Raging battle grounds, a place where mortals, heroes, gods, and titans from various beliefs and mythologies take up arms, and clash with one another for glory and pride. A stage set for the powerful and cunning to rise, and the weak and careless to fall. A never-ending war where even a mighty god can bleed and face a humiliating defeat and an embarrassing demise…

Over the eons, the crowds that had once gathered in mass to witness the wonders of legends raging and reveling in battle began to dissipate. Apparently the conflicts between traditional well known individuals had grown uneventful, and this was coming from the few that still continued to watch. A change had to happen, something that would entice the audience to return to the reveling crowds they once were. This is when an opportunity presented itself, other strange individuals from across countless dimensions and far-off unfamiliar realities had begun to appear in mass. Some gods and deities found themselves coming face to face with alternate versions of themselves sharing shocking similarities while others were unrelated, appearing seemingly new and original. In having new contests eager about testing their various skills out on each other, anticipation slowly and steadily enticed the roaring crowds to return, filling the air with cheers and laughter once more…

This brings us to the present age where there is a wider variety of gods and deities covering a large spectrum of possibilities. In having such a large number to pull from, some that were drafted more than others now got more resting time in between clashes with new 'alternates' standing in for them. Now there was quite the variety, and honestly some stood out while others were strange to say the least. There were majestic dragons of all shapes and sizes, colossal mechanical machines that loomed over their foes, as well as countless other creatures and hybrids. Amongst the newcomers, there was a peculiar looking gorgon, a female with a humanoid upper torso while the extension of her lower abdomen was that of a snake and her hair a collection of snakes. But for this gorgon, her skin had an unnatural combination of bright colors and the snakes running down her head were surprisingly even more vibrant with a coating of glitter like substance that flakes off as the snake hairs rubbed against each other. In fact one could compare this particular gorgon, strangely enough, to a gummy worm. As it turns out, this gorgon would be an alternate, stepping in for Medusa during the next match…

Sobek, the Egyptian crocodilian god of the Nile, was assigned to the team opposing the gummy worm gorgon. Sobek did not really know what to think of the gorgon cocking his head to the side and staring at her in confusion. Unlike Medusa she was not wearing a mask, Sobek and many others had made complete eye contact with her in many instances, in fact the gorgon seemed to enjoy and bask in being amongst the center of attention. The bow and arrows in the gorgon's quiver were childish in Sobek's opinion, he had taken part in countless rounds along with many other gods and yet, Sobek had the impression that this gorgon felt a little out of place.

As the rest of the two teams were drafted, another unfamiliar newcomer caught Sobek's attention. A wingless dragon stepped forward from the crowd before joining the line-up on Sobek's side. This unfamiliar dragon was substituting in for Fenrir, the enormous wolf of Norse mythology. The dragon stood next to Sobek, they spoke to each other, albeit very briefly, but the two seemed to have a mutual understanding for one another and they quickly were acquainted. Sobek learned that the dragon went by the name Brutal, a fitting name considering his feral and aggressive fighting style. As the two spoke to one another, Sobek noticed out of the corner of his eyes that the colorful gorgon had her eyes fixated on the two of them. As both Sobek and Brutal turned their heads towards the gorgon, she pleasantly waved and gave them a warm smile. Sobek was tempted to wave back, he supposed it was a nice little change from the aggressive taunting and threatening that normally took place, but Sobek withheld the urge to wave back. Brutal, on the other hand, was a lot less inclined to be friendly, he scuffed his horns and chuckled at the sight of the colorful gorgon before both teams were escorted to either side of the field. Brutal and Sobek turned to accompany their appropriate teams, but when Sobek took one final glance over his shoulder, the gorgon's back was turned as she slithered close behind her teammates. This seemed ordinary until the crocodilian realized that many of the colorful snakes were staring directly at him, with what looked to be playful smiles, in a sadistic sort of way…

When both teams reached their appropriate sides, the sound of conspiracy and plan of attack echoed amongst the winds. The crowds in the stands waited in anticipation, eager to watch the new-comers in action. As the sound of a gong reverberates around the field, the invitation for bloodshed and savagery let itself be known…

As the battle begins, both Sobek and Brutal rush the left field. They had come to the mutual understanding that Brutal would be the offensive, a spear for the croc, and Sobek would handle defenses, acting as the dragon's shield. Sobek was eager to see the strong dragon in action, their claws and sharp teeth would surely be put to good use. It was not long before Sobek understood why the dragon went by the name Brutal, with great leaps and slashing claws followed by what seemingly appeared to be an unstoppable fury. At times, Sobek would even struggle to keep up with the feisty dragon, Brutal would handle flanking positioning himself behind enemy lines while Sobek fought one the front lines, his tough scales and armor withstanding the brunt of the attacks.

