Lords of Creation (Story Thread 3)

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Don't call me that....." she murmurs slightly. "Don't.... you aren't my sister.... my sisters are all dead. We were fighting the dark in that little cave, full of rainbow people. We had a line," she intones, and Jassi can feel the chitinous hands of the girl dig into her everywhere. "But something happened." she continues, fervor building in every word. "We lost sight, we lost rank, the line...the line... the line was GONE! But I didn't care, because I hated the rainbow people. I don't know why. I... I hit them. And they hit me back. And I didn't care because I loved it. And then the dark came in and everything was screaming and blood and teeth and I didn't care because I LOVED IT!"

She goes limp in the goddess arms, the fight seeming to flow out of her with the recollection. "And then I didn't anymore."

"and my sisters were all dead."

"and the dark was all dead."

"and all the rainbow people that were left started crying."

"And then I was alone."

The last thing is a whisper, one that would strain a watchdog senses of hearing to the brink.

"We only wanted to help....."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The Seven-Sin Sisters trembled in unison with the Vandal's recollection. Surely, now that they had been taken from the care of their darling mistress Uburra-Namall, and Khadai was nowhere to be seen, and they could not cower behind her twin Jissei for comfort, Jassi would beat them or worse, for their subconscious part in the mayhem. They had, after all, been some part of these monstrous beasts. Those foul abominations were proud, and wrathful, and lustful, and greedy, and envious, and gluttonous, and those dead had even been slothful.

It was imminent, they simply knew it. No other justice would rightly serve the limp, sobbing Vandal. The goddess looked over her shoulder to them, and they shrank back from her in a nervous huddle, afraid even to look upon her, let alone touch her. That eerie glow. They had seldom seen that glow before, that aura of unbridled goodness about Jassi's chaste and maidenly form.

Once, as she began teaching The Five how to be warriors. And again, when she saw them in the tournament at Spectropolis. And again, when the Five began their fighting in that tournament. And again...in the midst of the battle that had just ensued over the course of the previous days...

And every time, just as now, it shivered up and down their backs with the deepest vexation. Not that glimmering anger that she and Uburra-Namall felt toward the monsters, but something like it...perhaps in reverse, or not. Their chests clenched; their hands trembled, and a sneaking mistrust curled up out of their stomachs, binding them from head to toe.

Though, their botheration made no difference to Jassi. In fact, she somewhat relished it. Impish girls they were, it was about time they learned some responsibility.

"Here, Slomna." Jassi turned, turning the girl over to Sloth's Handmaiden, "You heard the girl. She wants to help. So, I've purged her heart of the woes that plagued her; all she needs now is to slow down. Heart, mind, body, everything. She needs a good rest. Slow her until her body refuses any longer to be slow, and then call me."

Slomna took the girl into her arms before she could think to protest. And then Jassi snapped her fingers, and the remaining sisters' attentions returned to Jassi, fiercely bright-eyed and radiant in her goodness.

"Nasta." she continued, "Go out, and find the angry ones. With your touch, drain their anger out of them, until they can't be angry anymore. They'll pass out, since that's all the feeling they can feel about now. Then, Slomna, visit them, too. And Eda, find food for the hungry. And Prasim, find resources for the sick and wounded. And then Slomna, when they've had their fill, visit them, too. And Indiva, those who envy the dead will need your consolation. And Vai, those who hate themselves will need your uplifting. And then, Slomna, when they've been lifted out of their low places, visit them, too. And Desra."

Desra stepped forward, playing nervously with her hair and trying her hardest to steel herself against her own nerves, "Y-yes?"

"Loved ones are missing each other." Jassi did not take her eyes off of Lust's Handmaiden, "Bring husbands back to their wives, wherever you may find them. Let them sense one another, through the realms of the preternatural, until they find one another again. And when they are safe together, content in each other's arms...Slomna, visit them."

Jassi waved a hand, and it caught the girls off guard, but she turned to them, her clear, beautiful eyes fierce in their wordless command, and they immediately obeyed--with Slomna at the head of them! When they were out of sight, the Pure One turned back to the Veteran, crossing her arms in a sort of righteous triumph.

Surely, there were more who required her healing attention. She could feel it in her bones.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Lord Omni, One Above All. The Veteran grinned at the remaining god in the room, large and genuine and bursting with relief.

"There are more like her. More them pretty sisters of yours can't help like that. C'mon, the-"

"We did some good, right?" comes the weak voice of the tired Vandal. "I have to know. Did any of Draias group get away?"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Jassi turned, her dress flowing silently on imperceptible, lavender-fragrant winds. On effortless tiptoe, she strode toward the just-above-a-whisper, and knelt at her side, until the two were nearly nose to nose.

