Lords of Creation (Story Thread 3)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The Fair One's Pegasus alighted on the blood-caked ground, and as she stepped down from her winged steed, she cast her gaze all about, zapping what nightmare beasts might cross her path. Though, a problem of similar magnitude needed solving first. And, at the risk of upsetting the domains of Mik Hael or the Monster King, she could find no cure without help from her brightest.

That in mind, she closed her eyes, and called out to them, loud as the depths of chaotic nightmare, and yet soft as the daintiest dream.

"Zai. Draias. Harkan. Your goddess beckons you."

[Zaleramancer]

The red horse pawed the ground and glanced at the various monsters.

I suggest you and I dismount, Watchman.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Space-time warped, bent and rippled. The sound of Uburra-Namall's voice wafted through the air like a pleasant scent, more seen and felt, than heard. An instant after it dissipated, once again, into the rest of the chaos of battle, Uburra-Namall's three brightest minds stood before her.

"Yes, mistress?" Zai looked down, "Hey, what happened to my armor?"

"I left it back in the battle field, fighting for you, my dear Thinker." Uburra-Namall responded, "Now, Zai. I want you to meet Draias and Harkan. Harkan and Draias, meet Zai the Thinker. Zai is gifted in the fields of mathematics, logistics and physics. Harkan is a doctor, skilled in biology, chemistry and medicine. And Draias...well, let's see...physics, chemistry, forensics, psychology, sociology, biology, botany, engineering, invention, philosophy, religion...well, the list is quite extensive."

The thinkers got quickly acquainted, and Uburra-Namall continued, "And you, my dear mortals, meet my comrades, The Watchman and Zaya. Much as I would love to talk about their domains, I feel I've been chatting a bit too much already. Let's get going, shall we? We have much work to do..."

They would be allowed to ask questions along the way into the Centaur village.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Watchman jumps off the back of the horse, looking out to see the nightmare things running about. Well, he knew what he could do at least.

"Don't trouble yourself with these things. Allow me to clean up while the smart people do the thinking."

He speared his hands out and forced his will into the ground around them. Dirt and grass were thrown up as deep groves dug themselves into the dirt, interlacing into a pattern. First an oval. Around it, a circle. Around that, a lattice of triangles and squares. Perhaps it was just an aftereffect of Namall presence, but the pattern was strangely beautiful.

A spark jumped from his hand into the pattern filling the clearing. The whole thing lit up, glowing soling milky grey. Then the pattern lifted itself from the ground like molten steal out of a mold. The great eye opened up.

At that opportune moment, one of the goblins decided to test it's luck. It leapt, bereft of sense at the Watchman. He caught the beast by it's throat and held it up to the symbol floating in the sky. It's gaze seemed to intensify on the creature.

"Brother Eye?" he called up to it. "Do you see this?"

It narrowed. The Watchman threw the goblin in the air.

"Kill."

The thing wasn't even away from him for a second before a beam of divinity came down like the wrath of god from the eye, boring through the creatures skull leaving it mostly intact but completely dead.

"And don't you stop until there's not one left."

The symbol ascended into the sky over the island, seeing to grow bigger and bigger as it went. There was a tiny flash of light from the iris, and something that looked like shooting stars descended down over the island. They scattered into the trees, as though alive, and from the jungles came screams and gibbers cut short.

"Now all you have to worry about are the berserkers."

(Create Divine Artifact: Supremely Accurate Laser Spammer, Brother Eye.)

[Zaleramancer]

 Intriguing. I doubted that the sciences were discovered as of yet.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Oh, indeed." Zai nodded, "The Fair Goddess has introduced us to many things. The workings of matter, and mind, and heart and spirit. "

Draias concurred, "Indubitably. As we learn to perceive the beauty in all the essence of nature, and come to love and appreciate every facet of mortal and immortal existence...we come closer, day by day, to favor from the Divine. Isn't that right, my lady?"

Uburra-Namall smirked.

Zai added, "Case and point? Our very meeting, this day, noble goddess."