Everything seemingly appeared to be going decently well, both Sobek and Brutal were filled with confidence as they slayed the foolish enemy warriors. As the final foe falls to the ground, Brutal laughs at the carnage that surrounded him and Sobek is impressed with how the dragon fought. Although, Sobek did think that Brutal's ego would lead to recklessness and carelessness. For some reason, Sobek felt that everything was too quiet; he and Brutal were being watched. From the shadows, a familiar lengthy figure reveals herself. It was that strange colorful gorgon, an ominous smile across her face and the snakes upon her head with narrow eyes stared at the khopesh blade wielding croc and the savage dragon. Sobek felt a little bad, he and Brutal would make an example out of this gorgon. Brutal smirked as the dragon bared his jagged teeth and flared his nostrils while Sobek ran one of his claws along the length of his khopesh blade and angled it at the gorgon. The mysterious gorgon however, was not intimidated nor impressed, she simply continued smiling, lifting her hand and tauntingly making a motion with her finger, an invitation daring the croc and dragon to approach her. Sobek and Brutal were more than happy to oblige, readying themselves for an offensive.

The time for pleasantries was over, Sobek was prepared to spill this gorgon's blood while Brutal was eager to claw that smile off her face. However, before either the dragon or croc could even react, a blinding light rushes over them. Both Sobek and Brutal were blanketed in white as bright colors flashed and swirled within their vision. It was not long before the croc and dragon realized that their bodies were stiff and unable to make even the slightest or simplest movement.

A strange sensation runs around Sobek’s body as a sweet and sour taste begins to manifest inside his maw and an itching feeling festers around his eyes. His body, limbs, tail, tongue, and all had lost feeling as his mind became clouded and faint.

Similar to Sobek, Brutal’s body was void of feeling. His mind quickly began to fade, he did not feel any pain, and the dragon could not even breathe, the sound of the heart in his chest no longer was now absent.

To Sobek and Brutal, the world had slowed down for what seemed like an eternity of torment, but to everyone else, it all happened within the blink of an eye. The bright light dissipated to reveal Brutal as nothing more than a chocolate statue while a sour gummy Sobek was all that remained of the croc.

Brutal was now completely made out of brown chocolate along with his armor, the dragon’s smirk had shifted to a grimace where even his teeth were now made of chocolate. Sobek’s body was now composed of a gelatinous jelly with a crusty sour sugar coated outside, sugar flaked off in the wind and fell onto ground around him. The croc’s maw was left ajar revealing that even his teeth and tongue were crusted with sugar and even the khopesh blade he grasped was also now a part of his gummy state.

The mysterious gorgon examined her work, looking at the embarrassing pose of the chocolate dragon statue as she circled him, she ran a hand along Brutal’s chest and waist before smoothing down the length of his tail and the horns upon his head as his eyes blankly remained staring ahead. The gorgon leaned in close to Brutal's face and gave the chocolate dragon a gentle kiss on the tip of his snout before turning her attention to Sobek. The gorgan touched the tip of the croc’s khopesh blade and watched as the sour sugar flaked off. Sobek had a more ferocious pose as if he were in mid-roar. The gorgan grabbed Sobek’s khopesh wielding arm and elevated it slightly improving his pose as sugar fell from his joints. The gorgon then circled behind the gummy croc to give Sobek more curvature to his tail. Once the gorgon was done touching up her work, she leaned into the side of Sobek’s face and licked some of the sour sugar from the croc’s cheek before continuing on her way, leaving her two petrified candied statues for others to admire.

(Overconfidence and cockiness can lead to an embarrassing demise. To whomever comes across Sobek and Brutal, feel free to enjoy a tasty helping, I am sure there is more than enough to share. Best be quick now, the chocolate dragon will melt into a shapeless heep of molten chocolate if he is left in the warm sun for too long… Or by all means stick around, the mysterious gorgon would be more than happy to add more candy statues to her collection… Be sure to strike a pose…)

Have a somewhat safe and pleasant day…