[DISCONTINUED] Deities [Dream SMP AU]

Chapter 6

                                Pluto and Eris gave their goodbyes and padded off  to do their jobs. Each were similar in a way to Neptune. They had chunks of ice replacing their skin in areas, showing rib cages and spines. They both wore flower crowns with purple flowers. Pluto with violets and Eris with lavender.
                                Neptune sighed and turned back to the group of players.

                                 "I apologize for them, they are younger than most of the deities in Escabaria, therefore less... Mature." Neptune looked down at George, who was still leaning on the crafting table, but now listening. 

                                 "So what the hell are 'shadowlings'?" Sapnap asked, doing air quotes.

                                  Neptune's lips peeled up in anger. "Shadowlings are evil beings that want to destroy life and claim planets and realms for themselves. They have multiple forms, but only one can fatally injure a human or god like myself. It's a serpent, the same one that bit you, BadBoyHalo, and... I'm sorry, I never got your name."

                                   "George." The Brit breathed, eyes wide behind his goggles, staring in awe at the giant canid. 

                                   "...George." Neptune nodded once. "The serpent contains a venom that, when injected, begins to burn the blood in your veins. For us gods, it's our bones and brains." Neptune shuddered slightly. "The venom is like acid in your realm; the same properties as the substance as well. Once the venom has successfully gained control over the blood vessels in your veins, it will go after your organs, mainly your heart."

                                     "Why just your bones and brains, though?" Quackity piped up.

                                     "We don't have blood like you mortals do," Neptune responded, settling down into the grass.

                                      "Ohhh, that makes sense." Tubbo hummed.

                                       "And we aren't from your realm either. Our bodies function on a different blood-like liquid. We call it adelv unegv. It does not get affected by the venom. It's thinner than human blood."

                                         "Geez," Schlatt sat down and crossed his legs and arms. "You guys are eh- Complicated?"

                                         Neptune snorted. "Not as complicated as your race. It is hard to understand your ways and feelings, despite having been in this realm multiple times."

                                          Dream snorted.

                                          A loud screech interrupted the peace of the camp, making Neptune whip his head around to look for the source of the noise. 

                                           Eris and Pluto burst out of the bushes after a few minutes, a silver substance dripping from multiple wounds.

                                           "What happened?" Neptune asked and quickly rose to his paws.

                                            "Shadowlings-" Eris yelped.
 
                                            Pluto spat out a glob of silver, then shook his head and looked up at Neptune. "They're chasing us."

                                             Neptune growled. "Guard the humans, keep them in an open space. Shadowlings will flock to more spaces with darkness."

                                             "What about you?" Eris huffed.

                                             "I will summon Uranus." Neptune flicked his tail. "Now go."

                                              The two younger deities nodded before scrambling off for their task. 

                                              Soon the players were crowded around George, who was still recovering. Pluto and Eris stood beside them, looking around instead of the direction they came. They were still dripping the silver-liquid, though it was beginning to dry.

                                              Neptune stood, glaring into the trees as a cold, tense air took over the once peaceful atmosphere. Then a spike of ice surrounded by a wispy light blue cloud sprung up beside Neptune, and soon another dog creature stood beside him. 
                                               This one was covered in a light blue fur. Its ribcage was visible, but not covered by ice like Eris' and Pluto's. Its jaw was bone, and it wore a flower crown made of marigolds. A large purple hoop went vertically around the middle of the dog. Its tail was was bone and longer than a normal dog's would be.

                                                 "What is going on, Neptune?" The creature spoke. Its voice was a cold. It had a hiss-like sound on the edge of it.

                                                  "Shadowlings, I apologize for the abrupt summon."

                                                  "Again? I swear to the stars we've dealt with so many of these in the last century."

                                                   Neptune snorted, but focused when a shadow stepped out of the trees. It had a Cheshire cat smile like the other apparitions did. It had empty eye sockets. The shadow was in the shape of a Manx cat, but three times larger.
                                                    The other creature and Neptune growled, Eris and Pluto stiffening and moving to the front of the group of players. The younger deities snarled.

                                                    The shadow creature burst out laughing before two large shadow-arms shot out of the now pitch-black darkness in the trees and towards the two older deities.

                                                     Neptune snarled. He bounded towards the river and froze it over while his companion ducked. The navy blue god shot an ice spike towards the shadows.

                                                      Sapnap gasped when the ice actually did something.

                                                      A hiss from the Manx cat made the arm retract, then disappear into nothing. The cat growled and shifted into a Tyrannosaurus. It roared, a screechier version of the Jurassic Park T-Rex roar.

                                                     "Holy shit.." Dream gasped.

                                                      George rubbed his face with his hand, lifting his goggles off his eyes. "Am I still seeing things or-"

                                                      "This is real," Skeppy breathed. "Very, very real."

                                                     Pluto growled lowly, then turned his head to look at Eris. "We should be helping, dammit. They can't fight that thing on their own." As he said this, Neptune's ally was flung into a tree.

                                                    The shorter of the pair winced. "No! Our orders were to guard them," Eris gestured to the players. "We don't help until boss gives us the order."

                                                        Pluto lashed his tail but said nothing else.

                                                       Suddenly lightening struck down and Saturn stood in front of Pluto and Eris. It gave the younger pair a nod before summoning a thunder storm.
                                                        This seemed to give Neptune and the other creature a sort of heads-up, and they backed away from the Tyrannosaur. It roared. 

                                                        "Saturn!" Neptune's ally exclaimed. Saturn merely stared at the rex. 

                                                        "Get away, Uranus." Neptune hissed, backing off and shoving the small group back.

                                                         A high-pitched whistling noise filled the air, and the dark cloud in Saturn's chest became white. Their eye sockets began to glow, and the shadow-dinosaur backed up a bit.
                                                          "NO!" The shadow screeched as it reverted back to a Manx cat.

                                                        A wide bolt of light shot from Saturn's chest and at the shadow cat. It screamed in agony, and when the light ceased, the shadow was no longer there, and the darkness in the trees had vanished.
                               Saturn let out a hiss before turning to the four deities. A moment of silence filled the air.

                                "Neptune and Uranus are really injured," Pluto said, and Saturn nodded once. Another pause.

                                 "No!" Neptune growled. "We cannot leave them here alone, clearly they need to be assisted-" The navy blue dog stopped abruptly, then stomped a paw down. "Then go on without me, the shadowlings are clearly trying to take over this realm!"

                                  Saturn backed up a bit, a soft, but rippling growl coming from the skeleton. Neptune hissed back.

                                  A pause, then Neptune straightened up. "Thank you."

                                 Eris and Pluto stared in awe at Neptune.

                                 "What just happened?" Bad muttered.

                                "Saturn was speaking to us," Uranus explained. "Neptune got angry at something Saturn said- they were just relaying something the court had said. Neptune rarely gets angry."

                                 "Huh." Tommy hummed.

                                 Neptune bent his head and began to look through his bag. He took out a few bandages and sat down. The god began to awkwardly wrap the white cloth around a large silver gash on his foreleg.

                                  "He does a lot of things on his own," Uranus snorted, limping closer to her friend to help him out.

                                  Pluto huffed and stumbled over, Eris on his tail. Saturn gave a nod and vanished in a strike of lightening. They began to get bandages while the players checked on one another. 

                    For a bit, the group savored the calm atmosphere.