Lords of Creation (Story Thread 2)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox rolls to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. As he rolls he pulls his arm in close and lands in a crouch. He extends his arm again and fires several more razor disks before dashing forward towards Kagehana. He grabs a another small clay pot from his satchel as he charges forward.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

This time in response to the razor disks, Kagehana formed several of her own from the shadows and launched them at Aox and his disks, before shifting to the side to watch the results.

(Total: 9 motes)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

With a loud click, Aox was in the air, sailing over the attack, still firing razor disks at Kagehana. A large spring extended from his boot.He had used in to jump high into the air. As Aox landed however, he winced. One of the disks had caught him in the leg. He staggered and dropped his clay pot, it shattered, but did not exploded as it had not yet been lit. It's contents spilled out across the arena floor.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Kagehana slipped through the shadows yet again as Aox flew into the air. Her opponent was full of surprises. First, razor disks and pots of exploding liquids which she hadn't seen in the previous fight and now flight, if a bit limited. How to counter against this? The only good part was that he had been wounded in the leg.... How to use that to her advantage? Time to use yet another Midnight Fang. Kagehana raised the Clone-Blade up again and slashed for another crescent of shadows.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The sound of a fishing line and a soft plop was heard from the empty Glass dome in the middle of the city. If anyone cared to look, they would have seen a god fishing.

The Watchman enjoyed fishing, and he often wondered if this was because his progenitor enjoyed it as well. But this though was put aside because, no matter the reason, it helped to clear his head. After all, The Veteran was handling things at the moment and had told him to take a load off. Which is why he was surprised when the other god turned up.

"You want me to make a race of warriors?" He asked, making sure he had heard the Veteran right.

"No, no," the other guy said, "I want you to make me a race of soldiers."

The Watchman hummed with annoyance. "You know how I feel about that sort of thing. You were a part of me, once." He didn't have any problems with soldiers, most of the time they were just people who were desperate for a little food, or were swept up in some fervor or another.  But to create a race explicitly for warfare? To have a race who was throne into that meat grinder, and would enjoy it? That was were he drew a line.

The Veteran seemed to sense his discomfort, and tried reassuring him. "Look, it's not like they're going to be all "Fight, fight, fight" 24/7. I'll make sure they're people first. Besides, someone needs to protect this city."

"The Witnesses-"
"Can't leave the city. I know, I heard em talk about it enough. Look, I never would have asked you, but the kids are still out doing god knows what."

The Watchman relented, and laid his rod against the wall. "Very well, lets go to the desert."

Out in the desert outside the Government District the wind whipped the dry land into a large dust cloud. The two Gods stood in the Arid landscape. The Watchman turned to the Veteran, his hands sparking with divine power. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

The Veteran beat his chest three times and cried "HIT MEEEEE!"

The Power leapt from the Watchmans hands and into his subordinate, who held out his own hands at the desert sand. Letting out a screaming laugh, he pictured his race in his mind, and let lose with a torrent of holy light. It impacted the earth, and the sand imploded, causing a sinkhole that continued to grow. There was shaking and quaking, nd a general feeling of the ground below being hollowed out. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the shaking stopped and the watchman was free to cut the flow. Then, they waited, the Watchman curious as to what the Veteran had cooked up down there.

"They are, um, acceptable to look at?"
"Wha'cha mean by that?"
"They won't cause a panic, will they?"
"Oh I hope so! Fears a good weapon."
"Oh gods-"

They both stopped talking abruptly as a Chiantis limp pushed its way unsteadily out of the hole. Then another. Then another. Then yet another.

What looked like a bipedal ant emerged from the hole. It was tan like the dessert earth, it's eyes big and green, it's mouth flanked by a set of pincers and its antennae alert and searching. Connected to it's torso where two sets of arms, the lower ones slightly smaller. It stood on two legs, and on it's back was what looked like a backpack. The pack split open, and as the creature spread it's wings in the sun, and the watchman realized that it was not unlike the shell used by a beetle to conceal it's wings. They sparkled in the dessert sunlight, like dewdrops in the morning. It was oddly beautiful.

The Creature turned it's eyes to them, as if seeing for the first time. The Watchman gave a bow to it. The Veteran just smiled.

