Lords of Creation (Story Thread 2)

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Boss, you sure levein Spectropolis undefended was the right thing to do?" Calls the Veteran over the howl of the wind. Oh lord, he could feel the wind. This was spectacular.

"I don't think anywhere that Gilgamesh currently is qualifies for 'Undefended.' Besides, that doom fortress-"

"Castle Von Trapt."

"Castle Von Trapt is still stomping around. I'm sure that thing could hold off anything that was currently thrown at the city. After all, that attack just now would have to cost something."

"Speakin of such, you sure you're up to this, boss. You used up an awful lot of-"

"It's fine. Besides, we have company."

The Veteran glances behind him to see the demon goddess catching up. "Lady company."
"Behave yourself."
"How'd you see them, anyway?"
"Whats my name?"
"Ohhhh."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Mina's group catches up to the Watchman and the Veteran. As Mina starts to say something, Suna says, "Who'redeseguys? Theydaownasofdacity?"

Kyuuketsu bops her on the head as Mina shakes her head, "Shush! Lady Mina needs to talk to them!"

Suna: "I'msowwy."

Mina: "I should have made sure that Suna's ability to speak wasn't impaired. Sorry about that Watchman. Now please do tell me: What is going on that Spectropolis would be attacked?"

(Total: 13 motes)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Jissei tapped Uburra-Namall on the shoulder, and she turned from the battle.

"Uburra-Namall. There's a being out there somewhere. I couldn't quite trace its whereabouts, but it was odd. Chaotic. I think we should have a look-see."

"Looks like Zaya's already investigating." Jassi pointed out the crow that passed from Zaya's direction.

So Uburra-Namall stood, and told her warriors to remain seated until she returned. She and her companions had some business to attend to. They would do everything in their power to help Zaya find and handle this strange new disturbance.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"No clue, at first I though it had to be Mik, but things aren't adding up. I got a tip from Zaya that the one responsible is Southwest, so I'm heading that way to see what I can find. I'm the Watchman, by the way." he adds to Suna, "That's the Veteran."

"Good morrow, ladies."

"He's new."

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"So you see, nothing really to worry about, just a game a few gods decided to play, that's all. You're in no danger." The reasonable was doing the best he could with the crowed around the arena. The crowed, seeing that the young man was so reasonable and all, began making their way back into the arena.

"You see." said the watcher to Raka as they filed back in. "Nothing going on. Just a game."

Raka was holding waves hand, protectively, and bristling like a mother bear. "I hope your right, you useless terrycloth. Cause if you're not..." She let that implication hand in the air. As a divine being, the Watcher wasn't sure that Raka could actually hurt him, but he was willing to bet she's give it a good try. He looked back at the god who had come down to talk to them. It felt strange, as if he shared some sort of comradely with him. It was creepy. he turned back to Raka as they found their seats. "But you know, besides this it's been, hasn't it? Wave, you had fun, right? With the boat ride and all?"

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One man hasn't returned to the arena. He waited until all the others had. No reason to cause a panic.

"So, what really went on?" called Pessimal Tomes to the Reasonable.

The God lowered himself. "What are you talking about. That's the truth."

"No it's not. I know the truth, I can spot it. You give me a half truth buried in a million lies and I would be able to pick it out."

"Then, I guess the best course of action is to say nothing at all."

"Can I quote you on that, Mr..." His pad was in his hand. The Reasonable felt extremely nervous all of a sudden. It lowered it's voice.

"All right, there was an incident. We haven't reveled all of the information because we don't HAVE all the information."

"Just like the last time the gods had a tiff, and buried a village?"

"We don't have all of the information on that yet either. Please, just wait a little longer and you'll get your answers. It will be the truth, I swear. But right now, we don't want people panicking and running about everywhere, especially on this island. Pleas..."

The Watchman would have loved it, a god pleading with a mortal. Pessimal relented, putting his pen away and closing his notebook. "More time? Fine. But I have a good memory, and I'll publish what information I can get."

He strolled back inside the arena , at his own pace. The Reasonable sighed, and floated back upwards toward the two goddesses waiting above. "Well, crisis averted. Sorry for taking so long. Are you both ready to go?"

The Babysitter nodded, and turned expectantly to Grace.

[Philote]

Motes Left: 22

Rhogar's great dragon wings flapped, sending gusts below him. The mighty hero rose into the air.

