Where Gods Dare (Divine Protector Book 4) Read online

  Where Gods Dare

  Scott Kinkade

  No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent of the copyright holder, except in the context of a review.

  Where Gods Dare

  Copyright © 2017 by Scott Kinkade

  ASIN: B01NCTNT8D

  Previously…

  Ev Bannen was just a normal guy looking to get into college. But when he was attacked by a supernatural creature called a refghast, a stranger flew in to save him. The man’s name was Brandon Strong.

  And he was a god.

  Furthermore, he declared Ev might just have what it takes to become a god himself, so he invited the 18-year-old to come attend Divine Protector Academy, the world’s only school for deities.

  So Ev enrolled, and made new friends; the aspiring god of money Jaysin Marx, the lovely Maya Brünhart, her friend CiCi Decker, and anger-prone ginger Daryn Anders. Things seemed to be going well.

  But there was an organization of malevolent gods known as Zero Grade, and one of its members, Belial, had a plan to unleash hell on earth. And Ev somehow factored into his plan.

  Nevertheless, things went fairly well during Ev’s first few days at the Academy. He even made progress wooing Maya. However, one day on a field trip in the city of Stiftung, Ev and friends were attacked by refghasts. They managed to fight them off with ease, but the monsters were only a distraction.

  Without warning, Maya turned her weapon on her friends and incapacitated them. A shocked Ev discovered the truth—she was actually a double agent working for Belial. The evil god required the blood of one hundred potential gods to open rifts to the mystical realm of Gehenna and release the gigantic beings known as Nephilim. With Ev’s blood acquired, he proceeded to do just that.

  Now setting himself up as the one true god, Belial demanded everyone bow down and worship him. Ev returned to the Academy, devastated by Maya’s betrayal. Nevertheless, he soon realized she was just as much of a victim as everyone else. With renewed determination, he set off to rescue her from Belial’s clutches with the help of his friends.

  After fighting their way through the powerful Nephilim, they confronted Belial who summoned the Tower of Babel and retreated inside with Maya. With the Nephilim still rampaging through the streets of Stiftung, endangering many lives, they decided to split up, with Ev and Brandon heading into the Tower and the rest taking on the giants.

  Inside the Tower, Ev and Brandon had to face the skeleton Keepers to get to Belial. Once the Keepers were defeated, the two stepped into the Bifrost which existed to transport them anywhere within the Tower. Brandon headed for a showdown with Belial while Ev went to Maya’s room.

  While awaiting Ev’s arrival, Maya recalled her childhood in Stiftung. After losing her parents in a car crash, she lived a miserable experience on the streets of Stiftung until Belial rescued her. Ever since then, she had served him faithfully. But after making friends at the Academy, she began to be tortured by doubts about her sinister mission.

  Ev reached her and, realizing her pain, tried to get her to come back to him. She refused; what, after all, did he know about suffering? Ev knew he had to reveal the truth—he killed his abusive father and has been living with the guilt ever since. Maya, surprised he had his own deep pain to bear, agreed to join Ev and turn against Belial.

  They arrived in time to see Brandon being overcome by Belial. Maya stood up to her former master, but Belial became angry and attacked. Ev used himself as a human shield and wound up with a smoking hole in his chest. This, however, gave Brandon the opening he needed, and he impaled Belial through the heart with a spear. Maya managed to heal Ev’s wounds, and they allowed themselves a moment to rejoice.

  They returned to the Academy, where Maya faced tough questions regarding her role in the affair. Ev leapt to her defense and threatened to join Zero Grade if they expelled her. Not wanting to make things worse, the Academy president, Bethos, agreed to let her stay.

  For the time being, Ev and Maya were happy.

  * * *

  Flash forward one year. Ev and friends were sent on their first official mission to the Tru Republic to wipe out refghasts. While there, Ev was approached by a mysterious man named Arcturus Reich who revealed he was a former Academy student and had used his powers to influence Ev into killing his father. Even more, the Academy had known all along.

  Feeling conflicted, Ev returned to the Academy and asked them the truth. They admitted to keeping the secret from him. Believing this to be a betrayal, he ran away and joined up with Arcturus who revealed he had a plan to activate the Ark of the Covenant which he had just stolen from the Tower of Babel. The Ark had the power to re-write reality, making it extremely dangerous. The Academy tried convincing Ev to stop Arcturus from activating it, but he wouldn’t listen.

  Desperate to bring him back to his senses, Maya tracked him down as he and Arcturus were gathering the missing pieces of the Ark. Unfortunately, they had made an enemy of Zero Grade in the process, and the organization put a bounty on their heads.

  The Academy’s most elite students, the Asshole Three, heard about the bounty and decided to claim it for themselves. They set out to find Ev and Arcturus in the Tru Republic.

  Meanwhile, Maya reluctantly agreed to help Ev activate the Ark on the condition he return with her to the Academy afterwards. They then headed to the Tru Republic capital of Adlo where the final piece of the Ark was located in a building used by Zero Grade. Getting it wouldn’t be easy, however; the underground facility employed a device called a God Dampener which disabled all god powers, meaning the trio had to infiltrate it as mortals.

