Chapter IX - Morrigu

Before Furbaide was banished to the Otherworld the living god of the forest had a lover, someone he cherished deeply, a mountain god named Morrigu. Powerful as she was alluring the forest deity was drawn away from his forest home to meet her on the slopes of Suncrest Mountain. Avoiding the mountain's peak where the rest of the mountain gods resided, instead meeting below hidden in folds of rocks that literated the mountain's base. Their love was forbidden by the lord of the mountain gods Yuile, most powerful of them all who forbad his kin to interact with any deity he considered beneath his own breed.

Going against his wishes they would meet and make love, times Morrigu would leave the mountain to go into the forests to seek out her love, this was a rare occurrence as a mountain god becomes weaker the farther they are from Suncrest Mountain. Furbaide however swore to protect her and would welcome her in his dominion in the northern forests of Ulaid. That arrangement worked out until the fog came, the people of Ulaid were destroyed or fled from the mannibles who came from the fog that stretched out covering most of the world. Mannibles came from the fog pillaging and slaughtering all they came across; Furbaide and the other forest deities forced them back, as much as they could but they kept returning in greater numbers.

Fighting continued across the west and north until the fighting reached the base of Suncrest Mountain, there the mountain gods met the mannibles in a great battle that lasted weeks. During the fighting Yuile betrayed one of his own Morrigu, because Yuile discovered she against his command engaged in carnal passions with a forest god, especially one he particularly loathed. Punishing Morrigue his third daughter in a way he deemed suitable for her slight again her family, to leave her to fend for herself. Truthfully he was going to save her from death if it got too far, he merely wanted her to show her the consequences of betraying one's own.

That didn't go as planned however for through the hordes that came towards her one mannible known as Judas Khan came with a wicked sharp blade dipped in a deadly poison. Swifter than any other mannible Judas tabbed her in the heart, the poison ate away at her divine body and caused her to rot away into dust, her spirit then became lost due to her violent and abrupt death. Ashamed and angry for what he had allowed to happen Yuile in a violent tantrum forced the mannibles from his domain with a direct charge into the enemy ranks, pushing them out of the west and into the north, he then took time to grief for his daughter. Furbaide felt Morrigu life ending the moment the dagger stabbed into her chest, he defending the forest when it happened, enraged into a bloodthirsty frenzy that gave him greater power he forced all the mannibles from Crel into the fog single handedly.

Still enraged and in deep grief he went to confront Yuile to inquire how Morrigu was killed; the lord of the mountain gods tried to put blame on Furbaide but Yuile's first daughter denied her father's accusation. Telling Furbaide and all present that Yuile left her to fend for herself as punishment for being intimate with the forest deity, angered Furbaide swore a vendetta on Yuile and all those under his protection. What followed was centuries of conflict between Furbaide and the mountain gods and those that worshiped them, Furbaide killed many people, enslaved women to be part of his harem; Furbaide tried to indulge in every vice to try and purge the pain of losing Morrigu from his body and soul, but none of his sins eased his suffering. Yuile angered by Furbaide's disrespect to his position called upon all the mountain gods and all their allies after centuries of conflict to capture Furbaide, they lured him into a trap and bound him with powerful sorceries.

Yuile then passed sentence him for his crimes and for the death of Morrigu, the sentence was banishment to the Otherworld to be the prisoner of the exiled king in Dragon Keep till the end of time. Along with the other damned souls who offended the mountain gods; Furbaide would suffer as he made others suffer, then Furbaide vanished from Crel in a pillar of light. When the light cleared he was in chains in a cell within Dragon Keep, there he was mocked by Arawn while suffering a sinners punishment. While Furbaide was banished the gods started to leave Crel, centuries passed and Furbaide became a legend, while imprisoned Furbaide sought to forget his past and the pain that still ached within him, having lost the one thing he truly loved.