"Hello" said the Watchman, "Welcome to the world."

It opened it's mouth, and spoke it's first words. "Who are you?" It's voice, her voice, crackled like leaves underfoot.

"The Watchman. I am a god." he said, at a loss. What else could he say?

She turned and looked to the Veteran. "And you as well?"

"Yes ma'am, m'names The Veteran. But y'all can just call me "Commander."

"And what are we?" She seemed to know, instinctively, that she was standing before her maker. And yet she was not afraid.
The Watchman wondered which of them that had come from, but not as much as what the Vet was going to call them.

"You, and your kind, I'm going to call Vandals."

(Create Race-6, Alter terrain-,1 Furthering defense+1, 26 left)

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Fubuki and Koriko stared at each other. The past few hours, it had been a challenge to keep fighting, so great was the amount of mana they'd each spent. They were both on their last bit of mana for the time being, but they needed to perfect the final Ice-Element Stride to have any chance in a fight against Kagehana. So, they'd do this last spell for now, then rest, "Ice blasts with force of flame, Let my enemy know my name. Blizzard Stride!"

Snow instantly flew around the two as the temperature within the training ground dropped even further, causing Mizuna to rub her arms for warmth. A fresh layer of ice coated the floor making it even more mirror-like than before as well as extremely slippery to anyone not from the Yukionna/Yukiotoko race. Fubuki and Koriko charged at each other and punched one another in the face before collapsing from the exhaustion. Mizuna carefully flew over after the temperature had risen to acceptable levels for her, then started the laborious work of healing the two of them, cussing all the while.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The trio descended into the earth, to see what the Veteran had wrought. Tunnels stretched off in all directions from this point. Around them, they could see more Vandals Emerging, digging themselves out of the sand, others helping them.

"Why isn't this place collapsing?" The Watchman asked.

"Ahh," the Veteran was grinning. "That was some clever forethought on my part. Look at the walls real close." The Watchman did so, and saw that they weren't made of sand, but sandstone. In some places, glass. "That's right, I didn't move the sand, I compacted it."

"How are they going to dig out then?"

"Look," The Vet said, pointing across the room. One Vandal was pulling at the stones around one of it's brethren. With a mighty tug, a chunk of stone far bigger than the Vandal came loose. But, instead of crushing it, the Vandal held the stone with all four arms, looking only slightly strained. The other pulled itself free, and the two made there way to yet another Vandal.

"I based em on ants." He said, "Strong and durable." He said as they continued walking. "Hard natural armor, great strength, excellent agility..." a group of Vandals ran past them, the one that had met the gods already showing them the surface, "Collectivist mindset."
"I'm impressed."
'Oh, don't get impressed yet. They get better!"

He lead the Watchman down a side path that spiraled ever downward into a large space. "This is where the queens going to live, once one of them decides to take it up." Around the sides of the room, darker vandals were emerging from the sand. "Those are the Drones. They're to be the queens bodyguards and boy toys. See, with a queen, they'll breed real fast."

"What about overpopulation?"

"I'm glad you asked. See, the drones produce a hormone that controls how many kids the queen is having. So, she can be having the normal amount in peace time, and in times of war they can jack it up. And you have no end of potential queens, cause every other vandal is one."

The Watchman looked around. The Drones were  standing up, and shaking the sand from they frames.

"Well," He concluded, "you certainly thought about this."
"We're not even done."
"There's more??"
"Yep. But I think I'll give em time to developed before I reveal that bit. Let em establish culture and what not. Spoiler alert through; it involves poison."
"Of course."

So they waited, and watched as the Vandals began expanding their home.

"I notice," Said the Watchman, 'That you didn't give them a very big hole in the ground to live in."
"Well, No point just handing em things. work build character, makes em strong."
The Pair sat down on the ground to watch.
"So," asked the Veteran, "How longs it take to develop culture?"
"Don't ask me, I've never done this before."

[Philote]

Rhogar spread his wings and took flight, his light blue scales shining in the sunlight as he circled around Spectropolis. He had received orders to track down the Watchman and speak to him as Gilgamesh's Avatar. The hero had not seen any sign of the Watchman, but he would calmly watch from the skies until his presence was found.

