AdorableSaucer

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Journey to Tendlepog: Chapter 5

Two weeks or so had passed since they weighed anchor at the southern tip of the Kick and set off along the continent’s northern coast. Along the entire shore, forests had been blooming and prospering with verdant glory - yet the crew had not spotted as much as a single beast skulk between the trees. On one occasion, a red-feathered bird had been seen atop one of the palms, its crimson plume like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark green abyss. Rumours spread throughout the crew aboard, some proposing that the continent was younger than first thought, and that the Exalted Creators simply had not yet had the time to populate it; others proposed that the continent was cursed, and that all life that made futile, pitiful attempts to spawn there would soon find their offspring to die and rot before their very eyes.

As the horror in the rumours was reinforced with every retelling, so did the crew grow ever more reluctant to go ashore to fetch water. Eventually, as they neared the northern islands, Qiang Yi found that even mentioning the shore poisoned the deck with fright and uncertainty. The captain found himself at a loss, and as the third week passed and they neared the final planned resting spot before the northward trek to the Dragon’s Crown, a fight broke out on deck.

Qiang Yi stormed down from the helmspost, ordering three of the closet deckhands to follow him. Already had a crowd encircled the two brawlers.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Qiang Yi boomed and the crowd parted to reveal the skinny Gong’er biting his brown granite teeth into Lai Lei’s arm - Lai Lei silenced a scream at the sight of the captain. The two sailors quickly got to their feet and looked to the floor. Qiang Yi scowled at them both and straightened his arms down along his sides.

“What is the meaning of this, master Gong’er, master Lai Lei?” he repeated. “For what reason do two brothers of the Flow exchange blows aboard this sacred vessel?”

Gong’er fidgeted where he stood, his hands shivering and his eyes trying desperately to escape Qiang Yi’s. Lai Lei appeared to be sweating. Eventually, they both fell to their knees before the captain.

“Captain! With all due respect,” Gong’er started. Qiang Yi looked at the prostrating man. Gong’er shot an accusatory finger at Lai Lei. “He started it!”

“Huuuuh?! I hit yer head to hard, ye puddle?!” Lai Lei roared as he rose to one knee and looked ready to pounce.

“Silence!” Qiang Yi boomed. Lai Lei fell back into a kowtow. “Gong’er, we do not accuse without proof to back the claim. Master Lai Lei, master Gong’er claims you started this conflict. What gives him the right to claim such?”

“I ken not, captain! We two were discussin’ the forests on th’ shore as usual, then this wee puddle pounced me ou’a nowhere. Bloomin’ mad, he is--!”

“Thank you, master Lai Lei!” Qiang Yi interrupted sourly. He turned back to Gong’er. “Master Gong’er, you stand accused of unwarranted assault against your brother of the Flow - how do you plead?”

Gong’er’s head quickly shot up. “Innocent! I’m innocent, captain! He was the one who struck me firs--!”

“Silence!” Qiang Yi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright. Start from the beginning. What were the two of you discussing?”

“The empty forests,” Gong’er said simultaneously as Lai Lei said “The cursed woods.”

“Duly noted,” Qiang Yi muttered. “What sparked the conflict?”

“I told ye, captain! The wee puddle struck m--!”

“What part of the conversation may have lead to that?” Qiang Yi snarled. Gong’er looked down.

“H-he said the curse is probably related to the stone we brought aboard,” Gong’er mumbled. “That the stone we plan to gift His Lordship is the stuff of evil. This was a downright false statement - no such beautiful stone could ever be cursed - so I struck him.”

Qiang Yi squinted. The surrounded crew began to whisper and mumble with everything from outraged hissing to anxious whimpers. “So you admit to striking first?” the captain said.

“Yes!” Gong’er threw his hands into the air. “I struck him first - but only because he insulted His Lordship’s property!”

Qiang Yi turned to Lai Lei. “Master Lai Lei, does this confession sound correct to you?” The deckhand nodded and wiped his brow.

The captain hummed and looked around the crew. His eyes then fell back on Gong’er. “Your intentions, master Gong’er, were noble - I am certain any of us would rise in defense of His Lordship’s sacred property any day. However, your category for what His Lordship’s property is is simply too broad..”

Gong’er’s boney face looked slack-jawed at Qiang Yi. “Category…? Broad?”

The captain nodded. “Master Lai Lei has, in fact, not insulted His Lordship’s property - as it has yet to be delivered to His Lordship, and is therefore not His property.” There was some dissatisfied rumbling in the crowd. Qiang Yi furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. “Secondly, the stone we recovered is a foreign material - our knowledge on it is limited only to its colours and general shape. I cannot see why it would be an insult to propose that the material possesses certain traits - even if those traits are detrimental. Frankly, the only crime I find master Lai Lei guilty of is intentionally damaging crew morale.”

Gong’er fell back into a shivering kowtow - Lai Lei sat dumbstruck on his knees. Qiang Yi scowled at them both.

“As the Flow demands, you shall both be punished accordingly. Since you are both of the Strong, the punishment will be selected based on your relationship as comrades of the same caste.” He pointed at Gong’er.

“Gong’er, the punishment for striking a brother and falsely accusing him of a crime he did not commit is one fistful of salt across the back.”

Gong’er looked up, eyes wide with horror. He swallowed, his voice cracking up slightly with frightened sobs. “Y-yes, captain,” he whimpered and slowly began to pull off his gi shirt with shivering arms. He laid flat on his stomach. From under deck came two somber deckhands carrying an ornate wooden chest marked with warning notes and labels. Qiang Yi took a deep breath.

“As captain of this vessel,” he began, his voice somewhat shaky. “... I shall carry out this punishment. Gloves, please.” A nearby carpenter handed him a pair of leather gloves. The chest was placed next to Qiang Yi and the captain reluctantly began undoing the intricate lock. Lai Lei blinked sympathetically at Gong’er and the captain.

“Uhm… Captain, is this really necessary? I mean… The wee puddle didn’ really hurt me tha’ much--”

“Such is the law, master Lai Lei. Violence aboard this holy vessel cannot be tolerated. Such a breach in discipline would no doubt shame His Lordship.” He wrapped his gloves hand around a handful of the white, crystalline poison and held it up for all to see. “His Lordship’s rules are divine and absolute - let this time be the only time we must remind each other.” The captain then turned to the floored Gong’er who had folded his hands in silent prayer. Qiang Yi took a deep breath and, slowly, began to sprinkle the salt over the man like a gentle snowfall.

The effect was immediate. The deckhand twisted and writhed as the salt burned across his skin. Several deckhands moved in to restrain him, but still his body spasmed in agony. He cried and wept for forgiveness, but his words quickly became incomprehensible as they were drowned out by screams and wails. The onlookers all cowered before the gruesome act transpiring before their eyes, some falling to their knees and begging Qiang Yi to stop.

Lai Lei crawled over to Qiang Yi’s leg and pressed his forehead against his foot as he grasped at the captain’s violet robes. “Please, captain! He’s had enough! He’s learned his lesson!”

Qiang Yi felt his lip quiver and he dropped the last of the salt. The deckhand on the floor had stopped squirming a few seconds ago, likely having passed out from the pain. The captain clapped the gloves free of the rest of the salt and tossed them aside.

“Someone give him a well-deserved rest and his back a proper wash. He took his punishment like a pious servant.” He looked around at the crowds. “Let us avoid having to see that again.”

There were hums and nods of consensus among the onlookers. The captain lowered his eyes down at Lai Lei. “As for you, master Lai Lei, the punishment for propagating information that can shatter morale is a week in the cells.” The captain let out a sigh. “However, since we have no cells aboard, you punishment shall be improvised…” Qiang Yi pointed down at Gong’er who was slowly being lifted up by two others.

“You shall be responsible for nursing master Gong’er back to health and be his brother - not just of caste, but of soul. If either of you exchange blows again - you will both be punished.”

Lai Lei blinked, then nodded frantically. “I-... I’ll care for him as if he was my true brother,” he said. He then helped the two others with carrying Gong’er downstairs.

Qiang Yi let out a sigh and looked around at the crowds. “Since you are already here, I may as well take this time to address the ongoing rumours aboard: I see now that I have allowed this fear of the Kick to poison the pure and honest souls aboard this ship for too long.” The crowds rumbled and mumbled. “I will take criticism for this myself - I should have shot them down before; had I done so, this fight may not have happened. The fear permeating this ship is not healthy - it makes us doubt our mission, neglect our faith, and make enemies with our neighbours. Therefore, I forbid the spreading of such rumours for the remainder of the voyage, is that clear?”

There were nods and words of consensus. Qiang Yi nodded.

“Good… Back to your stations.”

As the crowds dispersed, Qiang Yi walked over to the bow of the ship. He stood for a moment and admired the figurehead to Ashalla. It was a shame that it could not capture the majestic presence of the Ocean Goddess, but it was still just so magnificently carven. He made a mental note to have an equally majestic effigy made in the honour of Shengshi and placed at the stern. A suitable passtime for the carpenters as the journey dragged on.

The sound of footsteps closed in behind him and Qiang Yi turned to see Li Shan clinging to a crutch, though seemingly almost recovered. Qiang Yi smiled from ear to ear and bowed.

“Oh, master Li Shan - what a joy it is to see you well again. Your condition has certainly improved over the last four days.”

The carpenter let out a laugh, followed by one or two coughs. “Yes, it has been tough, but I may finally return to my work. The crutch is just for my right leg - my arms are still as strong and dexterous as ever.”

Qiang Yi chuckled. “I do not doubt that for a second, master Li Shan. Actually, if you do not already have a project in mind, may I make a request?”

“My hammer and chisel are yours to command, captain,” Li Shan said with a nod. The captain gestured to the figurehead.

“Your previous work of art was of stellar quality, master carpenter - no doubt has the Queen of the Ocean spotted it already - it may even have been the reason Her Holiness chose to save our ship from sinking.” He gave Li Shan a bow. “Your skill is impeccable.”

Li Shan flushed and scratched his neck sheepishly. “Oh, no, don’t say that - it was thanks to my team that we managed to produce it so quickly.” He bowed back.

“That’s good to hear. I wish for you to complete a second statue, though this one is to be placed at the stern - a tribute to our Lord.”

Li Shan looked up and blinked. He immediately straightened himself up and cleared his throat. “Captain, do-... Do you really think that His Lordship would accept such a lowly attempt at portraying His glory?”

Qiang Yi stepped closer and put a hand on Li Shan’s shoulder. “With your skill, it will -not- be a lowly attempt. I am certain that His Lordship will be more than satisfied.”

Li Shan looked down for a moment and then stared Qiang Yi in the eyes with newfound resolve. “Then it shall be done, captain! Sail the ship well, and the effigy will be ready by the time we reach the Serpentine Isles.”

Qiang Yi grinned and clapped the carpenter’s broad shoulder. “That is wonderful to hear, my friend. You will certainly bring His Lordship’s favour upon us with it. You may commence as soon as you are ready.”

Li Shan bowed and walked towards the stern. Qiang Yi turned back to the figurehead, folded his hands in silent prayer, and turned back to the stern, as well. However, as he walked back, he noticed a few sailors who had been talking, disperse upon spotting him. Qiang Yi frowned.

He ascended to the helmspost, giving Zhen-zhen a nod and receiving one in return. From the helmspost, Qiang Yi found the deck to be busy as normal - yet occasionally, groups of feet would gather behind the sails or just underneath the railing, before quickly dispersing again.

“I do not understand - why do they cling to the fear of a curse that likely does not exist?” Qiang Yi said in a frustrated tone and turned to Zhen-zhen. She gave a sheepish shrug.

“I dunno either, captain,” she said. “Maybe the monotony of the waves is getting to them?”

“The monotony of the waves?” Qiang Yi repeated quizzically.

Zhen-zhen nodded. “I’ll be honest, captain. Nothing has happened for two weeks, and had I not had maps to check and tillers to steer all day, I would likely have gone mad from boredom.”

Qiang Yi scratched his chin. “Is that so?”

Zhen-zhen nodded again. “The crew are likely making up stories and the like about the empty woods to have something to talk about - you know, after talking about the weather gets stale.”

Qiang Yi nodded slowly. “So distractions are in order, you say? What would you suggest?”

She shrugged. “Each caste would be interested in different things - I reckon the Skilled would be happy just crafting stuff; the Noble would probably like some tea or to play music; and the Strong probably would not mind a spar on occasion.”

“Sparring?” Qiang Yi said skeptically. “How will we make certain those do not turn into fights? How can we even control whether a fight is a spar or a brawl?”

Zhen-zhen gave him a straight-faced frown. “Captain, I am fairly certain the Strong know very well what the difference between a fight and a spar is.”

Qiang Yi recoiled a little and cleared his throat. “I-if you say so. Regardless of that, though, we did not bring tea onboard! How will we satisfy the Noble?”

“Alright, so we don’t have tea - could you convince the Skilled to make them some instruments, then?” Zhen-zhen tilted her head to the side. “Aren’t you supposed to be a creative man, captain?”

“I asked for solutions, not sass, first mate,” Qiang Yi said sourly as he drummed his chin with some fingers. “That could work, though. I will ask Li Shan for counsel.” Qiang Yi strolled down the staircase to the deck, then down the staircase to the belly of the ship. There, he found Li Shan and his carpenter team busily carving away at roughly-shaped statue of the snake.

“Oh, captain!” Li Shan said in surprise. “W-we still need a bit more time, I’m afraid, but--”

“Oh, pardon my intrusion, master Li Shan, but I have an urgent request.” The master carpenter and his apprentices put down their tools and looked at the captain with a hint of anxiousness.

“Did something happen, captain?” said Li Shan. Behind him, Tong Lao was dusting off some sawdust. “Did the hull fix break apart?” he asked.

“No, and no - do not worry, nothing has happened. It has just come to my attention that we lack distractions for most of the sailors onboard - particularly for the Noble.”

The carpenters looked at one another. “Yes, but what would you have us do about that, captain?” Li Shan asked quizzically.

“Well, I was hoping that you could make them some instruments - you know, something to keep them occupied and to keep the rest of us entertained throughout the journey.” Qiang Yi picked up a broad plank. “This plank, for example, could make a fine guzheng - well, a makeshift one.” He pointed to a thin log. “Carve that out and fit it with two strings - add a bow and you have an erhu.” The carpenters scratched their chins and necks in thought.

“Well, we could do it, captain, but--...” Li Shan began. “... We cannot promise the quality will be particularly good, considering what we have on hand - not to mention that none of us are particularly good musicians.”

Qiang Yi folded his arms together. “W-well… You could ask the Noble for advice in that regard. You know… You make the tools and they tell you how they are supposed to sound?”

Li Shan let out a sigh. “We’ll… We’ll see what we can do, captain.”

