Our Stories: A collection of stories for your enjoyment.

By: Phoenix

Segra was in a fuming rage when she returned to her own land. She noticed one of her villages begging her for scaffolds to expand because homeless people were sleeping on the ground. She threw a fireball into the largest congregation. ?Now you don?t need to expand!? she called to them.

Still caught up in her rage when she got to her home village, she picked up all but five children from the cr?che and sacrificed them at her temple; twenty in all went to their deaths at her worship site. Somewhat placated by the sacrifices she activated a special charm which changed her temple's appearance: instead of the dark foreboding edifice it had become as she had killed her own people, it changed to the shining white and pastel colours of that damn Kazar?s temple, the colours of a good and kind God.

How had he done it? Twice now he had outsmarted her. Her, Siseman! There was no way he could have moved fast enough to protect those three villages so successfully from her multiple fireball and burning rock attack and yet he had? but how?? And just now he had done it again, tricking her into agreeing that the damn crater marked the borders of their respective lands, and agreeing not to pass that point or risk war. How could he do it? He-- a snotty upstart of a God who had to be taught how to cast a simple food miracle, for crying out loud!

?Ahhhhhhhh!? she screamed as she released a Mega blast increase onto the ocean. The resulting tidal wave swept up the beach and some way inland before receding, carrying with it several hapless fishermen and foresters. Snorting at their cries for help she said, ?Drown, you lazy good for nothing swine! Drown!!?

More death, even though indirectly at her hand, was enough to calm her down. As night fell she spoke quietly to herself, a hint of madness in her shaky voice.

?There is more than one way to trick a God, Kazar? Oh, yes, many more.?

Well, when the time came for war she would be ready. Oh yes, indeed, she would be ready. And that snotty little upstart Kazar wouldn?t know what hit him!

* * *

Kazar, having lingered only long enough to ensure that Segra returned to her own lands, did not see the fireball, nor the Mega blast beams way out in the ocean, or the tidal wave. Glancing once more behind him as he reached the centre of his new village he again flew out over the sea towards the island. This time his influence reached more than three-quarters of the way, but still not close enough to allow him to perform any actions on the island. Still that ancient temple intrigued him. He may not be able to do anything there but he could still look around. Settling into the ruins he began his search. For what he didn?t know, but search he did. It was in the hour before dawn that he made his first discovery: a stone tablet broken and weather-worn, much the writing on its face still legible-- or at least it would be if he could read the snaky swirling symbols. As he stared at the broken tablet the symbols themselves seemed to shift and mutate until he found he could read the words:

??uilding a wonde?creas.. influ..ce when built next .. n.. artifac??

Wandering about the ruins, Kazar found several more such tablets, many of which were broken, the pieces lying in disarray on the floor, but without influence in the island he couldn?t begin to piece them together. Only one seemed to be completely intact , although he could see no writing on it, and thought perhaps it was lying face down. He needed influence here.

Returning to the first tablet he reread the broken message, with a feeling that this place was somehow important to his survival. He rose up above the ruin and paused time before travelling back to his own Temple. Once behind it and away from Segra?s field of vision he un-paused time.

Now in his home village he remembered his promise to Tasnia and flew across the land at breathtaking speed to his newest village, searching the town until he found Shania, only to find that she had fallen in love and married the son of a local farmer. On closer inspection he saw that she was also with child. For the first time in full view of the people he transformed himself into his human form; the shimmering golden light emanating from his body lit her shocked features as he reached out his hand and placed it on her swollen belly, feeling and sensing the new life growing within.

?Mmmm,? he said so quietly that only Shania and her husband could hear. ?Twins, a boy and a girl. Both are healthy and strong. My congratulations to the both of you. I had intended to take you home fulfilling the promise I made your mother, but now I see you are home. I forget how rapidly time flies for mortals. ?

?We sent a messenger to Mother with the news, promising to visit, but it is a long way to travel.? Shania?s face beamed with pleasure as she addressed Kazar in person to the astonishment of others nearby. ?The last year and a half has been busy and in my current condition it would not be wise to undertake such a journey, but would you please tell Mother I love her and will visit as soon as I am fit to travel.?

Kazar remembered at that moment that he could do something to ease the problems with long distance travelling within his realm. Wondering why he had not thought of it before, he said, ?Oh, I think I can do better than that.? Giving her a pleasant smile and nodding to her husband, he continued, raising his voice for all to hear.

?Perhaps you have seen the small swirling green portal just outside the village? All you need do is step into it and it will take you instantly to any village within my influence you choose to visit. There is also one at the worship site. You will no longer be forced to travel long distance over land to be about your daily business.?

