Lords of Creation (Story Thread 2)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Crav nods and rises to leave, Von Trapt followed silently behind him.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

There came a crunch of dead leaves underfoot, and the group of Boquabians turned around.

"Who is there?" Draias called. He thought to say, 'Show yourselves!' but wasn't entirely sure he wanted them to, whoever they were.

The handler's dog growled at what seemed like nothing, and the rest of the group could only wait in silence and hope the new presence would make itself known. And hope it was friendly.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"This is stupid." Shouted the Babysitter to her companions. She had been walking in this weird place for hours, and after the fifth one the novelty of walking had begun to wear off. The stupid tree was no closer than it was hours ago and her companions had been giving her the silent treatment for about as long. Frustrated, she turned to the Reasonable.

"What is even with this? Shouldn't-"

But he wasn't there anymore. She was talking to a tree. Not the tree, she noted with some anger, but some sort of bug pine. She looked around to call the others, but the world had changed. She was in forest, deep in the midst of a hearty winter. Snow layered everything, and she shivered as she all at once noticed the cold. Wrapping her star studded cloak around her, she began to call out.

"Hello? Anyone? Hey, you guys! Whats going on?"

She didn't like it here. She had never been here before, never in her life. But it was so familiar in an unclear way, as if it were rippling water dredged up from a deep dark well.

She did not have time to reflect on this, as the arrow struck the side of her head, shattering the mask worn there and sending her tumbling to the ground from the shear force of it. Fighting through the sharp, stinging pain, she looked up toward the ridge it had been fired from. Figures stood there, black and indistinct, on horseback. Steam rose from them in horrible clouds, only adding to the phantom like appearance. The one in the lead lowered his bow, and pointed to her, then into the forest.

Terror gripped her, familiar terror that she had no reference for. But she knew, as those in dreams know, that if she ran she would die. But if she stayed....

The Babysitter scurried to her feet and set off into the darkness of the forest. In the dark, horns sounded.

The Hunt was on.

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The Reasonable was in much the same situation.

He was in a city. A poor, war ravaged city. Buildings were scorched by fire, or torn apart for barricades. Disease ran rampant, and those who died were not buried and filled the city with a miasma of stink and disease. Everywhere there were wound, starving, crying. Outside the distinctive cacophony of battle could be heard, the clashing of steel on steel, the roar of the enemy, and the cries of the men who fell in defense of the city. They were losing. Someone had had an idea, some boy of no worth, but it hadn't worked. His idiotic plan had backfired, and now the people cursed his name with their dieing breath.

He was hiding, and afraid, and confused over why this seemed wrong. Not the warfare, not the dieing, but the feeling that, deep down, things had not happened this way. It was impossible, because he couldn't figure out why he felt this way. That was the most horrifying thing.

Another group of enemy soldiers thundered by, and he tried to shrink down even more into the corner of the abandoned house. What else could he do? He was no warrior.

He sat in the dark, and stewed in his own fear and impotence.

[Philote]

One of the Boquabians let out a yell before falling to the ground in a pool of blood. As Draias turned towards the sudden, unexpected act, he locked eyes with a pair of glowing green spheres floating in the air.

The Dragonborn were upon the Boquabians.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Draias was paralyzed in fear...what could he possibly do? He began thinking of what to say...but what if these beings weren't willing to negotiate? What if they couldn't speak?

"I...I..."

"I'll only ask this once!" came another voice abruptly, "Which of you has been in our town, befouling our waters and stealing our goods?"

The Boquabians and a couple of the Dragonborn turned around to see a trio of lovely beings, unlike the Boquabians. They had handsome faces, but they were all one skin color, and their ears were pointy. Apparently the Boquabians weren't the only ones Balasar's men had been after.

But these folk had come more prepared to hunt down their tormentors. Their eyes glowed blue with the perception of invisibility that their magic had bestowed upon them. The hands of the one in the middle (a male) glowed a bright, shimmering green. The ones to either side of him (females) had bows drawn, with arrows to spare.

"Answer, reptilians!"

They did not look happy.

[Zaleramancer]

(Explode)

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

(27 motes previously +21 motes (3/day for 7 days), Total: 48 days)

The butterflies hit Hime causing several explosions knocking her back to the arena wall and hitting her head on the wall before she collapses to the ground, still invisible, but unconscious.

[Zaleramancer]

The crow had been following them from a distance when they seemed to.. vanish.

Of course, she had scarce time to think of that when her own form changed to something wingless.

The fall had been prolonged, and the final impact rather painful. Luckily this new form seemed quite durable...


Zaya rose from the crater she had made, feeling weak and in pain.. for the first time in literally millennia. It was only when she glanced down that she realized what form she had been forced into, then glance at the surroundings with utter horror.  

She was something.. inhuman. Though the form and number of limbs were right, the flesh seemed more like insect-like chitin or some reddish stone than mammalian skin. The face was mouthless and the eyes flashed like garnets.

The world around her was nothing but red, cracked earth and dust in every direction. Far above, a sun shone seemingly from a distance, half obscured by another world colored blue and green.

Zaya ignored all of this, her attention riveted inward. Words rolled from her unspoken. A litany of rejection.

Not happening. Not happening. Impossible. No this isn't true. Not possible. No. No. No.

She sank down to the dusty ground, hands covering face. Sobbing silently.

Back here. She was here. In the world where it had began for her. The world that she had been tricked into killing.

The world, where as a mortal, she had been born.

[Zaleramancer]

Offense: Success

Amalia remained tense, hands ready. She wasn't entirely certain her foe had been defeated.. after all, everything else had failed...

