flipping the Blooming Spider Lily to face her as Living Manacles explode outward from my body.

I pull the trigger, and yet I am not the only one to. Johnny has Fate Sealer pressed against the Goddess of Leaves temple before blasting it all away.

"Never seen a gun, eh?"

Smoky gunpowder and a river of darkness complete the air as Baw-waw stumbles backward, shaking her head in grave pain. Still, the leaves that make up her form regenerate passively, and I pull Johnny back with me, his guns already reformed after detonation.

To our right, Granulen, a sea of shifting shadows, and Tonuyn, with his endless inscriptions, impede Uktin, the poisonous God unable to reach us. Meanwhile, Lennon simply stands still, observing as Baw-waw steps to the side, eying us wearily.

As the Goddess loses her rashness, more footsteps echo from the passageway. The sound sends a chill down my spine. We knew there might be more, but the reality of it feels like a crushing weight. From the darkness, new shapes emerge, their forms indistinct but unmistakably Divine.

A figure steps forward, taller and more imposing than the others. His skin is a pale, iridescent blue, shimmering like the night sky. His eyes are orbs of pure light, and his presence exudes an aura of the cold, merciless judgment of countless rivers, beating life into submission. There is a sheath at his hip, that of a long and scarred blade. Is that? No. I don't have time to think of that.

Lennon finally makes his move, finding an opponent for himself, darting straight ahead to meet this newcomer God. Based on their retaliation being a blade of running water to meet Lennon's, I can only guess it is Manoga, the God of Rivers, the Pointed Alluvion, the Killing Wave.

The two meet forces and Lennon is instantly the victor, pushing Manoga backward. However, the God moves like the waves themselves, redirecting the force of Lennon's strike and sending him…

Straight up, through the rocky earth, all the way into the sky, as luminance trickles down from the lights above.

Manoga quickly follows up the hole he crafted, kicking off the walls with the perfect transference of momentum. I have little time to worry about him, however, as Baw-waw is upon me once more.

The vitality from Lily siphoning away a God fills me with enough strength to use my Ether at its peak for a moment. And with Blodwyn coursing his Concept through my veins with his Ether, we start the fight with a bang.

Five quick breaths fill my body as I bring my fist to meet Baw-waw's tide of awful leaves. The sheer force of my hand casts aside the majority of the wave, but much still gets through. Each autumnal color cuts rivulets of blood down my body, yet I send Baw-waw back into the tunnel alongside a vortex of burning air.

"I'm behind her! Come in!"

Lily calls for me as she has already digested enough of Baw-waw to manifest. I take one quick look at Johnny, seeing him Glitching back in time after being struck by Jesu. Trusting the gunslinger to hold his own, at least for a little while, even against a God, I dive into the passageway, knowing Blodwyn will keep me safe.

Johnny Caldwell is not the most brutal man in the world. He's not the smartest. He's not the strongest. But I'll be damned if he ain't the craftiest in a fight. With his eyes, he'll live until I come back if he doesn't already manage to find a way to kill the God of Magma.

The suffocating embrace of the Gate of Death surrounds me while I dive straight for Baw-waw, knowing where she is precisely with Lily's help. The little girl already has tendrils of abyssal water directly from River Cardinal as she strikes at the Goddess, careful not to hit herself.

Autumn rots underneath the Colt's assault while I sneak in a stab of the Soulbone to the Goddess' gut. Shields of leaves protect her, the tiny things a thousand times more effective at doing so than they should.

After deflecting the spike of bone, Baw-waw steps toward me, reaching out for my arm. I hesitate for a split second before committing. Blodwyn will protect me.

I let the Goddess entangle my right forearm, which holds the Soulbone, while the other brings the frame of the Blooming Spider Lily to whip her against the head. Living Manacles scratch uselessly against her shifting armor while the carving fingertips dig into my flesh and creak against metallic bone.

Our eyes meet, but not a single word is said as Baw-waw growls like a bear declaring its territory. She attempts to shatter my arm, to rip it straight off my body, but as a Concept flows through the Chassis created by Earl, the metal holds.

And it doesn't just withstand the weight. While it might groan dangerously, I can feel the metal growing stronger. Concepts don't just affect living things. A desert can grow just as a moss can.

Baw-waw takes the strike from Lily's handle without much pain, only rearing back sightly. Seeing that it won't have much effect, I reholster the weapon, sensing Lily take some damage and being forced to dematerialize. Then, I dodge another reaching hand and slip under a precise wave of leaves to take Autumn's underarm. Without Lily's boost to my vitality, allowing me to take the full brunt of Blodwyn's strength, I worry I'd be too slow for this audacious push.

My heart beats with exuberant might as my whole body radiates raw strength. Digging my heels into the indestructible surface of the Gate of Death, capable of enduring a gunshot from Johnny's full-powered Colt, I swing Baw-waw over my shoulder, slamming her against the wall with every minuscule aspect of my strength.

The breaths in my body escape me as the thunderous impact reverberates through the entire underground environment. The force of the blow sends a shockwave through the air, and I feel the ground tremble beneath my feet. Spiderwebbing cracks spread through the ancient stone of the insides of the tunnel, radiating outwards like a violent, jagged explosion.

Baw-waw lets out a guttural cry, her body momentarily slackening from the impact. Her grip on me loosens, and for a fleeting second, I see something akin to surprise in her eyes. I disengage, stumbling back, my heart pounding wildly and dangerously as Blodwyn loses his strict control for a moment. The sight of the damage I've inflicted on the Gate of Death is both exhilarating and worrisome.

But as I catch my breath, a profound, throbbing weakness settles into my limbs. The exertion has taken its toll, and I know I can't afford to unleash that kind of power many more times, less so if I am hit, as Lily's gift only goes so far. My muscles scream in protest, and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead.

I look back to Johnny and the others, but darkness is all I find more than a few feet away. Right. The tunnel. I might be able to destroy it... if I could deliver a few dozen of those attacks.

Baw-waw recovers quickly, her eyes blazing with renewed fury. She straightens, her form rippling with anger and pain as she gets back up, just as winded as I am.

"You dare destroy the passage?"

The Goddess hisses, her voice like the chilling wind through a graveyard tossed in leafy blades.

I square my shoulders, forcing myself to stand tall despite the exhaustion creeping into my bones as the battle has just begun.

"Of course. How many more of you are coming? I'll sink the continent over your damned heads."