  They succeeded, however, and managed to get the last piece of the Ark and destroy the facility in the process. They didn’t have time to celebrate, though, as the Asshole Three attacked them as soon as they emerged. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in two of the Asshole Three losing their lives. The third, Priscilia Elipsen, was spared on the condition she never appear before them again.

  Zero Grade’s flying fortress, the Sancta Praesidium, then appeared in Adlo and began firing upon Ev and Maya. They retreated back to the Ark but were captured along with Arcturus. They woke up later in chains. The fortress’ commander, Set, was about to interrogate Arcturus when the power abruptly failed, setting him free. Arcturus then revealed he had activated the Ark.

  Before Set could respond, Arcturus unleashed the Nephilim. Academy reinforcements soon arrived on the scene and a massive battle ensued. In the midst of it, Arcturus fully activated the Ark, ending the world as they knew it.

  Ev then awoke in the dorm of Seraphim City University with no idea how he got there. Even more shocking, his parents showed up at his dorm. He was stunned by the arrival of his father who was supposed to be dead. He soon realized the truth, however; the Ark had successfully activated, creating a new world.

  Ev sought out Arcturus who was a professor in this new timeline, who congratulated him on a job well done. They were the gods of this new world, and they could do whatever they wanted.

  But later, when Ev went to shave, he was startled by the appearance of Brandon in his mirror. He told Ev that only Ev and Arcturus made the transfer to the new world; everyone else was now stuck in the airless void of Gehenna. If Ev didn’t stop Arcturus and restore the world to the way it was, everyone—including Maya—would soon suffocate.

  Face with a grim responsibility, Ev confronted Arcturus who revealed the truth about how the gods had destroyed the previous universe by straining the Ultimus Points, scattered pockets of Big Bang energy which gave gods their powers and held everything together. He believed this new world was better off without their kin
d (or any humans besides himself and Ev). Arcturus refused to change the world back, leaving Ev with little choice.

  Ev attacked Arcturus, leading to a fierce battle, during which Ev manifested steel gauntlets to battle his former friend. In the end, Ev killed Arcturus and set the world back to the way it was, saving everyone in the process.

  He then returned to the Academy and had to explain his actions to the entire faculty and student body. In the end, Bethos decided not to expel him because he was a victim of the Academy’s decision to withhold the truth from him.

  Reflecting back on this experience, Ev decided the world needed justice, so he announced his decision.

  He would become the god of justice.

  * * *

  Flash forward half a year. Ev had now embraced his role as the god of justice, rebranding himself as a defender of the weak. In actuality, he was a small-time vigilante, fighting injustice by night in his home country of Morovia while attending the Academy.

  Unfortunately for Ev, he got careless and let his secret identity get out. Zero Grade, thinking he was mocking them, decided to teach him a lesson he would never forget. They suddenly launched an attack against Ev’s home town of Upton, with their main target his mother. Anni Bannen said a frantic prayer which reached her son, and he rushed off to save her.

  He soon reached Upton which was under siege by Zagreus, son of Hades of the Flawless Few. Ev quickly defeated him and reached his childhood home. Sadly, he was too late to save his mother and found her mutilated body pinned to the living room wall, a pool of blood underneath. Hades then appeared, and an enraged Ev attacked him. But Ev ended up getting sucked into Hades’ body which was actually its own dimension.

  Meanwhile, Maya, worried sick about Ev, wanted to go to Upton to help him. But Freya desperately tried talking her out of it. In the middle of the tense conversation, a hole opened up in the ceiling and an unconscious Ev fell out. He was rushed to the infirmary where was he was given a less than optimistic prognosis by Academy physician Dian Cecht.

  Elsewhere, in cities across the globe, Zero Grade began their conquest of the Ultimus Points. Bethos assembled a team of past and present Academy staff, along with students, to fight them, and they began a series of battles. Kornia in the Faust Kingdom was completely destroyed by its erupting Ultimus Point, while Durydu in Chrichton was reclaimed by a team which included Maya, Jaysin and Brandon. They also retook Upton from Zagreus, yet Zero Grade maintained control of Stonecroft, Stiftung and Dokiu in the Faust Kingdom. Throughout all of this, CiCi was unable to participate because she was going through rehab for her addiction to an extremely potent drug she had created.

  They were at a stalemate. But, just then, Morovia’s president Joe Lambda suddenly called for peace talks. A skeptical Bethos decided to take him up on it and, surprisingly, Zero Grade agreed and told them to meet with their representative in Dokiu.

  However, a mysterious group attacked Lambda’s plane enroute to Dokiu, and Maya, providing security, was forced to fight them on the roof in midflight. Just then, Ev awoke from his coma and hurried to her aid. Together, along with Lambda's technologically-enhanced soldiers, they managed to repel the attack.

  They soon arrived in Dokiu where representatives from various countries met at a cathedral to discuss terms of peace with Zero Grade’s representative, Set. He was willing to overlook Ev’s presence as long as Ev didn’t try anything. Ev, with great difficulty, agreed not to try and avenge his mother. After some tense negotiations, a peace deal was reached, and a hand shake was eminent.

