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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.
Background music by Smartsound

Part 3: The Conflict

– So, are humans basically the result of divine punishment over two Dragon Gods? – I was overwhelmed. – What happened next?

The Goddess changed to a more comfortable posture, as a bean cushion formed from the ground under her. – The Creator thought Amaxis’ punishment would placate the other Gods, but things turned out quite different than expected, as usual. They started picking on Amaxis now that he was weak. Poor Humenalia suffered so much from watching all that abuse and feeling powerless. That went on for a few days, then Amaxis paid them back. He was smarter and more cunning than all of them, and now the tables had turned again, Amaxis had devised tools, instruments, armor, weapons, and machines to close the gap.

– Open conflict was unleashed among them. The Creator waited, in hopes they would get tired of fighting, but that never happened. Instead, they turned against each other, trying to decide who was the one to reign supreme over the others. So The Creator felt forced to make a very tough decision: To kill the Gods participating in the conflict. It was very painful for him, as he loved them all, and one of them was his favorite. – She unsheathed the broadsword and contemplated it as she continued speaking. – He created a Godslaying Sword, a foul weapon that causes a God’s body to wither and rot, eventually leading to death. When it was ready, he hesitated to use it himself, so he relayed the task to Samsara, the Overgoddess of Life and Death.

– An Overgoddess? Is there a hierarchy of sorts? And is that the Godslaying Sword you speak of? – I asked with excitement. Draxenath nodded. – Samsara is the deity right below The Creator in the hierarchy, and under her are all other Gods. Viridiana is Goddess of Plants, Fungar is God of Fungi, I am Goddess of Dragons, Amaxis and Humenalia are Gods of Hominids, Gigaeth and Potenki are Gods of Giants, Mammi and Agrios are Gods of Beasts, Marina and Ipomos are Gods of Sea Life, Hexaphia and Filopos are Gods of Insects. This is the Godslaying Sword indeed, Samsara wielded it and was determined to kill the feuding Gods. But they defended themselves, banding together against her. The battle raged on until Samsara was convinced she wasn’t making any progress.

The broadsword’s aura was contained back inside the scabbard as it was sheathed again. She looked sad. – It was heart-breaking for me, knowing The Creator took that path to end the conflict, but it was terrifying when Samsara gave up fighting and relinquished the Godslaying Sword. She left it for anyone to take and use. She intended for everyone to fight for the sword and kill each other. Even if we didn’t get along very well, I couldn’t just let that happen. Being the strongest of the Gods, I took it for myself. I was not part of the conflict, but now I was there, wielding the sword in order to prevent the massacre.

She remained silent and absent-minded for a while. – After some time, they stopped fighting me for the sword and went back to their fight among them. I appealed to The Creator on what he did, and he decided not to interfere anymore, and leave us to solve our problems by ourselves. The fighting continued for eons, not only among the Gods but also among mortals, “That which is above is the same as that which is below”, it is said. One by one the Gods fell to Amaxis’ power and were imprisoned, at the same time humans conquered and enslaved their corresponding followers.

– When only me and Amaxis were left, I heard them more with every passing day… prayers begging for me to lead them in the fight for freedom…prayers from both Gods and mortals alike… I had been a passive observer for so long, it was time to fight as there was no one else strong enough to do it.

Part 4: The Betrayal

– The humans were treating all other creatures like objects of their property: they would trade them, modify them to their needs, control their population, and use them to do their work and satisfy their needs and whims. We were meant to inspire and lead everyone by our example, but the example set by Amaxis was not what we were meant to give. So many prayers asking for my help in stopping the abuse, such high hopes being placed on me. No one else was able to help them, and it was my duty to make the world prosper and be a better place. I could not turn them down, it felt wrong.

That left me speechless, I felt guilty. There is so much cruelty, and slavery is considered normal in our society and system of beliefs. We believe it is fine for living beings other than humans to be born in captivity and used for a defined purpose without caring about their feelings or giving them any choice.

