The Dark Goddess

Chapter 5

Still at the godly realm

"How does one confront someone like this?"

This was Osoosi the hunt and justice god's question to himself when he had finally tracked down Oya the warrior goddess and found her locked in a dance of death with an *'alujanu'

alujanu are otherworldly creatures of chaos that are meant to always tip the scale of balance towards the negative side no matter which side it was already tipped off to before.

They are wraith humanoid creatures of a shadowy form that break forth from the nether realm only to cause chaos.

Most had been banished since after the great battle of good and evil centuries ago and those rarely seen around over the past few centuries had been recruited by Esu lalu god of the underworld as his messengers.

So why this one was battling with Oya surprised him as well as the dexterity with which she fought it.

Depending on their age and potency they can transform into any beast, creature or monster of their choosing or imagination to make their mission possible.

Most just turn into monsters already known like the manticore, anaconda and other chimeras, but this particular one must have been ancient because it is transformed into a beast of legends;

A stag with long barbed and spiky tentacles on its head instead of antlers, two snakes long and striped made up its tail and its forelegs were that of a leopard.

These components made the creature deadly on attack on all sides counting the poisonous snakes as well, gave it great speed and allowed it climb really well.

But its opponent was deadlier.

Osoosi had seen Oya battling many times before; actually now that he thought about it he had seen her kill, not so much a battle ensued before the killings.

But this one was a battle for Oya because it was plain to him that she didn't want to kill the creature, the reason why totally eluded him at the moment especially if you take into consideration the type of being Oya is; cruel to say the least.

Oya is a warrior goddess and has a thing for bow and arrows but those are not the only weapons in her arsenal;

With a flick of her wrist while she was spinning in the air, a barbed whip seemed to materialize from the bands of the sleeve of her clothes,

She lashed out with it and caught the two snakes rolled up and hooked, then she jumped to a tree and tied the whip to its trunk, incapacitating the poisonous creatures.

And while weaving back and forth between the lashing barbed tentacles of the creature's head she called up different other weapons as well;

A shield to block some speared attacks, a broadsword to cut of the lounging ones in her way, a double sai to pin down one of the leopard legs of the creature, a club to hit it squarely on the head.

All the weapons seemed to come from a part of her clothing as if she had hidden them all there and they also disappeared into the clothes as well, but Osoosi knew better than to believe that; this was Oya the warrior goddess and sorceress.

Some claimed she is most vulnerable only when completely naked but then again Osoosi knew better;

He had tried that theory out once before when they were at one of his dens making love, where he had suddenly turned the love making to a dangerous game of 'pin down your naked opponent'... and He had lost.

She was never without weapons, but her weapons were not helping her here, her weapons were mostly for killing and dealing deathly blows, not for capturing.

In fact, as far as he knows, Oya had never taken a prisoner before, either you are guilty and you die or you are not guilty and you go free.

Hence why this scenario was both surprising and a bit pathetic because try as she might she couldn't knock the creature out and she couldn't capture it, hence the back and forth dance with death.

Osoosi decided to intervene.

Oya never got tired, but she had been locked in a battle with this alujanu for days now and this is the third creature it'll transform to just to keep fighting her.

The alunjanu was getting creative though because each creature was even more deadlier than the last.

Of course she could have killed it since the first day, but she had recognized it and since tried to get to know why it was going berserk.

She had her hounds on it at first to try to pin it down, but as at the second day, they had been spent and stopped regenerating simply because they were more used to killing than capturing although they could as well defend if need be.

But she needed no defense, she could face a thousand of its kind for months on a stretch so long as she is not required to capture but to kill instead.

This one was different though, hence the need to get through to it rather than just kill it.

But she was really running out of options though, she did not want use her powers on it (they were mostly destructive as well and not meant to capture either thanks to the creator)

Had she been prepared, her sorcery powers would have been better suited for this but she wasn't and there wasn't time anymore and calling upon another god or goddess to aid her is also not an option (not when her ego was still in play)... Yet.

Now though the tail snakes had snapped free and rejoined the battle,

So she called forth a two headed spear, she was at least going to skewer those poisonous creeps first, killing them isn't going to kill the creature.

She lunged but suddenly the pressure in the atmosphere dropped by a whole lot that she landed right back on the ground.

She got really uncomfortable but then she saw that the creature was in throes,

The dropped pressure to the creature felt like a large round heavy weight dropped on it and left just a path which the creature took immediately,

Oya knew at once whose presence and power it was,

She followed the path the creature was taking to escape the heavy bearings of the pressure as well and there it was even much better for her than it was for the creature.

Suddenly she figured out what he was doing but she also knew it won't last long so she decided to help speed things along by prodding the creature.

She called forth wind's force to her palms in balls and molded it into a two tongued lasso as long as a spear,

Each lash she gave the creature brought a bellow of pain she didn't really like, but she had to because it was working and the creature started moving even faster.

Then suddenly like a crocodile snapping up its unsuspecting meal, a trap sprung up and boxed the creature and the pressure lifted back to normal.

Despite herself, Oya couldn't help but smile at the crude construction of the trap which clearly showed it was rushed, but nevertheless it was well made as she could feel the power emanating from it,

'it could probably even hold a deity for a few moments' she couldn't help but think suspiciously.

Then she also noticed the creature had reverted to its basic form, a humanoid wraith.

"It is ancient oak wood and *'iroko' blend, words of power are etched into them so it will likely hold for very long" Osoosi stated when he noticed Oya wouldn't take her eyes off the trap.

He mistook her admiration while trying not to act impressed for thinking that she thought it wasn't well made.

"Good" she replied glad he didn't catch on "let's interrogate then".

Typical Oya, never minding the assistance enough to even say thanks, or even acknowledging his presence to greet him,

But he understands her and that is why he loved her and she loved him.

