Finis Chaldea

[Bloodedge]

Well, that was that. The Bull of Heaven itself was felled by a simple pair of comrades who towered over the known world in status. The flood of power which crippled all of Chaldea was no more, yet there Ishtar was, still spewing her nonsense. Enkidu heard the uttered curse of the goddess, and had a brilliant idea. She'd done all of this to bed Gilgamesh, they assumed. With that in mind, surely all she needed was something phallic? Enkidu's descent saw one more use of their chains, emasculating the fallen bull while a golden gaze was set upon Ishtar. The bloody shaft of the beast was thrown with those chains. They would ideally see the blood of a monstrous groin slung onto her face, while one utterance was made. "If I could lay my hands on you, it is this I should do. The bull's entrails should be attached to you like the foolish men who flock to your feet."

And so, Gilgamesh laughed again. Well said, he thought. Meanwhile, there was little more to be said toward the goddess. The top of the world didn't cut it anymore. With his own hands, and the greatest tool Enkidu at his disposal, Gilgamesh had done greater than the impossible. He turned not to Ishtar, but to the people of Uruk with an exclamation. "Who is the most glorious of heroes?! Who is the most eminent among men?! It is I, Gilgamesh of Uruk! Flounder before me, for I am your King! Your Hero! He who fells man, god and beast alike! Fufuhahahahaha!~" Such was the result of a deity's vengeance. The plan of Ishtar had been thwarted, and the only outcome was an even further swelling of the first Hero's hubris. At this point, there was nothing that could even stand before him, bar Enkidu─ and they were his possession.

[Apollymi]

The humiliation of Ishtar would see no end today. Even as she made her proclamations, even as she cursed King Gilgamesh, someone was at his side to cheer him on. Enkidu. And what would the Chains of Heaven do in response to the goddess' outburst? Castrate the creature she'd taken from heaven and throw its heaping dong at her face. Of course, she was nothing but confused by what was going on here and thus had no real defense prepared. A giant bull cock met her face, left blood smeared on it. She looked shocked, she couldn't play this off, there was nothing she could do... so, tears welled up in her eyes. A guttural cry left her as her face shifted and she seemed to finally be gaining some form of humility in light of this day. Of course, she couldn't help herself, it was mostly just a bad reaction. There was nothing she could have done better, so she cried over this. Now, she'd have to feed the people, while Gilgamesh got to be happy. Why did he and his friend look so peaceful together. She hated Enkidu for doing this to her. She hated that creature from keeping her away from the object of her twisted affections.

So, what would she do? Nothing immediately, obviously she had no choice but to go crying back to Anu. She'd lost the Bull of Heaven, but surely some punishment was deserved. If nothing else, she should be able to find a way to separate the King from his weapon. If she could do that, obviously she could take him the way she wanted. Obviously, he was only standing so high and mighty because he had Enkidu at his side. Obviously, it'd been a terrible idea to leave the pair of them together. Yes, that was her angle. Her defeat, wasn't a personal defeat, it was the fault of the gods for not taking action long before now. It was time for the gods to step up and punish the man properly for his wrong doing. It was time for them to cement themselves properly. They could celebrate now, but they would suffer later.

[Bloodedge]

As Ishtar cried, companions hugged and cheered. How many years had it been? It felt as if they'd been at each other's sides for eons, living the greatest life this planet had to offer. This day, they became legends, only to go much, much farther just after celebrating the initial victory. There was even more celebrating to do now. Enkidu quickly became another sort of hero─ a hero of the people for their showing against Ishtar in those final moments. To see someone other than Gilgamesh stand up to the gods in such a way, was equally worthy of the title. The Father, Anu, observed this turn of events while Ishtar ran back to Celestia. Someone had recently said something about this. If there was already another Hero, even of a different nature, how far would Gilgamesh go? The king rested on a podium above all mortals, but what higher podium was there to reach for once he was properly joined on the existing one? The only higher plane was the realm of gods: their home.

"Hmm," Anu grunted. This was not going well. Enkidu was made to be the perfect counter to Gilgamesh, and that failed. However, the Bull of Heaven should have been capable of trumping the king, albeit at the cost of mankind and much reverence for the gods as a result. Now, with Enkidu at his side, Gilgamesh managed to overcome even that obstacle. There was nothing more to do, was there? Ah... but there was. Enki appeared spiteful, having hoped the pair would at least be weakened by Gugalanna. Had they been, a more direct assault on them would have been easy. Having the Chains of Heaven was more of a bane to their potential victory against that king than previously anticipated. Thoughts were beginning to converge between certain deities, and it was only about to become worse. . .

