The day was harsh with heavy winds blowing westward across the plain. Illuminura's self-loathing as she struggled day by day grew habitual. She fixated on it trying to purge it and yet its presence remained to sour her mood by the hour.

Time passed by and Godfrey marched relentlessly along the snow-covered slopes of the mountain. Determined to make as much progress as possible he did not wait for the exhausted Illuminura. A weary soul she lagged behind and struggled to keep up with him.

Suddenly Godfrey halted his advance. Illuminura sighed with relief as she caught up with him. She leant on her knees as she panted and wheezed. She was exhausted and her frustration grew by the minute.

"Won't wait for me human?" She asked abruptly.

Godfrey didn't respond as he watched the horizon.

"What say you human?" She asked.

"My name is Godfrey Martelis." Answered Godfrey.

Unsatisfied an already frustrated Illuminura grew angry. She approached him and look down on the little man. Being a celestial she was naturally a foot taller than the six-foot human. She grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Look here human! Don't make me prefer solitude to your company. Were it not for my intervention you would have been annihilated in a defeat by the ravenous hordes. So listen and be grateful."

"I can't be grateful for that monstrous giant nor for being here. For all your kind has done? Grateful?"

Godfrey broke into sinister laughter as if he was told some cruel joke.

"We have more reason than most to be proud of all we have done for you human!" She growled.

"Done for us? That is laughable."

She threw him aside in a fit of rage.

"It was the Kingdoms that won peace among the planets! We set out to end the war and so we did! We have succeeded in a mere five months where your kin have failed for forty years! W-we had earned the right to take our place above all mankind!" Illuminura Barked.

"What? Phobos razed to the ground? The millions of lives lost? The merciless destruction of our people? Ha! So much for peace. You daemons have delivered the peace of the grave!" The Martian ranted.

"It was thanks to us that we stand here today. Everything we celestials have done was with the goal of building a future for mankind in mind. We do not deserve this treatment."

"We? Or is it... I?"

Her rage flared within her soul as she stomped up to him. As she closed in he launched himself at her. She stepped aside and drove her knee into his gut, grounding the human.

"Heh. We're not all too different you and me."

"Impossible."

She turned her back to him as he rose to his feet.

"Aye... A celestial akin to a human? Absurd of course. Then again so is the notion of a celestial without her power. Weak, defenceless and in need of another's help."

"Do not presume to know my story!" She growled

"Your story is an interesting one though. A godlike being has been beaten. Beaten not by some enemy but by her own hubris... Now she wonders why she resides in hell. Then when the answer presents itself she rejects it... Oh, how the guilty cling onto some ideal no matter what. It's so... human."

Before Illuminura could respond the earth shook beneath their feet. Being the omen it was it distracted her from her flaring rage.

"There's something running about out there. It's getting closer."

Illuminura frowned as she found that she was still unable to open her mind.

"If I am to find them I will need to concentrate. Now if you don't mind silence would be appreciated."

It was to be too late as a pair of green scaly hands burst from the ground and grabbed him by the ankles. With great strength, they pulled him down through the earth. Illuminura dived in to save him but instead fell into the hole as well.

Landing on him in an underground chamber she spooked whatever it was that took him. She got up ready to fight while Godfrey struggled to get back on his feet. They seemed to have landed in some dugout tunnel.

He reached into his side and drew his pistol. He knew exactly what manner of creature took him here. Such a creature is not to be trifled with.

"Damned Gorgons!" He growled.

All around them the creatures sped about in the earth. Dirt rumbled and roared as the great serpents ground their way through the earth with incredible speed. They heard the rumbling all around them.

It wasn't long before one burst through the floor knocking Illuminura over. Godfrey fired a burst of plasma bolts to no avail. With blades in hand, the serpentine woman screeched as she leapt at him as he jumped out the way.

With a flurry of attacks, the beast churned up the earth as Godfrey fled for his life. Plasma bolts dissipated upon those cursed scales of the mutant beast as Godfrey fired shot after shot. The bloodthirsty creature chased him down.

Illuminura got up just in time to see Godfrey trip and the gorgon wade into him. With a great roar, she took hold of the monster and pulled her off of Godfrey. The gorgon squealed and screamed as she flailed about in rage.

Godfrey charged up to her and shoved his gun into the mutant's mouth and fired a single shot which blew her head apart. The gorgon's body slumped dead in Illuminura's arms. With disgust, she tossed it aside. Arming herself with the creature's broadswords she stood at the ready.

Then arrows were shot their way. Godfrey returned fire while Illuminura hacked apart a charging gorgon. She tugged on his bloody arm.

"Come on we have to keep moving. Don't let them catch us!" She said.

"Understood." He replied.

She took off with Godfrey following her. With the gorgons in pursuit, rest was a luxury they could not afford.