Qiang Yi nodded in satisfaction. “Wonderful, master Li Shan. I will be looking forward to your results.” The captain strolled happily towards the front of the ship’s belly and Li Shan looked to the others.

“We’ll finish the statue first - then we’ll find someone to help us out.”

---

Qiang Yi then went to see Yong Mei, assistant to the quartermaster Zeng En who was still in recovery. Yong Mei was not as tall as Zeng En, but equally well-groomed and muscular. She had skin of fine gray clay and long, black, earthy hair tied in a small topknot. Upon Qiang Yi’s arrival at the storages below deck, Yong Mei greeted him with a smile and a bow.

“Greetings, captain,” she said with a bubbly, yet somewhat shy voice. “W-what can I help you with?”

“Ah, lady Yong Mei,” Qiang Yi said and bowed. “I have a proposal for you to bring to the rest of the Strong.”
Yong Mei blushed. “A p-p-proposal, captain?! B-but we just--”

“A proposal for the whole caste, lady Yong Mei,” Qiang Yi said sourly. Yong Mei squinted.

“Woah… The captain is a greedy man, I see.”

“A proposal for a change of law, lady Yong Mei! Focus, please.”

“Oh,” she said curtly, and with a hint of disappointment. “Very well, what does the captain propose?”

Qiang Yi let out a relieved sigh and nodded. “Seeing as I have received some feedback regarding a lack of distractions aboard, I propose to let the Strong once again be allowed to practice martial arts on deck, and even engage in sparring -under- the observation of a judge.”

Yong Mei looked dumbstruck at first, but then a grin formed on her face and her eyes beamed at the captain. “R-really, captain?! You mean it?!”

Qiang Yi recoiled as the huge woman began to skip happily around in circles. “Y-yes, lady Yong Mei. No longer shall your caste be denied the essential culture of martial arts. I must, however, stress once more than I will require there to be a judge at every sparring.”

“N-naturally, captain! Oh, by the Exalted Creators, what a day!” The woman set off in a sprint to deck, and not a moment had passed before Qiang Yi heard cheers and whooping through the deckboards above. The captain snickered quietly to himself.

Perhaps now they could forget the talk of curses and evil spirits for some time.

Summary

Two weeks have passed and the ship has reached the northern edges of the continent. Seeing as there have been few to no sightings of life on the Kick, the crew starts thinking the land is hella haunted. A fight breaks out on deck between Gong’er and Lai Lei over whether the curse on the land stems from the orvium they had found. Gong’er started the fight and is sentenced to salting, a terrible punishment that is composed of sprinkling salt over the targets naked back. Qiang Yi then forbids all mentionings of the curse.

Zhen-zhen later proposes that the reason the crew believes in curses is because they are dying of boredom. She proposes that Qiang Yi gives them something to do. Qiang Yi lets the carpenters do their stuff, he has them make instruments for the Noble, and she allows the Strong to spar and do martial arts under supervision.

The journey so far…

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Talk

The midday heliopolis poured through the windows of Hermes and Xiaoli's house. Middle spring scents were in the air and today Hermes found them pleasant. The popping of cloudlings had increased, the spring cohort being born from the sugary blossoms. The Dreamer bit her finger as she thought to herself. She sat on a nicely made wooden chair, slouched ever so slightly and deep in thought.

What was Xiaoli thinking, she asked herself. The events of the morning were terrifying and in her mind, not quite justified. She was well aware Xiaoli had said she'd never do it again, but it still sat funny in her stomach; what if something really had happened, would Xiaoli have an outburst of violence? She shuddered at the thought, especially when she placed the scenario far in the future.

”Pop.”

“Yeah,” Hermes didn't even bother to look at Poppler, “I just don't want to upset her.”

”Crackle.”

“Of course I'm mad, that was ridiculous and dangerous,” Hermes looked at the cloudling incredulously. There was a gentle ‘Zzt’ and Hermes sighed, “You're right.”

The Dreamer scooted off her chair and slipped on her sandals. Tightening the clasp, she scurried out of the room and into the hallway, almost ramming right into Xiaoli.

Xiaoli barely managed to slow down in time to avoid collision, having to lift the stone tray with tea cups in her hands far above her head. She blinked once or two. “A-are you in a hurry?” she said carefully as she lowered the tray to chest level again.

“No,” Hermes shook her head, “Sorry, I was looking for you.” She eyed the cups, “Tea?”

Xiaoli nodded faintly. “Y-yeah… I just thought, y'know, we could eat lunch.” She put on a somewhat forced smile. “I made sweet grass and walnut salad, too, though I left that one on the table in the main house. Would you like to join me?”

“That's sweet of you,” Hermes gave her a half cheeked smile, “Sure, I wanted to talk with you anyways.”

Xiaoli nodded a little frantically and turned on her heel, balancing the tray with uncharacteristic clumsiness. She led Hermes out of the family house to the courtyard, which she crossed at a northwest diagonal until she reached the still unfinished paveway to the northern house. The two followed the path to the central slider doors, which Xiaoli slid apart to reveal the neatly furnished dining room sporting a low table with a wool-upholstered pillow on each side and a sweet little pink flower in a vase on its top. The walls each had one painting on a wall-tall, metre wide paper sheet - one of them a painting representing the mushroom forest; the other, the tree-eater plains. The leftmost wall had shelves with bowls, plates and cups shaped and fashioned from rocks of varying colours and compositions, and the rightmost wall had a small clay oven with space on top for a pot - which in this case was a stone basin topped with a small steamer basket.

Xiaoli put the tray down on the table and walked over to the steamer. She lifted the lid off and extracted two woolen towels. She replaced the lid, walked over to Hermes and offered her a hot towel.

“Here - for your hands.”

“O-oh,” Hermes tangled with the tiny towel and cautiously sat down on one of the pillows. She squeezed the warm towel in her fist and looked around, “You’ve been busy, huh?”

Xiaoli smiled. “Nothing less than perfect! Of course, I’m not even close to done - I’m thinking at least two more paintings on each side, then perhaps I’ll cover the wooden floor with a carpet - or possibly a reed mat.” She poked her chin pensively and shifted between the floor and the walls. “I think reed mats will be best, actually - oh! But that’s for a later date! First, lunch!” She skipped over to the shelves, grabbed two bowls and two sets of chopsticks. She then shuffled over to the table, placing down Hermes’ bowl and cutlery before her own.

“Please, have some salad!” she insisted as she placed out tea cups.

Hermes looked at her bowl and then the pile of sweetgrass and nuts. She sighed, her stomach brickwalled with what was on her mind. Furrowing her brow she looked up at Xiaoli, “Hey, Xiaoli?”

The river girl gave her a smile as she poured tea, then sat down. “Hmm? Yes?”

Hermes put her arms over the table and held out her hands, “I have something on my mind, and I need to put it to rest.”

Xiaoli’s brow furrowed and she looked away. She picked up her teacup and sipped it sheepishly. “The tea is better when it’s hot…”

Hermes’ palms fell on the table and she dragged her arms back. She pursed her lips and sighed, “Right.” She took her cup and sipped at it tentatively, “Its- it’s good tea, Xiaoli.” She sighed into her cup and placed it back down, “I just want to talk about it, don’t you? We can get it out of the way and then we can go back to being happy.” Hermes whined, “Please, Xiaoli. You’ve been avoiding me since this morning.”
Xiaoli’s lips pressed against each other and she frowned at the floor. She grabbed the teapot and refilled their two cups. She looked briefly at Hermes, then back to the floor. “A-... Are you sure you wouldn’t like some salad first?”

Another sigh and Hermes rubbed the side of her face, bringing her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose, “Sure.”

Xiaoli’s smile returned briefly and she pinched a few stickfulls of salad onto Hermes’ and her own plate. She took a bite of walnut and let out a sigh through her nose. After swallowing, she gave Hermes another curt glance.

“Did it taste alright?”

Hermes looked up from her plate, swallowing after a lethargic chew, “Yes,” She sighed, “Of course it does. You always make wonderful food, but--” She looked off to the side, “I’m not Shengshi, I’m the mother of your children.” She fiddled with the now cool towel, “We can’t avoid each other and we can’t avoid talking about our problems.”

Xiaoli kept her eyes on the tea in her cup. She sucked in a deep breath, then another, then let out a sigh. “Alright… Let’s talk, then.”

“I know you said you’d never do it again already, but that was really scary, Xiaoli,” Hermes jumped right in as if she had been holding it back, “It was very scary, and-- and it wasn’t a healthy reaction. I just want to make sure you really won’t react like that again, I want to make sure that something isn’t wrong because I-”

Hermes groaned as a tear fell, she wiped it away, “Sorry, I’m not even sad-- it’s the,” She shook her head and continued, “I just want us to be as healthy and happy as possible, and this morning you gave me a lot to worry about. I know I was being anxious and my words started it, but..” She shrugged and rubbed her eye, “I don’t know.”

Xiaoli’s eyes still looked down, but she raised a fist to wipe away what one could assume were tears. “I thought I explained it this morning - the knowledge within that book, the possibility of the twins taking your life with them on the way out… It felt like the cave again, Hermes.” She looked up and to the side, shooting the outside a furious scowl. “... The thought of your life in danger, it--” She took a deep breath and let out a hacking breath. “For a moment after you said that you may not--” She swallowed. “--I felt like the world was mocking us - I could not hold back.”

She paused. Hermes slouched, “Okay…” She seemed to think for a moment, “But Xiaoli. In the cave, there was an actual threat that could be dealt with through fighting. There was none of that here, and I’m not saying you can’t be mad or sad, but,” she paused, “You can’t be so violent, especially with this new world we are entering; that’s why it bothers me. That sort of violence isn’t healthy for any of us, and I never seen you that way before -- I just want to make sure that that was the only time I ever will.”

“And it was!” Xiaoli said in frustration. “I already said it was a one time incident this morning, didn’t I?”

“I guess I’m just not over it, yet.” Hermes folded her arms, “Just… just promise me again, one more time. Please.”

Xiaoli closed her eyes tightly and blinked some watery beads away. “Did you think I would hurt you?” she mumbled somberly.

“You really scared me, I didn’t know what to think,” Hermes sat up, “You punched a hole right next to my head.”

Xiaoli’s face paled and her mouth gaped slightly. “So-... So you actually thought that--” Her eyes welled up and she lifted a hand to wipe them dry, but could not seem to dry them completely. “Wh-why… Am I like this?” she whimpered. “Have I scared you before, Hermes?! Have I?!”

“No, Xiaoli,” Hermes sighed and slouched again, “You haven’t, and I know you’d never hurt me on purpose.” She closed her eyes and held out a hand, “Can you- come, come here.”

Xiaoli let out a curt sob and swiftly crawled around the side of the table to sit next to Hermes and clung to her arm. “Hermes, I--!” She coughed and sniffed. “I promise! I promise to never do it again! I promise--!” Her word was interrupted by another cough-like sob.

Hermes rubbed her back, “I know, Xiaoli.” She made a slant with her lips as she thought, her brow furrowed, “Xiaoli, can I ask you a question?”

Xiaoli looked up with wide, glinting eyes. “H-huh?”

Hermes looked down with concerned eyes of her own, “You don’t… You don’t.” She exhaled through her nose, “I don’t know how to say this.”

“What? Hermes, I don’t what?” Her brow furrowed in uncertainty.

The dreamer chewed on her thoughts for a little before finally saying, “You don’t ever treat me like you’re my servant… do you?”

Xiaoli blinked and pulled back. “Would… Would that be a problem?” she asked quietly.

Hermes blinked back, “Well,” she said slowly, “Remember how you said we are equal? We are partners.”

Xiaoli let out a sigh. “W-well, yes, but--” She took a deep breath. “--it feels better for me to think that way. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t think of you as a master! You are my partner - my love - my equal! It’s just…” She took Hermes’ hand and squeezed it. “... I don’t mind being servile.”

Hermes squeezed her hand back, “But… just never put me before you or on a pedestal. We are equal in this, Okay?”

“Equals, yes!” Xiaoli replied. She pouted a little. “It’s just how I am, Hermes… I consider you my equal, of course, but I cannot forget that I am a servant at my core. It comes as naturally to me as, well, breathing comes to you.”

The dreamer breathed a little, as if punctuating a point to herself. She sighed and nodded, “Okay, I trust you; just as long as it stays healthy.” Hermes paused, “I do like all the little things you do, too.”

Xiaoli smiled faintly, even releasing a quiet giggle. “If it helps, I really like doing those little things, too.”

Hermes let out a long exhale, a small smile forming on her lips. In one fell swoop she tugged Xiaoli into a hug and squeezed, “Please don't ever avoid me again.”

Xiaoli froze momentarily before her arms eventually wrapped themselves around Hermes’ back. “I--” She took a deep breath. “I won’t… I promise.”

Well, that was heart-breaking...

Hermes is sits on bed contemplating how to talk to Xiaoli about her Kylo Ren rampage earlier that day. Upon deciding, she exists the bedroom and nearly collides with Xiaoli, who was just about to invite her for tea. They head over to the dining hall, where Xiaoli proceeds to ignore and avoid any and all of Hermes’ attempts to talk about her episode. Finally, Hermes manages to break through, and Xiaoli says she feels the need to murder something whenever Hermes is threatened. Hermes finds this hella scary, though, so she’s like “can you not?” to which Xiaoli answers, “I can not.”

Afterwards, the Dreamer asks Xiaoli if she sees Hermes as a master. Xiaoli says that she sees them as equals, but that she can’t really help being servile, as it’s kinda her thing. They hug and make up.

Prestigio

24+3=27

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Fearful Heart

The Lustrous Garden made its way towards the horizon, the warm rays of Heliopolis chasing away the night behind it. Xiaoli looked up for a moment through the foliage above, taking in the purple, almost red light that poked through. Around her the chameleon squirrels were starting to wake up, skipping between the branches and blending with the bark as they shot Xiaoli curious stares. A nearby patch of flying moss soared down from a branch above and landed on her shoulder with a wet slap; with a chuckle, the river girl brushed it off gently. In the distance between the trees, she spotted the faint yellow straw roofs atop the mansion houses. Past a few more trees, she saw the wooden walls and the stone foundations. Past the last few, she entered the clearing and skipped happily over to the family house.

Xiaoli burst in the door, skipped into the air and boomed, “Good morning!” as she belly flopped onto the mattress.

“AH!” Hermes woke with a start, neary bouncing off the bed. Her wide eyes narrowed and she smacked Xiaoli with a pillow, a laugh forming, “You see-” she yawned, “seem pretty happy.”

“Yup!” Xiaoli beamed as she dusted some sand off the pillow. “I had a chat with His Lordship, and he really provided some solid wisdom. It's…” She sucked in a deep breath through the nose. “It just feels like a boulder has been lifted off my heart.” She grinned, biting her lip slightly, and threw her arms around Hermes’ neck. “Also, I'm just… Really, really happy.”