[Apollymi]

It'd taken less than a day for the revenge of Ishtar to fall apart in front of the gods. Anu might have been watching but he was looking at it from an analytical standpoint. Ishtar was still mad she hadn't gotten her way and now wished to simply take away that which made Gilgamesh so happy. Metis had a smug sense of satisfaction having expressly told everyone how this would turn out. And what of the Mother? She could feel nothing but disdain for the tantrums thrown by the green-haired child before her. Her humiliation was deserved in this case, and now was the time for a firm hand in her case. The mute woman believed this, and even blind she could see that no good would come of trying to appease this child.

Ishtar appeared before Anu again still crying. She couldn't believe what had happened, the absolute disrespect she was shown this day. "You have to do something. They mock the gods! Look what they did, they killed the Bull of Heaven someone has to pay!" she exclaimed. Obviously she was very worked up. Metis, just like the time prior to this, had nothing to say that would make this child feel better. "They are not mocking the gods, they are mocking you. Your actions caused this, your tantrum and threats sounded the death march for the Bull of Heaven and now your foiled plan has left you embarrassed in front of us... again," Metis said staring at the woman with so much weight even Ishtar found herself squirming. "It sounds to me like the one who should pay is you," she said with an eye roll. Of course, Metis knew Anu had no real intention of punishing this girl. He never did, he'd probably take this showing as some excuse to further annoying King Gilgamesh. And where was Kur? Dealing with the hundreds of dead created by this terrible showing of godly power.

[Bloodedge]

Of course Ishtar, once again, thought someone should pay for her plans falling through. When would she stop? Such trouble was created by this child, but Anu could do naught but try keeping his mind open for a fellow god. "The loss of Gugalanna is a great one," he said in a moment of mourning. Having one of their greatest divine beasts slain as some sort of spectacle did not do well for reverence, but that could be chalked up to a miscalculation. Some decisions were made, and perhaps they shouldn't have been. What do do now though? "Metis is not wrong, Ishtar. You appear before us with the bull's blood on your face, having swayed me to grant it to you just earlier today. However, perhaps this combination may be more problematic for us in the future. Something must be done for the sake of security," he surmised.

Ah, an opportunity! It seemed Enki was not the only one thinking their greatest problem was having both Gilgamesh and Enkidu together. They could not deal with the former properly, so perhaps they could do away with the latter? "We should never have let the Chains fall into his hands. That was not our best decision, but while we can do nothing about the king himself, what is keeping us from removing the blessing that lets Enkidu draw breath? An enemy means nothing if he can first be disarmed, and Enkidu has truly shown a blatant disregard for those of us who created him with that stunt earlier."

[Apollymi]

Gugalanna's loss was great? Sure, but it was just a creature, someone could raise it again. "Ugh, it was powerful yes, but it's just a creature. Have Kur return it, if it's so troublesome," she said as if such a thought somehow absolved her. The words of Anu were quite strange as well, if he actually took Metis' side against her, she'd never get her way! Ah, a breath of relief, he saw the potential bad of one like Gilgamesh being left alone with the Chains of Heaven. Good good, she could work with that. Kur, the lass in question with her pink hair showed up again, this time with something obvious to say. "I cannot return it. Unlike you... I understand the full breath of my power. If we are willing to look beyond the fact that I now have hundreds of new dead to deal with because you decided the innocent were an easy sacrifice to your wrath," she started which also made Ishtar scoff. "The return of a Divine Beast would require an equal sacrifice to avoid actually ripping a hole in the underworld. Do you plan to put your life on the line to return it?" she asked of Ishtar who looked a bit sickly under all that blood. Metis heard the girl's words and smiled for the first time in a while. She would be alright, this was good as she was the most likely to catch the ire of the wayward goddess without the other women around.