– I looked for mortals willing to become my vessels, my Avatars, and acted through them from the shadows for years. I worked hard to make humans feel empathy for creatures other than themselves. That is how I met a very peculiar man. – Her eyes brightened. Whoever that man was, he evocated positive feelings in a way I hadn’t seen during all the interview. – He was very special, unlike anyone I ever met. He was not only wise, smart and strong, but also compassionate and willing to help me in my cause. I gave him one child with my real body, and three with one of my Avatars, who became his wife. All four of them lie in coffins now.

– I can’t imagine the pain of a mother losing her children, I am sorry for your loss. – I said, trying to express empathy for her. She remained silent, forcing a smile while her eyes got wet. She broke the silence. – I sent our firstborn to liberate the slaves while I worked on doing the same for the other Gods. Many of the mortals were freed and formed a nation of their own, with my child as ruler. But then, there was a betrayal. What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under your knives, mortal. Who will wipe this blood off all of you?

Her eyes, full of anger, were directed at me. – I gave the mortals what I loved the most, as well as what they asked for, and that is the way they paid me. Mortals don’t want to be free, they murdered the one who gave them freedom. Nobody wants my help, nobody really needs me. That is the reason I exiled myself. I heard their hypocritical prayers for days afterward, until I got tired and blocked them from my mind, then tried to kill myself with the Godslaying sword… and failed… They have probably forgotten about me after all this time.

– I have heard many of them pray to someone they call Champion of Freedom. – I responded. Upon hearing that title, her expression softened. – They keep asking forgiveness and want that deity to come back. – She burst into laughter. – You must be joking! That was one of my titles, why would they continue praying to me? I have not answered in over a thousand years, and they didn’t appreciate my help back then, why would they want me to return? I would really love to hear that!
Her eyes drifted away as if she were thinking, or maybe listening to something I was unable to hear. She stopped laughing, her mood changing completely, she looked heart-touched, tears escaping her eyes again. She continued listening for a while, then wiped her tears with a handkerchief and broke the silence. – Assuming they really wanted me to come back, what would make them worth helping? They keep asking for things they could do by themselves, I don’t see why would they need me, all they need is to be confident in what they do, and they shall accomplish it themselves.

– Us mortals may have the power to accomplish great things, – I replied to her. – but sometimes it’s hard to believe in ourselves, we need to know someone believes in us and is there to support us as well. Maybe that is all the help you need to give.

Draxenath remained silent and ponderous as if listening again. After several minutes, she looked back at me. – If you don’t mind, I would like to ask you about the current status quo of the world and the most recent events. – She looked rejuvenated and motivated like she had just gotten out of a long depression. Now I was being interviewed by her.

Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode!

Echoes From the Caverns

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.
Background music by Smartsound

Part 1 : The Beginning

I was so thrilled and nervous my mind went completely blank. I had so many questions before meeting her, but all of them had escaped me at the moment, so I proceded with a very basic question. – Please tell me about yourself, if you may introduce, and tell me how you came to be. There is no written information I could find about you in the world, but you are talked about in whispers. We are told Amaxis is the only God of our world so I would like to hear your side of the story.

She looked back at me with some skepticism. – The Creator made me at the same time he made Amaxis and gave me the name Draxenath. We were the last of the Gods to be made in The Creator’s original plan. We were meant to be the pinnacle of his creative process, our purpose was to inspire the other Gods, to be the ideal they would strive towards in order to achieve their greatest potential. Stronger than the Giant Gods, fiercer than the Beast Gods, more diligent than the Insect Gods, and more patient than the Sea Gods. – She smirked with a hint of irony. – The Creator was not expecting we would bring out the worst in all of them instead.

There it was, a confirmation of the existence of Gods for the giants, beasts, insects and sea life, and not just that, a “Creator”, a sort of Supergod! – Tell me more about The Creator! How is he like?