[Philote]

The Dragonborn open their jaws, revealing their fangs, and bolts of acid roar out towards the newly arrived trio.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

As a hush falls over the arena as nothing happens, Mina motions 2 Tanuki, 2 Shadow-Scarred, and Mikoto over to her, then Mina sends a message to Gilgamesh with one Shadow-Scarred that Hime appears to have been knocked out and is thus unable to fight any longer. Mina then has the Shadow-Scarred, Tanuki, and Mikoto teleport to the arena and find Hime as Mina possesses Mikoto from afar to locate and guide the Tanuki and Shadow-Scarred to where Hime lays unconscious. One Tanuki goes over to Amalia and tells her that Hime's beaten.

[Zaleramancer]

Amalia relaxes. Fatigue hits her like a wave, and she barely manages to totter off the arena towards the hospital beds.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

One of the archers took a spray to the hand, but the mage put up a shield over himself and the other archer. The second archer ducked from behind the barrier and launched three arrows at what looked, to the Boquabians, like nothing.

As the first archer ducked behind the barrier to treat her wounds, the mage made his barrier launch a bolt of magic at the Dragonborn every couple seconds.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Having found Hime, the Shadow-Scarred teleports the Tanuki, Hime, and Mikoto to Mina's temple in Spectropolis for private healing.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Illusia returns to Mina's temple feeling someone teleporting into it. She rushes forward and asks Mikoto, the Tanuki, and the Shadow-Scarred what happened before taking responsibility for watching Hime. The 3 leave Hime in Illusia's care before shifting back to the arena.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Having created the Spellbound group for defense of Lady Mina's lands, Lily, Kyouko, Magnas, and Suna head to the construction site of the Core Temple. Upon arriving, they note that the altars that will be put into the temple have been finished and bless their own altars and Lady Mina's with powers, leaving the other altars alone until the other goddesses under Lady Mina return (-24 motes, Create Artifact x4, Mina's Altar, Lily's and Kyouko's Altar, Suna's Altar, Magnas' Altar).

(Total: 24 motes)

[Philote]

The Dragonborn surged away from the Boquabians, save for the few Boquabians that were small enough to be carried as shields. It was understood that the elves were the main threat, the Boquabians had nowhere to flee this deep within the caves.

Using the Boquabians as a shield, a couple of Dragonborn closed in on the mage first while the rest swarmed between the three targets. The Dragonborn had the advantage, even if the elves proved to be strong, it was 20 Dragonborn against only the three elves.

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Nosey Maggie reached the ocean and departed on her boat. Once she was safely away from the continent, she pulled the strange artifact out of where it had been hidden. The waters around the boat grew darker as the candle's "flame" was revealed to the world. Setting it down before her, Nosey Maggie began to spend her time as she crossed the ocean to study the candle.

Below the waters, the Cecaelia of the sea began to become unexpectedly agitated, circling near the darkened waters of the ocean's surface near the boat. This did not draw Nosey Maggie's attention as she studied the candle until the fin of a giant shark poked its way out of the waters.

[Philote]

Motes Left: 28

"The match goes to Amalia. The next match shall be between the hero Taro and a new entrant for the tournament. It shall begin as soon preparations for the arena have been completed" Gilgamesh informed those in the stadium.

Next to the arena, Bahamut unfurled his wings. The elder dragon slowly rose into the air in full sight of the arena, and climbed into the sky. Once Bahamut had reached the area above Spectropolis' influence, his Divine Artifact, the Nexus Eye, activated. A black cloud grew above Bahamut until a deep shadow was cast over the entire arena. The elder dragon would remain suspended over the arena until the match had ended.

[Mik_Hael]

(Monsterking free action, create divine servitor: Face stealer)

"Well this sucks...trapped in an infinite expanse of memmory with no way to contact the outside world....or even see it for that matter." I sat surrounded by a seemingly infite stream of pictures and scenes of past events only a small amount were mine, and a large chunk seemed to have been ripped out of them....Unfortunately I knew which ones they were, but I couldn't worry about that right now. Whatever was siphoning off my divine energy was still doing it, and fast, whatever they were making was dangerous...but still i can't think about that right now, I have to repair the chunk that was ripped out if I'm going to....

"Hello, Mikhael, King of Monsters."

"What the Heck?" I turned to see a copy of me standing several feet away. "...Well Hello there, who might you be then."

Monsterking: "You of course, although when you were in your prime I suppose. To be honest I was surprised to see how pathetic I had become, but for you to have actually surviived my escape with your mind intact is quite a feat."

"I guess so,, but then again the events of that segment of my past were long, long ago, they don't carry as much weight as they used to."

Monsterking: "Why not, is it because of your new memories then? Grand, In that case you might enjoy this." The god held his hand in front of him and a small portal opened in the crystal, showing a one way viewing of the heroes and gods trapped inside.

"I see, I suppose that is rather interesting then isn't it."

Monsterking: "Are you unfased? No matter, they shall make superb fuel for my device either way."

"hmmm, maybe so, maybe not, but next time who knows, maybe you'll build up the courage to actually meat me in person." I turn back to repairing my memory.

Monsterking: "....Hah." The copy's head crumbles inward, revealing a hollow core before it shatters into dust and dissapears.

"Great, well that's just one more thing to worry about isn't it."
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[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Taro walks into the arena floor, he was glad that he could get his match done now. It was pretty nice walking out in the open during daytime, even if he had to do so under the cover of darkness.

From the opposite end of the arena, Rubi entered and walked forward a few feet. Some would recognize her, but the majority of spectators wouldn't.

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Mikoto gapes at Rubi. What was her great-niece doing down there? She'd be getting a very stern talking to later.

(Total: 24 motes)