All the while the conversation around them was shifting. Metis looked on with discontent. If Anu was already speaking about what Gilgamesh had done instead of what Ishtar had done, well... the conversation was already going in a bad direction. Enki, the sniveling fool he was, was willing to try all he could to part Gilgamesh from Enkidu just to give himself a better chance. Given his disposition it was likely a two birds situation, where he could use his statements to garner favor with Ishtar while also getting to finally try and one-up the King Gilgamesh. "Fall into his hands? I told you how this would turn out when you started talking of chaining the king to heaven's will. Enkidu is an individual, he made the choice to stay with his friend... the king was finally given some sense of real humanity and bonding. And your thought now, is to sever that connection and put even more space between us and him? For what? To what end does it actually do us any good to do something so cruel to them?" Metis asked. Her words resonated with the Mother who also saw no reason for added cruelty. Kur for her part in this couldn't abide being that rude to someone who'd actually not gone out looking for trouble. Everything surrounding King Gilgamesh said his actions were reactive, not premeditated. But Ishtar saw her in, and she would take it here and now. "What is friendship between two semi-divine beings, if they have no respect for me... for us. At the very least, they are too strong together, separating them, and letting those chains die, would be good for us all. If would show the power we still have over him and all of mankind... besides, he's just a thing. It doesn't matter how attached he is to it, it's life doesn't matter more than how much it disrespected me!" she said that haughty attitude of hers coming to light. Imagine the look on Gilgamesh's face when she revealed that it was her who got his little friend killed. Then he would have no one but her to turn to, and she could have him as the pet she used to kill the rest of the gods. Starting with Metis, her constant stand against Ishtar had long since been a thorn in her side.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the Divine Beast could not simply be resurrected. To do so would require a far greater power than anyone should ever use. Among them, Anu believed only Ishtar herself could be so impulsive as to make that decision. Sadly, there were worse things to consider. Enki did have something of a point. What if Gilgamesh decided to fully rebel against them, deeming the whole group of deities an enemy to whatever intentions he had after dealing with Ishtar? Whether Anu agreed with the woman or not, there was a fear of King Gilgamesh that had been slowly seeding its way into this group for decades. "Enkidu is a thing of our creation. To take it back would be tantamount to reclaiming a child's toy because the child cannot be trusted with it," said Anu. Cowardice led to rationalizing, as it always would. Between Ishtar and Enki, he would not hear the reason of Metis and take it as sound. At times, she seemed a bit too human. Since Gilgamesh claimed to stand far above mankind, surely he could be made to see the way of the divine.

"Spare us your notions of cruelty, Metis," Enki demanded, adding more which would further Anu's crumbling beliefs. "Regardless of the reason, the Chains of Heaven is a tool. It was designed to bring Gilgamesh before us, not to be used by him. Any will it developed was an accident brought about by Enlil's attachment to his creations. All we have to do is remove the accidental part. It would 'kill' Enkidu, but the Chains of Heaven would remain for reclaiming." Enki's words were true, Anu thought. It would mean nothing to slay the chains, right? The Father's gaze was brought to Enlil, the creator. In the end, it was his decision to make. "I am afraid I can not be sure what the best path is. Ishtar, you are driven by rage. Metis, you are driven by compassion. Enki, it seems your distaste for Gilgamesh is what drives you. Enlil is the one we should consult," he said at last, drawing attention to the green-haired male in his meditative state. With that alone though, Enlil's eyes did not yet open. . .

[Apollymi]

The thought of the rebellion of Gilgamesh was enough to cause Anu to double back. How rich were his words, did he truly not see his own hypocrisy? Oh well, Metis wasn't the type to fear, she'd point it out here and now. "You have no ground to stand on if that is your point. Especially when you refuse to do something about the proven untrustworthy child right in front of you. The one you gave a toy to who destroyed it in her own rage. The lack of logic is astounding and the hypocrisy is stifling," Metis seemed the most human but in truth she was only logical. There was no rationale to be presented that would make this the right choice. The calculations in her head were already rolling to a finish, and if this happened this way, there would be no saving any of them, but Anu was their leader locked in stupidity with the rest of them. Such a showing was shameful at its core.

Oh, and now it was sniveling Enki's turn to speak. Spare him the notion of cruelty he claimed. The Chains of Heaven were a thing, "Your plan is still the same, you want to take him from being an individual to make him into a thing. A thing you think you'll be able to claim from someone who's already shown attachment to him? You think you'll be able to take him from Gilgamesh even without a human form to make the decision? Stupidity at its finest, Enki. Good job, I didn't think anyone could sound as stupid as Ishtar does to me today..." the snarky tone of Metis had settled. There was no way she could accept it. No way was it alright to do such a thing to two individuals who'd done nothing to them but try and live their lives. What was more, Ishtar was being called stupid again by this woman. "All you do is talk about what's going to happen, you don't actually know..." she said to Metis which caused the red haired woman to scoff again, her eyes saw through this little harlot and she knew she'd never grow up while anyone was willing to enable her. "Simple analysis isn't hard. Any of you would be capable of it. If you weren't so busy being afraid or angry that you can't see past a single moment. You more so than others, will never be capable of it though. You can only see you," she said pointing to Ishtar. That might have seemed like a curse, but it was more of an observation than anything else. Too bad even Metis didn't know how true such a thing was. But what was this? Now in the quiet of a moment, Anu was referring to Enlil. He apparently saw the rest of their points as leaning too far away to be considered right. He was leaving this decision to his creator. And what would their most quiet resident, decide? Even Metis quieted herself to find out, but she knew what would happen to her this day regardless. There was no way she'd be associated with this group if such an illogical decision was made. If they were willing to live their lives without wisdom, she wouldn't stay. She didn't need godhood to justify her existence, and she didn't need to surround herself with idiocy to feel superior.