“Mm, that's great!” Hermes gave a mirthful smile as she shook off the last of the sleep. She scooted into the embrace.

“Oh, and speaking of His Lordship, he sends his warmest wishes and, listen to this, has pledged himself to defend the Dreamers for as long as he lives!” She let out a silent squeal and kicked her legs about frantically.” Everything is just going so well!”

It was Hermes’ turn to beam as she suddenly squeezed Xiaoli before holding her away, “This is amazing news!” She stopped and smiled wide, “Shengshi… K'nell… our family is blessed. Oh, Xiaoli -- I couldn't be happier.” She squeezed the river girl again.

Xiaoli let out a fusion of a happy hum and a giddy giggle, digging her face into Hermes. She held the pose for a long moment, occasionally moving her head to peck at the areas of Hermes’ face that she could reach. Hermes chuckled happily at the affectionate assault, returning a few pecks of her own before holding Xiaoli away and peering in her eyes, “Xiaoli?”

“Yes?” the river girl spoke.

“Do you think,” Hermes said slowly, plucking one of her stray hairs from Xiaoli's woolen shirt, “That since everything is taken care of, and the house is nearly done, we could go on a little trip?”

Xiaoli's smile fainted a little, turning into a somewhat wry, yet straight face. “Hermes, dear, you know we can't do that. You have a baby on the way after all.”

“Abanoc's book says I have time before I really start showing,” Hermes debated, touching Xiaoli's arm, “Besides, I've been cooped up for a month. That's a first for me.”

“W-well, what if something were to happen? I know you've been practicing diligently, but what if we meet something that neither of us can fight? Or what if we get separated, or--” She cut herself off and squeezed her hand affectionately. “I just think that we shouldn't be reckless for a while, you know?”

Hermes looked off to the side, “Maybe,” she slumped against the headboard, “But it's been so long.”

“I know, my love, I know.” She placed a hand on Hermes’ muscular stomach and laid her head on her shoulder. “But still, we cannot take a--” Her eyes shot wide and slowly turned to Hermes. “Hermes?” she asked in a worried voice.

The Dreamer drained of color, “What? What?”

“Did-... Did His Holiness K'nell do anything to you while he was here? Anything spirit enhancing or the like?” Xiaoli patted her stomach searchingly.

“No,” Hermes squirmed, “He just- we just talked about the battle,” her voice was upset at the mention of it, “and other things, but nothing like that.”

Xiaoli gaped, then let out a single gasp. Her eyes welled up and as she turned to Hermes, the edges of her mouth curled upwards.

“H-Hermes I… I think there are two souls inside you!”

The Dreamer reeled away slightly, “I know; me and the baby. Xiaoli, are you okay?”

Xiaoli blinked. “N-no, silly! In addition to yours! There are two souls inside your belly!”

Hermes hesitated and then put her hands over Xiaoli's, “T-twins!?” She grinned stupidly, “Twins!”

Xiaoli let out a quiet squeal. “Y-yes, it must be! Oh, by the Exalted Ones, Hermes, we will have twins!” She blinked and then suddenly furrowed her brow. “We will have twins… I must add another bed to the room next door!”

Herme’s happy smile suddenly faded, “Twins.” She looked uneasy for a moment then forced her smile back, “Yes- another bed.”

Xiaoli's eyes flicked back at Hermes. “Hermes, is something wrong? You sound...” She raised a hand to caress her cheek. “... Talk to me, my love.”

“It’s nothing,” Hermes took Xiaoli’s hand from her cheek and held it, lacing her fingers around Xiaoli’s. She looked sad despite her smile, “I’m probably just being emotional again because of the-- pregnancy.”

Xiaoli sighed and cocked her head to the side. “Is it about the adventures?” she asked and pulled her hand away, shuffling over to the edge of the bed.

“No,” Hermes’ voice dripped with the beginnings of sadness, she let her hand drop as Xiaoli’s disappeared. Xiaoli looked over her shoulder.

“What is it, then?”

The Dreamers eyes shimmered and she turned away to hide them. She mumbled but it was barely audible even to Xiaoli. She let out a slightly frustrated sigh. “Hermes, dear, I'm sorry, but could you say that again, please? I didn't quite hear it.” She shuffled a little closer and leaned in. Hermes leaned close to her.

“I-” She managed quietly, “I might not survive twins.” Her eyes fell on the ever present book of Abanoc, she opened her mouth but then closed it.

Xiaoli did not move. “W-what?” she barely whispered. Her face slowly turned to face Hermes, its colour pale as ice and her lips quivering.

“It’s dangerous,” Hermes shrunk, “And twins: it’s very dangerous.” She wiped a stray tear that was forming, “I don’t want to worry you -- but I’m scared.”

“No! No!” Xiaoli stabbed a finger at Hermes chest, her eyes like waterfalls and her teeth grit together. “You are -NOT- saying those horrible things to me, is that clear?!” Hermes’ shimmering eyes broke and she closed them, beads running down her own cheeks as she cried quietly. Xiaoli’s neck gave out and her forehead crashed to Hermes’ chest.

“How-... How can you-... We were-...” The river girl sucked in a deep breath and sent her fist through the headboard next to Hermes’ head with a furious scream. The dreamer’s tears stopped as she jumped, looking at Xiaoli with scared eyes. Xiaoli pulled her fist out slowly, the pure sand polluted with splinters. She let out a long wail into Hermes’ chest, murmuring “it’s not fair” over and over.

“Xiaoli, you’re scaring me now,” Hermes looked down with a furrowed brow, her eyes still ripe with worry.

Xiaoli lifted her head, her squinting eyes ringed with red. She pulled away and rose out of bed. With several more sobs, she exited the room. Hermes sat there with a hollow feeling in her chest. She felt sick, more than usual. She leaned back in confusion, a splinter on the headboard snagging the back of her head. She swore and turned, slamming her own fist into the damaged head board. Trickles of crimson covered her fist as she took it out and she groaned, letting her head fall into her hands.

“I just want to go back to bed,” She whimpered to herself as her stomach turned. She felt guilty, and the guilt was eating at her chest but her anxiety kept her frozen in place. A swirl of emotions conquered her head, and she wasn’t too sure which one she was suppose to be feeling, her mind split between her emotional state and her actual fears. She felt regret.

There was a violent scream outside, followed by the rumble of something heavy crashing to the ground; judging from the snaps and cracking, it was likely a helpless tree. Hermes scooted up against a pillow and stayed like that for a while, before finding a small flame of resolve. She soaked it in and creaked out of the bed.

Padding across the floor of the house, she made her way outside, her arms wrapped around her stomach defensively. By the northern edge of the clearing, violent whips of water sprouted in every direction, occasionally complemented with tree splinters, and a single fleeing shadow crow. After a few moments, they stopped, the only sound on the wind being a loud wail.

“Xiaoli,” Hermes weakly shouted, jogging towards the wail, “Xiaoli.”

She came upon the clearing and saw the river-girl curled up against the pulverised remains of a tree trunk, its length covered with cuts until reaching the middle - which had been ground into sawdust. Xiaoli’s clothes were torn and ripped from splinters and sharps, and her skin was fractured across several spots.

Hermes let out a hot sigh and plopped down next to the river-girl, “Xiaoli…” Her voice was weak and slightly spooked, “You can’t--” Her voice wavered, “You can’t do this. You’re really scaring me.”

Xiaoli let out a sobbing cough. “Ishjuss--” She grabbed Hermes arm and clung to it desperately. “Ishjussai--” She pressed her forehead against her shoulder. Hermes gave another hot sigh and kissed the top of Xiaoli’s head.

“I’m pregnant,” Hermes said, her voice slowly coming back, “I get scared, I get nervous and I get horrible ideas-- but you, you’re my rock in all this. What I said was just from a worried mind, and I know it’s been rough on you too, but --” She looked at the broken trees, “This really scares me, seeing you do this.”

Xiaoli sniffed a few times and looked up at her. “I--” She let out another cough. “It’s just that I-... I cannot afford to lose you. You are--” In a near-unnatural fit of speed, she sat up and cast her arms around Hermes. “You are my existence - my purpose. I cannot even… Begin to imagine a life without you.” She rubbed one of her eyes. “Even the possibility of you not-... Well, it frightens me - frightens me to the point of fury.” She looked at the tree behind them. “I put you and the children in danger… What if one of the splinters had hit you?” Her head keeled over on her knees again and she began to sob once more.

Hermes wrapped her arms around her stomach again and tucked her knees up, “I don’t want to think about that.” Her mind began to spin, the adrenaline slowly leaving her body and leaving an empty bubble in her stomach.

Xiaoli sniffed again. “I cannot even allow myself to think about it…” She looked at Hermes. “I’m-... I’m so sorry for this. It’s just…” She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and her index finger. “... No, there’s no reason. I won’t frighten you again.”

Hermes suddenly leaned over and spat vomit. She rasped a quarter of an apology before suddenly puking again. Tears welled up as she threw up a final time and after a few painful gasps she leaned back and blinked away tears, “Xiao-” She choked on the air and cleared her throat, “Okay,” Her voice was a fine gravel. She reached out and patted Xiaoli’s arm between rancid burps, “Okay.”

Xiaoli sat there like a cat next to water. For what it was worth, her tears had dried. “A-are you well?” she asked uncertainly. Hermes flashed daggers for a second before softening.

“Mhm,” She wiped some spittle from the corner of her mouth. She sucked in a few calming breaths, her heart clearly pounding anyways and her gut clenched.

Xiaoli sat dumbstruck for a moment before she let out a single snicker. “What a morning,” she mumbled and shot Hermes a weary look. “I’ll go get you something to drink, hmm?”

‘Oh’ was all Hermes managed before suddenly retching again. She quickly scurried behind the stump and emptied her stomach again, half of it just being hot air. Her face was beat red and she let out a single gag before calling back, “P-please.”

“P-please never scare me again,” the woman burped painfully, her throat scratching.

Xiaoli smiled sadly and sniffed. “Yeah… Yeah, I’ll do my best. Just-... Just please don’t tell me anything else the book says about the survival rates of birth, is that alright?”

“I don’t think I’m--” Hermes paused and made an airy sound, “I don’t think I’m going to be reading about it again.” She coughed a few times, “Also, I’m kinda mad -- I am mad that you broke the bed.”

Xiaoli blinked and cast her eyes down shamefully. “Yes, that was uncalled for. I’ll fix it in a bit, okay?” She got to her feet.

“Okay,” Hermes sat up and pulled loose hair from her face, “Thank you. It was very close to my face and it spooked me and I’m pregnant which means I don’t exactly have the best control over some things right now.”

“Y-yeah…” She sniffed again. “It won’t happen again, I promise.” She picked up one half of the mauled trunk and walked a few steps before she turned to Hermes again. “I love you, Hermes - more than anything on this world, or any other.”

“I know, and I love you too,” Hermes gave her a small smile.

Xiaoli smiled warmly and picked up a stone, turning it into a cup in her hand. She raised it to Hermes. “Would you like sparkling or normal water, by the way?”

“Sparkling,” Hermes gave her a cheshire grin, with only minimal spittle on the side of her mouth.

Architect, that was a rollercoaster.

On the altar of the sunrise, there was a wedding in the waves. NO but actually what happened is Xiaoli came home and woke Hermes the fuck up to share with her the good news. Against all laws of nature, the pregnant woman woke up not mad and they shared a moment before Xiaoli realized that Hermes is pregnant with twins. She tells the broad, and they both get all screamy happy about it until Hermes is like “That could make my pelvis explode” and then they get sad about it, but then Xiaoli gets Bruce Bannered’ and fucks up some furniture, makes Hermes have an accident and blasts outside with the rage of Khan Krum the Terrible.

Hermes goes out to calm her lover gone Bulgarian Mass Murderer and they have a serious thing. Hermes ends up puking everywhere being the pregnant lady she is and then scolds Xiaoli for wrecking the joint as if they lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts (ha!). Other shit happens but the real kicker is that Hermes tells Xiaoli that she loves her for the first time, and then orders a Perrier.

21 + 3 = 24 prestige

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Shengshi

0MP/0FP

Xiaoli could not seem to fall asleep, despite her weary body. The revelry that had followed the arrival of K’nell and Shengshi to the mansion grounds had been tear-jerkingly joyous, purveyed with conjured drinks and foods for all to enjoy. K’nell had sadly left a little early, and Shengshi had retired to his designated guest room in the youth of the night - leaving the river girl with a somewhat anxious weight on her heart.

She shot a glance through the darkness over at the quietly snoring Hermes on the opposite side of the bed. Xiaoli sucked a quiet breath through her nose, gave the back of Hermes’ head a little peck and silently rose out of bed. She quickly undressed and redressed into some more appropriate clothing, slid the door aside and snuck out.

The cool, damp moss kissed her naked feet a few times before it gave way to the prickly gravel of the courtyard. Xiaoli looked down and winced - she would definitely cover this with tiles eventually. Her quiet steps brought her across the courtyard to the guest house, which door she gently pushed aside. The inside was dark, the hallway leading to three lesser rooms. Xiaoli stepped in, took a step forward and pushed the middle door aside quietly. Her eyes blinked and shot glances left and right.

Shengshi was nowhere to be seen - any proof of his presence had been erased through neatly folded bedsheets and blankets; the rice paper and ink stone on the desk had been replaced; the curtains had been pulled aside to let in the fuzzy gardenlight.

Xiaoli felt the weight on her heart grow, complemented by a boiling sensation the heart’s centre. How could he have simply left?! Without saying goodbye, no less! Had all this talk about learning and adapting been lies and deceit?!

Gao Shan Liu Shui, performed by Xiang Si Hua

Then came a sound - a sharp, yet light sound, barely audible, like the faint song of a harp string. Xiaoli’s eyes blinked and she quickly slid the doors shut and ran from the mansion complex. She crossed through the undergrowth and overgrowth of the surrounding woods, her gait turning into a sprint. The branches bit and clawed at her face and clothes, but she pressed on all the same. After a few moments, she reached the edge of the woods - the tree-eater plains. There, by a watering hole surrounded by resting saplings and watchful mother trunks, the snake sat plucking at his harp in the gardenlight. A curious elm trundled over and caressed the snake’s back with its trunk, to which the snake chuckled before gently pushing it away. Xiaoli blinked a few times before she made her way over.

The snake’s music halted for a moment as the footsteps approached, but promptly continued, albeit with a quieted volume. Xiaoli said nothing, but sat herself down in the sweetgrass next to the snake, admiring the reflection of the Garden in the water. A sapling awoke at her presence, its roots tripping over one another as it ran for the safety of its parent.