A dragon's breath was a powerful thing. It was the energy of their soul, their draconic energy, pouring out. Rhogar breathed on his blade, and frost circled around it. It wasn't a howling tempest, but a calm, determined cold.

Hovering his own height above the arena, Rhogar swung his blade and sent a cloud of ice towards Aox.

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Gilgamesh could feel the conflict building up within the city, but it did not concern him yet. Each and every one of his domains were drawn to actions of the tournament. He would ensure that it would continue so that he could bathe in the resulting power the fights.

As for the members of his pantheon, the only two that remained were Bahamut and Deva. The rest had returned to their positions on his continent. Bahamut laid in an open area next to the arena, his dragon form being to large to sit in the stands. The old dragon studied the battles with a focus that rivaled Gilgamesh's. Deva was constantly on the move, alternating between instructing the spirits of healing and blending in with the different races.

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Anima and Lore carried out much of the same duties at the time. Lore resided within the Plane of Heroes, watching over Gilgamesh's lands. Recording what happened and insuring that none of the creations began working differently than intended. Anima watched over a much smaller scope at the moment, hidden above the lands of the humans that resided in the south. Anima's power helped them grow, the humans were quickly becoming one of Gilgamesh's faster growing races. Even now, they were setting up colleges of magic of every kind they could gain knowledge of.

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Yojimbo grew bored. His favorite spot on the continent was with the Goliaths of the north, but nothing seemed to be able to keep his attention. Even a skirmish between a band of Goliath Shamans and migrating Druid Shifters had not entertained him. He feared that he would have to start up a war to relieve his boredom, not that he had any problem with a good war, but he did not want to deal with the repercussions if it got out of hand. As luck would have it though, something unexpected happened.

A group of green-scaled Dragonborn caught his attention, simply for the fact that they were so far out of their territory. It was a simple matter for a major-Spirit like Yojimbo to use his power to discern what was happening. This group of Dragonborn had become outlaws, and were now fleeing to find a new location to take advantage of, and Yojimbo was more than happy to help them. A quick summons of a group of Hippogriffs, and the band of Dragonborn were off flying across the sea without even knowing that Yojimbo had assisted them. The outlaws destination? Uburra-Namall's continent.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Illusia: "Ummm, I have an idea."

Mina and the rest of her gods turn to Illusia.

Ilusia: "It might be a good idea to go in undetectably and as one of my domains is,well, um, illusions. I thought, um, I could hide all of us from sight until we get close enough."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

As she consulted with The Watchman, she became more and more distraught. She closed her eyes.

"Diamond." She spoke sharply.

"Yes, Mistress?" It was the Northern Statue on her island continent.

"Alert the others. We are headed home."

"Yes, ma'am, right away."

And the deities excused themselves from the presence of the Crone. They had other matters to attend to.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Pessimal, whats going on?" asked Torbin as the man came back.
"Inquiries and being made." he said, bitterly.
"Oh." sighed the Dwarf. "So, what do we do, then?"
"Our job. Who won the last match?"
"That Emere fellow, you know, with the fire and all?"

"Got it." Pessimal stood up again, straitening his tie. But something struck him. Someone was missing. "Where's Mileena?"

"Out. Said the birds were getting restless, took them for a walk."

Pessimal sighed with relief. Mileena could handle herself in most situations, but she was definitely safe if those things were out with her.

"Did you shot a shot of his win, Torbin?"
"Not a good one. To bright."
"Drat."

Pessimal walked over into the healing area. Emere hadn't needed much, but had stuck around.

"Hello sir, Pessimal Tomes, Cravian Daily, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions..."

[Philote]

A green spirit hovered over Emere, he may have not received many wounds during his fight but required the restoration of the energy that he had used during the fight. His hair had returned to its normal color of flame instead of the black flames that were exhibited at the end of the fight. The lines of power that marked Genasi bodies had changed back from their darker coloration as well.

"One might think that underhanded tactics are being carried out when another race arrives at a rest zone other than their own" Emere says after having kept an eye on the group since they entered the room "Why have you come to bother a king?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Pessimal mentally stumbles a bit, but rights himself quickly. A kings presents was something he hadn't expected.

"I simply come to record a Kings opinion on the tournament and his assessment of his remaining opponents, as well as learn more about him, with the intention of distributing it to my readership. I assure you, sabotage is not on my agenda. If I got involved like that, it would taint the events. My duty is to watch and record."