Though she was not morbid, she could summon nothing of a cheerful note to her voice. Nor did she desire to.

"Many died." the Pure One began, placing a hand on the Vandal's shoulder, "Many were wounded. But Draias is alive, and a great deal of his party with him. And some success, for righteousness' sake, is certainly better than none, for lack of trying. Forgive me for being philosophical...as many as could be saved, were saved. As many as had fulfilled lives of goodness, or gone beyond the point of redemption from evil, have moved on. Indeed, the fallen of Uburra-Namall's beloved are on their way to eternal joy, peace and love, as we speak."

[Zaleramancer]

It is said that rivers are roads. Roads of water and sand and silt. Sprawling across the land like the veins of the world, they pump the life of commerce and trade that keep civilization alive.

But rarely do the people think of them as roads of another kind.

Roads from which strange things can travel from the depths of the mighty sea.

Along one of these roads of the water, a wave traveled. It lapped docks and swayed the few boats that traveled now. It touched the shores and swept over sand.

Not a natural wave at all, but the disturbance of something massive in fluid motion.

Past the grand city of Spectropolis something dark went.

Then it rose, sending forth a surge that lapped the docks and harbor.

A mountain of coarse, lumpy flesh the purple color of bruised skin. Vast tentacles slithered upwards, things larger than trees. One of them flowed out over the city, reaching for one of the flitting Watchers.  

[Zaleramancer]

Across the city and down a river, a ship was traveling the last few miles to the docks.

A magnificent and bizarre ship it was, gleaming like oil as sunlight glinted off her metal coat. A tall chimney-like stack blew a sparkling green smoke in regular puffs from it, propelling it at a break-neck speed.  

Standing on the deck was a Dwarf dressed in finery, dark and blue. His beard shone like black wool, carefully groomed. His eyes were fixed upon the distance. While the sailors, dwarven and draemar and human, skittered across the deck, he remained unmoved.

None approached him.

=======

To the north and west of the city, a flight of Divinities swept downwards.

Hazet, wings mighty and shining, came first and foremost. Dressed in fine robes and jewelry, his hands held no scepter, only a sharp and glittering spear. A spear that made no threats or warnings, no blustering of mystique or magic. Only brutal, deathly power.

To his left came a fluttering draemar for whom age seemed to bear an almost tangible weight. His clothing was dusty and dark, and no gems flashed on his hands. His eyes flashed though, with a vibrant and almost unholy energy. They seemed to watch for weakness with all the mercy of a shark.

In short, he was nothing short that the God of all lawyers.
 

To Hazet's right was a woman who seemed to be untouched by the formality of the occasion. Her hair was an explosion of frazzled ends. Ink stained her hands and slim robes, coating her sleeves in a dripping and dark mess. Her eyes roved everywhere and her hands twitched spastically. The last few days had been hell for her.

All about them flew and flitted the tiny forms of Bright-Singers, tolling out vibrant notes.

The Divine Host lit the sky like a musical second sun, as it descended upon the city.

====

Outside the gates of the city, a spark appeared. It was blue and danced across dirt and stone. Another appeared. And another.

The dance of sparks zapped circular on the dirt, beating out an electric tattoo. Shadowy figures moved within. With a final zap, each spark exploded into a pillar of green fire and vanished.

Inside the circle of soot and scent of striking lighting stood several robed and hooded figures. Though of different heights and races, each bore the long and bright robes of initiates of Draemar Sorcery. Violet runes crawled across what little skin they showed, and the many-colored designs of rank and power glowed dimly on their clothing. They formed a circle around a single, tall figure.

Her robes bore symbols so bright that no mortal eye could stand it. The signs of magic danced around her in a brilliant array, forming and dissolving in patterns beyond ken. The buzzing hum of sorcery and the arid scent of powerful magic swelled around her, so strong that even the Divine would notice it's irksome presence. She was a draemar woman of grand age and great height. Golden of hair and skin, her bright eyes looked about like molten metal.

"Let us go." Her vibrant and melodious voice announced.

[Zaleramancer]

On a nearby house, a great bird perched.

No, not quite a bird.

Though dark feather and sharp talons it had, no beak grew from it's head.

Only a human face, female and ageless, with silver eyes.

It watched the Watchman, well aware of the irony of the state.

[Zaleramancer]

From the south east, a.. something soared towards the city.

It moved as if forged from mercurial silver, features in constant flux. Long and sinuous, wings expanded along it's length. They beat and moved and contracted in a manner quite boneless, the only stable features it had. Gleaming scales flickered across it's length, only to be replaced by long and fine hair. Legs of the hoofed and chitinous variety appeared and vanished with equal speed. Fins and gills were replaced with feathers and claws, in a fluxing chaos of animal features.

