- Location
- none of your business
Luna's gonna have fun with that
To the Letter, Or, The Sidereals Deal with an Outside of Context Problem (Exalted/Destiny)
- Thread starter GreggHL
- Start date
- Crossover
End Chapter 15
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
The Right Honorable Spauld lets the stomach bottle bugs finish playing the wedding theme on their kazoos, and places his hands on the heads of the two super-elderly people in front of him. "I now pronounce you man and wife. Don't get too attached."
He smiles as they shuffle out, taking an awkwardly long time to exit his chapel. He sips the long stemmed, pink drink with the umbrella in it, letting the bugs sweep up any messes. The doors open and the Chucklefucks enter.
Five has decided to be the appropriate sacrifice. Or groom. Her adornments have shifted into a shimmering gown of adamant crystalline threads, catching every ray of light and refracting it into a riot of color splayed across the floor and walls. Small heels lift her to the dizzying height of five foot two.
Luna is in a full wedding dress, tinged with red because of all the blood, with a large hat, a blue veil, and four arms for some reason, something about a favorite descendant. The Sidereals follow, Kiddo happy to be involved.
Spauld looks up from his drink. "Hello, and welcome to the-"
He then sees who is with you, screams wordlessly, and dives behind the mirror.
"First time?" Horizons asks.
"There are layers of evil involved," Five explains, "I can go into detail if you wish."
The surface of the mirror distorts, and from it extends the same oily serpent, instinctively covering his third eye. He then looks at Luna. Then at you.
So, I see this is a child wedding, and I'm always down for officiating one of those. Sup, sis?
Five scowls, and it is not the typical anger or hate that one experiences upon meeting the Ebon Dragon. It is self-conscious anger, and she resists using the appropriate charms to fill out the dress more, to prevent the Ebon Dragon from getting under her skin.
Anyway, I don't see Gaia present and I know a kayfabe when I see one ssssssssso how can I help you?
"For one you can officiate the fucking wedding because I did not come here to be made a liar," Five insists, resisting the urge stomp her foot. Star balls her hand and coughs. Kiddo walks around the mirror, holding a hand over Spauld and making a mini Ward of Dawn over the justifiably terrified Fiend.
Giiiiiirl I know Luna's type and she wouldn't fuck you with someone else's dick.
Luna cocks an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
Star sighs and shifts a little, stepping in front of the couple, tying the blindfold tight. "Shadow. You are needed. Luna has a mighty thirst. She requires you to make a yearly visit. It is amazing that this needs to be asked of you, but let it be known, your presence is absolutely requested. There is no greater desire, no greater need, then your presence with her visit. She wishes you to do this freely, for some reason, and it is clear that you mean something to her. Great Dragon, will you be the cherry to her ice cream once a year?"
Star's halo flares up and she throws her arms open as if wanting a hug.
Bloop.
The Dragon strokes his long whiskers.
I liiiiike you. I can see why you have one of Malfeas' balls in your office.
"I hear that a lot."
The Dragon claps his hands together.
Kay. Deal's a deal. We'll chat later.
He points finger guns at Luna and grins with yellow teeth.
Smell you later, Sis.
With that, the mirror turns clear once more and the Ebon Dragon is gone.
"Was he smiling?" Star asks, "Someone would tell me if he was smiling, right?"
"He was absolutely smiling," Luna responds, "And what did he mean about…" Luna turns one of her many eyes to Five and looks upon her Essence. It is hard to read the poker face of the Incarnae of the Moon, but she makes an unmistakable shuffle away from Five.
The young Alchemical dramatically sighs.
"Apparently I have made myself a leper."
Horizons pats her on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. Might make the bosses afraid of you."
Star, still blindfolded, crashes through the table with the punch bowls.
End Chapter 15
He smiles as they shuffle out, taking an awkwardly long time to exit his chapel. He sips the long stemmed, pink drink with the umbrella in it, letting the bugs sweep up any messes. The doors open and the Chucklefucks enter.
Five has decided to be the appropriate sacrifice. Or groom. Her adornments have shifted into a shimmering gown of adamant crystalline threads, catching every ray of light and refracting it into a riot of color splayed across the floor and walls. Small heels lift her to the dizzying height of five foot two.
Luna is in a full wedding dress, tinged with red because of all the blood, with a large hat, a blue veil, and four arms for some reason, something about a favorite descendant. The Sidereals follow, Kiddo happy to be involved.
Spauld looks up from his drink. "Hello, and welcome to the-"
He then sees who is with you, screams wordlessly, and dives behind the mirror.
"First time?" Horizons asks.
"There are layers of evil involved," Five explains, "I can go into detail if you wish."
The surface of the mirror distorts, and from it extends the same oily serpent, instinctively covering his third eye. He then looks at Luna. Then at you.
So, I see this is a child wedding, and I'm always down for officiating one of those. Sup, sis?
Five scowls, and it is not the typical anger or hate that one experiences upon meeting the Ebon Dragon. It is self-conscious anger, and she resists using the appropriate charms to fill out the dress more, to prevent the Ebon Dragon from getting under her skin.
Anyway, I don't see Gaia present and I know a kayfabe when I see one ssssssssso how can I help you?
"For one you can officiate the fucking wedding because I did not come here to be made a liar," Five insists, resisting the urge stomp her foot. Star balls her hand and coughs. Kiddo walks around the mirror, holding a hand over Spauld and making a mini Ward of Dawn over the justifiably terrified Fiend.
Giiiiiirl I know Luna's type and she wouldn't fuck you with someone else's dick.
Luna cocks an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
Star sighs and shifts a little, stepping in front of the couple, tying the blindfold tight. "Shadow. You are needed. Luna has a mighty thirst. She requires you to make a yearly visit. It is amazing that this needs to be asked of you, but let it be known, your presence is absolutely requested. There is no greater desire, no greater need, then your presence with her visit. She wishes you to do this freely, for some reason, and it is clear that you mean something to her. Great Dragon, will you be the cherry to her ice cream once a year?"
Star's halo flares up and she throws her arms open as if wanting a hug.
Bloop.
The Dragon strokes his long whiskers.
I liiiiike you. I can see why you have one of Malfeas' balls in your office.
"I hear that a lot."
The Dragon claps his hands together.
Kay. Deal's a deal. We'll chat later.
He points finger guns at Luna and grins with yellow teeth.
Smell you later, Sis.
With that, the mirror turns clear once more and the Ebon Dragon is gone.
"Was he smiling?" Star asks, "Someone would tell me if he was smiling, right?"
"He was absolutely smiling," Luna responds, "And what did he mean about…" Luna turns one of her many eyes to Five and looks upon her Essence. It is hard to read the poker face of the Incarnae of the Moon, but she makes an unmistakable shuffle away from Five.
The young Alchemical dramatically sighs.
"Apparently I have made myself a leper."
Horizons pats her on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it. Might make the bosses afraid of you."
Star, still blindfolded, crashes through the table with the punch bowls.
End Chapter 15
Enthusiast#117
This is not the Profile you are looking for
- Location
- United States
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
She accepted an Endowment from Autochthon himself, meaning she has accepted some of his Essence.
Basically, Five has mild Voidcancer.
Begin Chapter 16
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
With emerald flame, the crack widens and forces open the passageway, five days later than it first formed within the depths of the Demon City. From it emerges the Sword- the very sublime essence of the Sword, around which forms the Shape, and around which forms Function and Beauty and all those little things that make it the most wondrous and famous and excellent of weapons.
The Sword of the Yozi hangs in the air, and upon its hilt does the hand that wields it lay, and with a single magnificent motion sheathes it in its scabbard, leather tanned from six billion demons. Ligier Shin Giri Malfeas, the Green Sun and Fetich of Malfeas, once more stands in Creation, and finds himself surrounded on all sides by armed heroes, a ringed table, and he has no idea where he is.
"I'm outside of Fate again. But this isn't Ardurgia."
He raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow. Many swords and spears from a plurality of heroic mortals, a half dozen dragonblooded, and a Lunar are pointed him. One hand rests upon the hilt of his sword, two arms folded across his bare chest, and one hand strokes his chin. He turns to the main source of sunlight in the room.
Silhouetted by the artfully done stained glass window is a throne, flanked by a very powerful Raksha and a Dawn Caste, and sitting on the throne is a lovely woman with blonde hair and a crown that contains a Heart's Grace.
"I see," Ligier says, "I see indeed. Congratulations are in order, your majesty, for your ascension to power and the securing of your throne!"
The Green Sun bows, amber hair swaying, and Queen Ursal of Rioghad finds her cheeks flush. As does everyone else's. "May your reign be long, your line fruitful, and may your death be of old age, surrounded by your descendants!"
The Queen of Rioghad rises, raising her hand. Her Knights, unquestioningly, sheathe their weapons. "I thank you for your blessing, Lord Ligier. Though your beckoning was not intended, you are welcome."
He counts two dozen heroes, and they obey her without question. His estimation of her rises, and his beckoning no fluke. "If I may ask," he continues, "Do you know of the city of Ardurgia?"
The Queen cocks an eyebrow. "Yes. It's across the river."
Ligier claps two hands together. "Excellent! If you will excuse me, I have a sorcerer to see about a binding."
With that, Ligier leaps, over the Ringed Table, swinging upon a chandelier, and through the highest window out into Creation.
Chapter 16:
War Crimes are for Losers and We Don't Lose to Children
The Sword of the Yozi hangs in the air, and upon its hilt does the hand that wields it lay, and with a single magnificent motion sheathes it in its scabbard, leather tanned from six billion demons. Ligier Shin Giri Malfeas, the Green Sun and Fetich of Malfeas, once more stands in Creation, and finds himself surrounded on all sides by armed heroes, a ringed table, and he has no idea where he is.