[Bloodedge]

Enlil's voice was the one which carried the most weight in this situation. But, was it truly? Not at all. Enlil's opinion was only a matter of when something happened, as opposed to if it happened at all. Said result had nothing to do with the death of Enkidu, rather something else entirely. Whatever the case, the time to make a very important decision was now. Where did their choices lead them? When was it enough, and when was it too much? What did the natural order of things have to say about deities in a realm above mortals creating things, breathing life into them, only to tear away said life later? All those answers coalesced into a single solution when Enlil's eyes peeled open. He would speak the second time this day, while an eerie glow reminiscent of the water found in swamps overtook his gaze. "The Chains of Heaven, my child. I see a return to the mold from whence it came. Neither soul in its body, nor a path to the husk that remains. Such is the way nature would have it, and befitting of the gods' desire as a whole."

Cryptic as ever, Enlil seemed to truly believe all who were present desired Enkidu's death. Why he thought this, he would not say. The message was delivered as intended, as believed, and as needed. Enkidu had already been cursed. They would fall ill, suffer, and lose all control of their corporeal form. In a matter of days, perhaps even weeks, the living form of Enkidu would crumble as the blessed clay lost the very blessing which mobilized it. Seeing this event unfold preemptively, Enlil shed but a single tear. Was it mourning? Perhaps it could be perceived as such, but no─ it was for a different purpose entirely.

[Apollymi]

Enlil's words were not at all what one such as Metis expected. But given the look on his face, the glazing of his eyes and that single shed tear, she could at least understand him in the moment. Enlil made many things, for gods and mortals alike, he created so many and so much and felt innate attachment to all of it. The fact that he thought the death of the Chains of Heaven was the answer in the end was depressing. But at least a decision like that from him was understandable. It was a decision of obvious struggle, one which was weighed out ends against means. It might have been the only choice he saw as logical but... it would have resounding effects. Clear as day such a decision would bring the gods into the sight of Gilgamesh, maybe not immediately but eventually and how the rest didn't see the retribution they'd earn making such a decision she didn't understand. Still, Metis could have no part of it. The fires within her chest, the flames of wisdom that had been ignored burned at the slight. How could they call themselves gods while acting as spoilt mortal children? How could they think themselves superior while ruining the world for the sake of themselves? Errant selfishness, disgusting nepotism, fear, and cowardice... they bathed in it like it was the finest oils. Metis as an individual was compassionate, so much so that she had no intention of standing with this group on this decision. She wouldn't be part of it, and she didn't need to be. An exhale left the mouth of Metis and it burned feverishly, those red eyes of hers glowed as a struggle she'd contended with for so many years came to an end. A death procession was playing but it wasn't just for Enkidu. The bells that sounded were the end of an era and it would start this day.

All the while a gleeful smile came to the face of Ishtar. Finally she was getting her way. That stupid set of chains would be gone and leave open the space for her to take up next to her man of choice. Without his friend he'd have nothing left to give him joy and he'd come to her when she called. No choices were left and all would be glorious. "Finally, someone solved the problem. We'll reign supreme over them..." she said as if she'd actually accomplished something this day. And mostly she meant herself, though they didn't need to know that. She planned to use this moment to tame Gilgamesh and get him on her side, once that happened she would be taking her fight directly to the other gods. Actually, bringing the fight to Metis first would be the best idea. Surely it would be an easy task to convince everyone else that she'd started a fight between them and that Ishtar only defended herself in the fray. "Things are finally turning around~" she couldn't have seemed happier, but she saw only herself. Both the Mother and the Stranger had their gaze focused on Metis who hadn't said a single word. Still both could practically feel the disturbance of her very being. And what would come of such a thing, well, Metis had but a single word to say. "No."