A head like a lizard morphed into one of a human, then into something feline and feathery.

The stumbling, tumbling grab-bag of this God-Beast shambled through the air.

[Philote]

The very image of Gilgamesh travels down the streets of Spectropolis, coming to answer the call of the Watchman. Gil the Second personified Gilgamesh in one of his earliest forms and possessed many of the traits that were iconic to the fallen Spirit. Instead of armor of gold, bones covered Gil and his six arms. His Artifact and focus for his powers, the Scabbard of Many Blades, was strapped to his back.

With the loss of their Pantheon, the spirit of heroism had dimmed in many of the heroes. Gil had persevered though, as the one hero most closely connected to Gilgamesh, to lead the Council is the slow restoration of the land. Now, Gil had become the chosen representative of his people to meet face with the Spirits in his Pantheon's place. He had come alone, and now he strode towards the dome that would hold the meeting, ignoring the aid of the Watchers he had passed in order to display an air of confidence.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Veteran

As if with this last assurance some heavy weigh were lifted from her, the Vandals body losses all tension and she sinks, gently, to the floor. Her face, what can be read of it, seems peaceful. At least more so that she was moments before.

The Veteran clears his throat to draw Jassi's attention. "Sorry to say, she ain't the only one suffering from that sort of disease. But," he sighs with obvious relief, "she was the worst. Come on."

He leads the goddess back out onto the street and gives out a hearty below. After a few moments, a watchdog roughly the size of a horse bounds out of the sky and kneels obediently. He heaves himself up onto the beast, and extends his arm to the Pure One. "C'mon, we got tons of work ahead."
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The Docks

As the Leviathan emerges from the depths, the populace working there scatters in primal terror. Witness begin appearing over the rooftops and out of every alley, converging on the dock and surrounding the beat to the best of their ability, though no battle is joined just yet.

The Watcher that it reached for screamed and vanished form view, reflexively.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To the north and west of the city.

The Watchman couldn't help but feel that Hazets entrance was just slightly ostentatious, but then again who was he to talk. He shifted the load of lobotogod so that he could wave the lot down.

He waved his hand to himself in a vague direction, and a pair of watchers detach from the shadows. He gestures to the host, and the pair shoot up without question to guide them to the meeting place.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside the southern gates of the city

"Damn, that was impressive!" comes a deep, raspy voice from the shadows of the gate. "What do we have that can do that?"

Before anyone of the draemars acolytes can answer, a response comes from the other side. Deeper, rumbling, and loud. "MAYBE A DOOR?"

The first voice responds in kind. "Maybe, but then what about the fire effect?"

"We can set the door on fire before throwing it, and see if that works." Comes anther voice from the figure strolling out to meet the sorcerers.

The reaction is immediate and unanimous. A group of figures join the one walking out, all speaking at once.

"How are we going to get someone to give us a door?"
"That could work. That could actually work."
"We should catch an animal to sent through first, just to be safe."
"WE HAVE THE BEST IDEAS!"
"We'll test it right after this! It'll be awe~some!"
"Last time we worked with fire, the results were kind of crazy."
"Isn't a door just wood? Would it react differently than just plane wood? Maybe the symbol is more important than the object."
"Guys, shut up for a second. I have to ask these guys a question."

The motly crew clams up enough, and the group moves close enough for detail to appear.

In everything but diversity the groups are total opposites. They wore no robes, the closest thing to a uniform being the numerous bags, satchels, flasks, and various odds and ends objects all lashed haphazardly to their person. The close they wore were simple, drab, and had seen some serious ware and tear in the last few days. Much of their equipment looked homemade, or scavenged. They carried themselves casually, with seemingly no formal rank amongst them. There was no sort of indication to the normal eye that this group was anything more than either down on their luck travelers at best, or hobos at worst. Except that the sacks, the flasks, the packs, every object in their vicinity in fact, seemed to prime itself like a explosive, a small spark within every grain of sand shifting subtly to try and reach out to be noticed.

Nowhere was this more apparent then in the Vandal that broke away from the group to approach the sorcerers. No different than the others in terms of power. But the power all around seemed to reach for her, this vision of youthful exuberance. She stopped right outside the soot circle with a little bounce.

