Untitled Story

Heroes Against the Gods

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### Heroes Against the Gods © 2026 by Travis Capener This story contains nudity, sex, adult situations, and violence and is not intended for children. Read it at your own risk. Throughout the story, tap <a-code target="!!prologueNote"> underlined </a-code> to see more information. <a-code target="!!prologueNote"> Try it now! </a-code> - [[Continue...->treatSc1]]

### Notes Notes like this one will give you more information about some part of the story. If you don't look at them you'll be missing out.

### Chapter 1 The news on the radio is not good. The Kingdom of <a-code target="!!treatExiaNote">Exia</a-code> is threatening to invade again and this time they seem serious. You wonder how effectively a city-state like <a-code target="!!treatZekvarNote">Zekvar</a-code> (your home) could defend itself from a real attack. The mayor and the City Council are defiant, but you're not so sure that's a good thing. The Council could just be inviting trouble that they can't handle. Luckily the international tensions haven't affected your business. People still need electric appliances and electronics fixed. They need keys made. They need jewelry and watches repaired. That's what you do. It was a hectic day today because people were bringing their radios in to be repaired and refurbished. No one wants to be cut off from the news when there's a crisis going on. It's the end of the day, though, and time to close your shop. You still need to stop by the <a-code target="!!treatChexaNote"> Chexan </a-code> temple and get your supply of empty power cells recharged. The power cells are copper coloured disks about three centimetres across and you have about four dozen empty ones to charge up. [[Continue->chooseTotem]]

### The Ancient City of Zekvar Zekvar is your home. It is a city state at the mouth of the Asman River and nestled in the foothills of the Erasian mountains. It is home to about 500,000 people. Zekvar is the former capital of the ancient empire of Erasia—which is long gone. The city is a port for both sea and river traffic, which has made it prosperous.

### The Avatars of the Kemi The Kemi are said to exist beyond the comprehension of mortals, but they interact with the physical world through avatars—human figures, or animals, or even animated objects.

### The Republic of Exia The Republic of Exia is a former province of the Erasian Empire. Home to about twenty million people, Exia has long threatened Zekvar with invasion—but has been held back by the mountains that separate the two countries. Most Exians are followers of <a-code target="!!treatElohimNote"> El </a-code>.

### Who are the Elohim? El is an invisible deity who works through its servants, the Elohim. Most Exians are followers of El who they claim is the one true god who created the universe and everything in it. Followers of El are easy to spot because they shave their heads and body hair and wear ritual facial tattoos.

### Who are the Chexa The Chexa are nature spirits that inhabit all things. They are said to have created the world eons ago. The majority of the people in Zekvar revere them as guides and minor deities.

### A Shrine to the Chexa You have a small shrine to the Chexa in your shop (as most people do) and you could use it to charge the power cells one at a time, but you don't have time for that. It's better to make the trip to the temple, make an offering, and get all the cells charged at once.

You have a small shrine to the <a-code target="!!treatChexaNote"> Chexa </a-code> in your shop (as most people do) and you could use it to charge the power cells one at a time, but you don't have time for that. It's better to make the trip to the temple, make an offering, and get all the cells charged at once. [_I am going to allow the reader a variety of options as to a higher power, including a god however they want to define it (they'll be able to name it—so it could be Jehovah, or Jesus, the Demiurge, Allah, or whatever they want). They can also say there is no god at all. What the spirits in this story are will ultimately be revealed._] What aspect of the Chexa do you follow? <div class="linkList"> <a-code target="treatPickGender"> The noble wolf. Wolves are fierce hunters and loyal to their families. Wolves operate best in packs. <code slot="script"> s.T = structuredClone(TOTEM.WOLF); setAltTotems(s.T.key); console.dir(s.T); console.dir(s.TA); console.dir(s.TA1); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatPickGender"> The wiley fox. Foxes are tricksters who love to play—but never forget that they're also keen predators. <code slot="script"> s.T = structuredClone(TOTEM.FOX); setAltTotems(s.T.key); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatPickGender"> The powerful tiger. The tiger is the king of the beasts and its power wards off evil. <code slot="script"> s.T = structuredClone(TOTEM.TIGER); setAltTotems(s.T.key); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatPickGender"> The wise raven. Ravens are the smartest birds and are excellent problem solvers. <code slot="script"> s.T = structuredClone(TOTEM.RAVEN); setAltTotems(s.T.key); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatPickGender"> The hypnotic serpent. Serpents can impose their will on their prey. <code slot="script"> s.T = structuredClone(TOTEM.SERPENT); setAltTotems(s.T.key); </code> </a-code> </div>