"I'm outside of Fate again. But this isn't Ardurgia."
He raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow. Many swords and spears from a plurality of heroic mortals, a half dozen dragonblooded, and a Lunar are pointed him. One hand rests upon the hilt of his sword, two arms folded across his bare chest, and one hand strokes his chin. He turns to the main source of sunlight in the room.
Silhouetted by the artfully done stained glass window is a throne, flanked by a very powerful Raksha and a Dawn Caste, and sitting on the throne is a lovely woman with blonde hair and a crown that contains a Heart's Grace.
"I see," Ligier says, "I see indeed. Congratulations are in order, your majesty, for your ascension to power and the securing of your throne!"
The Green Sun bows, amber hair swaying, and Queen Ursal of Rioghad finds her cheeks flush. As does everyone else's. "May your reign be long, your line fruitful, and may your death be of old age, surrounded by your descendants!"
The Queen of Rioghad rises, raising her hand. Her Knights, unquestioningly, sheathe their weapons. "I thank you for your blessing, Lord Ligier. Though your beckoning was not intended, you are welcome."
He counts two dozen heroes, and they obey her without question. His estimation of her rises, and his beckoning no fluke. "If I may ask," he continues, "Do you know of the city of Ardurgia?"
The Queen cocks an eyebrow. "Yes. It's across the river."
Ligier claps two hands together. "Excellent! If you will excuse me, I have a sorcerer to see about a binding."
With that, Ligier leaps, over the Ringed Table, swinging upon a chandelier, and through the highest window out into Creation.
Chapter 16:
War Crimes are for Losers and We Don't Lose to Children
The Colossus
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
It is a lovely day in Yu Shan. By the time Turncloak had finished his long, hilarious weekend of slaughtering the Forbidden Gods who found their way into the bureaucracy as an enrichment activity for the Things That Are, he received a message from a courier who immediately clipped into the ground and is still falling through space and time to this day.
The message was from Five, establishing that they got the thing and were in the Primal Forge.
Hence, Turncloak headed to the Primal Forge.
"You know, the simulated training regime was just mugging what looked like gods for lunch money, or introducing them to the stone prince and they kept mysteriously turning into Starmetal. Are you sure that's what was intended?"
In the middle of the floor, surrounded by cement curbs, a blue bandana on his head, and for some reason a sleeveless leather vest with metal studs, Wandering Horizons is giving Autochthon the most skeptical, yet expected look one can imagine him having. It is not an upset look, just a look that says no matter what answer he's given, he already knows the actual answer. He just wants it stated clearly.
Today, the Great Maker's Encounter Suit is a brass mountain, with clouds near the peak. For some reason. At the base was a Vat and a large, covered room.
"Simulated?"
It was a good question. The gods that Wandering Horizons punched, nut kicked, axe kicked, face stomped, and curb stomped on actual curbs seemed to be rather blissful. Like they were glad to be there. Glad to be employed.
There is a distant thump from Turncloak landing and walking over. He dusts off his robes, shaking off his boots. "Hello Horizons. What's with the blue bandana?"
The Endings gives him a long stare. "Street Justice."
"My favorite kind of justice. Let me know if you ever want to hang out."
The brass mountain turns its attention- if it even has eyes- to the covered room. It does not look behind the curtain, for he is respectful. "Reigo? Any difficulties?"
Turncloak takes a sip of his coffee and wills the headache to go away from watching physics be so carefully brushed aside. There is a moment of silence.
Shuffling behind the curtain.
"I find distate in pants." Five's voice is loud. Not in volume, but in resonance.
"So, I understand you recovered the thing," Turncloak says. He was looking around with a pleasant expression on his face, a polite curiosity. As if looking for something he had enjoyed and now missed.
Wandering Horizons nods, wiping his bloody shoe off of a curb. "Yeah. We owe a favor to Luna, though. We have to participate in a Martial Arts tournament in Creation, it's…" He sighs. "We don't have the particulars yet, and it's probably going to be boring, because it's Creation and that means it's going to be like fighting five-year-olds."
"As in actually fighting five-year-olds, because that's how the Dowager trains the Shoat…"
There is a loud huff, and the cutain is pushed aside. Five steps into view, blinking for a moment as she gets used to her eyes. She is wearing pants- they go with her white blouse, and they are of the same shifting gossamer material, and she has the same face, the same eyes, the same hair.
She is also twelve feet tall.
Turncloak takes several moments to stare, and a moment to take a long pull of coffee. "The Hell happened to you?"
"Six months of subjective accelerated time in an upgraded vat in Elsewhere, very exacting regiment of nutritional and material supplements while my essence capacitor and reservoirs were upscaled. A champion scale alchemical cannot hold the requisite components to support the sixth tier of Enlightenment. There is not enough real estate."
Her uncle opens his mouth to respond. Then thinks better of it and closes it again.
Wandering Horizons raises a hand. "You know our work requires a certain minimum level of stealth." A pause. "Very minimal."
"I still have my optical cloak and can deploy avatars, as well as my Vessel Chassis."
"Some of you require stealth," Turncloak snorts. He sounds positively insulted.
The message was from Five, establishing that they got the thing and were in the Primal Forge.
Hence, Turncloak headed to the Primal Forge.
"You know, the simulated training regime was just mugging what looked like gods for lunch money, or introducing them to the stone prince and they kept mysteriously turning into Starmetal. Are you sure that's what was intended?"
In the middle of the floor, surrounded by cement curbs, a blue bandana on his head, and for some reason a sleeveless leather vest with metal studs, Wandering Horizons is giving Autochthon the most skeptical, yet expected look one can imagine him having. It is not an upset look, just a look that says no matter what answer he's given, he already knows the actual answer. He just wants it stated clearly.
Today, the Great Maker's Encounter Suit is a brass mountain, with clouds near the peak. For some reason. At the base was a Vat and a large, covered room.
"Simulated?"
It was a good question. The gods that Wandering Horizons punched, nut kicked, axe kicked, face stomped, and curb stomped on actual curbs seemed to be rather blissful. Like they were glad to be there. Glad to be employed.
There is a distant thump from Turncloak landing and walking over. He dusts off his robes, shaking off his boots. "Hello Horizons. What's with the blue bandana?"
The Endings gives him a long stare. "Street Justice."
"My favorite kind of justice. Let me know if you ever want to hang out."
The brass mountain turns its attention- if it even has eyes- to the covered room. It does not look behind the curtain, for he is respectful. "Reigo? Any difficulties?"
Turncloak takes a sip of his coffee and wills the headache to go away from watching physics be so carefully brushed aside. There is a moment of silence.
Shuffling behind the curtain.
"I find distate in pants." Five's voice is loud. Not in volume, but in resonance.
"So, I understand you recovered the thing," Turncloak says. He was looking around with a pleasant expression on his face, a polite curiosity. As if looking for something he had enjoyed and now missed.
Wandering Horizons nods, wiping his bloody shoe off of a curb. "Yeah. We owe a favor to Luna, though. We have to participate in a Martial Arts tournament in Creation, it's…" He sighs. "We don't have the particulars yet, and it's probably going to be boring, because it's Creation and that means it's going to be like fighting five-year-olds."
"As in actually fighting five-year-olds, because that's how the Dowager trains the Shoat…"
There is a loud huff, and the cutain is pushed aside. Five steps into view, blinking for a moment as she gets used to her eyes. She is wearing pants- they go with her white blouse, and they are of the same shifting gossamer material, and she has the same face, the same eyes, the same hair.
She is also twelve feet tall.
Turncloak takes several moments to stare, and a moment to take a long pull of coffee. "The Hell happened to you?"
"Six months of subjective accelerated time in an upgraded vat in Elsewhere, very exacting regiment of nutritional and material supplements while my essence capacitor and reservoirs were upscaled. A champion scale alchemical cannot hold the requisite components to support the sixth tier of Enlightenment. There is not enough real estate."
Her uncle opens his mouth to respond. Then thinks better of it and closes it again.
Wandering Horizons raises a hand. "You know our work requires a certain minimum level of stealth." A pause. "Very minimal."
"I still have my optical cloak and can deploy avatars, as well as my Vessel Chassis."
"Some of you require stealth," Turncloak snorts. He sounds positively insulted.
:D
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
The reason Kiddo and Ghost were not there to witness the debut of Medium Five was because they were on a dragon boat heading towards one of the higher-class residential districts of Yu Shan. In particular, where Noedumari lives. Kiddo checks his timepiece, checking the time, clad in his usual, white armor, white Ghost idly rotates their shell.
"She never asks me to come," Ghost says, "Should I be suspicious?"
Kiddo shrugs. "No." Maybe that was a little curt. "I mean, Noedumari doesn't really know you that well? Maybe she wants to get to know you, considering you're my partner?"
The shell rotates. Narrows. "This isn't a sex thing, is it?"
Kiddo blinks. He stares, and blinks again. "I don't-" He opens his mouth. Closes it. "Okay, first off, Noedumari and I are not into that sort of thing, and secondly, I'm not curious if that sort of thing is even possible?"
Ghost turns to him. Looks him straight in the eye. "It is." A moment's pause. "And I have."
They stare at each other. So much left unsaid. So much that their bond has not shared.
"I have to know," Kiddo says, barely above a whisper. Ghost sighs.
"Alright, fine. Back when I was being initiated into Sorcery by the Pattern Spiders, we were getting into really mystical, somewhat tantic areas. One thing lead to another."
Kiddo nods. He has an image in his minds eye and he is not sure what to do with it. Imagining what a plurality of spiders and a ball look like. If the shells come off.