"Hey!" she greets cheerfully, placing her upper pair of arms behind her head and shielding her eyes with one of her lower ones. "So, like, no offence meant or anything like that but me an my students here" she tilts her head at the grope behind her, "were told to stop anyone suspicious trying to enter the city, because the big god that runs this place is all paranoid about revenge plans being in place from that monster jerk. He's kind of paranoid. Actually, we kind of volunteered to get out of the real work and do our own thing. We kind of weren't expecting anyone to actually show up here. But, you know, unexpected things happen. Like you guys. Sorry," Horizons says, giggling. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Seriously though, I'm gonna need, like, your name."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Southeast Gate

"What," said the Watcher duly assigned to man this gate to it's partner, "in the name of the deep merciless void is that thing?"

"Uhhhhhhh...... I'unno." he replied.

The fluid, shifting beast, born aloft in way that could not be determined or understood by the pair, was steadily moving closer. by now, people were beginning to take notice. No one screamed, exactly. But the wall was suddenly much emptier.

"It's not one of ours."
"Uh-huh"
"And most of the gods are accounted for now, right? Here, right?"
"I'unno."
"Think it's hostile?"
"I'unno."
"I mean, it wouldn't start something, right? Not with them all in the city."
"I'unno"
"You know what, go round up some guys. I'll just wait here. I'd rather talk to this guy while he's in the city's field."

The Watchers partner flouts off leisurely, presumably to gather a group of Witnesses or maybe take a nap. The lone Watcher waited on the parapet as the thing oozed closer.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Jassi looked up, nodded, and levitated to her feet. Before the Veteran had even spoken, hurting cries of the afflicted rang in her ears, reverberated in her heart. Like an eerie magnetism, their hopes, their prayers, their hurt, their curses all drifted like invisible specters toward her, haunting her mind and plaguing her senses. Though, an eerier magnetism drew her to them, despite the wear they would have had on a lesser being.

She was, indeed, no lesser being. No, she was more than up to the task. And there was so much work to do. So much she wanted to do, along with what she had to. In response to their hurt and their hatred, she radiated an echo of her dear sister. Not simply love, but hope in the past, hope in the present, and hope to come. And if they did nothing more than receive that, and die, it would make her efforts, otherwise in vain, all worth it.

That in mind, she clasped her hands, once more in a posture of prayer without conscious effort. Poised in pure and effortless chastity, she strode after the Veteran, with eyes and heart each vigilantly open.

[Zaleramancer]

The Docks

There was a brief reverberation that could have easily been confused with a small earthquake, another tentacle snaked out. This one held a scroll of tightly rolled rubbery, brownish paper substitute, which was waved blindly around in the general vicinity of where the Watcher had been.

An image of a stylized azure wave was emblazoned upon it.

Northwest of the City

Hazet and his entourage dived to meet the Watchers half way.

The God-Emperor himself paused before them, wings shining brilliantly and spear held loosely.

"I am here for the meeting." His voice rang out like a musical instrument.

Regardless of anything else, Hazet loved a chance to show off his theatrical tendencies.

The South Gate

Several of the Acolytes look at the Vandal with expressions that portrayed two battling emotions: Surprise that lowly common excrement would speak, and a growing outrage that it would speak to their leader.

One of them, a skinny dwarf, stepped forward with eyes burning with shocked fury.

"How da-"

"That's enough." The Woman spoke. She glanced at the assembled crew, her gaze taking details in.

In her eyes glinted a terrible curiosity. Curiosity far beyond mere wondering at the state of things, this was a ravenous hunger for knowledge, a thirst like a dying man in a desert. It was held in check by the natural Draemar disposition towards formality, but only just.

"I am Auda. Adua Wigburg, one of the five high council-members of the Magocracy." She drew a document from her sleeve.

"We are present at the request of Divine Hazet."  Auda carefully revealed the document, which had Hazet's elaborate and shining signature.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Dock

The Watcher tentatively reappears, an awkwardly takes the note in it's folds. This it delivers to one of the Witnesses on the ground, which has the fingers necessary to unfurl the document. The pair of them read quickly.

------------------------------------
Northwest of the City

"Of course, sir." the Watcher replies to the sovereign god. "If you will just follow me. Will you need lodging for your entourage?"

-------------------------------------
The South Gate

Horizon steps lightly to the tall woman and takes the paper from her, scrutinizing it severely for a few moments. Then she sighs deeply, and calls back to her students. "Hey. I don't know how to read."

A Durhian girl breaks off from the group, which had moved up around the edge of the circle and were examining the blackened sand with great interest. She takes the paper from Horizon and reads it aloud for her, stopping one or two times to explain words that Horizon doesn't understand. At the conclusion, she hands the document back to Horizon, who hands it back to Wigburg.

"Sorry about keeping you. I know exactly where this place is. Hard to miss, middle of the city and all that. Just follow me, okay?"

[Zaleramancer]

The Docks

Though the letter was still dripping and smelled heavily of fish, it remained quite readable.