I'm sorry but I have to ask a personal question so I know how certain people in the story will respond to you. What gender do other people think you are? <div class="linkList"> <a-code target="treatAfterWork"> I'm a man. <code slot="script"> s.MC = structuredClone(GENDERS[MALE]); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatAfterWork"> I'm a woman. <code slot="script"> s.MC = structuredClone(GENDERS[FEMALE]); </code> </a-code> <a-code target="treatAfterWork"> I'm hard to pin down gender-wise. I'm basically me. <code slot="script"> s.MC = structuredClone(GENDERS[NONBINARY]); </code> </a-code> </div>

After you reconcile and lock the till, you put your tools away and collect up the dead power cells and put them into a red cloth bag. Then you put the bag in your backpack, put on your coat and the backpack, lock the door, and head into the city. Your shop is located in the Lower City about half a kilometre from the river. The great cliffs of The Mountain rise above you and you can see the walls of The Citadel at the top. As a child The Mountain always confused you because it had only one side—the side facing the river—and you didn't know where the other side was. When you were older, you learned that what everyone called "The Mountain" was actually just one side of a deep gorge that ran alongside the river. You make your way through the evening crowds to the Charman Cut, which is a road cut out of the side of the cliff, leading upwards. The Chexan temples are all at the top of The Mountain and the Charman Cut is the easiest path upwards. It's about a fifteen minute walk to the top, but luckily you're in good shape so you're not even out of breath when you get there. While Lower Zekvar is cramped and constrained by the river, The Upper Mountain part of the city sprawls for kilometres. [[Continue...->treatMountain1]]

There is a grocery store close to The Mountain's edge and you stop and pick up a bag of apples to use as an offering to the monks and nuns at the Temple. Of course, you'll be expected to make a monetary offering to get the power cells charged, but the food is a courtesy. When you enter the store half the lights are out, as are the candles on the <%= s.TA.CAP %> shrine behind the counter. You mention the candles to the owner as you pay for the apples, but she just mutters something under her breath and glares at you. You decide not to push it, but it's a bad sign. [You can have a conversation here and find out that the shop owner feels abandoned by the Chexa today. Nothing is working right.] [[Continue...->treatStreetRail]]

You decide to splurge and take the Street Railway to the Temple Zone because it's only twenty five cents and you'd like to be home before dark. When you get to the stop, there are dozens of people milling about. You ask a woman with a whining little boy what's going on and she says she's heard that all the street cars on The Mountain are out of service. She says she's going to wait a few more minutes and then walk home. [You can decide to accompany her just to make sure she gets home safely.] [[Continue...->treatOutsideTemple]]

As you walk across The Mountain to the <%= s.T.CAP %> Temple, you see that a lot of people are out of their houses looking worried and uncertain. You also notice that the public fountains aren't running and half the street lights are out. The usual sounds of radios—music and voices—are missing. There is a general mood of anger that you find unsettling. The sun is setting by the time you make it to the <%= s.T.CAP %> Temple. Your heart sinks when you see that the lights are dark. Where are the monks and nuns? Then you hear whooping and hollering coming from inside. That's not right! What will you do? <div class="linkList"> <a-code target="treatInsideTemple"> I'll head inside the temple and see what's going on. Maybe there's something I can do to help. </a-code> <a-code target="treatFindPolice"> This is so bad! I need to find some <a-code target="!!gendarmeNote"> gendarme </a-code> to help out. I'm going to look for an officer or a call box and get some help. </a-code> <a-code target="treatFindATemple"> There are a number of other temples around. Maybe I can get help from one of them. </a-code> <a-code target="treatHeadHome"> This situation is beyond me. It's not that I don't want to help, but what can I do? I'm going home before I become a casualty. </a-code> </div>

### The Gendarmerie of the City The Zekvar Gendarmerie are the police officers who keep order in the city. They walk beats through the city's neighbourhoods and are a call away from blue call boxes distributed around the metropolis.