For a long moment, the only presence in the empty soundscape was the snake’s claws skipping between the harp strings, the calming song complementing the entrancing light of the Lustrous Garden in the sky. Xiaoli let out a somber sigh, her arms holding her knees against her chest.

“What is the matter, my dear?” the snake spoke softly through the notes. Xiaoli turned her head slightly and glanced upwards at him. While his eyes followed the strings, she felt his attention on her as if they sat face to face. She sighed again.

“My lord, I-... I am conflicted,” she said shamefully. The snake nodded. Xiaoli continued:

“One thought have clouded my mind for a month now; another, for a day.”

The snake hummed. “Share your second qualm, then, for it may be easier resolved.”

Xiaoli’s mouth straightened and she faced forward again. For a moment, she said nothing; then, she asked ever so softly: “My lord, how much of you is in me?”

The snake’s fingers froze for a moment and he looked down at her with pursed lips. As he began to play again, he squinted pensively at the waterhole ahead.

“Your body and mine have little in common, as you no doubt realise. Your form is composed entirely of the materials in that little beck in the jungle. However, your soul is so much more.” He pulled a few strings particularly hard, stirring some of the surrounding saplings to life. The snake gestured to the sparkling Garden in the sky with one hand.

“Your soul, dear Xiaoli, is large fragment of my own, extracted and shaped with the purpose of creating a near-equal - one who could counsel me and act on my behalf. That was your original purpose, remember?” The snake flashed her a wry smirk. Xiaoli looked down in shame.

“Are you ashamed of me, my lord?” Xiaoli asked as her forehead fell upon her kneecaps. The shake chuckled and shook his head.

“How could I be ashamed, my dear?” Xiaoli slowly looked up at him, her eyes glittering with tears in the faint light. The snake put his guzheng away and turned to face the girl.

“I can feel it, you know: your undying love for dear, young Hermes.” Xiaoli blushed and looked away, a small smile forming on her lips. The snake chuckled and gently caressed her black hair. “It pulses through your essence like ripples in a lake for all divines to see.” He gave the flushed river girl a knowing smirk.

“R-really?” Xiaoli almost whimpered. The snake let out a hissing laughter.

“No, I am just playing,” he snickered and flicked his tongue at her. Xiaoli faked a scoff and rolled her eyes. The snake’s snicker turned to a chuckle, one Xiaoli joined in on.

As the laughter calmed down, Shengshi gave her a soft smile. “I do not think the others can feel it, but our two souls are of such a common origin that our essences are near indistinguishable. You are me, Xiaoli, yet you are your own soul - simultaneously me, my sister and my child.” The snake sighed and faced the Garden in the sky again.

“I suspect the reason you are asking relates to the life growing within Hermes as we speak, yes?” The snake gave her a knowing look. “My most sincere congratulations on that, by the way - remind me to send Arae a gift for her trouble.”
Xiaoli blinked and then nodded enthusiastically at Shengshi. “Yeah, I will! Thank you, my lord.” Her smile waned a little. “Yes… I wanted to know so-... So I could be certain of whether our children will have divine souls. To be born divine, yet have mortal origins - it would doom them to a life of turmoil and escape from other unsavoury parties. I-... I don’t want that for my children.” Xiaoli looked down at her kneecaps again. The snake hummed.

“Their origins will not be mortal, dear,” the snake said. Xiaoli looked up.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Yours will be among the first children upon this world. They have yet to be born, yet already are they legends among their future people - the first to trace their roots back to Hermes, the First Dreamer, and Xiaoli, the Avatar of Shengshi. Their origins will be immortalised throughout history - regardless of their ability to bring about miracles or not. With your lineage, their race is tied to me in blood and spirit. -That-, dear Xiaoli, is the true relationship between our two souls.”

Xiaoli blinked. “So you’re saying…”

The snake nodded. “Nevermind the potential for your powers to transfer over to them, which, frankly, I do not believe will happen. The very process of you two…” He paused. “... Forming such a child under your circumstances likely requires so much divine energy in itself that little to nothing remains for the actual child.” He pointed a clawed finger at her heart.

“No, the divinity that you will be passing on to the Dreamers is my undying loyalty as their protector.”

Xiaoli felt her eyes well up. “M-my lord, do you mean it?” she said through the quiet whimpers. The snake nodded, his smile waning.

“No one and nothing shall undo the Dreamers so long as I exist. This, I swear.”

Xiaoli could not help herself. She rocketed to her feet and jumped at the snake’s chest, wrapping her arms as far around him as she could stretch. The snake snickered and closed his arms around her, too.

“Thank you, my lord… Truly,” Xiaoli said.

The snake shook his head. “It is the least I can do for my own blood. Now, what was the second query?”

Xiaoli’s smile waned, but slowly returned to a wrier state. She pulled away and put her hands on her hips. “I see you couldn’t let the moment last a little longer?” The snake raised a brow and smirked.

“You know I am not too fond of hugs, after all. Now speak your mind.”
Xiaoli sat down again and drummed her hands on her thighs. “Well, my lord, this question has been with me for some time… It relates to loyalty.” The snake craned his head backwards and let out a drawn-out “oooh”. Xiaoli nodded and continued:

“A month ago, Hermes and I were discussing the ideals of the Flow - particularly in relation to respect and loyalty. Long story short, the discussion made me doubt the idea about absolute loyalty to one’s master, regardless of atrocities or crimes. Am-... Am I wrong to doubt, my lord? There are just so many instances now where my actions of respect towards the Exalted Creators have been looked upon with skepticism, or been outright rejected. I feel so… Confused.”

The snake laced his fingers and placed his chin on top of them. “No… No, you are right to doubt,” he said. Xiaoli looked up with blinking eyes and slightly parted lips.

“M-my lord?” she said.

“I’ll admit I was green still when I thought up that particular rule. A few points of wisdom had not yet occured to me at that point.” He raised one finger. “Firstly, a drop of clear water in a pool of mud does not make the mud clear; neither can a speck of mud in a crystalline river soil the entire stream - meaning that a consistently cruel master will not be worthy of anyone’s loyalty despite occasional efforts to compensate; and that a consistently good master will still be worthy of loyalty despite occasional atrocities.”

Xiaoli nodded slowly. “Iiiis… Is that a new addition? I cannot seem to remember it.” Shengshi nodded and raised a second finger.

“Secondly, the line between a loyalist and a traitor is as fine as Nanhese silt - the cruel master will see anyone leaving the ranks as a traitor, but those who oppose the cruel master may see the defectors as loyal to their own cause. Likewise, those who support the cruel master are seen as loyal by the master, but regarded as traitors by the oppressed. Which one of these is in the right?”

Xiaoli cocked her head to the side. “W-well, those who remain with the master are loyal to their master at least, no?”

The snake nodded, a hint of pride contrasted by a pinch of shame in his voice. “Yes, that is true, saintly are those whose loyalty remains steadfast to the good sovereign - but there is a keyword there: the -good- sovereign.” The snake leaned in. “What are the qualities of a true master, Xiaoli?”

Xiaoli blinked and looked back with firm eyes. “As a true master speaks, the voice is like the wind to the grass - with every breath, the grass bows. As a true master watches, the sight is like the light of Helipolis - all-touching, all-seeing. As a true master listens, the ears are like a flood - as it spreads, it consumes all in the four directions. As a true master acts, the hand is like the delta - it forks out in every direction, giving go all who are in need.”

The snake nodded proudly. “I could not have recited it better myself.” He clapped for the blushing girl. “Now tell me - what does all this mean?”

Xiaoli nodded. “A true master is charismatic, observant, open to criticism and requests from its servants, and generous.”

The snake nodded. “Very good. A poor master mirrors these qualities with their opposites. An uncharismatic master gathers no support; a master blind to the affairs of the kingdom will soon see it fall; a master unwilling to hear criticism and the voices of the people invites rebellion and instability; and a greedy master warrants a replacement. Is this not true?”

Xiaoli nodded. “So it is.”

The snake nodded back and held up a third finger. “Thirdly, all masters are to be respected, but only the good ones are to be served.”

This made Xiaoli cock her head in a confused manner. “B-but how do we know which leaders are good?” she asked.

“I believe we just defined the rubric,” the snake said with a smirk.

Xiaoli blinked. “B-but… Can it really be that simple?”

The snake made a frown and shook his head. “As some rules, this one is a rule of thumb: However, most master that match this definition of good will be worthy of loyalty; most that fit this definition of poor, will not be.”

Xiaoli blinked again and looked down. She then looked back up with a smile and bowed her torso to Shengshi. “... I… I think I understand. May I ask, though, what does ‘respect’ in this context entail?”

The snake nodded. “Act towards them as you would towards any other master - regardless of their actions and character, their position is still above yours, meaning the standard mannerisms of the five relationships apply.”

Xiaoli nodded firmly, stood up and bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

The snake smiled warmly and bowed back. “Please give Hermes my warmest regards. I must return to the ship before it hits a reef on the shore - and please, Xiaoli… Please do not forget to visit now and then.”

Xiaoli straightened back up and grinned. “Of course, my lord. We will bring the children over some day soon.”

The snake chuckled. “I am looking forward to seeing my grandchildren - or possibly children.” He gave her a knowing wink.
“Farewell,” he said, picked up his guzheng and slithered off.

“Farewell, my lord,” Xiaoli said.

The weight on her heart had lifted, leaving only the flutter of joy and clarity in her chest. She would have to share this with Hermes soon, but for now, she felt like enjoying the brilliant light in the sky for some time longer.

The Philosophical Episode

Xiaoli can’t seem to sleep, her heart heavy with questions. She gets out of bed and moves over to the guest rooms to talk about them with Shengshi. He ain’t there, though, but she hears harp music a little further away, so she heads over to the tree-eater plains, where she finds the Snek playing his harp.

Xiaoli says she has two queries nowadays: How is she actually related to Shengshi, and what loyalty truly is. Shengshi tells her that they are of the same soul, but that her fears about the kids inheriting god powers is unwarranted - the divine genes will likely build into a divine legacy, which Shengshi pledges to protect.

“No one and nothing shall undo the Dreamers so long as I exist. This, I swear.” is the line.

Then they start talking about loyalty, and Shengshi tells Xiaoli that loyalty is really only reasonable if the master one is loyal to is good. They set the following ground rules for a good master: “A true master is charismatic, observant, open to criticism and requests from its servants, and generous.”

While it’s not an absolute rule that one should not be loyal to a master who cannot meet these standards, Shengshi points out that one who meets them will be worthy of loyalty, whereas one who doesn’t may not be as eligible.

They end it on a happy note and say goodbye, Sheng saying he will return to the Foot.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Journey to Tendlepog: Chapter 4

“Steady!” Tong Lao murmured loudly through the dreadful torrent of lethal water pouring through the cracks in the wood and barkwork. They had finally managed to lean some planks up against the wall - soon, they would tip the planks to the side using wooden poles and, with Li Shan still in recovery, his apprentice, Tong Lao, sitting in a tall, tared wickerbasket, would be pushed over and begin to tie and hammer away until the plank stuck. Tong Lao felt a choking clump in his throat - already, three of his carpenters had had to be rescued from saltwater exposure. He stole a glance over at the three figures, all of whom were each tended to by two others who watered them and washed off the salt.

“We’re ready, sir,” said the man to his right holding the stick that would tip the plank.

Tong Lao took a deep breath. “Do it,” he said. The two reluctantly nodded and pushed. While the sudden sensation of floating freely in water was initially daunting, the carpenter could not allow himself to lose focus. Through sheer force of will, he kept his mind from succumbing to panic, even as the only barrier between him and death was one inch of old, tared straw. He peeked out of the basket and saw the approaching wall. A stinging pain bit into his foot like the fangs of a beast. He looked down and felt his heart freeze - the basket was giving out.

“SOMEONE GET ROPE! HE’S SINKING!” came the shouts from the outside. They were backed up by the hammers of panicking feet against wood, but Tong Lao felt himself grow strangely calm. As he felt the sand fall off his feet, he took in a deep, shaking breath.

Aah… So it would seem my time has come after all… Mei Hua, make certain our daughter grows up to serve His Lordship well… I’ll be swimming ahead.

Suddenly, the hammering stopped. Tong Lao turned his head slightly, searching for the sound again - had he died already? Then suddenly, the basket flipped backwards and crashed to the floor. Tong Lao clutched his head and crawled out onto the dry floor to see the--

Wait, dry floor?

He looked up to see his crew mates in a state of dumbstruck awe, some seemingly unable to move while others fell to their knees and hands. The crowd kept whispering prayers and praises to the Exalted Creators - though one specific name came up often.

“Her Holiness Ashalla watches over us!” one of them exclaimed.

“It’s a miracle! The Queen of the Ocean has blessed us with a miracle!” another one shouted roofward. Some sprinted upstairs to spread the word. Tong Lao laid on the floor, his eyes unblinking in the face of the sight: Where the crack in the hull had been less than a minute ago, there was now ice - crystalline, beautiful ice. Tong Lao felt his hands almost automatically fold together as he whispered a weeping prayer of gratitude to Ashalla.

“Oh, thank you, You blessed, most blessed sovereign of the sea,” he managed to squeeze through the hulking sobs of joy.

However, a gentle dripping sound brought him out of his euphoria and he spotted small droplets pitter and patter against the floor in front of him. He traced their origin back to the ice and let out a fearful gasp, pointing at it with a shaking finger.

“TH-THE ICE IS MELTING! QUICK, FETCH WOOD AND ROPE!”

His crewmates quickly broke out of their trances, too, scrambling to grab the materials and tools requires to bind and stuff the hole up properly. Cold moisture clung to everyone’s faces as they made certain not to break the ice during the repair. Eventually, enough cloth, rope, bark and planks had been stuffed into or wrapped around the hole that Tong Lao felt brave enough to say:

“I-... I think we did it.”

There were weary nods of consensus and joyous laughter around the carpenter group, all of them much too worn out to celebrate. Tong Lao squeezed the shoulder of the woman on his left, who gave him a tired smile.

“I will inform the captain. You have all deserved a rest.” The carpenters hummed and voiced their agreement, trekking further into the ship to sleep. Tong Lao looked at the former crack again and let out an agitated sigh of relief before he climbed back up on deck.

---

The deck was busy as ever, Tong Lao having considerable trouble making out the captain’s purple robes among the crew members zooming left and right with materials, water and sand. He tapped one of the least-looking passerbys on the shoulder.

“Pardon me, comrade, but would you happen to know where the captain is?”

The deckhand shrugged. “Heard ‘e was ‘eadin’ te shore. Said ‘e was goin’ te gather us some lumba’.”