That was until he was pulled out of his prison and brought back to Crel, Aoife his summoner was someone he felt a bond with the moment he laid eyes on her; while imprisoned he almost forgot the feeling he had for Morrigu, but he remembered when he saw her spirit rise out from Aoife. Godly sorceries of fire and divine sorceries struck the dragon, Dreq was taken back but the spells did not conquer the beast. Dreq's mouth inflated as it sought to expel ichor upon Aoife who was still focusing her magic on the dragon, given new strength having seen his lost love again Furbaide leapt off the ground creating a crater from the strength of his leap. Shooting off the ground the forest deity raised his bloodied fist and slammed it into the lower jaw of Dreq who was so focused on Aoife that didn't pay attention to Furbaide, an error Dreq suffered for greatly.

Ichor shot out of his nostrils as Dreq tried to open his mouth, but found it was locked in place due to the strength of Furbaide's punch, Dreq bones creaked as he tried to open his mouth with all his might and still it did not open. The dragon's lower jaw became an overbite that closed shut the upper jaw, thrashing his head around Dreq wanted to shaked his mouth open, but it wouldn't open. Bringing its claws to it's mouth Dreq tried to pry them apart, as Dreq was gong that Furbaide delivered another stiff punch to the beast's eye. Furbaide became relentless, burning with pain and an intense desire for vengeance he continued his furious onslaught. Punch after punch delivered to the eye, eyelids tried to close but the the living god pulled them apart with a free hand and his feet so he could punch at the eyeball, his fist against Dreq's eye felt like tempered glass being hit with a heavy rock, and soon it was started to crack.

Dreq tried to retaliate but Aoife's powers unchallenged were wearing him down, his stamina was failing and the will to continue to fight started to fade. The last straw happened when the last punch was delivered, a blow that shook Dreq's bones, cracks appears in the vision of his left eye starting from where the punch landed and branched outwards. Thin lines covered the dragons eyeball while Furbaide's fist was imbedded into the eye, upon removing it the eye shattered outward sparking as if they were distant stars in the sky, Furbaide watched as he lept away the dragon's eye implode. Blood and scalding tears shot out of the eye socket and covered Furbaide from head to toe in Dreq's burning fluids.

Alone Furbaide might've succumbed to the dragon's raw power but dealing with Morrigu's godly powers along with the wulver's godly strength was too much, he was weakened quickly by Morrigu whose sorceries were sapping his strength. Unable to stop her due to Furbaide getting in his way, it was clear Dreq had to return to exile. The power of the deities had weakened Dreq and forced him into a early slumber, bitter Dreq started to limp back to the fog as he was continuously pelted with fire from Aoife. Crawling over the mountains Dreq felt his legs grow limp and heavy, he was getting weaker with each step, wanting to return to the comforting warmth of his ichor lake the dragon spread out its wings and flew up and glided into the wall of fog.

Safe from the witches fire he sought to hurry home to hibernate, but he planned to get one last bit of vengeance, taking a deep breath the dragon filled his throat with as much ichor as it had in its stomach. Then quickly before flying off to the Otherworld Dreq poked his head out of the fog and blew out all its ichor at Aoife from his nostrils, then quickly retreated back into the fog. The ichor shot at Aoife who was weak from using Morrigu's power and was on her knees catching her breath as the spirit of Morrigu faded away. Furbaide rose to his feet the scalding blood and tears that covered his body flowed off his body along with his skin, blood covered him from head to toe, only his bloodshot eyes wasn't covered in a deep dark red.

Even in great pain he sensed the ichor going towards Aoife who was too exhausted to move or notice the approaching danger. Furbaide wrecked in pain leapt towards the ichor without even thinking. There was an instinctual desire in his soul to save the one he loved the most, the feeling was intensified because he wasn't there to save her before, the bloodied body of the living god collided with the ichor. Using his body as a shield he took the blunt force of the ichor which splashed all around except towards Aoife, Furbaide used his spiritual energy to direct the ichor away from the warrior witch.

Boiling into vapor Furbaide's blood was out of his system, leaving his veins empty, his hair was burned off his scalp, and his eyes lost all their color. What rags were left of the robe Aoife gave him to wear was burnt away into nothing, ichor covered much of the ground and burst into a black fire that covered the grass. When the last drop of ichor splashed off his body Furbaide fell to the ground like a rock, curled up his body hardened as he continued to burn. Both Aoife and Furbaide fell into a deep slumber as the flame of the ichor burned around them, only to die off as the day faded into night leaving barren patches blackness on the landscape when the sun rose the next day.