"Anyway, we had fun, but we decided not to take things further. Does that answer your question?"
Thankfully the boat comes to a stop at their dock. "Absolutely," Kiddo says, climbing out of the boat, Ghost following. They walk with haste down the street to the townhouse Noedumari bought for herself- a nice, Jade brick place which has backdoor access to the Forge, and he walks up the walkway to the front door.
Which opens before he can knock, and Noedumari drags him in. Ghost follows. Noedumari, dressed in a set of overalls and a work smock, paces. With her is Scarlet Whispers. Ghost narrows his eyes.
"So is this a sex thing?"
Noedumari stares at her.
"No." She shakes her head. "Okay. Scarlet Whispers is here because I need you both to swear to not reveal what we're talking about to anyone outside of us. Because we have a situation that I am nervous about and I need to get advice on how to deal with it. You remember the refugees?"
"Refugees?"
Kiddo nods. "Yeah, there's refugees in the Primal Forge. They work in Storage under Noedumari. They're excellent workers from what she's told me."
"Logos isn't telling the Great Maker about them," Noedumari says, "Scarlet Whispers, please sanctify an oath to not spill about what we're talking about in here?"
The Eclipse nods. She lays out a hand. Kiddo takes it, Ghost laying out a beam of Light, and Noedumari takes the hands. "The Oath is sanctified," Scarlet says.
"Okay," Noedumari says, and lets out a breath, "I'm going to have one of them come here. Kiddo, Ghost, do not panic, do not shoot them, don't be hostile to them, alright? Just…wait. And let us all explain, okay?"
Kiddo nods. "I trust you."
She smiles. "Door."
The triangular white space opens. Ghost turns to Kiddo. "Why is she telling us to keep calm about who the refugeeeeeeeeEEEEE WHAT THE FUCK IT'S A VEX!"
"She never asks me to come," Ghost says, "Should I be suspicious?"
Kiddo shrugs. "No." Maybe that was a little curt. "I mean, Noedumari doesn't really know you that well? Maybe she wants to get to know you, considering you're my partner?"
The shell rotates. Narrows. "This isn't a sex thing, is it?"
Kiddo blinks. He stares, and blinks again. "I don't-" He opens his mouth. Closes it. "Okay, first off, Noedumari and I are not into that sort of thing, and secondly, I'm not curious if that sort of thing is even possible?"
Ghost turns to him. Looks him straight in the eye. "It is." A moment's pause. "And I have."
They stare at each other. So much left unsaid. So much that their bond has not shared.
"I have to know," Kiddo says, barely above a whisper. Ghost sighs.
"Alright, fine. Back when I was being initiated into Sorcery by the Pattern Spiders, we were getting into really mystical, somewhat tantic areas. One thing lead to another."
Kiddo nods. He has an image in his minds eye and he is not sure what to do with it. Imagining what a plurality of spiders and a ball look like. If the shells come off.
"Anyway, we had fun, but we decided not to take things further. Does that answer your question?"
Thankfully the boat comes to a stop at their dock. "Absolutely," Kiddo says, climbing out of the boat, Ghost following. They walk with haste down the street to the townhouse Noedumari bought for herself- a nice, Jade brick place which has backdoor access to the Forge, and he walks up the walkway to the front door.
Which opens before he can knock, and Noedumari drags him in. Ghost follows. Noedumari, dressed in a set of overalls and a work smock, paces. With her is Scarlet Whispers. Ghost narrows his eyes.
"So is this a sex thing?"
Noedumari stares at her.
"No." She shakes her head. "Okay. Scarlet Whispers is here because I need you both to swear to not reveal what we're talking about to anyone outside of us. Because we have a situation that I am nervous about and I need to get advice on how to deal with it. You remember the refugees?"
"Refugees?"
Kiddo nods. "Yeah, there's refugees in the Primal Forge. They work in Storage under Noedumari. They're excellent workers from what she's told me."
"Logos isn't telling the Great Maker about them," Noedumari says, "Scarlet Whispers, please sanctify an oath to not spill about what we're talking about in here?"
The Eclipse nods. She lays out a hand. Kiddo takes it, Ghost laying out a beam of Light, and Noedumari takes the hands. "The Oath is sanctified," Scarlet says.
"Okay," Noedumari says, and lets out a breath, "I'm going to have one of them come here. Kiddo, Ghost, do not panic, do not shoot them, don't be hostile to them, alright? Just…wait. And let us all explain, okay?"
Kiddo nods. "I trust you."
She smiles. "Door."
The triangular white space opens. Ghost turns to Kiddo. "Why is she telling us to keep calm about who the refugeeeeeeeeEEEEE WHAT THE FUCK IT'S A VEX!"
101st Sidereal
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Wandering Horizons had wandered over from Turncloak and the much larger Five, and over to the small mansion that had been set up in one of the corners of the Floor. In it, the seven V'Neef Bijars had been sequestered, mainly to keep them out of everyone's hair. The Great Maker had also said he wanted to observe them, to see if they could create a circuit of Passive Aggressiveness that he could use to draw power from.
Approaching the manor, he finds the Sidereal Bijar sitting on the swinging chair outside the manor itself, an ever-present pout on her face and staring past him and, naturally, at the large sphere and the forest beneath it.
It is seeding life beneath it, as ball is life.
"What is that?" she asks.
Horizons folds his arms, thinking of how to put it to a fellow Sidereal in a way they understood. "So has your Creation gotten an alien invasion?"
"It's the Missing Primordial," Bijar says, "Wonderful. At least that one looks more peaceful than ours."
"It's really half of it," hee says with a shrug, "Apparently this one takes the form of squabbling sisters and they've had some sort of psychotic break, so now one sister's chasing the other. What about yours?"
"Engineered itself into a sort of meta-principle of survival. Invaded after the Sun died."
Horizons sucks his teeth. "Yeah, that'd suck. Ours is still alive. Any tips?"
Bijar puffs out a breath, leaning back, and counts out a handful. "So…young Sidereals with edgy tattoos…"
"Yeah, we've got those under wraps."
"Make sure First and Forsaken Lion can't get into the Jade Pleasure Dome."
Horizons nods, writing that down in a notebook.
"Just generally pass this all on to Autochthon. He didn't come back until after the whole thing with the Return of the Scarlet Empress so the Yozi'll probably focus more on giving him a wedgie. Related, why are we stuck here? You really don't need another Sidereal helping out?"
Horizons taps his foot. "Okay." He claps his hands together. "So. I'm going to tell you something and it's going to make sense in retrospect but! You're going to have trouble dealing with it."
"Is it the Great Curse?" Bijar tilts her head. "You're talking about the Great Curse, right?"
Horizons sighs. "Yeah. I don't know what one hundred and one Sidereals working together looks like and I don't want to know. So, you're sitting back until we can send you home."
Bijar leans back, draping her arms over the back of the chair. "Okay. I presume you have a method?"
Horizons nods. "Solar Circle Spell. And we have a Solar Circle Sorcerer."
Bijar nods. "Anyone we would know?"
Horizons leans back and forth on his heels. "Talk with your twin sister lately?"
A long, pained groan escapes her lips. "Could you just kill us instead? Cause we're never gonna hear the end of this…"
Approaching the manor, he finds the Sidereal Bijar sitting on the swinging chair outside the manor itself, an ever-present pout on her face and staring past him and, naturally, at the large sphere and the forest beneath it.
It is seeding life beneath it, as ball is life.
"What is that?" she asks.
Horizons folds his arms, thinking of how to put it to a fellow Sidereal in a way they understood. "So has your Creation gotten an alien invasion?"
"It's the Missing Primordial," Bijar says, "Wonderful. At least that one looks more peaceful than ours."
"It's really half of it," hee says with a shrug, "Apparently this one takes the form of squabbling sisters and they've had some sort of psychotic break, so now one sister's chasing the other. What about yours?"
"Engineered itself into a sort of meta-principle of survival. Invaded after the Sun died."
Horizons sucks his teeth. "Yeah, that'd suck. Ours is still alive. Any tips?"
Bijar puffs out a breath, leaning back, and counts out a handful. "So…young Sidereals with edgy tattoos…"
"Yeah, we've got those under wraps."
"Make sure First and Forsaken Lion can't get into the Jade Pleasure Dome."
Horizons nods, writing that down in a notebook.
"Just generally pass this all on to Autochthon. He didn't come back until after the whole thing with the Return of the Scarlet Empress so the Yozi'll probably focus more on giving him a wedgie. Related, why are we stuck here? You really don't need another Sidereal helping out?"
Horizons taps his foot. "Okay." He claps his hands together. "So. I'm going to tell you something and it's going to make sense in retrospect but! You're going to have trouble dealing with it."
"Is it the Great Curse?" Bijar tilts her head. "You're talking about the Great Curse, right?"
Horizons sighs. "Yeah. I don't know what one hundred and one Sidereals working together looks like and I don't want to know. So, you're sitting back until we can send you home."
Bijar leans back, draping her arms over the back of the chair. "Okay. I presume you have a method?"
Horizons nods. "Solar Circle Spell. And we have a Solar Circle Sorcerer."
Bijar nods. "Anyone we would know?"
Horizons leans back and forth on his heels. "Talk with your twin sister lately?"
A long, pained groan escapes her lips. "Could you just kill us instead? Cause we're never gonna hear the end of this…"
This is a Great Start
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
The Eclipse Oath covered not just speaking of the events in the room, but due to the fact that hands were touching when Noedumari said it, it also included shooting the Vex Minotaur that walked through the Door. Hence, when Ghost tried to cast Flight of the Brilliant Raptor- the go to 'Burn that Shit' spell that the Pattern Spiders had taught them- they instead detonated all that Essence in their face and launched themselves backwards, richoteting themselves off a bookshelf, a mirror, and burying themselves eye-first into the rich soil of a potted plant.