With that he transformed back into his Godly form and floated high above them. ?Now, I have a request to make of you all".

?Anything, Holy One,? came the chorus. ?You saved us all from the evil one.?

?She is still a threat,? replied Kazar, testing for their reaction. They confirmed his suspicions.

?You are powerful, Holiest One, more powerful than even Shiva was.?

?You will protect us, Holy One.?

?We will do anything to help you, Holy One.?

?Very well, my friends. I shall place a scaffold on the hill were once Shiva?s Temple stood, and supply sufficient food and wood to allow continued work. This building must take priority over all other work in the village, and I shall see to it that your fields do not go untended while you work. The building must be completed within two months. Samson or I will come by regularly to heal any injured and see to your needs.?

?Yes, yes we will work; we will build to the glory of our God.?

With that Kazar picked up the artefact from the centre of town and placed it on the hill. Then combining three scaffolds from the village workshop he supplied more wood so the carpenter could make more. He shot over to his home village, combined three more scaffolds, and brought them back to the new village, then combined them with the first three. As soon as the carpenter finished the next scaffold Kazar combined it with the others, then picked up the whole lot and placed them next to the artefact on the hill. He then cast wood and food miracles until he ran out of prayer power. Even as the people began to build Kazar knew there wasn?t enough wood to complete the structure, so he emptied the village store of wood and dropped it at the building site. Still, there was not enough wood to finish the building so he reached out his Godly hand and uprooted an entire forest, dropping wood at the building site until there was enough to finish the wonder his people were building. What wood remained he dropped at the village store. Seeing that several villagers were injured he healed them and placed them in the fields. They immediately became disciple farmers and worked the fields while the rest of the village worked on construction. Then Kazar visited each of his villages, in turn seeing to their needs, healing, watering fields, providing wood and food where necessary, placing and explaining the use of portals, asking for volunteers to use them, and assisting in the construction. Soon he found that there were so many volunteers that he had no need to create disciple builders. By the time Kazar reached his home village he found that Shania had taken the opportunity to pay a short visit to her mother and introduce her to Carman, her husband. He quickly discovered that she had also spread the word of the new building project. Many of the able-bodied men and women had already departed to help in the construction.

He had spent several weeks visiting and tending the needs of each of his villages so Kazar decided to return to ?Savannah? and see how the work was progressing. The people were so busy building they were completely unaware of his presence. Even in such a short time the building was already higher than any other in the village. As he looked on, Kazar noticed the people were singing a simple little tune while they worked:

?We work, we pray.?
?We work to the glory of God.?

?We work, we pray.?
?To the glory of God we build.?

?Kazar! Kazar! Kazar!?

They repeated the lines over and over as they worked, each applying themselves to the task at hand whether they be children and elderly carrying food and water to the workers, carpenters cutting and shaping wood, smithies forging nails or repairing broken tools, or builders climbing about the scaffolds placing and hammering beams in place. As he watched them work a scream rent the air to his right. All singing stopped at the piercing sound.

Turning Kazar saw a little girl of perhaps eight years old looking up. Following her gaze he saw one of the builders had slipped and was now hanging precariously with only one hand from the scaffold were he had been working. As he watched several other builders were scrambling to reach their fellow worker. Suddenly he lost his grip and plummeted toward the ground. Several stunned onlookers screamed. With the speed of thought Kazar shot down and plucked the fellow from the air; placing him gently on the ground.

?Whew! Thank you, Holy One! I thought I was a goner for a moment there. Now, if you would be so kind as to help me back up there,? he pointed to the scaffold from where he had just fallen, ?I will carry on working.?

?But you almost died, Severin! You should rest.?

?Oh, I am fine, Holy One; I just wasn?t concentrating where I put my foot, that?s all.?

?If you are sure, Severin? I did not intend for people to work themselves to death.?

?Oh, we will be fine, Holy One, honest. Just heal us and put me back up there, if you please.?

?Very well.? As he cast a healing miracle, then several more until all the workers were healed. Then he lifted Severin up and placed him back onto the very scaffold he had fallen from.

?Thank you, Holy One! We?ll be finished soon and in much less than two months, unless I miss my guess.?

?Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!? The crowd cheered.

Several others chanted, ?Kazar! Kazar! Kazar!?

Then the song began again.

?We work, we pray.?
?We work to the glory of God.?

?We work, we pray.?
?To the glory of God we build.?

?Kazar! Kazar! Kazar!?

But, as the people returned to work, Kazar had a strange feeling that something was wrong, very wrong somewhere in his realm...

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