### Looking for Help <div if="@beenAtCallBox=false"> Most of the nearby temples are dark, and you realize that the whole temple neighbourhood is crawling with scruffy young men openly armed with knives and clubs of various sorts. You hear angry yelling in the distance and the air smells of smoke. </div> The {TA1.CAP} Temple still has lights! In fact, there are two {TA1.PLLC} stalking menacingly back and forth in front of the entrance. Their eyes shine green in the night. [[The rioters are avoiding the {TA1.CAP} Temple and I think I can make it over there.]] - !treatAskForHelp [[This situation is beyond me. It's not that I don't want to help, but what can I do? I'm going home before I become a casualty.]] - !treatHeadHome

### Looking for the Gendarmerie {treatFindThePolice} Most of the nearby temples are dark, and you realize that the whole temple neighbourhood is crawling with scruffy young men openly armed with knives and clubs of various sorts. You hear angry yelling in the distance and the air smells of smoke. There is a blue gendarmerie call box on a nearby street corner, but you see to your dismay that the sign is unlit. Still, you head over to it and try to make a call. You press the talk button, but the line is dead. You notice lights at one of the temples down the street. [[Maybe I can get help at the temple down the street.]] - @beenAtCallBox=true - !treatFindATemple [[This situation is beyond me. It's not that I don't want to help, but what can I do? I'm going home before I become a casualty.]] - !treatHeadHome

### Inside the Temple The {T.CAP} Temple is a cylindrical building with entrances at the four cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West). You've never been good with directions, but the door you're facing is hanging from its hinges. You can see flickering firelight beyond. Being a crafter, you always carry a multi-tool and a pocket knife with you. You take out your pocket knife and hold it in your hand. You can unfold it if you need it. Trying to be as quiet as you can be, you squeeze through the doorway and head inside. There is a raised dais inside the building with stairs going up. The sounds of laughter and yelling are more distinct and sound like young men. Their voices are aggressive. Slowly, you climb the stairs until you can see them. There is a fire in the middle of the temple and the boys are throwing anything combustible that's not nailed down into it. There are three of them—one basically a man, and two teenage boys. The oldest...man...has a heavy wooden sports bat and is using it to smash the devotional candle holders. [I'm going to give the reader another chance to chicken out. They can go home and be an observer to what will happen rather than a participant.] [[Continue...]] - !!treatWhatToDo

### What To Do? You watch the boys silently for a few seconds, wondering what to do. You could go for help, go home, or try to stop them now. As you watch, one of the younger boys throws a priceless prayer scroll into the fire. The longer it takes you to act, the more irreparable harm they're going to do. [[Continue...->treatConfrontation]]

### The Confrontation Finally, you resolve to do something now. You climb to the top of the stairs and shout "What the fuck are you assholes doing?". The boys stop and stare at you. That's when you realize that the man's sports bat could be a serious problem. "Take it easy," says the man. He has Exian tattoos on his face, but there are other random shapes as well. A devout Exian would never never do that. A devout Exian would never tolerate someone else who had done that. "Come here," says the not-Exian. He doesn't sound the least bit worried. The three of them are spreading out and walking towards you. The two boys suddenly have jack-knives in their hands. [[Continue...->treatDownTheStairs]]

### Down the Stairs You take a step backwards down the stairs. "Why don't you just leave?" you say. They keep advancing on you and you take another step down the stairs. What the hell were you thinking? [[Continue...->treatSurprise]]