"Ghost, you okay?" Kiddo yells.
Ghost's response is a pained moan. Kiddo raises a finger at the Minotaur before walking over, gently picking up his partner, and walking back, holding Ghost under his arm like a ball. A ball glaring at the Minotaur. And Noedumari, but more alternating between the two.
"There are Vex in the Primal Forge?" Ghost asks.
The Minotaur centers its glowing red eye at Kiddo. Its horns are inverted into a fan with lights occupying the negative space, and its chasis is bright white.
"Kiddo, Ghost, Scarlet Whispers, this is Zechon, Diplomatic Mind," Noedumari explains, "They act as the mouthpiece of the Vex refugees that are in the Primal Forge. They have been my go-between with Citros, the primary Mind of the Sol Divisive."
Kiddo nods. The shell narrows. "Have they built a garden yet?"
"We do not intend to build a Black Garden in the Primal Forge." The voice of the Vex is hard, sharp. Like beats on a cymbal. "We are not the primary Sol Divisive. We are splinters. We reject the Sol Divisive, and sought Asylum."
Ghost turns their gaze back to Noedumari. "How long have they been in the Primal Forge? Please don't tell me they've always been in the Primal Forge?"
She moans, tugging at her hair. "I ran into them right after Logos pressed me into service. It was the first job he had me do, because they sensed the portal they were using, and they asked for asylum, and Logos was really, really quick to grant it!"
Kiddo nods again. He raises a hand. "Okay. So, introductions. I'm Kiddo, Guardian, Chosen of the Guardener. Do you mean any harm to Noedumari, myself, or the Traveler?"
"No."
He glances at Scarlet Whispers. "I have truth-telling charms on. They're telling the truth, as far as I can tell," she says.
"Why did Logos agree to give the Vex asylum?"
The red-light flickers. As if thinking. "Vex spoke to Logos on common channels. Vex offered to integrate into intelligence substrate of the Forge to alleviate the workstress of Primal Forge on Logos."
Noedumari's mouth opens. Closes. She does a remarkable impression of a fish. "What. What? Zechon, are you telling me the Minds are running the Forge?"
The Minotaur turns to her as Scarlet Whispers pulls a chair from the nearby table for Noedumari to lean on. "No. Logos remains primary authority of the Primal Forge. Vex Minds act as secondary offloads for processing tasks. This allows Logos to focus on development and primary tasks, while allowing Minds to prioritize orders from the Great Maker to bring to Logos attention."
"So, you're helping Logos," Kiddo says. He nods. "That's good. So why isn't Logos telling the Great Maker about you?"
The Minotaur is notably silent. Noedumari pinches the bridge of her nose. Ghost speaks up. "It's because no one told him and now they're afraid of him over-reacting, isn't it?"
"Vex have accessed historical records of history of Great Maker's reaction to slights. Vex believe if made aware of the deception, the Great Maker will react negatively. The Vex require time to convince Logos that it is safe to introduce the new variable of the Sol Divisive to the Great Maker."
Kiddo nods. "You need advocates."
Ghost sighs. It is a long sigh. A painful sigh. "Okay. So. You want safety, right?"
"Correct."
"They asked for asylum," Noedumari adds.
"There's paperwork for this," Ghost sighs, "We need to get paperwork to establish asylum because the Primal Forge is its own real estate. You're technically connected with the sisters. We need paperwork for asylum or diplomatic relations with aspects of the Sisters."
"I can help with that," Scarlet Whispers says, "Last week I was filling out paperwork for an embassy for a visiting Deva of the Sisters. Leave that to me."
Kiddo gives her a thumbs up. "And we can't talk about this with anyone outside of this," he adds, "Okay. Get the paperwork, meet back here in…a week? A week's good."
Noedumari nods. Zechon steps back through the door.
"A Deva of the Sisters?" Kiddo asks.
"It's not a Worm God, is it?" Ghost asks, "We already have one of those under Ardurgia."
Scarlet shakes her head.
"Ghost, you okay?" Kiddo yells.
Ghost's response is a pained moan. Kiddo raises a finger at the Minotaur before walking over, gently picking up his partner, and walking back, holding Ghost under his arm like a ball. A ball glaring at the Minotaur. And Noedumari, but more alternating between the two.
"There are Vex in the Primal Forge?" Ghost asks.
The Minotaur centers its glowing red eye at Kiddo. Its horns are inverted into a fan with lights occupying the negative space, and its chasis is bright white.
"Kiddo, Ghost, Scarlet Whispers, this is Zechon, Diplomatic Mind," Noedumari explains, "They act as the mouthpiece of the Vex refugees that are in the Primal Forge. They have been my go-between with Citros, the primary Mind of the Sol Divisive."
Kiddo nods. The shell narrows. "Have they built a garden yet?"
"We do not intend to build a Black Garden in the Primal Forge." The voice of the Vex is hard, sharp. Like beats on a cymbal. "We are not the primary Sol Divisive. We are splinters. We reject the Sol Divisive, and sought Asylum."
Ghost turns their gaze back to Noedumari. "How long have they been in the Primal Forge? Please don't tell me they've always been in the Primal Forge?"
She moans, tugging at her hair. "I ran into them right after Logos pressed me into service. It was the first job he had me do, because they sensed the portal they were using, and they asked for asylum, and Logos was really, really quick to grant it!"
Kiddo nods again. He raises a hand. "Okay. So, introductions. I'm Kiddo, Guardian, Chosen of the Guardener. Do you mean any harm to Noedumari, myself, or the Traveler?"
"No."
He glances at Scarlet Whispers. "I have truth-telling charms on. They're telling the truth, as far as I can tell," she says.
"Why did Logos agree to give the Vex asylum?"
The red-light flickers. As if thinking. "Vex spoke to Logos on common channels. Vex offered to integrate into intelligence substrate of the Forge to alleviate the workstress of Primal Forge on Logos."
Noedumari's mouth opens. Closes. She does a remarkable impression of a fish. "What. What? Zechon, are you telling me the Minds are running the Forge?"
The Minotaur turns to her as Scarlet Whispers pulls a chair from the nearby table for Noedumari to lean on. "No. Logos remains primary authority of the Primal Forge. Vex Minds act as secondary offloads for processing tasks. This allows Logos to focus on development and primary tasks, while allowing Minds to prioritize orders from the Great Maker to bring to Logos attention."
"So, you're helping Logos," Kiddo says. He nods. "That's good. So why isn't Logos telling the Great Maker about you?"
The Minotaur is notably silent. Noedumari pinches the bridge of her nose. Ghost speaks up. "It's because no one told him and now they're afraid of him over-reacting, isn't it?"
"Vex have accessed historical records of history of Great Maker's reaction to slights. Vex believe if made aware of the deception, the Great Maker will react negatively. The Vex require time to convince Logos that it is safe to introduce the new variable of the Sol Divisive to the Great Maker."
Kiddo nods. "You need advocates."
Ghost sighs. It is a long sigh. A painful sigh. "Okay. So. You want safety, right?"
"Correct."
"They asked for asylum," Noedumari adds.
"There's paperwork for this," Ghost sighs, "We need to get paperwork to establish asylum because the Primal Forge is its own real estate. You're technically connected with the sisters. We need paperwork for asylum or diplomatic relations with aspects of the Sisters."
"I can help with that," Scarlet Whispers says, "Last week I was filling out paperwork for an embassy for a visiting Deva of the Sisters. Leave that to me."
Kiddo gives her a thumbs up. "And we can't talk about this with anyone outside of this," he adds, "Okay. Get the paperwork, meet back here in…a week? A week's good."
Noedumari nods. Zechon steps back through the door.
"A Deva of the Sisters?" Kiddo asks.
"It's not a Worm God, is it?" Ghost asks, "We already have one of those under Ardurgia."
Scarlet shakes her head.
Poor ghost is going to flip when he finds out its bloody Savathun xD
- Location
- none of your business
It's only Oryx's sane sister and maybe Crota's necromantic nerd brother
So Cecelyne is a Border Right...
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
You owed Luna a favor and it is generally a bad idea to ignore that. So it was with great trepidation, and a ffoomph that, a few hours later, Ghost and Kiddo stumble onto the silver sands of Cecelyne. Stumble is the right way to put it- the best way to find one's way to the border between Creation and Hell is by intentionally getting lost in a place of desolation, and those were easy enough to find if you knew where to look.
"Ghost," Kiddo says, "Please tell me this is a good idea."
Ghost bobs ahead of the Guardian, the two trudging into the five-day expanse of the Endless Desert. The green stars flickering above. At least a few seem to spell out messages, which neither of them dare look at for risk of them being Secrets Known Only to the Yozi.
"There are Vex in the Primal Forge, there's a Worm God in Creation, and there's a Deva of the Sisters- which we don't know who it is- who's going to show up in an embassy in Yu Shan and for all we know that's just going to be that godsdamn starhorse. We know that there's Ghosts in Malfeas, and we need to go talk with them."
"Starhorse?"
Ghost mutters under their breath. Kiddo rolls his eyes, rolling his head back with a groan. "Okay. We're in Cecelyne so this is going to take days anyway. Why are we talking with Ghosts? To see what else wandered in?"
"Exactly!"
Kiddo nods. Walking alongside his partner, he tries to muse on what else could have found its way in. Or where exactly to find other Ghosts. According to Florivet, Ligier takes them in as assistants, so the best bet is Ligier's forge, and that will be tricky.