He put his hand on Harkan's back, and attempted to mount. Harkan glared daggers at him, in response.

"How vulgar, boy! Get yourself off me!" the Centaur was outraged, "I don't know how your kind go about in public, young Boquabian, but where I come from, we aren't so fresh! Especially not with our elders! And your colors don't deceive me; you're a boy!"

He snorted, and picked up his pace, trotting ahead, until he was side by side with the deities' steeds. The Centaur mumbled to himself, he might be better suited chatting with them than silly mortal two-leggers, anyhow.

[Zaleramancer]

Ah, but how through is this knowledge? Do you comprehend the depths of Quantum Mechanics or the mysteries of Retroviruses, or are you still a lesser age? I would be surprised if your Goddess herself understood these. She never struck me as a towering intellectual of the natural sciences, though a native expert at the realms of psychology and other people-oriented ones, I would expect.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Uburra-Namall blinked, "Yes, my expertise is less technical. I am no engineer, and no scientist. Matters of the heart matter most to me. Though, I do pay attention to others of you. And where I see my subjects need improvement, I give them passion and inspiration and creativity to improve. My greatest export is ambition."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Within the walls of Spectropolis, the Veteran was very confused.

He had once asked, purely to intimidate, is some villain were trying to teach a group of Boquabians an elaborate traditional folk-dance while it was obvious that they were, in fact, killing them.

Now he honestly wasn't sure.

Everywhere, every monster and nightmare on the street were both trying their best to slaughter the inhabitants of the city and pulling off one of the most intricate and impressive synchronized dance numbers he had ever seen. He watched as a line of goblin made their way to a defensive line of ever race that had shown up to the tournament, in lockstep and snapping their fingers.

Even more strangely, some seemed to succumb to the allure of the Rhythm (for there was, he noticed, a Rhythm that seemed to waft up from the very streets). Such people were immediately taken off the line, and bound with silken thread before the began to dance. He could see a pile of them, all bobbing their heads in unison.

He reached into his cape, pulled out a jar of purest moonshine, drank the whole thing, and flouted down right on top of a giant who was pirouetting dangerously close to the group and boring it to the earth. He stepped off of it's mangled skull and strode up to the nearest Vandal, who looked intently relieved to see him. "Girls." he said, voice hollow. "What the Sam Hell has gone on since I left?"

"Well sir, we don't know. But I think things have gotten rather silly." Replied Sisters.

The pair share a moment of silence, content with the fact that truer word have never been spoken.

"Are we winnin?"

"Oh yes sir! They can't fight very well as long as they dance."

"Good enough for me!" He throws open his cape, and a pair of very confused watchdogs fall out. "Ha! I had them since before I was a GOD!" He takes the pair of dogs and runs power through them, as much as he can hampered by the city. The dogs begin to stabilize, lose their core essence and begin to unravel. Once they're good and doughy, he takes them and shaves them together.

The result is tall, sleek, and grey. It stands as tall as a horse, with a more pronounced neck. It's ears are enormous, swinging all the way past it's knees. It blows and steam pulls out from it's nostrils. The Veteran hops up on it, spawning a saddle under him as he does so. From nowhere, he pulls a sword. "Right then, listen up all!"

The impromptu army now stairs up at the man. He cuts an impressive figure on that steed of his.

"I'm the dirty god of war and I'll direct this battle personally! Now, who wants to help me ride these things out of our city!?"

There was a wild shout. Yep, their city. They were here. They fought for it. It belongs to them.

"That what I wanted to hear!" He steered his beast around to face the goblins, and charged. No one even hesitated to charge with him.

(I don't know what to call what I just did with the watchdogs.)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Aox was entranced by the sound. Ever since he had been defeated at the tournament, he'd been desperate to become stronger, to become his own vision of heroic. It was his only wish. To make his God proud and to protect his people by being a great hero.