They ran through the tunnels for hours. All the while stuck in constant brutal combat. Eventually, Illuminura saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Pulling the tiring Godfrey along she made a break for it.

A gorgon broke through the ceiling and dropped into the way. With daggers in hand, she stood in the way spoiling for a fight. Illuminura threw her sword at the gorgon. Striking the vile creature down with a lethal blow.

Soon they find themselves on a mountain slope with the earth rumbling beneath their feet. Determined Illuminura ran for it but weakening Godfrey could not keep up. So she returned to pick him up and carry him along the way away from the tunnels.

Godfrey looked at Illuminura as she laboured to rescue him. She looked back and could see through his clear visor his quizzical look. She rolled her eyes.

"Right now I'd rather have any ally than face these things alone."

"How human of you." He remarked.

Illuminura cringed as she took offence to that but kept running as gorgons burst out from the earth all around her. Fearing the death one of these creatures could bring Illuminura dashed about as gorgons took pot-shots at her.

While Godfrey shot back with his pistol. After some time he felt odd as Illuminura ran inhumanly fast. Her legs glowed with every footfall and propelled her ever faster. He looked at her as she focused on running as fast and s far from the enemy as possible.

He looked and smirked as the frustrated gorgons disappeared behind a snow-covered ridge. Illuminura kept running for some time then slowed to a halt out of exhaustion. She put Godfrey down as she sat down to relieve her aching legs.

When she looked back at the distance she ran she grew amazed at herself. She stared at the horizon wondering just how far did she run. At the same time, Godfrey drew bandages from his kit to cover his wounds while he called for her attention.

"I saw your face then. Was that the first time you've ever been truly fearful?" Commented Godfrey.

"Death was not preferable at the time." Illuminura responded grudgingly.

"Death never is. Do not deny yourself this. You actually were scared. You are relieved to have lost them are you not?"

Illuminura looked at him with sharpened eyes.

"We may not be that different after all."

"We've nothing alike, human!"

"Not really, mutant."

The celestial pounced on Godfrey took him by the collar and raised her fist to strike. She froze as he began to laugh.

"By the twin moons, you are so human!"

Unable to disagree with his assessment of her behaviour Illuminura dropped him. She backed off a few steps and then dropped onto her arse as despair took hold.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked with a whimpering voice.

Godfrey stood up on his feet.

"For the same reason, I hate your kind. You live in a dream world of luxury and boundless wealth while the solar system suffers. You see yourselves as benevolent gods. You see yourselves as the bearers of justice. You are none of these. You are human like the rest of us. If I can at least make you see this then maybe you people can set things right." he spoke.

Illuminura paused, deep in thought.

"You know nothing of us! Nothing! Ignorant fool, you know nothing of what it is like to live on Luna. Always strive for perfection. Always training to achieve supremacy among your peers. Necessity demanded nothing less of you on Luna."

Her eyes grew hot and teary as she sized up the man.

"So I trained hard until my very soul broke. For six centuries I enslaved myself to my duties. Proving myself the best at all costs. Now that I have a chance to have something to show for it all... I end up here in this pathetic state."

"Pathetic? You ran impossibly fast not too long ago. Pretty impressive by my reckoning."

"Impressive you say? I think not. Then again you are merely human."

Illuminura's senses sharpened as she detected the signature vibrations of the earth as the gorgons dug their way through it. The zealots had not given up. Illuminura was not surprised, she knew she wouldn't give in so easily either.

She picked Godfrey up and took off once again. Godfrey knowing full well what was going on remained silent as he nursed his wounds. As dusk came the pair found a village on the snow plains. It was the village of the Angulii.

Illuminura came to a rest in the centre of town as night fell. The towering Angulii all crowded around them as Illuminura placed Godfrey on the ground. She then met Alice and Minerva who took them both in.

They took them to the town's storehouse. The place that was to serve as their temporary residence until either Minerva or Alice figured out a passage home. With one in possession of too little information and the other in possession of too much information, this process was a slow one.

Godfrey joined Alice as both Minerva and Illuminura rested for the night. The Martian exchanged greetings with the Venusian in the spirit of the United Forces. Then they got to the business of discussing what exactly had happened.

"So you had the same effect? A bright flash and then you wake up here?" Asked Alice.

"Yes. However, I am more interested in our global location" Replied Godfrey

"Far north Minerva reckons. I say she think we may all have been sucked into a wormhole that spat us out here."

"Coordinates?"

"With no contact, I can't say."

"Gorgons are in the area. So we must be on guard."

Alice stood up.

"I better warn the town watch."

Godfrey smiled.

"Ha! First, this world is full of life. Next, the creatures here are powerful. Now civilised dinosaurs? By the moons what has become of this planet?" He said.

"Rest now Martian. We'll show you around in the morning."

"I've still no idea how to get back to the others."

"Nor do I." Replied Godfrey.

He allowed himself to slump to the floor and dozed off to sleep.