Then another Ghost speeds over in front of them. This one has a shell like flower petals, and when they rotate, they spin like a flower.
"Rosette?!"
Kiddo blinks. "You know this one, Gh-"
"Sparklemuffin?!" the other Ghost exclaims, "You're here too!"
Kiddo slowly turns to his other half. The pink and red Ghost floats over, spinning around him. "Sparklemuffin?" he asks.
"Ghosts are sometimes given names before they encounter their partners."
"You found your Guardian! Congratulations! And you're here! What happened!"
Ghost sighs. Or, Sparklemuffin sighs. "It's a long story. Basically, the Great Maker was looking for his sisters, made a hole all the way to our universe, I fell through. I ended up in Creation, found a bloodstain, and that was my Guardian."
Sparklemuffin spins their shell. "Rosette, what are you doing out in Cecelyne?"
And then the Great Slayer, covered in armor of green brass and carrying the double barreled sword of rage, slams feet first into Kiddo.
"Lord Ligier got beckoned into Creation. The Slayer agreed to go with me to find him because Crota's in Creation-"
"Crota. Fucking Crota?" Sparklemuffin tilts back and lets out a pained moan. As if their soul if leaving their body. They may have learned it from Wandering Horizons. Behind them, Kiddo weaves around the Slayer, grabbing them from behind, leaping on a burst of Arc Energy, and slamming them head first into the desert sands.
"Yes. Yes, Crota is five days away from Ligier's forge and we made a vote and we need to deal with this right now," Rosette says, flower-shell spinning, "Wait. You said the Great Maker. Autochthon is back?"
Sparklemuffin sighs. Behind them, Kiddo flies through the air, launched by both barrels of the Slayer's new weapon. He lands in a burst of violet Void energy and clocks the Slayer with a thrown shield.
"Yes, and he wants to employee Ligier because the Traveler's currently in the Forge and he needs Ligier's help to fix them."
Rosette's shell spins faster. "How?"
If Sparklemuffin had shoulders, they would shrug. Behind them, the Slayer and Kiddo and climbed back to their feet. Which is when a metal sphere, beeping, lands between them, before throwing up pulverized, melted sand in a blast.
"IS THAT A FELLOW TITAN I SEE?!"
Sparklemuffin's shell narrows. They turn. Rosette flattens their petals and turns, just as they see the glint of the sword and the single horn. The Slayer snaps shut his reloaded weapon, and Kiddo tilts his head.
"GREETINGS, FELLOW GUARDIAN," the new arrival says with level voice, "I SEE YOU ALSO HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE BREAKER OF MY HORN."
"Is that-" Rosette starts.
"Shaxx?" Sparklemuffin finishes.
It is indeed, and Lord Shaxx, Master of the Crucible, comes down upon the field of battle like the Fist of God.
"Ghost," Kiddo says, "Please tell me this is a good idea."
Ghost bobs ahead of the Guardian, the two trudging into the five-day expanse of the Endless Desert. The green stars flickering above. At least a few seem to spell out messages, which neither of them dare look at for risk of them being Secrets Known Only to the Yozi.
"There are Vex in the Primal Forge, there's a Worm God in Creation, and there's a Deva of the Sisters- which we don't know who it is- who's going to show up in an embassy in Yu Shan and for all we know that's just going to be that godsdamn starhorse. We know that there's Ghosts in Malfeas, and we need to go talk with them."
"Starhorse?"
Ghost mutters under their breath. Kiddo rolls his eyes, rolling his head back with a groan. "Okay. We're in Cecelyne so this is going to take days anyway. Why are we talking with Ghosts? To see what else wandered in?"
"Exactly!"
Kiddo nods. Walking alongside his partner, he tries to muse on what else could have found its way in. Or where exactly to find other Ghosts. According to Florivet, Ligier takes them in as assistants, so the best bet is Ligier's forge, and that will be tricky.
Then another Ghost speeds over in front of them. This one has a shell like flower petals, and when they rotate, they spin like a flower.
"Rosette?!"
Kiddo blinks. "You know this one, Gh-"
"Sparklemuffin?!" the other Ghost exclaims, "You're here too!"
Kiddo slowly turns to his other half. The pink and red Ghost floats over, spinning around him. "Sparklemuffin?" he asks.
"Ghosts are sometimes given names before they encounter their partners."
"You found your Guardian! Congratulations! And you're here! What happened!"
Ghost sighs. Or, Sparklemuffin sighs. "It's a long story. Basically, the Great Maker was looking for his sisters, made a hole all the way to our universe, I fell through. I ended up in Creation, found a bloodstain, and that was my Guardian."
Sparklemuffin spins their shell. "Rosette, what are you doing out in Cecelyne?"
And then the Great Slayer, covered in armor of green brass and carrying the double barreled sword of rage, slams feet first into Kiddo.
"Lord Ligier got beckoned into Creation. The Slayer agreed to go with me to find him because Crota's in Creation-"
"Crota. Fucking Crota?" Sparklemuffin tilts back and lets out a pained moan. As if their soul if leaving their body. They may have learned it from Wandering Horizons. Behind them, Kiddo weaves around the Slayer, grabbing them from behind, leaping on a burst of Arc Energy, and slamming them head first into the desert sands.
"Yes. Yes, Crota is five days away from Ligier's forge and we made a vote and we need to deal with this right now," Rosette says, flower-shell spinning, "Wait. You said the Great Maker. Autochthon is back?"
Sparklemuffin sighs. Behind them, Kiddo flies through the air, launched by both barrels of the Slayer's new weapon. He lands in a burst of violet Void energy and clocks the Slayer with a thrown shield.
"Yes, and he wants to employee Ligier because the Traveler's currently in the Forge and he needs Ligier's help to fix them."
Rosette's shell spins faster. "How?"
If Sparklemuffin had shoulders, they would shrug. Behind them, the Slayer and Kiddo and climbed back to their feet. Which is when a metal sphere, beeping, lands between them, before throwing up pulverized, melted sand in a blast.
"IS THAT A FELLOW TITAN I SEE?!"
Sparklemuffin's shell narrows. They turn. Rosette flattens their petals and turns, just as they see the glint of the sword and the single horn. The Slayer snaps shut his reloaded weapon, and Kiddo tilts his head.
"GREETINGS, FELLOW GUARDIAN," the new arrival says with level voice, "I SEE YOU ALSO HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE BREAKER OF MY HORN."
"Is that-" Rosette starts.
"Shaxx?" Sparklemuffin finishes.
It is indeed, and Lord Shaxx, Master of the Crucible, comes down upon the field of battle like the Fist of God.
Last edited:
Oh God, Lord Shaxx is in creation, this spells for some glorious shenanigans!
Marika Oniki
[Verified Hotel]
- Location
- Pacific Ocean
He needed a new Crucible location. Given he had one of the ships from Oryx's fleet cleared out and ready for matches the day the Dreadnaught entered the Solar System, it's unsurprising he's been scoping out the "new" digs that is Creation already.
Luna's Contacts; Fluffle
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
You owed Luna a favor, and it was never a good idea to say 'no' to that sort of thing. Thankfully, the Martial Arts tournament you were being told to enter was not in an out of the way place, and wasn't one of those tournaments in rings of fire where everyone was wearing rope hands and covering their fists in broken glass or candy or having to fight fifty people on an unwashed rooftop in Nexus and getting tetanus from rusty nails. The martial arts tournament was in something that people called civilization- a Satrapy just off the Inner Sea, in Realm Territory.
"So, here's the deal," one of Luna's contacts tell you. Said contact is a squirrel that is talking to you. Your essence detecting senses tell you it is not a Lunar, it is not a god, it is a squirrel. "One of the Argent Maiden's favorite fluffles was supposed to deal with this, but they got sidetracked, so she told us that she sent you."
"That's right," the squirrel's companion, another mundane squirrel, continues, "See, an Abyssal- there's a history here, see, that the leader of this Fluffle owes great vengeance on this Abyssal for murdering his master, and has trained the four fledgelings beneath him as instruments of justice- leads a martial arts death cult! And in winning this tournament, he will come to great renown!"
Star nods, squatting down in front of the two normal sized, talking squirrels that were sent by Luna. She turns to the others. "You also understand them, right?"
Turncloak sighs, nodding. Horizons nods, nibbling on an acorn. Five stares at the squirrels. She is in a Champion-sized avatar. "I do, but I should not."
Star turns back to the squirrels. "Okay. So, we just need to stop him from winning the tournament. Got it." She gives the two squirrels a thumbs up, and they run back on all fours into the nearest tree hole.
"Think I know this Fluffle, to," Turncloak mutters, "Their teacher's an old one. Takes a rat form for his war form and spirit form. Rumor has it he's fought Ragara Myrunn and walked away on his own power. Adopted a gaggle of young Lunars as his own and trained them."
Five cocks an eyebrow. She turns to her uncle, idly tossing acorns to the trees for the squirrels to catch. "Did you encounter them before you entered the service of Heaven? And if so, why are they still alive?"
"I was supervising a Dusk caste assigned to kill the kids by Mask of Winters because they were protecting refugees near Thorns. Watched their master turn into a rat, climb up the Nephrack from the ass, and then grow back to full size. Dusk got jumped by the kids while he was screaming and they whooped his ass." Turncloak takes a slug of his coffee. "Turns out one of the martial arts their dad taught them was First Pulse."
"Exalted Teeth are a valuable exotic component," Star says with a nod. She slaps her knees and stands back up, squinting at the position of the sun. "So, the tournament's being held in about a day. It's easy enough to get to from here. What's our strategy?"
Turncloak rolls his head back with a moan. "You know, as much as I'd love to be a story they tell about on why you properly vet your contestants, I can't. My caste mark's still on the list of symbols that the Immaculates list as 'Anathema.'"