The Dragon Goddess looked sad after my question. – He loves all of his creation, he knows it’s not what he originally expected it to be, but won’t interfere anymore. He intends to let things settle down by themselves, however long that takes, and whatever it takes. He has the belief that we will do the right thing and whatever happens, in the end, will be the best outcome that could have been. – The smirk of irony returned to her face. – I can’t deny, the conflict that arose pushed every one of us to make our best effort.

The conflict, the confrontation among the Gods, the one in which we are told Amaxis emerged victoriously! What a great opportunity to know the details of the conflict! – We are told Amaxis defeated some Great Demons and that is how peace and unity were finally achieved. You are mentioning a conflict, which I assume is the same and the so-called Great Demons were actually the other Gods. I am very interested in knowing how the conflict started, and all the important details on it.

– That is a very long story, but I can tell you the most important events. It all started the day we were made. The Creator presented us to the other Gods. “These are the Dragon Gods, greatest of my creation. All of you must look up to them, admire their splendor and learn from them, for they are to be your masters and guides. You are to serve and assist them in their task of leading the World on the road of constant improvement towards perfection.”, he said to them. Those words filled my heart with fear, it was such a great responsibility. Amaxis noticed it and comforted me with a reassuring smile.

– Wait a minute! – I interrupted. – Was Amaxis originally a Dragon God? How did he… alright, I guess we will get to that eventually. Sorry, please go ahead.

– Every one of the male Gods wanted to measure against Amaxis, – she continued, – and he literally humiliated them in their own games. They didn’t take that very well at all. He got addicted to the feeling of besting others, of proving he was better than anyone else. With time, he got bored of them and looked for a stronger opponent to compete against. Unfortunately, I was the only one worthy of such an “honor”.

She paused, her sadness returned for a moment, then turned into anger. – I was not trying to compete against him in any way, yet he turned everything we did together into a competition, followed by discouraging, humiliating comments. I grew tired of his constant abuse. One day, we were watching the sunset. Despite all of our quarrels, he was so good at making up for them with that kind of moments, but that time something turned out different. “The beauty of the sunset is like the two of us together.”, he said. “My red scales are like the red sky, quite a sight to admire, while your golden scales are like the sun, they hurt the eyes!” That was so cruel, it hurt my feelings. We were meant to be a couple! I could endure no more, so I took flight and abandoned him, I didn’t want to spend my life with him anymore!

Her voice was breaking as she spoke the last few sentences. She remained silent for a moment, arms crossed, eyes getting watery. I decided not to press her and waited until she decided to continue.

Part 2: The origins of humans

After a couple minutes of silence, she spoke again. – He didn’t accept my decision to leave him, so he chased after me. He demanded me to come back, but I refused. He kept insisting until he got tired of it and tried to force me. – She smiled with satisfaction. – I had never really competed against him in anything, but this time I decided to fight back with all my strength. We fought in the skies for a while, until I hit him on the head, a very solid and heavy blow. He fell, and I followed him. As he hit the ground, I landed with my knees on his forearms, and my paws on his face, thumb claws ready to pluck his eyes out if he decided to continue fighting. He remained still, savoring defeat for the first time. Then The Creator interfered.

She sighed, returning to her bored expression. – He tried to help us reconcile, but I was not willing to. I was not the only deity who disliked his company, so I was evidently not the one at fault. I made it very clear I wanted to be left alone and free, while Amaxis still wanted me back, but was unwilling to apologize or admit his wrongdoing. The creator decided to make him another bride, one that would love him unconditionally, and would not abandon him no matter how he treated her. Her name was Humenalia. The Creator put one condition for creating her: Amaxis would be the one to instruct her in the ways of the world, just as The Creator had instructed us when we were created. Amaxis was to be Humenalia’s master and guardian.

– Humenalia…- I said as she went silent for a moment, – that name sounds like “human”, I assume we are getting closer to that part, right?