Tong Lao nodded. “Thank you, comrade.” The deckhand nodded and continued his work. Well, seeing as the captain was no longer on board, perhaps he could pay his master a visit, Tong Lao thought. The man walked over to the central mast, the place he had last seen Li Shan. Upon arrival, he saw that he was still there, the stumps on his legs having grown a little longer. Tong Lao knelt down next to him in a seiza position and inclined his torso.

“Master… Are you awake?” he said gently, though firmly enough to be heard over the bustling deckwork.

The man in front of him opened his crusty eyes and his mouth formed a faint smile. “Lil’ Lao…” he whispered coarsely with a snicker. Tong Lao’s mouth straightened out and he looked down with squeezed eyes. He gave his left one a curt rub before looking back at Li Shan.

“Yeah… Yeah, it’s me. Are you well?” he asked. Li Shan lifted a quivering hand up to Tong Lao’s face, but could not seem to lift it high enough. The apprentice caught it and held it firmly. “Lil’ Lao…” the carpenter repeated faintly. Tong Lao squeezed his eyes shut again and held the hand so firmly he was certain it would break. After a moment, he loosened the grip again.

“I-... I have some good news. We managed to seal the breach - all thanks to the Queen of the Ocean. You should have seen it - one moment, there was water - the next, nothing! It was an unfathomable miracle! You’ll have to come down and inspect the work we did… Although I,” he snickered somberly, “I’m almost certain you will chew me out for it.”

Li Shan didn’t respond. His eyes had shut again and his head laid resting against the mast. The apprentice’s skin lost all colour and he shook his hand gently.

“M-master..? Master?! MASTER!”

Suddenly, he was pushed aside, losing his grip on Li Shan’s hand. “Please forgive us, Tong Lao,” said one of two women who had taken his place by the master carpenter. The speaker then began to pat sand Li Shan’s legs from a sack he had brought with him around while her partner slowly poured water into the carpenter’s mouth. The water bearer looked at Tong Lao with somber eyes.

“Forgive us, comrade. Master Li Shan has lost a lot of water. His spirit is very weak. We’re afraid we… We cannot promise that he will be the same when he recovers.”

Tong Lao slowly got to his feet and have the women a somber nod. “Keep up the good work,” he said with a cracking voice as he flicked away some tears. As he walked off to the stairway downwards, he shot a glance over at the shore.

Hopefully, the captain had been just as lucky as they had been.

---

Qiang Yi stepped off of the makeshift raft and onto the white beach of the Kick. He took a deep breath and savoured the familiar scent of jungle and moisture, yet found himself put off by the ominous lack of wildlife sounds, the only sound clouding the empty soundscape being the other crewmates pulling the raft onto the shore. The occasional bird squeak aside, the forest ahead was devoid of life. A cooling sensation irked him.

“We will gather what we came for and leave post-haste…” he said firmly. “Be wary of any movements in the foliage.” His crewmates can him a nod, and with axes and saws at the ready, the group entered into the woods.

The first trees to fall were the ones similar enough to the original tree used to make the frame for Zhengwu - visual similarity was, however, not a very adequate quality to assess from, so many of the initial planks were too soft. Qiang Yi picked one up, bent it slightly and shook his head in disapproval.

“No, this one will not do, either - look for an older tree. There may be some over there.” The servant nodded and followed Qiang Yi’s finger deeper into the woods. Qiang Yi stepped over some of the undergrowth and stopped next to a servant of the Strong who was busily chopping up a smaller palm. Qiang Yi eyed the tree and shook his head again. “That one may do for rafts, but little else. We will use the trunk to reinforce the raft we have, but afterwards you will move over there in search of larger trees.”

“Yes, captain,” said the sailor and kept chopping. Qiang Yi sighed and stepped further into the jungle. There were no rivers here, either - only creeks and becks between the tall and short trees. Had His Lordship not given any thought to this place? Had he perhaps considered it unworthy of his blessings? Perhaps…

Perhaps such a reason was linked to why everywhere was silent.

Qiang Yi felt his brow moisten. He turned back towards the shore, but not long had he walked before one of the sailors came running over to him.

“Captain!” he said and extended a hand. Qiang Yi nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Please, master Gong’er, don’t frighten me like--”

Qiang Yi’s eyes fell upon the material in his hand - or more specifically, the pile of material. It was black as the night, yet parts of it reflected light like a mirror - twinkling at alluringly at the two.

“What… What is this?” said Qiang Yi as he picked up a small, black grain. The sailor known as Gong’er shrugged and shook his head.

“We don’t known, captain. We found it by the hillside over there. Do you think it’s valuable?”

Qiang Yi rolled the black grain between his fingers, inspecting its every blinking surface. “It is quite heavy for its size, this grain. It may be related to gold.”

“To gold, captain?” Gong’er said excitedly. Qiang Yi nodded.

“Have the men make a wicker basket. We will gather as much as we can of this sand and bring it to His Lordship as a gift when we return home.” Gong’er nodded frantically while grinning and sprinted off into the foliage. Qiang Yi gave the grain in his hand one last lookover before flashing it a wry smirk and pocketing it. He then strolled back to the shore.

---

A few hours had passed and many trees had been felled and turned to planks. The raft they came on had been outfitted further with palm trunks and leaves. It was filled with planks and sawdust to the point where they had to paddle back to the ship twice. Qiang Yi stood on the shore, staring outwards across the sea past the ship. He took out his brush and gnawed lightly on the top of its handle.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned. Out from the woods came two sailors, Gong’er on the left and one known as Lai Lei on the right - between them was a tall wicker basket that seemed to nearly drag the two sailors down to the ground with it.

“By Nanhe’s delta, this stuff is heavy!” Gong’er exclaimed. The two put the basket down before Qiang Yi and the captain knelt down and ran his hand through the black sand, scooping up a handful and letting it drizzle down. He could not help but feel like there was something about this mineral - something potent.

“Stellar work, master Gong’er, master Lai Lei. Once we are back on the ship, make certain to store it safely so that it does not spill. His Lordship’s gift shall remain whole until he receives it - nothing less is acceptable.”

“Yes, captain!” the two sailors voiced simultaneously. Soon thereafter, the raft returned and the three men boarded. The were ferried back to the ship, and the raft was then tied behind it after use. As the crew zoomed back and forth, bringing the wounded below deck and the newly arrived materials to the damaged areas, Qiang Yi moved up to the helmspost. He scanned the deck. Slowly, but surely, the wounded crew members were restored to vitality, returning to their work.

“His Lordship certainly made us durable - when we’re not busy falling into the sea, that is,” came a voice from behind. Qiang Yi turned and felt his lips part in a smile. By the newly fashioned tiller that led to the fresh rudder sat the familiar bookworm, except that she was missing her book this time. She flashed Qiang Yi a playful grin.

Qiang Yi let out a gentle chuckle and nodded. His eyes fell on her left arm, its chalk-white sand gently contrasting her otherwise dark beige body. She followed his gaze and let out a snicker. “Right?” she added.

“Yeah… He certainly did.” He paused. “Where’s your book?” he asked.

Zhen-zhen shrugged. “Dunno. Might’ve gotten lost during the attack for all I know.” She straightened her back and bowed her head in respect towards Qiang Yi. “It doesn’t matter in the face of my duty, anyway.”

Qiang Yi’s smile faded a little and he walked over to place a hand on her shoulder. Zhen-zhen flinched a little and slowly looked up, her smile also missing.

“Don’t blame yourself, Zhen-zhen,” Qiang Yi said. “I’m happy you wish to be more diligent, but know that no one aboard this ship blames you for what that monster did.”

Zhen-zhen’s eyes grew misty for a moment and she looked away. “I-... I wish I could avoid it, captain, but…” She paused, sniffed and cleared her throat. “There is at least one person aboard this ship who blames me for it, and she isn’t really the forgiving sort.” She hid her tears behind a broad smile and gently patted the hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks, though. You’re a good man, captain,” she said warmly. Qiang Yi felt his cheeks blush and cleared his throat.

“Th-thank you, first mate Zhen-zhen,” he said and pulled away, eliciting a smug snicker from the girl. Qiang Yi flashed her a slight smirk.

“Set a course around the northern coast of the Kick, helmsman,” the captain said.

“Yes, captain!” she answered with a smile.

Summary

The post opens with Tong Lao, the carpenter Li Shan’s apprentice, going on a suicide mission to fix the breach in the hull. To protect himself from the water, he sits in a wicker basket, which soon starts taking in water. As she prays in his final moments, Ashalla’s aid deus ex machinas him and the crew shortly thereafter fix the breach.

Tong Lao then goes up to see to his master. Li Shan is still quite wounded, and due to a dangerous amount of water loss, his spirit is damaged. He acts therefore as if he has suffered heavy blood loss. Tong Lao cannot seem to get in proper contact with him, but tells him about all the wonders that have happened regardless. He is interrupted when two medics come to heal Li Shan further.

On the shore, Qiang Yi leads a team of lumberjacks to gather wood for planks. Save for a few birds, the jungle is devoid of life, something Qiang Yi finds eerie. After a while, a sailor named Gong’er comes over to Qiang Yi with a handful of black, ominously desolate sand that they found. Qiang Yi considers this strange metal to be highly valuable and decrees that a basket of the stuff shall be brought to Shengshi as tribute. The sailors agree.

When they return to the ship, the wounded are transported downstairs along with the materials. The ship is repaired and Qiang Yi talks with Zhen-zhen about her not having to blame herself for the fish attack, to which she responds that she probably will, regardless of what he says. She is, however, still thankful for his support and the two share a moment. Qiang Yi then tells her to set a course northwards.

Journey so far…

They didn’t actually move, so they are still where they left off in chapter 3.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

A month had passed since Arae’s blessing and a certain spring had taken hold of Tendlepog. The gnarled forests of Limbo began to sprout small delicate flowers, almost translucent. Their aroma was subtle but invoked a great nostalgia in tandem with the rest of the strange place. In total it was peaceful, and if not for the random swims of nausea, Hermes might say it was perfect.

The Dreamer held her head, sick of the scents around her. It was like everything was assaulting her nose, she even refused Xiaoli's tea -- even after the reluctant River Girl offered to add Sweetgrass.

Hermes closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree she sat at. Beyond closed lids she could hear Xiaoli putting the finishing touches on the last of the three houses of the estate, and as much as she'd love to watch, she was afraid of further vertigo. Her stomach curled and she said a silent prayer, ever thankful that she was born in a time before food.

Xiaoli clapped her hands free of dust and took a few steps back to admire her work. The guest house looked nearly identical to the bedroom house, and made for quite a satisfying parallel across the courtyard. She let out a sigh and grinned.

“Okay! I’m done! Hermes, what do you think?”

The Dreamer all but peeled her eyes open and squinted from her spot, “It looks wonderful,” her voice lacked enthusiasm but was genuine enough. The woman eventually forced herself to her feet, her brain sloshing forward. It took a couple steps but the nausea began to recede as quickly as it came -- for now; it was a tricky thing.

Hermes stopped next to Xiaoli and examined the house, “Shengshi oughta like it,” She said carefully, “Would- would Shengshi use it? He'll be here any day now.”

“Yes, I think he will.” Xiaoli gave her a sad smile. “Is it the nausea again, dear?”

“Always,” Hermes said fatigued, “So far, I'm not a fan of pregnancy. You know, I was reading about similar--” she paused, “There it is again.” Her colors changed to a dull pea green and she sat herself down.

Xiaoli crossed her arms over her bosom, maintaining the compassionate smile. She then leaned down, picked up a rock and turned it into a cup before strolling towards the creek.

“It's not like we don't have bigger things to worry about,” Hermes cursed as she closed her eyes.

“We do, but I cannot stand seeing you like this. You haven’t eaten for nearly a day.” She filled the cup with some creek water. Then as she walked back over to Hermes, she took a deep breath and blew on the water surface. The water soon began to produce tiny, fizzy bubbles along the walls of the cup. She offered it to Hermes.

“Here. It’s a little better than the sweetgrass juice I made for you yesterday - I hope.”

Hermes hesitated but took the cup and sipped. She furrowed her brow, “Thanks,” her voice sounded slightly irritated, a sound Xiaoli had been getting used to the last few days. The Dreamer tipped the cup and gulped the rest of the fizz and then laid flat on her back and groaned.

“Xiaoliiiii,” Hermes whined.

“What is it, dear?” Xiaoli said patiently and laid down on her belly next to her, propping her head up on her fists.

Hermes rolled so they were face to face, her brow slanted and mouth in a line, “Twenty something all powerful Gods and not one of them thought to do away with this part,” her face fell from serious to misery, “I'm sorry.”

Xiaoli’s mouth was at first a straight line, but promptly turned into a somewhat silly smirk backed up by a quiet giggle. “Nothing to be sorry about, dear - we could write complaint letters to all of them, if you’d like.” She winked playfully and snickered.

Hermes smiled and let her face fall onto the mossy forest floor, “mmmpphh,” she muffled.

“Sssssoooo…” Xiaoli began, casually playing with Hermes’ hair with one of her hands. “Whaaaat should we call it?”

“It!?” Hermes voice muffled, “You mean our baby?”

“Well, yes - we don’t know the gender yet, after all. Let’s ssssaaay it iiis a -boy-! What would you like to call it?” Xiaoli rolled over on her back and tucked her hands underneath her head.

“Ermph,” Hermes thought into the moss, “You go first.”

Xiaoli giggled. “Okay, okay - I’ve given this a lot of thought, but constructive criticism is welcome.” She rolled back over on her stomach and kicked her feet playfully in the air above her.

“Okay, so, if it’s a boy, I would love for him to be called Wenbo.” She wrote the characters in the moss, pouting slightly as the moss bounced back. “Anyway, the character wen means ‘literary talent’ and bo means ‘erudite’. A fitting name for the son of us, right? Oh, oh! But in case that one sounds odd, fear not - I have more.” She tried to write again, this time seeming more annoyed at herself at making the same mistake twice. “What do you think about Rongxuan? ‘Prosperous’ and ‘tall’? Oh! How about Yongfu, ‘eternal wealth’? That one’s not too bad, right?” She gave Hermes a look. “Dear, did you fall asleep?”

“Nuh uh,” Came from the moss, the Dreamer lifted her head and propped her chin up on her fists. She seemed to ponder for a moment, “What does Xiaoli mean?”

Xiaoli beamed at the question. “Well, Xiaoli is composed of the characters xiao and li, each respectively meaning ‘little’ and ‘beauty’.” She caressed herself with playful vanity.

“Hmm,’ Hermes seemed to think, “I think I see it,” she stuck out her tongue.

Xiaoli’s smile vanished. “You -think-?” she said sourly.

Hermes laughed to herself and fell back into the moss, “As if you didn't know how beautiful I think you are.” Her voice muffled with a tiny chuckle, falling into a thinking hum.

“Oh, I know,” she said, her smile reappearing. She rolled back on her belly and continued plucking playfully at Hermes’ hair. “Soooo, what do you think of the names?”