"Any astrological blessings or curses powerful enough to have me win a martial arts tournament may anger the Pattern Spiders," Five adds.
"I'll do it," comes the voice of Wandering Horizons. You all turn to him. You wait, wondering if that was an echo, or a Raksha who stole his voice.
"I'll do it," the Endings repeats, "I'll enter the tournament."
There is that long moment of silence. Processing the reality of the Endings who normally would never volunteer to do something like this, who would seek the most efficient way of ending this mission- possibly by ending the tournament before it would begin- actively volunteering to enter a martial arts tournament. Star is vividly reminded of the last Office Retreat the Five Score Fellowship had- which are themselves Martial Arts Tournaments- and how Horizons attempted to break both of his own arms before the Celestial Lions stopped him.
"But why?" she asks.
He ties the blue bandana around his forehead and raises a fist.
"Street Justice."
Turncloak claps his hands. "Cool beans, let's go." And promptly starts walking in the direction of the Satrapy. The others quickly follow. "Star, remind me where Kiddo and Ghost went off to?"
Star shrugs. "Said Noedumari had something important to talk with him about, then that he and Ghost had to run an errand. Both of them suck at martial arts, so we don't need them for this mission. I'm sure they're fiiiiiine-"
"So, here's the deal," one of Luna's contacts tell you. Said contact is a squirrel that is talking to you. Your essence detecting senses tell you it is not a Lunar, it is not a god, it is a squirrel. "One of the Argent Maiden's favorite fluffles was supposed to deal with this, but they got sidetracked, so she told us that she sent you."
"That's right," the squirrel's companion, another mundane squirrel, continues, "See, an Abyssal- there's a history here, see, that the leader of this Fluffle owes great vengeance on this Abyssal for murdering his master, and has trained the four fledgelings beneath him as instruments of justice- leads a martial arts death cult! And in winning this tournament, he will come to great renown!"
Star nods, squatting down in front of the two normal sized, talking squirrels that were sent by Luna. She turns to the others. "You also understand them, right?"
Turncloak sighs, nodding. Horizons nods, nibbling on an acorn. Five stares at the squirrels. She is in a Champion-sized avatar. "I do, but I should not."
Star turns back to the squirrels. "Okay. So, we just need to stop him from winning the tournament. Got it." She gives the two squirrels a thumbs up, and they run back on all fours into the nearest tree hole.
"Think I know this Fluffle, to," Turncloak mutters, "Their teacher's an old one. Takes a rat form for his war form and spirit form. Rumor has it he's fought Ragara Myrunn and walked away on his own power. Adopted a gaggle of young Lunars as his own and trained them."
Five cocks an eyebrow. She turns to her uncle, idly tossing acorns to the trees for the squirrels to catch. "Did you encounter them before you entered the service of Heaven? And if so, why are they still alive?"
"I was supervising a Dusk caste assigned to kill the kids by Mask of Winters because they were protecting refugees near Thorns. Watched their master turn into a rat, climb up the Nephrack from the ass, and then grow back to full size. Dusk got jumped by the kids while he was screaming and they whooped his ass." Turncloak takes a slug of his coffee. "Turns out one of the martial arts their dad taught them was First Pulse."
"Exalted Teeth are a valuable exotic component," Star says with a nod. She slaps her knees and stands back up, squinting at the position of the sun. "So, the tournament's being held in about a day. It's easy enough to get to from here. What's our strategy?"
Turncloak rolls his head back with a moan. "You know, as much as I'd love to be a story they tell about on why you properly vet your contestants, I can't. My caste mark's still on the list of symbols that the Immaculates list as 'Anathema.'"
"Any astrological blessings or curses powerful enough to have me win a martial arts tournament may anger the Pattern Spiders," Five adds.
"I'll do it," comes the voice of Wandering Horizons. You all turn to him. You wait, wondering if that was an echo, or a Raksha who stole his voice.
"I'll do it," the Endings repeats, "I'll enter the tournament."
There is that long moment of silence. Processing the reality of the Endings who normally would never volunteer to do something like this, who would seek the most efficient way of ending this mission- possibly by ending the tournament before it would begin- actively volunteering to enter a martial arts tournament. Star is vividly reminded of the last Office Retreat the Five Score Fellowship had- which are themselves Martial Arts Tournaments- and how Horizons attempted to break both of his own arms before the Celestial Lions stopped him.
"But why?" she asks.
He ties the blue bandana around his forehead and raises a fist.
"Street Justice."
Turncloak claps his hands. "Cool beans, let's go." And promptly starts walking in the direction of the Satrapy. The others quickly follow. "Star, remind me where Kiddo and Ghost went off to?"
Star shrugs. "Said Noedumari had something important to talk with him about, then that he and Ghost had to run an errand. Both of them suck at martial arts, so we don't need them for this mission. I'm sure they're fiiiiiine-"
- Location
- none of your business
If by " fiiiiiine" you mean introduced to Shaxx and the Crucible, then yeah sure they're good
THIS IS SHAXX'S NORMAL VOICE
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Kiddo coughs, the sand getting through the filters of his helmet. Mainly because that was a lot of sand that just got thrown up by the sudden impact of the other Guardian who just showed up out of absolutely nowhere. Sparklemuffin flickers, glows, and goes absolutely nowhere.
"Godsdammit, there's no subspace here!"
"Only Creation has a material and immaterial divide, though shadowlands are part of Creation-" Rosette is cut off by the Great Slayer blasting Lord Shaxx with both barrels of his shotgun. The Titan goes flying, rolls several feet, and then gets back up.
"AN EXCELLENT CHOICE," Shaxx says, standing back up, "FOR A BEGINNER!"
"Does he ever stop shouting?" Kiddo whispers.
Both Ghosts shake side to side. Kiddo grabs them both and dives for cover before the tube in Shaxx's hand turns out to launch explosives. Which still sends them flying head over heels, a hastily thrown up bubble of purple light driving them halfway into a dune.
"Right, fuck this," Kiddo grunts, covering his arms in Arc energy, "Buddy, send me-"
With a flicker of Light, Kiddo and Sparklemuffin are both gone. Rosette's shell spins, and she turns side to side, scanning the sands, the explosions, and the sounds of the Slayer and Shaxx fighting in the tossed-up cloud of dust and glass.
"What happened-"
Covered in Arc energy, Kiddo comes down as a missile on both of them, the explosion of electricity- and his fists in both their jaws- sending them flying in opposite directions. The Slayer bounces once, landing on his heels and dragging himself to a stop out of what one can guess is pure rage. Shaxx flips head over heels, lands in a kneel, and drags himself to a stop with his sword.
"Okay, we're done!" Kiddo shouts, Sparklemuffin floating down to his shoulder, "Who are you-" He points to the Slayer. "And who the fuck are you?" He points to Shaxx.
Rosette floats over. "Allow me to introduce the Great Slayer, First of the Infernals, Champion of Malfeas, Prince of the Green Sun, Questor of the King of Kings-"
"A CLAIM WE HAVE LONG SINCE FOUGHT ABOUT AS ONLY ONES SUCH AS US CAN," Shaxx states. The Great Slayer grunts, snapping open his weapon, launching the spent shells out, and holstering it upon his back. He folds his arms and stares at the Guardian.
Kiddo can feel it. He can feel on some level what his friends feel. The feeling of wanting to look up, to those being so far above, to those higher powers, to beseech them to pluck them out of this.
Shaxx walks over, seizing Kiddo's shoulders. "A TITAN, ALL THE WAY HERE, AND WITH SPARKLEMUFFIN NO LESS? A SURPRISE BUT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT YOU ARE NATIVE TO THE CREATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESERT. I AM SHAXX, LORD OF THE CRUCIBLE, AND FIRST OF THE INFERNALS!"
Rosette rotates her shell. "I'm sorry what?"
Sparklemuffin stares at Shaxx. "Yeah, I'm with Rosette. Fucking what?"
"Count me in on that too," Kiddo says, "I thought the Infernals worked for the Yozi but I don't think anyone's reported a one horned man constantly shouting anywhere in Hell."
"HA! THAT'S BECAUSE THEY USE THAT NEW DEFINITION! AN INFERNAL IS ANY EXALTED WHO WIELDS THE CHARMS OF THE YOZI!"
And then Shaxx glows, and there is a caste mark on his forehead, and a lot about him is explained. "AND I RECEIVED MINE WHEN I FIRST IMPRESSED MY MENTOR, ISIODOROS!"
Shaxx releases one shoulder, then wraps his arm around Kiddo's shoulders into a crushing one-armed hug. "HEADING TOWARDS THE DEMON CITY, GUARDIAN? I AM AS WELL- THE BOAR AND I MEET EVERY FEW DECADES SO MY APPRENTICESHIP CAN CONTINUE!"
"I'm so confused," Sparklemuffin whispers.
"I WILL EXPLAIN ON THE WAY. GREAT SLAYER, A GOOD FIGHT AS ALWAYS."
The Great Slayer grunts and continues walking towards Creation. After a moment, Rosette follows. Still explaining, Shaxx continues walking towards the Demon City, dragging Kiddo along with him.
"Godsdammit, there's no subspace here!"
"Only Creation has a material and immaterial divide, though shadowlands are part of Creation-" Rosette is cut off by the Great Slayer blasting Lord Shaxx with both barrels of his shotgun. The Titan goes flying, rolls several feet, and then gets back up.
"AN EXCELLENT CHOICE," Shaxx says, standing back up, "FOR A BEGINNER!"
"Does he ever stop shouting?" Kiddo whispers.