Tirion and Lo-kad though had mysteriously vanished from the tournament grounds.

[Mik_Hael]

Dephos:  "Deep breath, exhale" The god moved her arm through the air in front of her leaving behind a trail of white flames, which began to organize themselves into common."I am sorry to say that there was a misunderstanding when   you tried to decipher my speech Reason." The words faded and were replaced by others relatively quickly. "Anger, is a rather new experience for me, but nevertheless we are both beings of logic. No, there was no mirror, but While I have been waiting for my master to recover, I have attempted to access the memory of the crystals. However, I have been blocked by an unknown force. I'm trying to get past it, but I need Mik Hael's strength in order to do so."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Veteran drubbed his armored fingers on his helmet, and let out a load sigh. "This is taken way to long."

"You expected them to develop culture in a minute?"

He didn't respond, only letting out an affirmative grunt.

The Watchman sighed. "Look, how about I take some into the city? That would probably help speed things along."

Another grunt.

"Excellent." The Watchman looked around the room. "You three" he called to a group that did not seem to be digging. They turned as one to him as he strode up. "You've been up top?"
"Yes." Said the biggest one in the group.
"So you saw that wall?"
"Yes."
"Would you like to know whats behind it?"

The Three turned to one another, and had a quick conversation. Finally, they raised their heads again. "Yes sir, we would like that very much."

"Excellent. Follow me. What are your names?"
"Names, Sir?"
The Veteran suddenly called up. "What was the first thing you saw? And not the dirt, the first significant thing? What made you feel?"

The three think, then speak at once.

"Two Gods Sitting."
"My Sisters Arms."
"The Horizon."

"Sound like fine names to me. Simple, and meaningful. Yep, fine names."

The other Vandals, hearing this proclamation, begin speaking among themselves. The Watchman would have grinned if he could.

"Well then ladies, if you'll follow me."

They flew up, out of the hole and over the walls of the city, touching down in the empty Government District. A pair of Witnesses looked up quickly, then went back to sweeping. "Not the best place to start with. Well, the Business District is this right this way, and it has something far more interesting than this in it. Come, we'll talk and walk."

The 4 set off into the city, and the Watchman began telling them of the things he'd seen in his time.

[Philote]

Motes Left: 19

Rhogar's sharp eyes eventually caught sight of the Watchman. He had spent quite awhile searching for the Spirit as he glided over the city, but eventually the reaction's of the Watchman's people and the signs of a new race betrayed the Watchman's location.

The hero drifted down and landed lightly behind the Watchman. Bowing down, Rhogar spoke "Watchman, I, Rhogar, Gilgamesh's Avatar, request to speak with you."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Hmmm," the Reasonable said, hand on his chin. He looked into the crystal. "Maybe not by yourself, but there are 4 active gods in this room. If we pool our strength, it might be enough to get around what ever is blocking you."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Oh, you caught us at a good time. This" he said, talking to the Vandals, "Is an example of one of the many races of the world, of which you are just a small part." The Vandals nodded their heads, and Horizon scurried over to Rhogar, looking him over.

"We were just talking about culture. What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

[Philote]

Rhogar retracts his wings into his back until he is a normal Dragonborn again.

"Gilgamesh is inquiring into your condition. The Goliaths have been waiting for their match and you have not made your presence known since the events that interrupted the tournament. Not to mention your promise to referee the matches" Rhogar informs.

[Zaleramancer]

Fire. Ugh.

The Shark Man opened his eyes to see white ceiling of some building.

Where was he now?

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Sorry, I got caught up in things, must have forgotten. Girls, come on."

The Watchman began making his way back to the arena with Rhogar.

"Besides, no one told me my exhibition was today."

[Philote]

Thorn cracked open one of his eyes and spoke "Good morning, are you well enough to speak?"

[Philote]

Rhogar follows beside the Watchman. "Would you like to inform Gilgamesh on when you would like to do the match?" he asks.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"It would be rude to break up the tournament in the middle of a round. This is still the second round, correct? I'll go at the end."

He looks behind him.

"Now, make sure you three keep your eyes peeled when we get there. Ton's of different people in the stadium."

[Philote]

"Consider Gilgamesh informed"