Oya placed her hand on the confinement and flowed her own powers through, then spiked chains appeared to bound the creature within and held it fast backwards.

"Speak Orooru, what brings about this madness from you, why would you revert to your chaotic ways? Don't you work for Esu anymore?" Oya demanded from the creature.

Osoosi recognized the name, no wonder Oya had been point on not killing it, this creature had once saved Oya's life and protected her with its life at one of the so few times she had been vulnerable, not many can claim to have that hold over Oya but this creature is one of the few who could.

The creature was slow to answer as it was marginally exhausted and weak, it was also hurt in countless places.

"II'm iin paiin miistress, the balance of the world iis dangliing and both siides iis blurriing together,

II'm the 300th iin the fiirst court of 300000 of our master Esu, the 300th to turn back, master had been kiilliing all those who turned back, II was on my way back from an errand when II lost my way as well

The dark siide's call iis louder than ever, the veiil iis so thiin now, we can't resiist iits call any longer

Please miistress, you have to kiill me, my regeneratiion wiill cleanse me, and hopefully by that tiime you and the other gods would have restored balance to the world" Orooru finished with a strained unearthly voice.

"The errand you were handling for Esu, what was it? Did you complete it?" Oya asked her voice a bit lower than before now that she knew what she knew.

"II was sent to the master of diirect movement, Osumare, to learn iif he sees any changes iin the diirections of the world" the creature replied.

"And? What was the reply?" Oya asked and Osoosi could swear he heard her voice shake.

"There iis no more diirect diirections to the way the world moves, there hasn't been for a whiile now' was the raiinbow's reply, he iis going mad as well,

II was to then go to the master of prophecy to learn what the future holds but II never made iit there before darkness consumed me, please miistress, set me free from the hold of thiis darkness" Orooru begged.

"Very well" Oya stated.

"You have done well Orooru, and I can't thank you enough for the gift of my life, till we meet again"

she finish after which a dozen spikes shot out of the air impaling the creature and then lightning struck it squarely once disintegrating the creature totally.

"Why are you here Oso?" Oya asked after a brief silence finally acknowledging his presence.

At first he was stunned silent but the matter now seemed so dire to him if it had gotten to this extent.

"Oya, my love, about the other day, the last time we saw before today I mean, you told me something, and we decided on something, what exactly did you do after?" He asked tentatively picking his words.

He had consider laying thick flattery on her as she always loved, but he was sure that might only make matters worse seeing as she just killed someone dear to her.

"Oso if you're talking about the child I conceived for you, then I'll have you know that I didn't terminate it as you 'decided' that was your decision not mine and I don't regret it" Oya answered hotly.

Osoosi tried for a calmer approach "you can see and hear what is currently happening to the balance of the world as I've suspected would happen should we keep it, I've been to Olokun's domain -tho I barely escaped with my head intact - and he made me know that the crime I had committed is causing serious ripples in the synergy of the world and that the balance of the world hangs on a thread,

Please tell me what exactly did you do after you conceived?" He finished.

"I went to Osun the goddess of childbirth, to hide the birthing of the child, I was transformed to be as close to human as possible so as to give birth to the child as a human and not a deity and also be able to place a seal on her powers,

Then I sent her far away after the whole process, but now her powers have been unlocked and she is on the process of being a full fledged deity" Oya supplied.

"But Oya this child is iji as Olokun made me understand, they are uncontrollable beings with a singular purpose" Osoosi stated.

Oya's whole body flashed an angry purple shade and she whirled on him,

"If you are comparing my child to my mindless minions then you are mistaken and I'd have you not make that mistake again" she vented.

Osoosi took a step back "I'm just saying, look at the facts, this child is causing serious harm, it is not meant to exist!" He said his own voice starting to raise in anger as well.

Oya was furious with anger and before he could react he was blasted with the hot force of a thundering storm.

At first Osoosi thought it was her husband Sango the god of thunder who had appeared and blasted him but the storm in the attack betrayed that this was still just Oya.

The storm howled furiously to match Oya's rage, tearing trees down, uprooting chunks of the earth and holding down the god of the hunt as it barraged him with its force.

Then just as sudden as it had started, it stopped.

"Orooru said it was to visit Ifa to learn what the future holds, I'll go to him for further insight on the matter of the balance of the world and what is really causing it,

I don't suppose you'll want to follow me and really learn the truth about your offspring, she is yours whether you decide to acknowledge that fact or not" Oya laid out and headed off not waiting for a reply.

Osoosi knew he should've played it calm all through, he couldn't win a bout with Oya that much is clear, presently though he was glad to still have his head intact on his neck, he couldn't help but think about the fact that that was the second time in a short few days he had been close to having himself killed by a major deity.

But then this idea of hers gave him one of his;

He'll go with her to learn the truth about the child, but he would also have a part of him track down the child as well, once they learn anything that doesn't favour the world will arise through the child, he'll have to eliminate the child.

Thankfully during his visit to Olokun he had separated a part of himself already, so now all he did was send power through his thought to the hidden part of him to arise and track down the child and kill it if need be.

Should be pretty easy, he is the god of hunting and scouting after all.

Then he got up and followed after Oya to find Ifa's sanctuary.

Glossary

*'alunjanu' - humanoid wraiths, creatures of darkness and chaos that takes forms of monsters to achieve their aims.

*'manticore' - a chimera monster with the body of a lion, tail of a scorpion and head of a wolf.

*'sai' - A handheld weapon with three prongs, used in some Oriental martial arts.

*'iroko' - A hardwood obtained from several African trees of the genus Chlorophora, it usually grows really large and tall and is said to house different otherworldly creatures.

*'orooru' - literal meaning: midnight pang or midnight horror