This was his deepest desire and without realizing that he was speaking aloud, he whispered this to the staff.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

The colossi marched across the ocean, the waves slapping at their chests. As they left the lands of Crav they began to split off each heading for a different location amongst the many surrounding lands of the other Gods. The One at the forefront, that carried the God of Crafting, headed for Uburra-Namall. He stood stoic and imposing atop the Colossus' back.

...but it was hard to appear imposing when you kept interrupting yourself with an impatient female voice.

"What exactly is your plan here Crav? Ride in on a massive stone man and then what? I'm sure your girlfriend can handle herself."

"For the last time Sonia, she is not my.....girlfriend. I simply wish to help her."

"Crav, I'm in your head.....I know what you're actually thinking. You can;t hide your feelings for her from me."

"Could I just say something?"

"Ugh, what is it?"

"We're here...."

Stretched before the colossus were the beauteous lands of Uburra-Namall. With a few massive strides that shook the ground the colossus made its way ashore and began its march inland.

[Zaleramancer]

Power.

Raw. Intoxicating. Alien. Pure.

What is a hero?

An agent of civilization who gains renown by fighting the monsters that people fear?

A legend of power and cunning?

A person? An Ideal?

No matter.

The power of the staff infused Aox. It coiled in muscles and mind, strengthening body and thought. Senses blossomed and grew, he could hear the far off words of people and see entire new bands of color and light. Other new senses unfolded, telling him of the many monsters outside, of the currents and pathways of power in the world, of the land of Mina staunchly failing to force out the staff.

Ask and it shall be given. Want and it shall become real.

Heroes are creatures of renown. Go forth and let others know of your power. Let them know of your strength and valor.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"What gives you the right to command me?" the watcher said.

There was something in it. It was afraid, but more than that there was an anger there smoldering like a fire under the surface.

[Philote]

Pantheo stopped at the edge of the Tower before taking off.

"Is it not your job to deliver information?" Pantheo said as he turned his head so that one red eye was focused on the Watcher. "Your life is in my hands Watcher and you will carry out the deed simply because I commanded it." The curse soaked itself into the Watcher, not by any act of Divine power on Pantheo's part, but simply because the Watcher had put itself in the path of the Spirit's wrathful gaze. "Do not let me see you again Watcher, you will not like the consequences." (Cursex6).

With that, Pantheo lifted into the air and flew for Mina's lands.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The watcher flouted off in a daze, spasming every so often out of shear bloody mindedness, toward the Watchman's location.

A pair of shadows detached themselves from the wall and flouted over to him.

"That was foolish." said one of them, gazing up at it's sibling.

"It is unlikely any of us would have obeyed to one of his commands." said the other.

"That doesn't stop it from being foolish."

"Do this because I'm more powerful. Do this or I'll hurt you."

"He has no self awareness at all."

"I wonder, were this scene viewed from the outside, which would be the hero and which would be the monster?"

[Philote]

Pantheo soared over the waters, quickly arriving to the black dome that covered Mina's lands. The flowing paths of powers drew Pantheo's sight to his foe.

"You are the Monster King, are you not?" Pantheo challenges "Face me in combat. I will quench my thirst for Conflict with your blood!"

[Zaleramancer]

Head nodding, the figure beckoned Pantheo with his dark blade.

[Philote]

A black great sword forms again out of Yojimbo's Spirit and his Divine Artifact Muramasa in Pantheo's upper right hand.

"We will see whose sword is greater" Pantheo calls as he drives the sword to crush the Monster King against the barrier.

[Zaleramancer]

Sword met sword in a titanic clash, with the furious power of Muramasa against the dark hunger of the other.

The Dark Sword drank of the power furnished to it, and redoubled it's efforts against the other artifact.

[Philote]

"I have already bested one with that power today Monster King" Pantheo roars.

His Power, his Domains, and his Spirits all churned madly within him as he attacked again. Pantheo would not wait for the Spirit to consume so much of his power this time, he would strike with the fulness of his force. Calling on Lore's Artifact control, Pantheo places the rushing powers of the Well of Eternity within his blade and thrusts it towards his foe (Smitex4).

(There is a size difference between Monster King and Pantheo, right?)