“I like them,” Hermes rolled her head on its side, “Wenbo is my favorite though. I have names in mind but-- well they don't have those special meanings other than I like them.”

Xiaoli’s mouth straightened out. “... Yeah…” There was a pause. “... You can still say them, if you want. We’re in this together, after all. I shouldn’t hog all the names.”

“Well,” Hermes scrunched her face, “We can say they mean things, who says we can't? We are the very first to do this, after all.”

Xiaoli pondered for a while, then slowly nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right! We can actually do that!” She gave Hermes’ temple a peck. “Okay, what’ve you got?”

A bright smile formed on Hermes’ face, “Well, what about Chinua--” She smiled, “Blessing. Or, Oktai -- understanding.” She lounged on her side, “Maybe even Chaghatai.” She had a buzzing smile, “Our baby.”

Xiaoli let out a humming giggle. “Heh… They’re all so sweet! I really like Oktai and Chaghatai - especially Chaghatai.” Her eyes sparkled with joy. “Though I suspect that he’ll be a bit embarrassed when we tell him the name’s meaning.” She winked. “Okay, we got some boy names. How about girl names?”

“A little embarrassment wouldn’t hurt too much,” Hermes mused happily, before pondering with a buzzing smile, “...Tuya? Ray of light.”

Xiaoli tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Could work… I feel like Her Holiness Asceal would be very satisfied if she heard that. How abooouut… Xihui? ‘Joyful’ and ‘bright’? Or…” She caressed Hermes’ exposed cheek. “How about Yanli after her mother?” She paused and put on a playful smile. “‘Colourful beauty’?” she added with a giggle.

Hermes let her own hand fall ontop of Xiaoli’s, “I like both a lot,” her eyes twinkled, “I’m sure we will get a chance to use all of them.”

Xiaoli’s eyes widened. “I-... I mean… How many do you want, if I may ask?”

Hermes scrunched her nose as if incredulous and leaned up on her elbow, “What did Shengshi say again,” She thought for a moment, “Ten thousand?”

“Y-... You realise he was hyperbolising for effect, yes?” She sat up on her calves and cleared her throat. “I’m not saying I don’t want to have many children, but… Ten thousand may be a bit excessive, no? Both on you and our future food stocks.” She tapped her chin. “Although, I suppose I could just make some more food, in that case… Alright, so our main concern in that case would be your body.”

Hermes sat up and was laughing, “Oh, Xiaoli,” She nudged her shoulder, “I was kidding-- but you should be so lucky as to have a partner willing to make ten thousand babies.” She gave a knowing smile.

“I’m not lucky to have such a partner - I’m lucky to have you,” she snickered and crossed her arms over her bosom. “Although, if -I- were to set a number… How about… Eight?”

“I don’t want to set a number,” Hermes uncharacteristically pouted and crawled over, setting her head in Xiaoli’s lap, “What if I end up wanting more -- or less.”

Xiaoli began to absent-mindedly caress Hermes’ head, her eyes staring forward. “Well, yes, I suppose… We should have enough to fill the whole house, though. It’d be a little quiet here otherwise.” She looked down and brushed Hermes’ bangs to the side. “I wonder what they will be like - how much they will look like you or me; if they will be as colourful as--”

She paused, her eyes widening. “What if they inherit my powers?”

Hermes looked up with a quizzical expression and shrugged, “Do you think they will?”

“I-... Don’t know.” She gave Hermes a slightly somber look. “I’ll be honest - I hope they don’t.”

Hermes furrowed her brow and reached up to cup Xiaoli’s face, “I don’t think it works like that, you don’t need to worry -- from what I gather from our talks, your powers come directly from Shengshi. They -- won’t be coming directly from Shengshi,” Her own eyes widened as she looked off to the side, “No, they won’t.”

Xiaoli looked away for a moment. “That…” She paused. “No… You’re probably right.”

“Mhm,” Hermes closed her eyes and tucked her arms over her chest. “They’ll be colorful though,” She gave a tiny nod, “I can feel it.”

Xiaoli giggled. “They’ll be even more colourful than you, I bet. Our home will look like spilled paint.” Her giggle turned into a chuckle. “Oh, I will definitely teach them to paint. I can just imagine them standing in front of their paintings afterwards and taking on that pallet.”
Hermes smile grew but then suddenly shifted, and tears began to pour from the corner of her eyes, forcing her to turn her head and cover her face with a single hand.

Xiaoli’s pupils shrunk and she raised her hands in confusion. “H-Hermes, what happened?! Did I say something wrong?! Are you feeling sick again?!”

“No,” Hermes sobbed into Xiaoli’s lap, “I’m just scared.”

Xiaoli’s eyes dimmed. She snuck her arms under Hermes’ and pulled her into a hug from behind. “I won’t let him get to you, you hear me?” she whispered almost menacingly.

“I don’t even care about that,” Hermes lifted her face from Xiaoli and sniffled, eyes a beet red, and nose not much better, “I just want my family.” She squeezed Xiaoli with a helplessness the river-girl had never felt before.

Xiaoli felt her eyes water and squeezed back. “I’m not going anywhere, Hermes - no one is. We will--” She sniffed. “We will get through this, and we will have a family, and we will--” She let out a few sobs, pulling away before pressing her head against Hermes’ chest, following by a long wail.

Hermes wrapped her arms around Xiaoli, a gentle stream of tears running down her face, “I want to go to bed.”

Xiaoli pulled away, letting out a curt ‘mm’ of agreement.

Timeskips and names

A months has passed since Arae’s blessing. Hermes suffers from morning sickness and Xiaoli has just finished the three houses of the inner mansion. They discuss its as a guest room and, seeing as Shengshi is on his way to Tendlepog, Hermes complains about morning sickness being a thing, to which Xiaoli suggests that they should discuss baby names!

Xiaoli suggests Chinese names; Hermes, Mongolian names. They then dicuss how many babies they should have, to which Hermes playfully responds ten thousand, as per Shengshi’s guarantee. They then decide not to set a specific number.

Suddenly, Xiaoli remembers something and wonders if the kids will inherit their powers. Hermes thinks they won’t, but Xiaoli may not be as convinced. As they talk about how colourful their children will be, Hermes begins to cry, telling Xiaoli that she is afraid of losing her family. Xiaoli tries to comfort her, but it’s soon clear that she is also scared - as she begins to cry, too.

In the end, they decide to go to bed.

Prestige

18+3=21 - she can now legally use it to buy alcohol in the US.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Journey to Tendlepog: Chapter 3

The shrine they erected for Ashalla displayed the wonderful skill of the carpenters aboard, Qiang Yi thought. Due to spatial constraints, they sadly could not make it larger, but they made due with a one metre tall carven effigy made to resemble her awestriking appearance: It started thin at the bottom, then grew in width and bulk until a humanoid female form sprouted with its arms raised to the sky. It has no clear face, but its skin was etched with wavy lines and sea motifs. Hopefully, it would have been satisfactory in her eyes.

It had made sense to place it at the bow - should they encounter her again, it would be the first thing she would see. No loss in appealing to the gods, the crew had reasoned. This quite literal figurehead would guide them along the shore of the Dragon’s Foot as surely as Her Holiness Ashalla herself would have.

Qiang Yi stood at the bow, admiring the figurehead as well as the surrounding ocean. He had spoken the truth in his poem - the sea truly did mirror, if not, dared he say, outmatch the rivers. There was a sobering monotony to it, yet a luring mysticism.

“I pray there will be more trips after this,” he said to no one in particular.

“Yes, it -is- quite a sight, cap’n.” Qiang Yi turned around. Zeng En, the quartermaster and a servant of the Strong, gave him a wink as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I reckon you’ll be sent on numerous voyages like this ‘un.”

Qiang Yi gave him a wry smile. “I would, actually, though the waves do make it difficult to write poetry.”

Zeng En smirked back and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it, cap’n. I, for one, love it ‘ere. Don’t get me wrong, the work aboard Jiangzhou is rewardin’ and all, but…” He sucked in a lungful of sea air. “This sensation of discovery - this joy in my spirit; these, I will miss when we return to Jiangzhou.”

Qiang Yi gave him a warm smile. “Then we must insist that His Lordship send more gifts.”

Zeng En nodded. “Now pardon me, if you would,” he said, “My fresh air break is over, I’m afraid, so below deck again, I go.”

“Of course,” replied Qiang Yi. The two bowed to one another and Zeng En walked off. Qiang Yi stared ahead again. Yes, magnificent waters. Oh, he should just grab his brush and a page and start writing about the fantastic motifs as sea meets shore and--

Wait, where was the shore?

Qiang Yi shot a glance eastward. In the distance, he saw some faint green and the simplistic glitter of snow atop a very, very distant Xishan. He stormed up to the helmspost in a hurry.

“Zhen-zhen! What’s our course?!” he boomed. The first mate quickened to, nearly lobbing her book overboard.

“D-due north as usual, captain!” she said obediently.

“Yes, I realise that, but -why- are we so far away from the shore?!” Qiang Yi replied furiously.

“No need to yell, captain. We had to avoid some reefs earlier, so we turned a little far portside. Not to worry, though!” She dragged the tiller to the left, sending the ship back towards the shore. “There! That wasn’t so hard, right?”

“Silence your smug, Zhen-zhen. You are the helmsman - you are supposed to keep the course, not--!”

A pulse went through the water and brushed against the ship - very distant, but ominously audible.

“Did you hear something?” Qiang Yi asked. Zhen-zhen nodded, her face draining of colour.

---

As Galbar’s lands had grown wonderous from the works of gods, day’s turning to night and back again in an never ending cycle, so too, had something grown in the ocean. Now almost forgotten, save for those few that remembered.

Many had perished to cannibalism, and lack of food, but the few who survived had been rewarded with delicacies of the living. Growing fat and mighty. That hunger they held, was as deep and vast as the ocean, and would never end. Not until they were all but dead.

Now, something unfathomably old swam in the deep, heralded by the ethereal beauty of starlight. Such a light beckoned all that would look upon it, for it’s glow was but temptation, and it had found something new. Something with souls. It let out another rumble from it’s maw. The pulse ran through the water again, much, much closer now.

---

The pulse nearly shook the crew members off balance. Heads were beginning to turn and voices began to whimper. Qiang Yi boomed orders in every direction: “Bring out oars! Furl the stern sail, it slows us down! Faster, people, we need to MOVE!”

Servants ran, tripped, slipped, crawled - the deck was a chaotic mess as oars were brought out and put to use. The panic caused uneven distribution of oars on each side, inciting Zhen-zhen to call for support at the helmspost to keep the ship from setting a course into deeper sea.

“Equal number of oars on each side! Less flight, more fight!” she shouted angrily.

Even as the rowers distributed themselves equally on each side, the ship could not seem to pick up speed quickly enough. Meanwhile, Qiang Yi went below deck with Zeng En and began to look for any weapons.

“What tools can we sacrifice in a crisis, Zeng En?” Qiang Yi said, digging desperately through a toolbox.

“If necessary, we can repurpose the saws into axes - the hammers should function well as is.”

“Anything with reach?” Qiang Yi asked and grabbed a saw. Zeng En threw him a wooden pole.

“Grab a knife and sharpen this - or tie the knife to it. Either way, arm those that ain’t rowin’ or furlin’ the sails,” Zeng En said. Qiang Yi nodded and ran upstairs.

“There are weapons below,” he boomed. “If you aren’t working the oars, the helm or the sails, arm yourselves!”

He stepped to the side to allow the remaining crew members to descend below deck. Then Qiang Yi stepped over to the stern to see if he could spot the pursuer.

It was large, larger than even the ship, and grotesquely foul. The leviathan swam in circles under the boat, as if trying to figure out what the creature it hungered for was. The leviathan’s light, beautiful as ever, glowed softly in the deep. Ever so alluring…

Qiang Yi spotted the light. My… Was there no end to the beauty of the ocean? He dropped his axe and leaned forward over the railing.

Maybe he could get a closer loo--

With a solid tug, he was pulled back on deck. Zhen-zhen and two others held him by the ribbon about his waist.

“Captain, are you insane?!” Zhen-zhen screamed at him.

“... But… But the light…”

“Huuuh?! Light?! Have you gone panic blind or something?!”

“No, there-... There was a-...” Qiang Yi pointed weakly to the railing.

“Oh! How nice, there was a light. Did you also see the shadow that is TWICE AS BIG AS THE DAMN SHIP?!” Zhen-zhen slapped him across the head from behind and pushed him to his feet.

“Grab your saw and keep the crew safe, captain! Make sure they don’t fall for the same trick you did!”

Qiang Yi staggered over to railing, over which he saw what was unmistakably a black blot below them - or more specifically, a part of one. He gasped through his teeth, snatched his saw off the floor and sprinted down to the deck, nearly tripping down the stairs.

“Everyone! Keep away from the railing! Rowers, double, no, TRIPLE time!” The rowers struggled against the pain as they tugged the oar back and forth as fast as they could.

The creature brushed itself against the ship with two long tentacles. The vibrations through the ship sent similar chills through the spines of the increasingly panicky crew. It continued it’s almost lethargic like pace, now swimming wide circles below the ship. It then suddenly broke this circling and swam off.

Qiang Yi and Zeng En stormed over to the railing and stuck their heads over the side. “Wh-where did it go?” Qiang Yi said in a shivering voice. Zeng En squeezed the handle of his hammer.

“I don’t know, but we’re likely not out of the woods yet. Keep up the speed, people! We’ll be safe once we reach coastal waters.”

The coast was not too far away now. Xishan stabbed the sky dome in the distance, and the green forests of the central Foot began to break through the fog pouring out of the Saluran Mendidih. In the distance to the north were the faint marks of a second continent. The water should not be too deep here. Perhaps… Perhaps they had made it.

From the port side of the ship, out in the deeper waters, something broke the water’s surface. First it was the beautiful glow, stifled by the blue sky but still dangerous nonetheless, then behind that long stalk of flesh, came a massive mouth full of rows and rows of sharp teeth, that were about the size of the servants themselves. And those teeth, were coming right for the ship.

The crew burst into screams. Some collapsed to the floor and curled up as if that would help them. Others began to row faster than the rest, striking into the oars in front of and behind them. Zeng En and a group ran to the stern, roaring their fanatical war cries and praises to Shengshi, as if it would be their last. Qiang Yi stood frozen on deck, clutching his saw. As he saw the jaws approaching, he felt his lips and knees quiver in unison. This could not be how their journey would end. They hadn’t even made it to the Kick, damn it!

“CAPTAIN!”

