“Well, it is impressive that they know my name in these barbaric and ignorant territories,” Apollo said with a mocking smile while staring fixedly at the chamberlain.
“Although I admit, you know me, but I know nothing about you,” the son of Zeus added in a mocking tone.
The chamberlain was about to say something, but Apollo interrupted him.
“I see. Your name is Veles, and you are one of the seven gods who protect this shitty city. In addition, you are devoted to the economic prosperity of this kingdom, which is why you pretend to be Vladimir’s assistant and adviser. How interesting!” Apollo said, nodding while touching his chin with his right hand.
Veles said nothing then and looked with contempt at the beautiful god, who shone like a star. Apollo smiled and stared fixedly at the Slavic god.
“Do you think I lied to Vladimir about what Kiev can become if he follows our instructions?” the god asked with a malicious look. “I never lie.”
Veles was once again about to say something, but Apollo interrupted him again.
“No, I am neither a rapist nor a sexual deviant. I am simply an intellectual, and I dedicate myself to the prosperity of kingdoms. That is why I carry out my work of spreading Christianity throughout the world with such swiftness,” the god replied.
“Do you love hearing yourself talk, you damned narcissist?” Veles shouted, trying to stop Apollo from interrupting him.
At that moment, Veles took a small dragon statuette from within his garments and said:
“King Vladimir has done a great job keeping your foolish beliefs out of Rus, and I will not allow you to come here and destroy that.”
“Do you truly think you have the power to stop me, you filthy barbarian?” Apollo said mockingly while closing his eyes.
“You will know how strong I am when you face me!” Veles shouted as he held his statuette and invoked a mantra to dress himself in his divine garments.
Veles’s size increased, destroying the roof of the room where they stood. Two enormous horns appeared on the god’s head, while reddish scaly growths emerged across his skin. His face turned completely black, while his eyes became green and reptilian. Serpent fangs emerged from his mouth. In his hand, he raised a willow staff shaped like a bearded face.
The deity’s clothing had also changed. He was now covered by a green tunic with dragon designs in its ornamentation. A red cape covered his back, bearing the image of a greenish dragon. The drawing looked like a stylized medieval sketch of that animal. In addition, the god wore white trousers and leather boots. On his head, a golden tiara with three red jewels adorned his forehead.
“Ohhh, a sauroanthropos (Dragon man)! How exciting!” Apollo continued saying mockingly as he took a fighting stance.
“Will you not use your totema, Apollo?” Veles said in a very loud voice, so loud that it echoed throughout the entire precinct.
“Why would I use a totema against someone as weak as you?” the god replied with great confidence.
Veles then began to laugh.
“I have heard that Odin, the supreme god of Yggdrasil, uses a prophetic vision in battle, one that can anticipate any attack,” Veles said. “I am certain you use a similar ability.”
Apollo began to laugh quietly.
“Please, do not compare my divine abilities with those of those poor barbarians,” he said.
“You are right, Apollo. Then you should be able to avoid this,” Veles shouted.
Then, with his staff, he struck Apollo’s head. Apollo could do nothing to defend himself and was sent flying out of the castle, destroying the mountain of idols built in front of Vladimir’s palace.
Apollo immediately stood and wiped the blood from his mouth.
“What happened?” he wondered, confused.
At that very moment, Veles appeared above the Greek god and struck him on the head with his staff, crushing him into the mountain as it was destroyed by the impact.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Among the rubble, Apollo stood again, once more with blood on his face, and wiped it away. The god no longer had a cheerful, mocking expression. Now he wore a serious and confused look.
“What is wrong, god of oracles? Are your predictions failing?” Veles asked mockingly.
Then Veles brought his staff down swiftly and said:
“Vlĭkŭ peklo (Hell's Wolf).”
An image of a wolf made of will-o’-the-wisp fire appeared before Apollo and bit his right arm. Upon contact, the wolf exploded, and the god was sent flying by the impact. However, while Apollo was still in the air, Veles raised his staff again, pointed it at him, and said:
“Sila otŭ zemlya (Power of the Earth).”
A gigantic crater opened in the earth, and magma began to emerge from it. The magma started spinning in circles until it created an extremely powerful geyser that trapped Apollo, who could not avoid the attack. A muffled explosion completely erased the city of Kiev, leaving only a withered plain filled with magma and a darkened sky caused by the powerful volcanic blast.