### Surprise! A sudden heavy blow smashes into the back of your head. You sink to your knees on the step in shock and pain. Your pocket knife clatters away into the darkness. Somehow you manage to turn and look and see the other man who had snuck up behind you. He's a dark shape in the shadows of the firelight but the sports bat he just hit you with is unmistakable. "Honey," he says. "You should have left well enough alone." You are now crouched on the next step down, facing the new guy. The back of your head is throbbing, but you're not going down like this without a fight. You spring forward, aiming low, and hit him in the groin before he can bash you with the bat. Your hands grasp for anything they can, trying to pull or squeeze something vulnerable. The guy lets out a gasp of pain, but he breaks your nose with the bat and blinds you in the process. Another blow hits you in the right ear and you feel your eardrum rupture with a sharp stab of pain. You have been knocked senseless. [[Continue...->treatNowFucked]]

### Now You're Fucked You are vaguely aware of being dragged up the stairs and across the floor. Hands roughly pull off your backpack, coat, and shirt. Other hands undo your pants and pull them down. "Stupid bitch," someone says. "I'm going to hate fuck you to death!". Shit! you think, fighting your way back to consciousness Do something! "Merciful Chexa," you croak. "Help me!" "Your gods are gone, bitch. No one is coming to save you! Are you horny?" You force your eyes open and through the shooting stars you see the two men standing over you. There's the guy with the tattoos and the new guy, who is bald and has a beard. "You do what you want," says tattoo man. "But I'm going to beat the shit out of them first." [[Continue...->treatTheFire]]

### Something in the Fire! Suddenly, some flames jump out of the fire. It's an animal and it's made of fire. "What the fuck is that?" yells tattoo man. Another fiery animal jumps out of the burning holy relics. Then another. Are they {T.PLLC}? you wonder. Are they Chexa? The animals ({T.PLLC}?) put themselves between you and the youth gang. "You're not wanted here," says one of the {T.PLLC}. It has a deep male, and human, voice. "Go while you can". "Fuck you loser!" screams tattoo man, swinging his bat. The {T.LC} he's trying to hit is only made of fire, so the bat whizzes through it and bounces off the floor. The fire engulfs the wooden bat and burns the man's hands and he throws the bat down with a cry. "We are still here," says another {T.LC}—this one is a woman. "And we're going to hurt you badly if you stay." "We'll be back with the Elohim," says the bald guy. "Then we'll see who is staying and who is going." The four intruders disappear down the stairs and out the ruined front door. [[Continue...->treatSaved]]

### Saved You take the opportunity to pull your pants up and you notice that your front is covered in blood, which is still trickling out of your broken nose. The fires on the {T.PLLC} go out, leaving three normal looking red foxes standing in front of you. You blink, and one of the {T.PLLC} has turned into an old woman with long white hair that falls around her shoulders. She's wearing a denim blue robe, wrapped around her body like a Chexan nun, leaving her arms bare. Her eyes are black chasms. She tells you that you're brave, but foolish, as she puts her hand gently up to your nose. She makes motions in the air as if she's pushing invisible buttons, and you feel your nose painlessly snap back into place. You cautiously inhale and you find out that your nose is no longer blocked. "That's better," she says. The old woman makes another hand motion in the air and a blue denim shirt falls out of nowhere onto the floor. She tells you to put it on. [[Continue...->treatBigQuestion]] - !!treatBigQuestion

### The Big Question The woman asks if you'd like to serve the Chexa and keep defending them against the Elohim. She says that they are going away, as the interlopers said, but that they want to leave behind guardians to protect their interests. She wants you to be one of those guardians. You ask where the monks and nuns are and the Chexan woman tells you that she sent them away for their own protection. Some of them became guardians and some of them didn't. "We don't have much time before those boys come back with the Elohim. You must choose now to help defend us or to go home." "What do I have to do?" "We will give you powers to defend yourself and to defend others, but make no mistake—we are leaving this world and you will be on your own against the Elohim. You and others like you." "Why are you leaving?" "There was a war in heaven and we lost it. The consequences are that we must give up this world to the Elohim—but we will fight to return. When we do, the guardians we leave behind will make sure we have something to come back for." You want to ask more questions, but the woman cuts you off. [[Continue...->treatTimeToGo]]