The Goddess nodded. – Amaxis thought her too stupid to be instructed, and he was too lazy to dedicate the time necessary to do it properly, so he decided to oversimplify things. The laws of Cause and Effect, taking responsibility for one’s own actions and other important concepts like thinking before taking action were not properly taught to her. Instead, Amaxis created “Sins” and “Taboos” and Rules she should follow without question, and threatened her with horrible punishment that would immediately befall upon her if she broke them. He used fear to educate and control her. She was not stupid at all, and soon she questioned the rules that were imposed on her.

– That is exactly like the current state of things between Amaxis and the mortals. – I added. She continued talking. – It didn’t take long before she broke a rule accidentally. She caused a forest fire, which burned thousands of trees and forest creatures, and didn’t receive any horrible punishment. Seeing the expected consequences didn’t happen, she deliberately set another forest in fire. No punishment either. Then she continued to test the other rules, laying waste as she did. It was catastrophic.

– Didn’t she receive any punishment? – I wondered. – She did! – responded Draxenath – The creator called her out and questioned her actions. She explained about the prohibitions placed by Amaxis and how none of the consequences he mentioned were the truth. The Creator called Amaxis and questioned him. Amaxis put the whole blame on Humenalia for disobeying him. He said whether his explanations were true or not, following his instructions without question would have prevented the chaos she unleashed.

– The Creator was sad, Amaxis was his favorite and he had so high expectations of him, but it was time to give him a proper punishment. “You didn’t want to reconcile with your original mate, so I made you a new one just the way you wanted her. And still, you don’t love her and blame her for the consequences of your own mistakes. Your pride has blinded you, I will take everything from you as punishment.” He took away Amaxis’ ability to transform into a dragon, leaving him in his Divine Form, which is how we call the form I am in right now. His scales, horns, claws, wings, and tail fell off. His fire breath extinguished. Most of his teeth lost their sharpness. He was reduced to a small, helpless creature. Humenalia contemplated her mate for a moment, then petitioned to The Creator. “Do the same to me… I want to share his burden because we are mates, we are meant to support each other both in good and bad times.”

– The Creator nodded at Humenalia’s noble gesture and did the same to her. “As part of the punishment, the children you give birth to will be as helpless as you are, and will not inherit your immortality. You shall be doomed to live forever and see your descendants fade.”

– Amaxis remained calm and replied to The Creator. “Even under this punishment, my descendants will inherit my greatness, they shall be as cunning and rule the world one day.” That is the origin of the human race.

Echoes From the Caverns

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the beginnings of a wonderful new story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.
Background music by Smartsound

Preface

For decades I have questioned the accuracy and veracity of written history. All my efforts have been directed towards consulting the different sources of information which could provide glimpses of the actual historical facts.

Written history tells us there is but a single god, Amaxis, who defeated the Great Demons that incited war among the different races. We are led to believe his victory over them, along with his laws, authority and the enslavement of the non-human races was necessary to unify us and finally live in relative peace. This established humankind as the Apex race, dominating all others.

I have not been the only one to question history. Some have said the Great Demons were actually the patron Gods of all other races. Those that honored them, if caught by authorities, were put to burn at the stake accused of heresy and demon worshiping.

Such remarks fueled my curiosity and led me to seek out their source. As I researched the folklore outside the great cities, my ears managed to catch more such rumors in whispers. I heard stories about Amaxis imprisoning the other gods and conquering their followers.

But the most interesting one was the legend of a Champion Goddess who embraced all the helpless races and freed them of their slavery, only to be betrayed later by those she trusted the most. She exiled herself and left the world for Amaxis to do whatever he pleased.

I have dedicated more than half of my life researching about this Goddess, seeking to contact her. There are contradicting pieces of lore about her, which made my curiosity grow even stronger. Finally, those pieces of lore gave me the means to contact her, and request her account of history.

I will be signing my work anonymously for obvious reasons.

First Impression

Finally came the day when I had everything necessary to talk to Draxenath, the legendary Mother of Dragons, and patron goddess of all scaly and feathered creatures alike. I will leave out the details of the ritual used to reach her, as gods dislike being addressed forcefully. She was very upset at first but agreed to let me enter into her hiding place.

