Lords of Creation (Story Thread 3)

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Never assume anything about another gods creation. They could have a surprise inside, you never know. I once knew a guy, he called it Black Box Programming. Things that were so well hidden within a creation that not even it knew. That reminds me. We may be walking into trouble, after all."

Divine power flared within the Watchman, cracking in his fist, extending into a familiar shape. Every other time, he had created through a catalyst. Not now. This was all of him.

It warped into being with the cracking sound of displaced air, sliding down into his palm. Comfortably. He looked at it, feeling a mix of nostalgia tinted with revulsion. A double headed battle axe, it's handle a gleaming blood red. It's teeth glowed white. It had no adornments, but emanated a power. He let it slide till he had a grip on the end and gave a practice swing. There was a crackle as the air was parted. For a millisecond, all the was in the blades arc was space before a snap singled the air coming back together, filling the tear.

The Equalizer, so named because everything that stood in the blades path was cut. Version one had given out it's share of quick deaths. He hoped he wouldn't have to use version 2 tonight.

(Divine Artifact, 32-12=20 Motes remaining. The Equalizer: A weapon that does not discriminate between anything in it's path, able to slice anything equally.)

[Philote]

"I'm surprised Watchman. You do not seem like one to create something so destructive. This task must be something you consider to be very serious" Gilgamesh observes.

"I may as well prepare myself as well" Gilgamesh looks distant for a moment as he sends thoughts through the Grand Mind "Deva will meet us as we arrive at the continent."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Have you ever heard of a glorious revolution, Gilgamesh?" he says, wistfully turning the tool over in his hands. "It's where the one in power realizes that they can't possibly win, so they give up. Hand over power with no fuss and no bloodshed. They're called "glorious" because they happen so rarely. Most often it comes down to a dagger and a darkened room, or a chopping block and a cheering crowed. I prefer the block. Sends a message."

[Philote]

"That does not sound like any sort of leader that would thrive in my land" Gilgamesh replies

(Shall we set off? This is going to be tricky without many posts from Jester or Zale.)

[Zaleramancer]

"Where too?" Tez and Dez inquired simultaneously, while Madame Gant hiccuped nervously.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Northwest across the sea, to the island with the large crystal tree. That's where he makes his home."

[Zaleramancer]

Once again, their physical forms were lost as they transformed into twirling and whirling wind, lifting the other gods into the air and towards the north and west.

The Forewoman watched as they left. Glancing back into the cave, she waddled and wheezed towards the Mirror.

"So that's the Watchman? Huh. He seems interesting."

A whisper of thought replied..

Indeed..

[Philote]

Gilgamesh rides along with the wind, keeping mental contact with Deva as she traveled to intercept them. Deva had assumed the body of a winged creature and was using a series of portals to shorten her distance.

"The Monster King is surely going to be displeased with this many Spirits arriving on his land seeking to do whatever they deem necessary to accomplish their goal. A war between us Spirits would stir up a grand amount of conflict though."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Watchman touches down upon the crystal twisted Land of Mik Hael, and is already striding up to the door before that. He lays his hand upon it and pushes slightly, the large door sliding open with ease. Not locked. Open. A great sucking in of breath is heard.

"MIK HAEL!" a thousand voices echo across the crystalline hallways as things twist and skitter in the roots below. He waits anxiously for a reply. None comes. He waits perhaps a little to long, tense. He truly wanted at least someone to answer. Someone to show up and talk with his, to invite them in, for this not to be as grim as it looked.

Gil made his comment and just for a moment The Watchman hated him for putting it out in the open like that.

He stood in that doorway for as long as he dared to hope. He was disappointed how quickly that time passed.

"Fine then. I guess we've disregarded hospitality." he said gravely.

He strode inside, Equalizer resting light across his shoulders.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Uburra-Namall approached the rough and rugged crafter god Crav, with a coy smirk. She could feel a low simmering heat build in her chest. And she realized, perhaps his rough edges weren't so rough after all. If nothing else, he certainly had good taste.

"Tell me, Master Crafter." she eyed him, enjoying the intentions she imagined he had, "Surely, you must be tired after your trip. Might I make something for you to eat? Offer you...a place to sleep?"

[Philote]

Gilgamesh watched in silence as the Watchman strode inside Mik Hael's palace. Something big was going to happen and Gilgamesh was prepared to tip events in a way to benefit himself.

Deva landed behind him, finally having caught up with the group to provide backup. "We are going to do a test run of the Soul Shard, we have to be strong enough to face whatever may be inside" he says to her. Deva simply nods in approval, she was not as confident as Gilgamesh was in the Divine Artifact, but she had no room to bring up dissent.

Gilgamesh holds an armored hand over her head and power arcs from his chest where the Divine Artifact was held to the Deva's forehead. She floats for a moment, becoming more Spirit than flesh, before her divine energies are swept up inside Gilgamesh.

The results are instant and dramatic. Gilgamesh's muscels explosively expand as Deva's domain of the body replace Gilgamesh's flesh with a perfectly formed Dragonborn host. Deva's own Divine Artifact, the Dragon's Crown, moves to join into a helmet upon Gilgamesh's Golden Dragonscale Armor.