[Philote]

"You will understand if I do not discuss the full extent of my powers then." Emere begins. "I know of Gilgamesh's alliance with Crav, but I have not heard of any Cravian kingdom while living in the Genasi's Plane, who do you serve?"

"As for my match, it did not live up to my expectations. Though I will say that he was able to push me to my second form. I believe the one named Pick is my next opponent, but I missed his match so I can not tell you what I expect."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Serve?" the question takes Pessimal back. He'd never actually thought about why he wrote, he simply did it. After a long introspective silence, he responds, "I suppose I serve... the truth and the people. To serve any particular state or god would color my perception of events. I might report something inaccurately out of personal bias. I... can't allow myself to do that."

[Philote]

"It must be lonely not having a nation to call your own. Having to keep yourself distanced from even your own race."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"A little. But it's job that has to be done. When something happens, people deserve to know about. I don't know why, they just do."

He thought back to the disaster. He had run about, interviewing, taking pictures, taking testimonials. He hadn't stopped to help, couldn't have stopped. If he had he would have been in the story, and that wasn't something that could be allowed. He was an observer, the medium through which the rest of the people learned of world events. Don't get involved. Record what's in front of you, because someone has to.

"Besides, I have people who walk this path with me. Good people."

[Philote]

"You may not be a fighter, but it sounds like you have the spirit of a hero in your own right. You may be interested in the newest member of Gilgamesh's pantheon, Lore. Gilgamesh's lorekeeper. He has not departed from the Plane of Heroes yet, so none but us heroes know about him."

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"No, I think I have all I need. Thanks for the tip, he might be able to help with an investigation I'm doing. Is there a way to contact him?"

[Philote]

"You would have to have one of your members raised to the status of hero, and then persuade one of Gilgamesh's people to allow that person access to the plane."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Well, that would be interesting. I'll consider it, thank you." He starts to leave, but turns in the doorway. "You know, off the record, you really took the reins of this interview right out of my hands. That's never happened to me before. You'd made a fine reporter, Mr. Emere. Good luck in your next fight."

Pessimal strolls down the hallway, away from the King of the Genasi. He had really given him everything. He had wanted to. It must be that thing that kings had: Charisma.

[Philote]

Balasar took his first step onto the new continent. His band of Dragonborn would make a new living for themselves here. Their way of life had caused them to be run out of their old home, but in this new land, the people would not know what hit them. They would plunder the towns as they saw fit. Even though he was a head taller than all the other Dragonborn, he had the knack for not being seen unless he wanted to be. A knack that he trained day and night along side his group. Come nightfall, they would strike the nearest Boquabian town, taking what they wanted and leaving before anyone knew they were there. They would become ghosts that would haunt the villages.

They would become legends.

All the while, during their planning, Yojimbo watched, amused by the happenings. Hidden from mortal eyes.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

When Uburra-Namall had reached her home island, she, Jassi and Jissei headed straight for Diamond. The Northern Statue of Uburra-Namall, the leader of the others, seemed to have much to report.

"Lady Uburra-Namall. I am glad to see you have arrived here." Diamond nodded, "The Telescope seems to have caught sight of invaders headed for this island."

Uburra-Namall grew concerned, "And what about my beloved Boquabians? How are they?"

"They are fine as of now, it seems." Diamond assured, "Prospering, though Khadai and her minsters are among them."

Uburra-Namall sighed, but her suspicions were not entirely quelled, "And what of Emerald? Ruby? Sapphire? Have they alerted attacks on any other sides of the land?"

"No, Mistress." Diamond observed the visitors, in case they decided to land in front of them, "They've alerted of nothing yet. But I was wondering. Can either Lady Jassi or Lord Jissei perceive the alignment of these beings?"

Jassi and Jissei concentrated. The distance would make any reading quite faint, as they passed overhead into the distance, but if the two put their powers together...

"Oh, my..." Jassi put her hand to her mouth, growing worried, "I don't like what I felt."

"I do." Jissei crossed his arms triumphantly, before re-remembering just whose side he was on, "Which, er, in this case, is a bad thing. Yes, most certainly bad."

"Bad, you say?" Uburra-Namall felt something rise in her that was similar to anger, but not quite like any anger she had felt before. She imagined it was how a mother bear or a mother hen might feel when her babies are threatened. That in mind, she was moving before she even realized it. And without turning around, she was fully aware that Jassi and Jissei were already following.

Time to pay her precious Boquabians, and these strange newcomers, a well-needed visit...