### Time to Go "We have no more time," she says. "The Elohim have already begun to banish us from this world. Come with us and become a guardian or leave this place and go home." [This is a similar decision to the previous one about whether the reader wants to enter the temple or not. The story splits in two here. If the reader agrees to help, the story moves forward. If not, the reader goes home and is an observer to the events that follow.] The fire has begun to die, and is almost out. The shadows in the room are closing in, but the darkness doesn't touch the woman or the two {T.PLLC}, who you can see clearly in the gloom. The woman makes a wide circle with her hands and somehow creates a glowing blue circle of light in the air. Sparks fly from the edges and a sunlit forest appears through the circle. The {T.PLLC} <S if='@totem = "SERPENT"'> coil themselves up and leap </S> <S if='@totem != "SERPENT"'> jump </S> through the portal and you see them on the other side watching you. There is a cool breeze and you can smell the pine trees. "Decide now, or I'll leave you here," says the old woman. "I cannot stay any longer." [[This is not my fight. I say good bye and head down the stairs and out the door. I'd better get out of here before those goons get back with whatever they're bringing with them.]] - !treatGoHome [[When the gods call, who am I not to answer? I step through the portal to whatever awaits.]] - !treatThroughPortal

### Through the Portal You grab your backpack and coat from the floor and step through the portal and immediately have to shield your eyes against the setting sun. The old woman steps through the portal behind you and as she does the circle evaporates into a shower of blue sparks. [[Continue...->treatTheClearing]]

### In the Clearing The four of you are standing in a clearing in a pine forest. It was night time in Zekvar, but here, wherever you are, the sun has just started to set. You are struck by the silence of the forest. There is literally no sound. There is a stone dais made of blue marble here about two metres across. It's the same kind of stone from the {T.CAP} Temple. While your attention was directed at the forest and the dais, the {T.PLLC} disappeared and now there are two more people—a man and a woman. The man reaches out his hand and smiles. "My name is Falla," he says. His eyes are a brilliant green but his skin is a shade of brown and his shaggy hair and beard are black. You take his hand and shake it. Instead of denim, he's wearing a black great coat, a white turtleneck, gray cotton pants, and black leather shoes. Falla nods to the young woman. "That's Hansa," he says. Hansa is blonde with pale skin, freckles, and blue eyes. She's wearing a green raincoat, denim pants, and hiking boots. "Hi," she says without much warmth. "Of course you've met Susan," Falla says. Susan is the old woman dressed as a nun. "Falla and Hansa will be your guides," Susan says. "They will teach you everything you need to know." "What about you?" "I will soon be banished from this world—but there is something I must do before that happens. I must make you immortal." Susan makes more circular motions with her hands. A leather pouch about a quarter the size of your backpack falls out of nowhere onto the ground. Susan says it's for you and tells you to put it in your backpack for now. Falla asks what else you have in your backpack and you reach in and pull out the bag of spent energy cells. "Interesting," he says. "That's pretty lucky. I wish I'd thought of that when I did this." He crouches down and puts his hands flat on the ground. He seems to grasp at nothing and he slowly stands and puts his hands on the bag of cells in your hands. You feel the bag grow hot, almost too hot to hold. Falla lets go and says "Have a look." You open the bag and take out some cells. They're hot and they're glowing as if fully charged. "What did you do?" you ask. "I charged them for you. Put them in your backpack and put your coat and backpack on." [[Continue...->treatImmortality]]