The call snapped him out of his shock and he saw a frantically waving Zhen-zhen at the helmspost towards the stern, flanked by several others throwing improvised harpoons at the monster. Qiang Yi could not gather himself in time, but time was something he did not have. He stormed downstairs and grabbed a new armfull of wooden poles, bringing them up to the stern in a rush. There, Zeng En took them in his arms and gave them to Li Shan, who proceeded to sharpen them swiftly with his knife. Zeng En picked up a newly sharpened pole, tested its weight and sent it in an arc towards the glowing eyes of the horrendous beast behind them.

“The eyes! Aim for the eyes!” he roared at his companions.

The creature, struck by several harpoons, dove under water. Blood began to flow, staining the waters inky black. The leviathan, scraped the bottom of the boat with its body. The water was getting shallower, and with it, the prey was escaping. With a burst of speed, the creature began another attack, and this time, was unphased by the harpoons.

That was until, something sharp punctured it’s left eye. There was a sickening sound, almost like a pop, then the creature bellowed. The air it sent out was rank with rot and the creature slammed into the ship before disappearing into the black waters.

The ship was cast several hundreds of metres forward, the cracks of breaking wood and whistles of flying splinters sounding from the stern like a lethal orchestra. All the crew members there were flung forward over the edge of the railing, the fortunate ones crashing to the deck in front.

The unfortunate ones…

Hammering steps against wood. Qiang Yi lifted his dizzy head off the stair step. Below him laid another bundle of wooden poles. He blinked, squeezing his eyes together as he painfully pulled his arm out from under the poles. It had nearly been severed as his body weight, spurred on by the momentum of the ship, had pressed it between the stairs and the poles. Thankfully, the arm reformed into its regular shape, his ripped sleeve being the only casualty. He quickly staggered to his feet and sprinted back up.

He ascended to find that the ship had stopped moving, and all around him were crewmates running to and fro with tools, materials, water and sand. Wait, sand? Qiang Yi turned to his right and gasped, dropping the wooden poles.

Zhen-zhen laid clutching her stumped arm next to a sandy puddle. A little further away, Li Shan was attended to by two others, one who was slowly giving him water from a cup and another who was patting sand over the slowly regrowing legs. Zeng En laid broken against the railing above, his body reduced to a singular, mushy blob that four crewmates desperately tried to save with water and sand. Qiang Yi was pushed to the side by two crewmates charging up the stairs carrying a stretcher, upon which laid what he assumed where the clothes and partial body of Wang Huangxia.

Qiang Yi stood in shock, his lips forming sentences, yet his voice failing to give sound to them. He laid his eyes on Zhen-zhen again, only to notice that she was glaring back.

“C-... Captain,” she hissed through the agony. Qiang Yi hurried over and uncorked his water gourd, putting it to her lips. Her skin had begun to crack.

“Shh… Drink now, the beast is gone.”

Zhen-zhen’s pained eyes began to swell, tears bubbling up despite her lack of fluids.

“I-... I’m s-s-sorry, c-captain,” she whimpered. “Th-this is all my-...”

Qiang Yi shook his head and silenced her with the water gourd. “No, no… Don’t worry about that, Zhen-zhen… Just drink and live.” Zhen-zhen’s quivering lips spilled a lot of the water, but she eventually managed to properly drink. Qiang Yi looked around.

“Somebody give me a report! Is it still after us?! How is the crew?! How is the ship?!”

One of the Noble servants, one Qiang Yi knew as Fa Ye, stepped up hurriedly and bowed. “Captain, the beast has stopped chasing us, but not without a heavily toll. Our crew has suffered heavy casualties, with eight crew members severely wounded, ten minorly wounded and four missing. We-... We saw clothes on the water surface behind us… We fear they may have swam ahead of us…” Fa Ye lowered her head; Qiang Yi did, as well.

“What about the ship?” the captain asked.

“There has been a breach under deck towards the stern. Luckily, the pump and tank seem to be functional, still, but we are still trying to repair the breach below. However, the saltwater is making it difficult. As misfortune would have it, the rudder was also damaged.”

Qiang Yi looked somberly down at his lap in which Zhen-zhen laid, exhausted from all the pain. He then looked up and noticed the foreign woods on the shore.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“The lands are foreign, yet we did not drift far. We therefore estimate that we have made it to the Kick.”

Qiang Yi felt a clump form in his throat, one of both sorrow and joy. He looked down at the sleeping Zhen-zhen.

“Did you hear that, Zhen-zhen? We made it to the Kick. We’re almost halfway there!” The first mate remained unresponsive. Qiang Yi felt his skin moisten. He looked up at Fa Ye.

“Have someone tend to her. I will see to the rest of the ship.”

“Yes, captain,” Fa Ye said and called over some help. Qiang Yi carefully lowered Zhen-zhen’s head to the floor and stood up. He walked over to the bow and looked at the figurehead. Luckily, the tribute to Ashalla had not suffered any damages, it would seem. He raised his head at scanned the empty forest behind the beach ahead. It was eerie, a forest with no life - yet perhaps also a blessing in disguise.

“Fa Ye!” he called. After a moment, the girl came running over, dusting her hands free of excess sand.

“Yes, captain?” she answered with a bow.

“Have the carpenters use what materials we have left to repair the ship. If we do not have enough, we will acquire some from the Kick.”

“Of course, captain,” Fa Ye said and ran off to spread the word.

Qiang Yi looked back down at the figurehead. Would she hear him if he prayed, he wondered. Would Shengshi hear them if they prayed?

Qiang Yi got down on his knees at the bow and prostrated himself. “O Holiest spirit of the Sea, Ashalla. Your grace and power are second to none in the ocean - as such, this servant asks that Your sacred boon follows us still as our voyage progresses. Thank You for everything.”

Had she heard him, he wondered again. If she could, then he had to pray to Shengshi, as well.

“O lord of rivers and host of hosts, Shengshi, much has happened since this voyage began. We have seen much that we could not even have fathomed of back home, and among that, there has been great suffering. This servant cannot lie, Your Lordship - it feels fear, dreadful fear. This servant is uncertain of what to do, Your Lordship. Please, if it may be so insolent, this servant asks You to offer it counsel.”

Nothing happened. Qiang Yi felt his heart sink and sat back up, letting out a sigh.

“Is this Your Holiness way of saying that we are on our own?” he mused somberly. He got to his feet, bowed to the figurehead and turned to attend to the ship.

---

Atop of the floating palace of Jiangzhou, in the central tower overlooking the endless green jungle, the snake plucked a melancholic melody on his guzheng. His heart felt heavy, but he knew that he could not stand in the way of what was to be among the first great accomplishments of mortal life.

“I am sorry, my most loyal servant,” the snake said in a shivering voice. He felt something in the corner of his eye and wiped it away. “I trust you do be able to do this by yourselves. If I am right, you will be historical; if I am wrong…” His harp sounded a sharp crescendo.

“Then I am the worst lord in this world.”

That One Where The Ship Sails Into Terror

The servants construct a shrine to Ashalla, putting it at the front of the ship to appeal to her if they ever meet again. During this time, they sail out into deeper water, away from the coast of Dragon’s Foot. The Xishan Mountains are but a blimp on the horizon

Qiang Yi does not like this and tells Zhen-zhen to sail back towards land. All of a sudden a soft pulse hits the boat, and then shit hits the fan.

A Leviathan Angler hungered for their souls, and the crew begin to freak. As the leviathan gets closer, Qiang Yi looks over the side, and views the beautiful light of the Leviathan and almost loses himself before his loyal crewmates grab him and pull him back on deck.

After this, Qiang Yi tells everyone to row faster and to arm themselves in case of attack. The leviathan then swims off, leaving paranoia behind. After a quick moment of reprieve, the leviathan is spotted off the port side, and coming in fast, teeth on full display. This prompts the crew to throw makeshift harpoons, trying to skewer it.

The Leviathan breaks off its attack, now very pissed off. It swims away again, but comes back- this time faster. With a lucky throw, Zeng En manages to throw a harpoon into the leviathans eye. This promptly kicks the fight out of the creature, but it still manages to collide with the ship, causing severe damage. Qiang Yi wakes up a while after the crash, finding his crew decimated and his closest companions within inches of their lives.

After things calm down, Qiang Yi issues orders and then prays to Ashalla in thanks. Then to Shengshi, asking for counsel, but only receives silence from their Lord.

Now upon the shores of the Kick, they were alone.

The journey so far…

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Journey to Tendlepog: Chapter 2

The crew had gathered on deck around a neatly stacked pile of what remained of Li Gongxiu’s belongings. Like any other servant, he had not owned much apart from the bonds forged with his peers, but what he had brought along were his carpenter tools, a copy of a Shengshese dictionary, and stacks of rice paper, a few pages of which had been painted with the motifs of Lower Nanhe.

“... He was always a creative soul, he was,” said Li Shan with a sniff. Qiang Yi stood next to him with his hands folded. He gave Li Shan a nod, and the carpenter continued, “My friend was… He was blessed with both skills of hand and skills of art, and had he… Still been here in a few years, he-...” He cleared the sobs from his throat. “He definitely would have been worthy of joining the Wise.” Qiang Yi, Li Shan and the surrounding crew bowed inwards towards the pile of belongings.

“A servant of stellar ability has passed in the line of duty - no fate is more unfortunate to befall our kin,” Qiang Yi spoke. “We will treasure his memory and adapt as the streams would in face of obstacles, to ensure no one else must suffer his fate.” There was a pause.

“Our companion swims downstream ahead of us. We will miss him, but our task yet remains - we will continue northwards to Tendlepog and bring the Lordship’s divine gift to His Holiness K’nell. However, to ensure that this tragedy is not repeated, no one will attempt to fix or solve any dangerous task alone - always have a crewmate to accompany you.”

The crew sounded their agreement and they all straightened back up. Qiang Yi placed a hand on Li Shan’s shoulder, receiving a determined nod from the carpenter.

“Very well, then,” said the captain. “We sail onwards to Tendlepog. His Lordship’s will be done!”

“His Lordship’s will be done!” the crew echoed and scattered back to work. Qiang Yi remained alone on the middle of the deck for a moment before moving up to the helmspost. He took his usual spot at the front by the railing overlooking the entire deck and scouted past the sails at the seemingly never-ending coastline ahead.

“Well, morale is doing a little better now, at least,” said Zhen-zhen from the tiller. She leaned lazily against the horizontal pole, apparently reading a book. Qiang Yi turned and furrowed his brow.

“Are you paying attention to our course sitting like that?” the captain asked monotonously. Zhen-zhen shot him a sideways glance and, while it was mostly covered by the book, Qiang Yi swore he could see a smug grin.

“Of course, captain. The coastal waters aren’t too intense, yet not too docile. With a little weight on my end, the rudder figuratively never moves. We can keep the course without any worry.” She closed the book around her thumb. “Besides, I look up occasionally.”
Qiang Yi found himself frowning skeptically, but she had not let him down before. He turned back to face the ocean ahead. Such a magnificent blue landscape; such grandness, such--... Yes, such. This warranted a poem, Qiang Yi decided firmly.

He grabbed his trusty table, his brush and some paper. To get the best view, he reasoned, he had to place himself at the very tip of the bow - well, as far ahead as possible. So he did just that, placing the table down against the railing that separated him from the sea and began writing.

Behold, my dear aboard the ship of Jiang,
A blue so fair and great, beyond our kind.
I sit aboard the ship of Gifts, with luck
I see the waves approach, approach, approach--

Why was the water approaching?

The Zhengwu lurched as the waves rolled under it. The ship began to tilt slightly towards port as the ocean itself began to rise on the starboard side. A great mass of water loomed above the railings and cast a shadow across the deck as it blocked the morning Heliopolis from view. In this mass of water formed the face of a woman, looking down at the ship and its crew.

The entire crew dropped whatever they had in their hands, creating some noise and hushed cursing as tools fell onto the deck and people’s feet. They slowly congregated on the centre of the deck, fronted by Qiang Yi. For a moment, all they did was stand and stare in awe. However, quickly realising that this likely was one of the creators, they all nearly simultaneously fell to their knees and hands.

“Ten thousand years and more to the Queen of the Ocean, the Exalted Creator of the Sea, Her Holiness Ashalla!” they all remarkably managed to say in a somewhat harmonious unison.

Ashalla looked down at the kowtowing water-humanoids with a feeling of smug satisfaction. These mortals recognised her and gave her the respect due to her. Several seawater pseudopods slithered across the deck and gently brushed against several servants. They flinched from contact with the salt water, but Ashalla needed only minimal contact to verify that these beings had been made by Shengshi and, unlike Xiaoli, were mere mortals with no divine spark.

"Mortals created by Shengshi in the image of Xiaoli, why are you in my ocean?" she asked, her voice booming like a crashing wave. Even as she spoke, her narrow pseudopods crept below deck.

Some of the crew shivered at the thunderous voice. Someone gave Qiang Yi’s sole a push, quickly supported by jabs and pokes from other directions, too. The captain took a deep breath and, while still facing the ground, spoke as loudly as he could.

“O greatest divine of the sea, Your Holiness Ashalla, Queen of the Ocean - Your most sacred glory is awestriking to behold. These servants are quite literally specks compared to Your Holiness’ impeccable presence. Forgive these servants for their trespassing - they have been instructed with a task by His Lordship Shengshi, Lord of the Thousand Streams, the Host of Plenty, to bring a gift of wine and cider to His Holiness K’nell of Dreams, Lord of Sleep. These servants pray dearly that they have not caused Your Holiness any inconveniences.” Qiang Yi attempted to push his forehead through the floor.

Ashalla’s pseudopods slithered around below deck and tasted everything they found as Qiang Yi spoke. She could even see with the pseudopods, for there was nothing limiting her form to just two eyes. She found the fermented beverages which Qiang Yi had spoken of, as well as the windmill pump which appeared to be well beyond the craftsmanship of everything else on the boat.

"Your meagre presence could not possibly inconvenience me. Rather, it is a curiosity," Ashalla eventually said, "From where did this floating construct of wood come from?"

Still talking to the floor, Qiang Yi answered: “These servants are infinitely grateful that they are not vexing to Your Holiness. As for the ship, it was built using wood, bark, linen and rope with the aid of His Lordship and His schematics. These servants do not possess Your sacred affinity for salt water, and require as such a vessel to take them to Tendlepog.”

Ashalla rumbled. The ship lurched again as Ashalla gave it an experimental push. "The Maelstrom produces many storms between here and Tendlepog," Ashalla stated.

Qiang Yi’s eyes widened. The members of the crew permitted themselves to look at one another in fear. The captain heard the careful, hushed whispers around him and felt his breathing accelerate. “Forgive this servant for asking, Your Holiness, but is there any way to circumvent these storms?”

"If you travel the other way around the continent, you can avoid the Maelstrom’s storms," Ashalla said. A pseudopod licked one of the servants again as Ashalla measured up the water tanks. "That would take more time, though, and there are many rocks near the coast on the other side of this continent," she added.