I had prepared an offering for her ahead of time, which consisted of a cow of the highest quality, and a dish of pork meat marinated with a sauce made of tomato and garlic, resting over a bed of boiled, butter seasoned noodles sprinkled with grated aged cheese. According to the lore, those were the usual offerings to please her.

A jet black vortex formed in front of me. It was as if its darkness were eating the light around it. I gathered up my courage and went in, bringing the offerings with me.

Once on the other side, there was light coming from two massive cavern entrances in front of us, as if a bonfire burned inside them. Their walls were covered with gold, and their size was perfect for an ancient dragon to live in.

The cold air from the place was sucked into the caverns, and moments later it would be blown out, hot like the steam of an active volcano. That unusual phenomenon repeated periodically.

The cow was bewildered and tried to run away, but I pulled the bridle and stopped it. Then came to realize to my amazement, the reason for the cow to be afraid. Those were not caves, but the nostrils of an impossibly massive dragon.

Thick formations of rock-like rheum had sealed its eyes. Gigantic claws removed the rocks, revealing two sun-like orbs underneath. Their gaze was that of a starving lion looking at a trapped antelope. I felt cold, my blood going to my feet. I could hear the loud, drum-like thumping of the blood running through the veins of my ears. I thought my heart was going to explode.

My thoughts at the time were she allowed me to visit her not for an interview, but for supper. The dragon’s body started to glow and rapidly shrunk in size while morphing into a female humanoid shape. She was twice as tall as an adult human. Her body was covered with golden scales and had large patches of snow white, scale-less skin on her face, chest, abs, and navel. Numerous horns protruded from her skull in the fashion of a crown. Her scalp was adorned by a mane of long, straight, platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were the same reptilian golden orbs. A pair of golden feathered wings extended from her back. Fin-like barbs lined her long, slender tail.

Once the glow waned, spots of gangrene were easy to see all over her body. With the grace and speed of a cat, she grabbed the cow by the neck with one of her clawed hands and lifted it. The cow’s head was ripped from its body by a maw full of needle-like teeth. With her tail, she grabbed the cow by the rear legs, still holding the neck with a hand and drinking its blood as it squirted from the convulsing body.

The woman threw the carcass away after it ran out of blood, then turned her blood-covered face, her murderous cold gaze now directed at me. She slowly sat down in a kneeling position, with her buttocks resting on her heels, while extending both hands towards me, as if expecting me to give her something. The heat in my hands reminded me, I was carrying the dish made especially for her. I immediately handed it over.

The Goddess sat there in silence for a moment, smelling it. That is when I noticed, a dark aura emanated from an eerie, cleaver-like broadsword driven through her heart. Gangrene was most notorious around the sword wound. I dared not to ask anything. She tasted the pork.

– Is this human meat? – She asked with a gentle, whisper-like voice. – It is pork! – I answered. She savored it for a moment. – Humans and pigs taste the same. I love this taste, and the amount of garlic, butter and spices is well balanced. The cheese is of remarkable quality, too.

She continued eating in silence. After emptying the plate, she used her hands to wipe her face and licked them afterward, the same way a cat does. – It felt like an eternity since the last time I tasted this dish. What year is it?

– It is the year 1132 of the Age of Order. – I answered nervously. – What?! – she burst into outrage. – Did I waste a millennium waiting for this sword to kill me? I could have killed myself sooner by over-eating candy and bacon! Seriously, what’s wrong with this sword?!

With both hands, she pulled the broadsword out and proceeded to inspect it with the utmost care. Black blood ran out of the wound, which promptly closed as her bleeding turned to a more healthy red.

She shrugged, her eyebrows and forehead wrinkled with confusion. She sheathed the broadsword into a scabbard on her waist and looked back at me with a calm, bored expression. – I am still alive and got nothing better to do right now. What did you want to talk about?

That is when the interview started.

Echoes From the Caverns