Both Ghosts shake side to side. Kiddo grabs them both and dives for cover before the tube in Shaxx's hand turns out to launch explosives. Which still sends them flying head over heels, a hastily thrown up bubble of purple light driving them halfway into a dune.
"Right, fuck this," Kiddo grunts, covering his arms in Arc energy, "Buddy, send me-"
With a flicker of Light, Kiddo and Sparklemuffin are both gone. Rosette's shell spins, and she turns side to side, scanning the sands, the explosions, and the sounds of the Slayer and Shaxx fighting in the tossed-up cloud of dust and glass.
"What happened-"
Covered in Arc energy, Kiddo comes down as a missile on both of them, the explosion of electricity- and his fists in both their jaws- sending them flying in opposite directions. The Slayer bounces once, landing on his heels and dragging himself to a stop out of what one can guess is pure rage. Shaxx flips head over heels, lands in a kneel, and drags himself to a stop with his sword.
"Okay, we're done!" Kiddo shouts, Sparklemuffin floating down to his shoulder, "Who are you-" He points to the Slayer. "And who the fuck are you?" He points to Shaxx.
Rosette floats over. "Allow me to introduce the Great Slayer, First of the Infernals, Champion of Malfeas, Prince of the Green Sun, Questor of the King of Kings-"
"A CLAIM WE HAVE LONG SINCE FOUGHT ABOUT AS ONLY ONES SUCH AS US CAN," Shaxx states. The Great Slayer grunts, snapping open his weapon, launching the spent shells out, and holstering it upon his back. He folds his arms and stares at the Guardian.
Kiddo can feel it. He can feel on some level what his friends feel. The feeling of wanting to look up, to those being so far above, to those higher powers, to beseech them to pluck them out of this.
Shaxx walks over, seizing Kiddo's shoulders. "A TITAN, ALL THE WAY HERE, AND WITH SPARKLEMUFFIN NO LESS? A SURPRISE BUT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT YOU ARE NATIVE TO THE CREATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESERT. I AM SHAXX, LORD OF THE CRUCIBLE, AND FIRST OF THE INFERNALS!"
Rosette rotates her shell. "I'm sorry what?"
Sparklemuffin stares at Shaxx. "Yeah, I'm with Rosette. Fucking what?"
"Count me in on that too," Kiddo says, "I thought the Infernals worked for the Yozi but I don't think anyone's reported a one horned man constantly shouting anywhere in Hell."
"HA! THAT'S BECAUSE THEY USE THAT NEW DEFINITION! AN INFERNAL IS ANY EXALTED WHO WIELDS THE CHARMS OF THE YOZI!"
And then Shaxx glows, and there is a caste mark on his forehead, and a lot about him is explained. "AND I RECEIVED MINE WHEN I FIRST IMPRESSED MY MENTOR, ISIODOROS!"
Shaxx releases one shoulder, then wraps his arm around Kiddo's shoulders into a crushing one-armed hug. "HEADING TOWARDS THE DEMON CITY, GUARDIAN? I AM AS WELL- THE BOAR AND I MEET EVERY FEW DECADES SO MY APPRENTICESHIP CAN CONTINUE!"
"I'm so confused," Sparklemuffin whispers.
"I WILL EXPLAIN ON THE WAY. GREAT SLAYER, A GOOD FIGHT AS ALWAYS."
The Great Slayer grunts and continues walking towards Creation. After a moment, Rosette follows. Still explaining, Shaxx continues walking towards the Demon City, dragging Kiddo along with him.
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
By setting up a Crucible Arena of course.
Tournament Preparation; The Grater
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
The tournament grounds were your bog standard for a Creation event that had high standards. The arena itself was sand covered and had a few rocks and sticks for improvised weapons- sand was easy to clump and clean the blood from after all- and there were high walls, past which were stands for the audience. The audiences themselves were a mix of Realm and locals from the nearby polities- once could spot the shogunate cosplay of Lookshy, the scholars of Great Forks, and the other local kingdoms.
Outside the stadium were tents and food stands. You could tell the Realm was organizing this because most of the food stands were selling recognizable food, and it took money and some level of safety standards for that. Five munches on meat on a stick while Horizons tunes his ear to the competition, leaning against a nearby tree.
"Dragonblooded…dragonblooded…lots of dragonblooded…aaaand Abyssal."
"All in the tournament?" Star asks, eating Django on a stick.
"Mostly the stands. The VIP stands are almost entirely dragonblooded, included an elder Earth aspect who has a Stone of Immortality."
Turncloak pinches the bridge of his nose. "So Mnemon is here."
"Unless she has a secret twin we don't know about," Horizons responds with a shrug, "Most of the competitors are heroic mortals, enlightened mortals, god blooded mortals, and regular mortals who probably got conned into doing this by a local god."
The competitors themselves are organized in a large gazebo tent near the entrance to the arena, and as Five promised she had her Vessel Chassis here- overhead, optically cloaked, and watching. With it, she sees the Abyssal before they do, and boy howdy is that an Abyssal.
The man is in soulsteel and iron, a cloak covering his entire body. The helm looks edgy. The cloak looks edgy. The attitude looks edgy. The man is pure edge.
"He looks sharp," Five relates, "So sharp he could cut the hull of a Realm battleship, dooming all those aboard to die at sea."
Narrowing his eyes behind his shades and the shades that hide his actual eyes, Turncloak makes a low, groaning sound. Like a Tyrant Lizard that stepped on a children's building block. Why, they may ask? Because he trained this assclown.
"The Grater." All conversation from the others stop when Turncloak says it, and then they realize it is a name. "It was his title back in the day. He's a special kind of asshole. I trained him in the first back of Black Exaltations after the Jade Prison was shattered."
He was using that tone, when he was being serious and talking about his employment with the Deathlords that weren't about stupid Abyssals getting themselves killed.
Star quietly thinks about it for a moment. "I could move him to Mount Meru."
Horizons shakes his head. "Then we're going to get questions and everyone here's paranoid enough as is."
Star taps her lip. "I could make him subservient to Turncloak and make him his sidekick."
Turncloak stares at her. His voice is silent. There is horror in his gaze. Not directed at her, but at her suggestion.
"Does Turncloak owe you money?" Horizons asks.
"…the Grater," Five finally says, "He grates on my patience just looking at him. Does he use the entire seat or just the edge?"
Turncloak taps his foot. Five finishes her meat on a stick. Star snaps her fingers. She walks over and places her hands on Horizons shoulders. "You fine with beating the piss out of him wile I do some fun stuff?"
Horizons nods. "Yeah, I can handle him." But Star was never there in the first place. "So, what'd you teach this guy exactly? I know he's learned a bit since probably, but you know, his foundation…" He lets it trail off.
"Dark Messiah Style. It's the dark mirror to the Solar signature style. Vicious. Savage. Bloody." Turncloak glanced around. "And when the fuck is Star getting here?
Outside the stadium were tents and food stands. You could tell the Realm was organizing this because most of the food stands were selling recognizable food, and it took money and some level of safety standards for that. Five munches on meat on a stick while Horizons tunes his ear to the competition, leaning against a nearby tree.
"Dragonblooded…dragonblooded…lots of dragonblooded…aaaand Abyssal."
"All in the tournament?" Star asks, eating Django on a stick.
"Mostly the stands. The VIP stands are almost entirely dragonblooded, included an elder Earth aspect who has a Stone of Immortality."
Turncloak pinches the bridge of his nose. "So Mnemon is here."
"Unless she has a secret twin we don't know about," Horizons responds with a shrug, "Most of the competitors are heroic mortals, enlightened mortals, god blooded mortals, and regular mortals who probably got conned into doing this by a local god."
The competitors themselves are organized in a large gazebo tent near the entrance to the arena, and as Five promised she had her Vessel Chassis here- overhead, optically cloaked, and watching. With it, she sees the Abyssal before they do, and boy howdy is that an Abyssal.
The man is in soulsteel and iron, a cloak covering his entire body. The helm looks edgy. The cloak looks edgy. The attitude looks edgy. The man is pure edge.
"He looks sharp," Five relates, "So sharp he could cut the hull of a Realm battleship, dooming all those aboard to die at sea."
Narrowing his eyes behind his shades and the shades that hide his actual eyes, Turncloak makes a low, groaning sound. Like a Tyrant Lizard that stepped on a children's building block. Why, they may ask? Because he trained this assclown.
"The Grater." All conversation from the others stop when Turncloak says it, and then they realize it is a name. "It was his title back in the day. He's a special kind of asshole. I trained him in the first back of Black Exaltations after the Jade Prison was shattered."
He was using that tone, when he was being serious and talking about his employment with the Deathlords that weren't about stupid Abyssals getting themselves killed.
Star quietly thinks about it for a moment. "I could move him to Mount Meru."
Horizons shakes his head. "Then we're going to get questions and everyone here's paranoid enough as is."
Star taps her lip. "I could make him subservient to Turncloak and make him his sidekick."
Turncloak stares at her. His voice is silent. There is horror in his gaze. Not directed at her, but at her suggestion.
"Does Turncloak owe you money?" Horizons asks.
"…the Grater," Five finally says, "He grates on my patience just looking at him. Does he use the entire seat or just the edge?"
Turncloak taps his foot. Five finishes her meat on a stick. Star snaps her fingers. She walks over and places her hands on Horizons shoulders. "You fine with beating the piss out of him wile I do some fun stuff?"
Horizons nods. "Yeah, I can handle him." But Star was never there in the first place. "So, what'd you teach this guy exactly? I know he's learned a bit since probably, but you know, his foundation…" He lets it trail off.
"Dark Messiah Style. It's the dark mirror to the Solar signature style. Vicious. Savage. Bloody." Turncloak glanced around. "And when the fuck is Star getting here?