Gilgamesh observes his new body, he was stable for the moment. He was one body but still equally two Spirits. With heavy steps, Gilgamesh follows the Watchman into the palace.

[Zaleramancer]

"I can feel her in there." Dez said quietly, looking as Gant and Tez nodded. The two twins glanced off into the distance, observing a small spot growing closer.

"I thought they'd show up." Dez whispered.

As one, the group of gods entered the dome of crystal.

---

What?

Zaya rose in a pillar of darkness.

They come

[Zaleramancer]

Looking up at the sea of memories, Zaya glanced away towards the Babysitter.

I thank you. You have given me more than you could possibly imagine.

Straight backed and sure, the ancient laughed.

I know what I must do.

Hand held out to the endless parade of memories, she said a single shining word. It flowed like quicksilver, meaning undecipherable. The scent of sulfur and something sickly sweet billowed outwards with the sound, which left a soft ringing.

Like falling stars, darts of silver flew out of the deep sea of the mind. They rippled and swam, tessellated and climbed towards the two gods, pooling into an orb of silver in Zaya's outstretched hands.

Ah, Magic. Even so diminished, I can still pride myself on my mastery of it.

The voice rang tired with the goddess's effort.

Turning, she held out the small, silvery orb to the Babysitter.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Crav blushed inwardly at the Beautiful goddess' offer. He bowed his head affectionately and held her gaze. "A place to sleep would be wonderful. "

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Babysitter.

She had seen it in young Zaya's face, when she'd looked at Him. That look. The look she'd seen on the faces of the village girls, her friends, when the soldiers had paraded through town, when the nobles sons ventured out for a night of fun. The look that came when the promises were exchanged and and the plans were made. Promises and Plans that, it turned out, never amounted to anything the next morning.

Young women could be brought to ruin by such a look, she knew this from observation, a ruin that was almost complete. To have lessened that pain was a reward all in itself.

She accepted the orb graciously. "It was my pleasure." But then she went back to what the goddess had said before. "But wait a minute, who's coming? Those giants?"

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The Watchman

He came upon a room of sleeping bodies. He could see The Babysitter and the Reasonable, passed out side by side. He saw the god who was with Mik Hael, in the stands at the tournament, laying amid at least half the participants he had sent.

The other half stood by Grace, the Death goddess, the lot of them looking worried.

He was glad he hadn't kicked open the doors, or sliced them apart, as every dramatic bone in his body had so urged him to. This would be a mite more awkward then.

Then he heard Gil stride in in full battle dress. This was probably still going to be awkward. Oh well.

"Grace." he said, his voice amicable. His grip on the axe relaxed. "I got worried because I hadn't heard back from you. What happened?"

[Philote]

"Shouldn't something have reacted to us by now?" Gilgamesh questions "Even disregarding the circumstances we are in, something should of kept us from walking in so freely."

[Zaleramancer]

Speculator belli iter ad Dominum et Canis malum. Sequimur in eorum excitate.

She twisted and whispered.. words flowed like water..

Rhaid imi ymddiheuro am yr hyn yr wyf yn ei wneud yn awr.
Yn hedfan i ffwrdd watcher bach.
Yr wyf yn anfon i chwi oll y fi yw hwnnw.


Flashes of color and sound dance swirl around, obscuring the world of memories.

Elhaz.

A glimmering shape wraps around the Babysitter.

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Gant comes to a dead stand still, glancing at the others loitering around outside the doors.

"Do you feel that?"

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One of the oldest and most basic principles of magic.. Like calls to Like.

The law of Sympathy.

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"ANCHOR!" The twins shout at once as they begin to feel the tug.

Gant lets out a strange growl as she stomps her feet down.

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The glowing orb pulls at the Babysitter, as Zaya waves.

She was far to old.. far to many memories for this to work..

But such a young mind, cloaked in the oldest of magics.. calling to the others..

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The world..

         B

                    E

                               N

                                            D

                                                      S

As everything swirls to a single point. The might of the crystal fights against it- just as Zaya strikes, channeling a single word that calls forth everything she has at her disposal.

She waves as the Babysitter vanishes.

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A pulsing rainbow twisting hole in reality opens up, spitting the Babysitter out. She collides with Gant and the Twins.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Babysitter, well, she felt very strange. She looked around, saw the walls of the palace, and knew what must have happened.

"I'm out?" she said, to no one in particular. A fire lit in her soul and she leapt up off of the pair of kids she'd landed on, heedless.

"No! Zaya, that's not how it was suppose to go at all! You don't get to save me while I'm in  trying to save you, that's not how this works!" She shouted at nobody, before charging back down the hallway toward the central crystal room.

Gant, Dez, and Tez hear a low clearing of the throat behind them a moment later.

The Veteran stands there, flanked by a pair of watchers. "My boss is in there, right? I've been trying to do this thing with these dragon guys, but things keep happenin."

[Zaleramancer]

"Yes." Gant said simply as she stood, brushing herself off.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Then, it would please me to escort you all inside." He said. "Honestly, I'm not so sure what's going on."