It was a detailed list of various visiting dignitaries invited by Waverider.

One name stood out.

Gartha, of the Kraken.  

The vast mountain of flesh was sinking, shifting and compressing. Tentacles reeled in with great speed. Facial features and limbs thrashed into existence.

Gartha rose in the form of a purple-ish, bald, thirty foot, distinctly unclothed humanoid woman.

She rocked unsteadily in the water, adapting to the human form.

"You surface dwellers have some tiresome custom regarding bodily coverings correct?" Her voice echoed out, shaking a few errant seagulls from the sky.

Northwest Of The City

"They shall accompany me." The God-Emperor said with a tone stating this should have been obvious.

The South Gate

"But of course." Auda said with a trace of humor, gesturing to her acolytes to follow.

The stately procession could now begin.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Docks

The Witnesses begin to back off, they're postures noticeably relaxing. They began to go back to their duties, except for the one who had unfurled the document. People, to, start appearing again, mostly to gawk. The ones that hadn't decided to put as much city as possible between them and any body of water, anyway.

"Oh, I don't suppose that would be a problem." The Watcher states, looking the Kraken up and down. "If we could find someone willing to object to.... hey, this reminds me of a joke! What does a giant sea creature ware? Anything it wan-"

"Will Lady Waverider be joining us herself?" Said the Witness, cutting it off.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest Of The City

They looked over the golden entourage, looked at one another, then did something that might have been a shrug.

"There's no reason we can't fit them all in there."

"They'll have to fly, or course."

------------------------------------------------------------------
South Gate

"Cool beans." Horizons said, leaving her students behind as she lead the group through the gate.

Not 5 seconds later a huge gout of green fire lit up the sky behind them, and muffled bickering could be discerned on the wind.

"Why'd you use a handful, you slack jawed idiot?!"
"Interesting note on the fire: same intensity, same color. Maybe some sort of contamination of the materials?"
"Or lingering magic in the air messing with the process."
"Don't jump to conclusions. It might also be reacting the way we expect it to reacted, in our subcontinent."
"Subconscious, dumb ass!"
"Can we no~t get into the Object v. User effect debate?"
"Whatever, it works based on symbols. What we expect something to do, it does."
"Under that logic, I can make fire from water so long as I believe I can!"
"Guuuuuuuys."
"WE NEED TO FIND SAND LIKE THIS THAT EXISTS IN NATURE, AND TEST THAT!"
"Now see, that's an example of a good idea!

[Zaleramancer]

The Docks

Gartha blinked slowly and tilted her head. "Of course. I merely arrived early so that I could adapt to a humanoid form. No need to embarrass myself stumbling around in front of the others."

Northwest Of The City

"It is for this purpose that they have wings." Hazet said icily, before gesturing with his spear to the entourage.  

"Do you have any further statements describing the obvious, or may we continue?"  He huffed, dripping pomp.

Inside The South Gate

As they muddled their way through the crowed streets, several acolytes sent glancing glares at their escorts.

Their mistress hid a smile behind her long sleeve.

"Perhaps my escort could be housed somewhere more.. to their liking?" Auda announced, clearly in hearing of both Horizons and the acolytes.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, "At least before things start to combust."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The Docks

The Witness bows it's head. "Of course, Lady. Please follow me. You can be seated immediately, or I can take you somewhere to adapt and practice until everyone arrives."

----------------------------------
Northwest Of The City

"Of course, sir."
"Please follow us, sir."

The pair alight down over the city, leading Hazet to the Dome.

---------------------------------
South Street

Horizon puts a hand on what passes for her chin, and tilts her head back at the sky.

"I don't know if I can put you anywhere too fancy. Everything all broken, and this place didn't have very many furnished rooms before it got all screwed up. I think most of the temples got off with only a light pounding, and those were pretty gran-di-ose." She says after some thought, sounding out the last word.

[Zaleramancer]

The Docks

"I shall simply be seated now. Practice will come from walking within this meeting place. I care not what the surface dwellers think, because I will likely never see them again."

The Dome

Hazet and Crew landed grand and shining before the dome. The God-Emperor strode tall and proud into it, ignoring the secretary-goddess behind him as she trod in something dirt-covered and fishy.

South Street

A small voice popped up near the Vandal's head.

I merely wish to be rid of them, if you would be so kind.

Auda winked at Horizons.

[Zaleramancer]

The Docks

The Iron Boat spewed into the harbor, behind the vast head of Gartha.

Several sailors stopped where they stood and gazed drop-jawed at the colossus of a woman.

The noble looking dwarf did not even blink, only narrow his eyes.