  But just then, an explosion rocked the cathedral. Fire and mortar rained down upon the mortal representatives, killing them instantly. Ev, Maya, Bethos and Set escaped to find a giant ship in the sky, the Midgard. The ship’s deranged crew then appeared, calling themselves Carnival, and their captain Loki explained they wanted the fighting to continue—they were the ones who had attacked the plane—and would enforce that desire with their ship’s deadly armament. However, they had arranged a series of athletic events called the God Games which would be held in one week. The Academy and Zero Grade would each send five participants, and the winning side would be told the location of their enemy’s secret base. Zero Grade accepted the proposal, leaving Bethos no choice but to go along with it.

  Back at the Academy, Ev and friends decided they wanted to be the ones to compete in the God Games, and Bethos agreed. Together they decided the Academy team would consist of Ev, Maya, a just-recovered CiCi, Jaysin and Daryn. Yet Daryn was reluctant to participate because he still held a grudge against Maya. But after peace talks of their own, they buried the hatchet and agreed to work as a team.

  The team underwent a week of intense training to prepare for the God Games. Then they returned to the Midgar and met Zero Grade’s team which consisted of Set, Persephone, Adonis, Dionysus and Mercury. Both teams were then met by Loki and his entourage and taken on a tour of the ship which ended in a stadium-like environment. It was here that Loki took his place as the MC of the God Games. The competition would consist of five events, and the first team to win three victories would learn the location of the other side’s secret base.

  The first game was called “Force of Will” and it took place inside a large circle. The objective was to push one’s opponent out of it. Daryn faced Apollo and was on the verge of victory when his opponent low-blowed him out of the circle, claiming the first victory. Ev’s team was dejected.

  Nevertheless, they pressed on, entering the second event, “Rat Race” which consisted of a race through the bowels of the ship. CiCi and Mercury competed, but Carnival threw a series of deadly obstacles their way in the form of lasers, acid baths, man-eating plants and sharp spikes. Furthermore, they had their own God Dampener in effect, canceling out the participants’ powers. CiCi persevered and nearly won, but Mercury jumped her at the last moment, delivering a vicious beat-down before crossing the finish line. Zero Grade now had two wins.

  With only one loss away from a Zero Grade landslide, the Academy team was determined to rally. So, with the next event, it was do or die. Loki announced it would be an archery competition called “Arrow Odyssey” which involved shooting arrows through moving goals. Maya and Persephone faced off, which Persephone taking an early lead. Nevertheless, with Ev’s moral support, Maya managed to stage a comeback and win the competition. The Academy team was back in the running, their spirits boosted.

  The fourth competition was “Hot Potato” and it required the participants to hurl floating orbs filled with paint at one another. Whoever got hit first would lose. Jaysin and Dionysus faced off, with the former having to contend with the latter’s speed and wire nets which shot from his sleeves. After a fierce battle, Jaysin created a tornado which hurled a multitude of paint balls into Dionysus. Now having clearly been hit and soaked with paint, the elder god was defeated and embarrassed.

  With the score now tied, both teams now only needed one more win. The final event was then revealed to be a game of hezball, a popular sport Ev had played in high school. This time, all team members would compete. With Ev as team captain, they faced off against Set’s team for the final time. They had to deal with Set’s powers of illusion, but CiCi’s chakrams proved to be the difference-makers and the Academy team eventually triumphed.

  Ev and friends celebrated their hard-fought victory, and Loki stayed true to his word by revealing the location of Zero Grade’s base: The moon. Enraged, the losers refused to accept their loss and were vaporized by Loki’s crew.

  Having witnessed Carnival’s brutality and madness firsthand, Ev decided they were too dangerous to be allowed to run loose. Therefore, when an unexpected power surge knocked out power on board the ship and most of the crew was revealed to be harmless holograms, Ev realized his team actually had a chance against them. A battle ensued, whereupon Ev and friends, despite being exhausted, still managed to defeat Loki’s skeleton crew.

  Now in need of a new captain, the ship’s AI, Ragnarok, appointed Ev to that position.
Excited, they took the Midgard back to Mt. Orleia to share the good news with everyone.

  But when they arrived, they were greeted by the Academy staff who explained they had just been hit by a light from the sky and all their powers were gone.

  Chapter I

  Behrn 6 of 3023 NY (Narska Year)

  “What do you mean,” Ev said as they marched through the hallways of Divine Protector Academy, “you’ve lost your powers?”

  Ahead of them, students milled about nervously. Many of them gathered in the corridor to watch the returning victors of the God Games. Ev saw fear in their eyes. They were scared and looking to them for some sort of deliverance from this nightmare they had suddenly found themselves in.

  Bethos shrugged irritably as the diminutive god waddled along. “It’s like I said. A flash of light came from the sky, and the next thing we knew, we were as weak as mortals. Now, you say the attack came from Zero Grade?”

  Maya nodded. “Carnaval told us when we won the God Games: Olympus is on the moon.”