Apollo fell headfirst to the ground, breaking his neck. The god lay facedown on the withered earth dried by Veles’s attack.
“You should not have relied so much on your prophecies, Apollo,” Veles said triumphantly. “I am also the god of commerce, and I specialize in deceiving my opponents. My ability consists of making you see false futures based on speculation.”
But Apollo, without much enthusiasm, stood, and the wounds caused by the magma healed without issue. Veles was shocked by this.
“Is that all you can do?” Apollo asked.
Veles clenched his teeth and then drew in air. Immediately, he spat a greenish flame from his mouth, which crashed into Apollo and created an enormous phantasmagoric explosion. The sky then turned greenish while a foul mist covered the entire place.
“Knowing that I was a tannin, could you not foresee that my venom is lethal?” Veles said, laughing. “Now you have only a few seconds left to live.”
Veles then began counting from ten down to one, but when he reached zero, a beam of light emanated from within the mist covering the Greek god’s body as he said:
“Sauroctonos (Dragon Slayer).”
The shot pierced Veles’s chest and bored through him completely. The god turned pale before the attack as the greenish mist dissipated, revealing Apollo holding a silver bow while aiming at the Slavic god.
“I am sorry, but I am immune to the venom of sauroanthropoi,” Apollo said quietly as a malicious smile appeared on his face.
Veles lost his reptilian transformation and returned to his original size. His horns and scaly skin disappeared as he fell to the ground, covering the hole the archer god had made in him. A great deal of blood poured from it while the god screamed in pain.
Apollo walked toward the Slavic god without concern for staining himself with his poisonous blood. When he stood over him, his hand shone, and he raised it above Veles. Then the Greek god recited:
“Paean Epicurius (Protective Healer).”
Immediately, Veles’s wound healed, and the god stopped suffering. When he opened his eyes, he saw Apollo standing above him like a deity impossible to reach.
“You did not even use your totema. My defeat is absolute,” Veles said, closing his eyes in surrender.
“Your ability to deceive my visions of the future was ingenious. A pity the difference between us is so great,” Apollo said with a smile and extended his hand to him.
Veles hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it.
Veles immediately knelt before Apollo, and Apollo nodded with a broad smile.
“I am glad we have settled our differences, Veles,” he said.
“But I forgot to tell you, god of prophecy, that I did not build this city alone,” Veles said, and a shine appeared in his eyes.
Then Apollo felt a powerful attack strike the side of his head.
The Greek god was sent flying into the dimensional wall, where he crashed and burst like a smear of blood.
Behind the place where Apollo had been standing was a young boy about fifteen years old. His hair was moderately long and orange, and his face was covered in freckles. He wore a silver helmet that covered his eyes and nose, along with a bluish cape and white Norse armor with golden touches. His boots were the most peculiar part: they looked highly elaborate, made of white steel with precious stones embedded in them. The boy stood with his right leg raised, the leg with which he had kicked the Greek god.
“I thought you would not arrive in time, Vidar,” Veles said with a smile.
Vidar said nothing and placed his foot back on the ground. Apollo’s blood, where his body had been pulverized, began taking shape again, and the god reconstructed himself thanks to his reserve of ichor.
“I see. So the rumors were true,” Apollo said, agitated and covered in blood, while rising with difficulty. “Norse gods have been wandering around the Kingdom of Rus.”
Then an aquatic whirlwind struck Apollo and hurled him far away once again. The god crashed against the dimensional wall because of the attack. Unable to do anything, he fell to the ground, and upon impact, opened a gigantic crater.
“And do not forget about me either, Veles,” a very beautiful female voice was heard.
Then, from behind the rubble, a woman with very long greenish hair appeared. Her eyes were a blue as clear as the sky, and her smile was very beautiful. The goddess also wore a bluish sarafan with fish designs embroidered into it.
“I could never forget a woman as beautiful as you, Vellamo,” Veles said with a smile.
The two gods stood side by side, and the three of them took fighting stances.
Apollo stood and cracked his neck, since his nape had been dislocated, then turned to look at the three gods.
“A Slavic god, a Norse god, and a Finnish goddess. The union of three kingdoms could become problematic if I make a mistake,” Apollo said in a calmer manner.
At that moment, Apollo took from within his garments a necklace bearing the image of a golden olive crown.
“He is finally going to use his totema to fight,” Veles said.
“The problem is… I never make mistakes,” Apollo said with a malevolent smile, and then a light enveloped his body.