### Immortality! Susan tells you to stand on the dais and you do what she says. "This might distress you," she says. "Try not to move until it's finished. Don't worry. This is going to make you immortal like we are." Susan makes more circular motions in the air with her hand, as if she's pushing invisible buttons. It goes on for a few minutes, then she steps forward and crouches down and puts her hands on the dais. The stone begins to glow with pale blue light. The soles of your feet start to get warm. "What's happening?" you ask. "Whatever happens," Susan says. "Don't move. Just wait." You suddenly realize that your feet are sinking into the marble. You try to lift one foot and you can't. Instead you almost lose your balance. "Calm down," Falla says. "Hansa and I both did this and we're fine now." You continue to sink and eventually you panic and try to pull yourself out. Instead you fall forward and your hands sink into the stone, too. "It will still work," Susan says. She doesn't seem worried. Eventually you end up face first in the stone and you sink underneath. You can't see and you can't breath, but once the panic subsides you realize that you don't need to breath. Eventually, the stone closes over you completely and you are in darkness. Well shit! [[Continue...->treatAreYouAGod]]

### Are You a God? Gradually, the darkness turns into white sparks in your vision and the sparks spread until they're all you can see. Air fills your lungs with a gasp and the weight of the stone fades away. You open your eyes and you're on your hands and knees on the dais, in the forest clearing with the warmth of the sunset on your face. Susan, Falla, and Hansa are standing next to you. "What was that?" Susan tells you that your old body is now encased in the rock and beyond harm. Should you ever die, you will be reborn here like you were just now. You are now effectively immortal—that is, as long as nothing ever happens to the stone dais. [[Continue...->treatTheFirstTest]]

### The First Test Falla tells you to get your kit out of your backpack. The leather pouch. Inside you find a number of odds and ends: a broken watch, a bunch of empty key-rings that have been connected, a leather bound notepad half filled with random looking numbers, a brass ring about 10cm across, and a blue denim bag full of different coloured quartz crystals the size of baby carrots. Susan says that each of those items is disguised and has a specific magical purpose. She tells you to take a power cell in one hand and a red crystal in your other hand. You do as you're told. "Now focus on the power cell until you can feel the energy it contains." Eventually you feel the disc grow warm in your hand. "Got it, I think," you say. "Now will the energy into the crystal in your other hand." "How?" "Focus on it!" [This process obviously needs to be fleshed out some more...] You try different ways of concentrating. Minutes pass and no one says anything. Then finally the crystal in your hand begins to grow warm as well. "I think I did it." Susan raises her hand and she's holding a mirror. "Now focus on the mirror." You do as you're told and you feel a bolt of vibrating energy shoot up your right arm, across your chest, and down your left arm. Your hand isn't pointing anywhere in particular, but the mirror flashes with brilliant red light and cracks. "Good! You can do magic." "Now for the real test. Falla?" [[Continue...->treatTheRealTest]]

### The Real Test Falla pulls a pale blue crystal out of his coat and without hesitating, points it at you.A white hot bolt of electricity shoots across the gap between you, right into your chest. You feel the bolt pierce your flesh and bone and rip your heart apart. You look down in shock to see burnt flesh and a gaping hole with blood pouring out. Yes, this just happened! The pain is sudden and overwhelming and your legs give out under you. The three of them are standing over you staring and no one is moving to help. Eventually your brain dies from shock and lack of blood. [[Continue...->treatTheRealTest2]]

### The Real Test Concludes You become aware of darkness and numbness and cold. You're shocked to be aware of anything. White sparks begin to form around you, a few at first, then increasing in number like a growing snowstorm until they have completely replaced the darkness. The sparks dissolve into cool twilight and the forest clearing. You're on your hands and knees on the marble dais. Susan, Falla, and Hansa are still standing over your dead body, which lies in a pool of blood. A tendril of smoke is still rising out of the blackened hole blasted into your chest. The body's chest; you're crouched on the dais quite alive again. "The best way to die," Susan says, "is quickly and with no warning. You won't always be so lucky, I fear." You're really pissed off right now, but you're also grateful to be alive. It's true that you're immortal, at least. You ask what you're going to do with your dead body. Falla suggests burying it. With Susan's guidance you feel the force of gravity in the ground and pull it upwards. The reversed gravity pulls up a mound of dirt and leaves a hole. Trying not to look yourself in the face too much, you roll your old body into the hole and then cover it over with dirt and clay. [[Continue...->treatSc1]]