- Location
- none of your business
She'll get there when she gets there and she may or may not be bringing along FaeSlayer and Shaxx for the lolz
Last edited:
Turncloak doesn't do Subtle; Back in Ardurgia
GreggHL
Engaging hilarity engine/air intake
- Location
- Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Horizons shrugs. Five wanders over to a bench and sits down. "Anyway, I'm going to go blow our cover," Turncloak declares.
With that, the Abyssal walks into the stadium. Hopping up stairs two at a time, whistling loudly the entire way. He peaks his head out of the doorway first, then skips out, walks over, and is immediately blocked by the Jade spears of two guards.
"Gentlemen," he says with a grin.
Past them, slouching on a stone throne, Mnemon idly waves at them.
"Guards, if he meant violence there would be a splash zone. Let him through."
The lances rise and allow Turncloak entrance. Mnemon swishes the wine in her goblet and sips. The Abyssal nods his thanks to the guards- they were so gosh darn cute when they did that, he couldn't resist- and walked over to Mnemon, even offering her an abbreviated, subtle bow. Manservants quickly assemble a cushioned seat next to her and he sits down.
"Lady Mnemon. Fancy meeting you here. What brings you to this tournament?"
Mnemon takes another sip of her wine. "I could ask the same thing. The House of Bells holds these tournaments every year to find new candidates for their martial arts teaching staff. They standardized the curriculum after they found- surprise surprise- that hiring the most famous martial artists in the world lead to students being killed when mortal enemies tracked down the new teachers and sought bloody vengeance."
She tips her mostly empty goblet at the Grater, who was standing in the shadows of the preparation area. "Like that one. That one is not teaching material. The House of Bells wants teaching staff, and that person looks like they'd teach their students how to dual wield cats."
Turncloak nods. "Oh, yeah. Really edgy. How do you get skulls that polished to not reflect any light at all?" He shook his head, feigning amazement. "And look at all the shit I get, and I use the whole chair."
"He looks like he saw randy blood apes and based his entire appearance off of it," Mnemon says with a sigh, "Like he's a child from Whitewall who picked up a sword one day and made that his entire existence. Who trained him? Did they do it wrong? As a joke?"
"No idea. None at all," Turncloak says, leaning back in his chair, "I have no idea at all whosoever trained that man, but clearly it was someone who drank far too much of whatever they drink down there in the Underworld." He was staring directly at her. She was looking right at him.
"You trained him, didn't you?"
"If I did, and he was in Creation, that's bad. And if I were also here, that'd mean that parties had taken note of this, and need this bullshit dealt with. And that means you'd want to tell your guards and any local Immaculate forces to stand down while this problem was dealt with by Mandated Forces."
He produced some paperwork from his robes, holding it out, but not releasing his grip. Mnemon looks over it, as does the old man who was standing next to her suddenly. Her stony visage quirks into a smirk.
"It is refreshing to have relatives who are open and truthful and not lying to my face."
"Too much work to bullshit, honestly. You're reasonable enough to deal with directly, which is the only sort of dealing I show up to do."
Mnemon nods, snapping her fingers. One of the servants walks over, refilling her wine goblet. She leans back, whispering in the ear of the old man next to her. "The Immaculates will allow you your leeway, Turncloak. You're welcome to join me to watch the tournament."
Back in Heaven, Star walks into the great Lotus-shaped building that serves as the heardquarters of the Bureau of Destiny. Passing by coworkers, stopping to get a coffee at the café that had sprouted out of the wall sometime after the return of the Great Maker, she walks down the pink hallway where the Rolls of Love are.
Taking a pen, she idly searches through the rolls, nods, and strikes the Grater's name, ensuring that he shall never be loved again.
Meanwhile, Outside of Fate
The Gates of Ardurgia are a common first assignment for newly summoned Blood Apes in the Lost City of Ardurgia. They are summoned for their physical prowess, their power, and their ability to use weapons. The fact that they are summoned to the same location as their creator, their Mother and Father, who birthed them from her Tree of Life, is but an added bonus.
At the Gates of Ardurgia, Sondok, She Who Stands in Doorways, makes her regular visit to the Lost City. She stands at attention but does not lecture the armored, hairy warriors. Rather, it is another Blood Ape, in a crimson cape, holding a scepter of authority, a sharp and flared helm, and eyes ascended past blood lust.
Hans, Seneschal to the Sorcerer, stands tall- taller than them for he stands on his hind legs.
"The first thing to remember is that Ardurgia is outside of Fate. This means that it is outside of the typical Mythos we are used to. Being outside of Fate means that you should expect weird things to happen."
One of the Blood Apes clears his throat. "Such as?"
Sondok falls to one knee. On a skeletal, brass horse with extended legs, walking with a magnificent gait, its hollow head with eyes of green flame held eye, Ligier passes by them.
"Sondok," he says.
"My Lord," she responds, with great reverence bordering on awe.
The newly summoned Blood Apes watch him pass, jaws open and eyes wide, one of them falling to their knees and pressing their face to the paving stones.
"Such as that," Hans finishes.
With that, the Abyssal walks into the stadium. Hopping up stairs two at a time, whistling loudly the entire way. He peaks his head out of the doorway first, then skips out, walks over, and is immediately blocked by the Jade spears of two guards.
"Gentlemen," he says with a grin.
Past them, slouching on a stone throne, Mnemon idly waves at them.
"Guards, if he meant violence there would be a splash zone. Let him through."
The lances rise and allow Turncloak entrance. Mnemon swishes the wine in her goblet and sips. The Abyssal nods his thanks to the guards- they were so gosh darn cute when they did that, he couldn't resist- and walked over to Mnemon, even offering her an abbreviated, subtle bow. Manservants quickly assemble a cushioned seat next to her and he sits down.
"Lady Mnemon. Fancy meeting you here. What brings you to this tournament?"
Mnemon takes another sip of her wine. "I could ask the same thing. The House of Bells holds these tournaments every year to find new candidates for their martial arts teaching staff. They standardized the curriculum after they found- surprise surprise- that hiring the most famous martial artists in the world lead to students being killed when mortal enemies tracked down the new teachers and sought bloody vengeance."
She tips her mostly empty goblet at the Grater, who was standing in the shadows of the preparation area. "Like that one. That one is not teaching material. The House of Bells wants teaching staff, and that person looks like they'd teach their students how to dual wield cats."
Turncloak nods. "Oh, yeah. Really edgy. How do you get skulls that polished to not reflect any light at all?" He shook his head, feigning amazement. "And look at all the shit I get, and I use the whole chair."
"He looks like he saw randy blood apes and based his entire appearance off of it," Mnemon says with a sigh, "Like he's a child from Whitewall who picked up a sword one day and made that his entire existence. Who trained him? Did they do it wrong? As a joke?"
"No idea. None at all," Turncloak says, leaning back in his chair, "I have no idea at all whosoever trained that man, but clearly it was someone who drank far too much of whatever they drink down there in the Underworld." He was staring directly at her. She was looking right at him.
"You trained him, didn't you?"
"If I did, and he was in Creation, that's bad. And if I were also here, that'd mean that parties had taken note of this, and need this bullshit dealt with. And that means you'd want to tell your guards and any local Immaculate forces to stand down while this problem was dealt with by Mandated Forces."
He produced some paperwork from his robes, holding it out, but not releasing his grip. Mnemon looks over it, as does the old man who was standing next to her suddenly. Her stony visage quirks into a smirk.
"It is refreshing to have relatives who are open and truthful and not lying to my face."
"Too much work to bullshit, honestly. You're reasonable enough to deal with directly, which is the only sort of dealing I show up to do."
Mnemon nods, snapping her fingers. One of the servants walks over, refilling her wine goblet. She leans back, whispering in the ear of the old man next to her. "The Immaculates will allow you your leeway, Turncloak. You're welcome to join me to watch the tournament."
Back in Heaven, Star walks into the great Lotus-shaped building that serves as the heardquarters of the Bureau of Destiny. Passing by coworkers, stopping to get a coffee at the café that had sprouted out of the wall sometime after the return of the Great Maker, she walks down the pink hallway where the Rolls of Love are.
Taking a pen, she idly searches through the rolls, nods, and strikes the Grater's name, ensuring that he shall never be loved again.
Meanwhile, Outside of Fate
The Gates of Ardurgia are a common first assignment for newly summoned Blood Apes in the Lost City of Ardurgia. They are summoned for their physical prowess, their power, and their ability to use weapons. The fact that they are summoned to the same location as their creator, their Mother and Father, who birthed them from her Tree of Life, is but an added bonus.
At the Gates of Ardurgia, Sondok, She Who Stands in Doorways, makes her regular visit to the Lost City. She stands at attention but does not lecture the armored, hairy warriors. Rather, it is another Blood Ape, in a crimson cape, holding a scepter of authority, a sharp and flared helm, and eyes ascended past blood lust.
Hans, Seneschal to the Sorcerer, stands tall- taller than them for he stands on his hind legs.
"The first thing to remember is that Ardurgia is outside of Fate. This means that it is outside of the typical Mythos we are used to. Being outside of Fate means that you should expect weird things to happen."
One of the Blood Apes clears his throat. "Such as?"
Sondok falls to one knee. On a skeletal, brass horse with extended legs, walking with a magnificent gait, its hollow head with eyes of green flame held eye, Ligier passes by them.
"Sondok," he says.
"My Lord," she responds, with great reverence bordering on awe.
The newly summoned Blood Apes watch him pass, jaws open and eyes wide, one of them falling to their knees and pressing their face to the paving stones.
"Such as that," Hans finishes.