Qiang Yi stole a glance behind him at the quartermaster, Zeng En, who looked up at him and shook his head. Qiang Yi grit his white pebble teeth and turned back to face the floor.

“Your Holiness, forgive this servant for stating what Your Holiness already knows, but we have not the sufficient amounts of water to make the trip around the other side. The tanks will barely hold to Tendlepog.” He paused for a moment. “If-... If this servant could show such horrid insolence and… Make a request, would Your Holiness deem it worthy of a listen?”

There was a pause, before Ashalla said, "You may state your request."

“Thank you, o thank you, blessed Queen of the Ocean. These servants merely wish to request a window in the storm - just a smidge for us to pass through, so the winds do not take us all. Please, these servants will do whatever in their power to repay such a gracious favour.” The crew seemingly redoubled their kowtow.

"It is within my power to offer such a favour," Ashalla said, then rumbled thoughtfully. "What could you offer in return?"

Qiang Yi felt a shiver, his open palms slowly curling into fists. “F-forgive this servant, Your Holiness, but it firmly believes that it is incapable of imagining anything worthy of one of the Exalted Creators - not even its poetry will be adequate for this, this servant feels.” The other crew members mumbled similar sentiments. “H-however, these servants will naturally complete any task Your Holiness may have in mind for them!”

Ashalla rumbled again. "I seek beauty," Ashalla finally declared. "Hermes danced. Xiaoli played the flute. If you can impress me with some act of artistry, I shall bestow this favour upon you."

“A-an act of artistry, Your Holiness?” Qiang Yi said in a hushed voice. There was a poke in his side and he shot a glance to the right. There, Zhen-zhen was glaring at him. ‘Write. Her. A. Poem.’ she mouthed desperately. Another jab, this time from the left. It was Wang Huangxia who wore a similar expression. More pokes, jabs and outright punches eventually caused Qiang Yi to rise to his feet and bow.

“Th-then… If Your Holiness will allow this servant, it shall produce a poem in Your divine name.”

Ashalla gave a slight swish. "Yes, that sounds good. Do that."

The servants all immediately got to their feet and began fetching Qiang Yi’s tools of the trade. They placed the small table on the middle of the deck, facing starboard and Ashalla. They placed a neat little silk pillow where Qiang Yi would be sitting, a fresh ink bowl on the right side of where the page would lie, and then a page of white rice paper exactly in the centre of the table, making sure that it aligned perfectly with the four edges of the table itself. Qiang Yi straightened out his robes and sleeves, pulled his brush from the ribbon around his waist and slowly sat down on the pillow in a seiza position. The ocean stilled as he slowly dipped the brush in the ink and began to write. The brush danced gracefully across the paper, its hairs twisting and swinging as the characters bent and curved. Black lines thickened and thinned as the calligraphic stanzae grew downwards in columns like stalactites in a cave. It was slow work, incredibly slow, yet the dance could not be hurried - nor would one really want to. The brush’s steps and hops across the white surface left behind a painting with meaning, with everything from emboldened blots to near-unintelligible scratches.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Qiang Yi dusted the paper to help the ink dry and stood up.

“The work is completed, Your Holiness. Will Her Holiness permit this servant to read it?”

"Yes," Ashalla said. Qiang Yi cleared his throat and began to read slowly.

The rivers of the jungle fill my mind
As I recall the times aboard His ship;
A part of me will not leave that behind,
Regardless of me sailing on this trip.

The rivers flow with beauty unforeseen;
With nature much too fine to truly paint.
A crystal ribbon through the endless green,
A paradise that evil cannot taint.

However, there’s a challenge from the coast:
A landscape with no land nor trees nor grass,
Unmatched in beauty, yes, outshining most:
A span of colours and creatures enmasse.

I truly praise the gods for this journey,
For I can lay my eyes upon the sea.

Qiang Yi sucked in a deep breath, awaiting the goddess’ reaction. A burbling sound came from Ashalla. "What a wonderful poem!" she praised.

Qiang Yi stood dumbstruck for a second. The crew looked at each other with wide smiles. “R-really, Your Holiness?” Qiang Yi asked with honeyed droplets of hope in his voice.

"Yes. I shall remember this poem you have written about me and your journey so far," Ashalla said. She then lifted her gaze towards the northern horizon. "No storm shall harm you on your voyage to Tendlepog. I grant you safe passage through my ocean."

The aura of the ship filled with near-explosive joy as the crew members simultaneously bottled up their cheers, opting instead to fall to their knees before the goddess.

“Thank You, O Holiest Queen of the Ocean, Ashalla!” they all burst out in joyous harmony.

Ashalla took a few moments to soak up the praise. Then she asked, "What is the name of this servant who writes poetry and speaks on behalf of the other servants?"

Qiang Yi rose to his feet slowly and bowed. “That would be this servant, Your Holiness,” he said diligently. “This servant is named Qiang Yi and is a poet of the Wise caste among the servants. It also serves as captain of this vessel.”

Ashalla nodded, then said "May you and your fellow servants have a safe voyage, Qiang Yi."

The ship lurched again as the wind caught in the sails and the waves once again yielded to the ships’ motion. Ashalla stood and watched as the Zhengwu continued its journey. The servants all headed to the stern of the ship and bowed towards Ashalla until her form collapsed back into the ocean.

The crew remained silent for a moment. Then, they burst into a thunderous cheer. The ship nearly rocked more from the collective jumps than the waves, and crewmate embraced crewmate with laughter and song. Qiang Yi stood frozen for a moment, but was quickly stirred to life as the crew grabbed his every limb.

“Wait, what are y-!” he barely managed to exclaim before he was lobbed into the air. “Qiang Yi, Qiang Yi, Qiang Yi!” sounded the crew. The captain tried his best to twist himself in the air, but failed spectacularly and was forced to endure the victory for a little longer. After a while, he felt himself starting to enjoy it.

A minute or so later, he was finally let back down on deck and his shoulders filled with the squeezing hands of proud crewmates. Zhen-zhen stepped over and patted him on the back. “Well done, captain! It seems your skill actually paid off! Who’d have known that you’d actually get to save us all with poetry of all things?”

Qiang Yi appeared to still be dumbstruck, so Zhen-zhen punched him lightly in the side. He twitched and gave her a frown, which she returned with a grin. Qiang Yi looked down at the paper in his hand.

“Li Shan,” he called. The carpenter pushed his way through the crowd and gave Qiang Yi a bow. Qiang Yi bowed back.

“Take your fellow carpenters and craft a shrine to Ashalla. Her favour is key to our voyage - we ought to make certain we can earn it.” Li Shan nodded and gathered the necessary workers before heading below deck.

“The rest of you, good work,” Qiang Yi continued, “though I must request that you poke me a little softer next time.” There was a wave of giggles throughout the crowd.

“Well, you wouldn’t react, so…” Zhen-zhen said with a smug smirk. Qiang Yi smiled wryly back at her.

“We press on. Back to work, everyone.”

Local Smolblob writes poetry for Bigblob - lives to tell the tale

The crew of the Zhengwu have a memorial service for Li Gongxiu. They resolve to continue their voyage.

As Qiang Yi, the captain, is writing poetry, he is interrupted by the appearance of Ashalla. The crew identify her and all immediately prostrate themselves before the goddess and formally greet her. This strokes Ashalla’s already large ego.

Ashalla inquires about where the ship came from (for she had never seen such an object before). She mentions that their route takes them through storm-infested waters, thanks to the Maelstrom. Going the other way is longer and goes through dangerous rocks. The Zhengwu does not have enough water for the longer voyage.

Qiang Yi requests that Ashalla grant them safe passage through the storms. Ashalla agrees to grant this request if they can impress her with an act of artistry. Qiang Yi gets volunteered to write her a poem. (Hilariously, the servants have no idea how low Ashalla’s expectations are, as she had never seen poetry before.)

Ashalla likes Qiang Yi’s poem and grants the favour. "No storm shall harm you on your voyage to Tendlepog. I grant you safe passage through my ocean." (Blessing, free action under Storms and Ocean Portfolios)

The crew is extremely grateful and relieved for this. They celebrate after Ashalla leaves. A shrine to Ashalla is erected on the ship. They continue their voyage.

The journey so far...

Bloopers

"Myes, I suppose I could grant such a favour to such loyal peasants." adjusts liquid monocle

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Journey to Tendlepog: Chapter 1

The crew aboard Zhengwu had found it surprisingly hard to adjust to the movements of such a smaller vessel. As opposed to the mammoth size of Jiangzhou, the tumultuous waves of Nanhe actually manage to rock the ship quite a bit, inciting a most vile, crew-wide disease - which, upon reaching calmer parts of the river, turned out to merely be a lack of sea legs. The sails had, however, proved worthy of the voyage so far, granting Zhengwu more speed than any oar or current ever could. The southern winds struck diagonally across the curved sail, shooting the boat forward despite it going against the gusts.

A wonderful feat of physics, Qiang Yi though to himself - a grand blessing from the Exalted Creators, surely. The young man sat on deck next to a small table, upon which laid a page of rice paper and a small ink bowl. He dipped his brush, his dearest possession, into the ink, gently brushed off the excess droplets and bore it over to the page. With a stiff arm and a firm grip, he brought the brush down and let it dance across the white surface like a leaf on the wind.

Swish, swish, swish:
The dancing waves below
With pitches high and low,
Guide our journey, O.
Swish, swish, swish.

Tock, tock, tock:
The feet of crew at work,
Their skill without a quirk,
Through darkness and through murk.
Tock, tock, tock.

Drip, dri--

Qiang Yi tipped forward, causing his brush to strike over the characters he had already written, erasing them utterly. He let out a vexed grumble and stood up.

“What happened?” he boomed.

“Apologies, captain! We had to avoid a silt pile!” first mate Zhen-zhen shouted from the helm. Qiang Yi blinked and rose to his feet, hurrying over to the bow. His glistening, blue eyes became saucers as he glanced outwards across the vast, unending blue on the horizon. He was soon flanked by several more crew members, all awestruck by the presence of so much water.

“The Exalted Creators be praised,” one of the deckhands next to Qiang Yi whispered. Qiang Yi grinned and squeezed his shoulder.

“Behold, faithful crew - the ocean!” The crew burst out into loud cheers and clapped their hands. Qiang Yi grinned smugly and turned to the helm. He crossed the deck and ascended the stairs to the ship’s stern. Then, he sat down next to Zhen-zhen, who was manning the tiller. He gave her a nod, which she returned diligently.

“Have you gotten used to steering yet?” Qiang Yi asked with a wry smile. The girl grinned and nodded.

“Yes, captain! The rudder is heavy, but provided the waters are gentle, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

Qiang Yi hummed in approval. “Good. We will keep a steady course along the coast for as long as possible, making certain to avoid the stronger currents closer to the shore while keeping a keen eye on our relation to the continent. If we reach open sea…” The two looked gravely at one another.

“... Prayer shall be our sail,” Zhen-zhen said reassuringly. Qiang Yi pursed his lips and nodded.

“Prayer shall be our sail,” he said ominously. “Keep up the good work, first mate Zhen-zhen.”

“Yes, captain,” she yelled and returned her gaze forwards. Qiang Yi stepped over to the railing at the front of the helmspost and observed the deck: The crew was diligently readjusting and tightening the sails against the strong southern wind; some brough buckets of water around for the deckhands to drink from.

All in all, Qiang Yi thought, the journey had started quite well. He took a moment to breathe in the distant sea air, not yet crowded with the fragrance of the jungle - just pure and clean.

“...tain..”

The sounds - oh, by the Creators, these waves were not like those of the river. Even from here, he heard their thunderous chorus battle with the gentle laps of Nanhe’s delta. Such a foreign, exciting tune.

“...aptain..!”

If he listened ever closer, he could swear that he heard--

“Captain!”

Qiang Yi snapped to and rubbernecked in most directions until his eyes fell on a group of three standing on the stairs to his left. He knew them - not well, but well enough. They were Li Shan and Li Gongxiu, both from the Skilled caste, and Wang Huangxia of the Noble caste. The speaker seemed to have been Wang Huangxia, for he came up the staircase and bowed to Qiang Yi, who bowed back.
“Captain, are you well? You seem a little faint. Would you like to rest for a minute, perhaps?” Wang asked warily. Qiang Yi shook his head.

“Your concern is appreciated, Wang Huangxia. Pardon my reverie - I just felt so inspired by the sights; so many beautiful motifs for poetry, don’t you agree?”

Wang nodded with a cordial smile. “Certainly, captain. Would that I had your eyes and ears for the arts, and by the Exalted Creators, would I record them all with diligence.”

Qiang Yi smiled back and nodded. “A stellar wish, master Wang. Now, if I may ask, did you have something for me?”

“Certainly, captain. I would not have bothered you otherwise. These two gentlemen from the pumping room have a message for you.” He stepped to the side and allowed the two servants to step forth, both bowing to Qiang Yi, who bowed back.

“Captain,” said Li Shan in a deep voice, “we have solved the remaining issues with the windmill pump. Now we are ready to untie it at your command.” Qiang Yi smiled and bowed to them again.

“Stellar work, master Li, master Li. You may tell the rest of the Skilled to stand at the ready in the pumping room for when the strong unfurl the sails at sea. We should break into brack in an hour or so. Shortly thereafter, we should be turning northwards to catch the southern winds. Then, we will release the restraints on the windmill.”

“Yes, captain,” the two Lis said simultaneously and went to work. Qiang Yi turned back towards the bow, only to notice out of the corner of his eye that Wang Huangxia was still present. He turned his head and raised a curious eyebrow at the opposite man.

“Was there anything else, master Wang?” Qiang Yi asked.

Wang Huangxia hesitated, but then nodded. “Forgive me, captain, but did His Lordship tell you anything about how our bodies may react to saltwater?”

Qiang Yi blinked, his smile fading into a frown. “No… No, His Lordship did not, I am afraid.”

Wang looked up with disbelief in his eyes. “B-but His Lordship knows well that our spirits require pure fresh water to subsist. There is no telling what may happen to us if we are exposed to too much salt. Did you not ask him before we left?”

Qiang Yi looked away at the slowly approaching ocean and sucked in a deep breath. “Remain calm for now, if you can. Go out to the crew and tell them to make certain that their undressed body parts are especially well covered with their skin. Do -not- tell them of the unknown risks of saltwater exposure, master Wang. Morale is high for now; we need it to remain that way.”

With a heavy nod, Wang Huangxia let out a sigh and bowed. “Yes, captain.” Then he went down on deck. Qiang Yi felt his breathing accelerate ever so slightly.

“A little salt should be fine, even if it passed through the skin,” Zhen-zhen mumbled from the tiller. “However, to fall overboard--”

“No one will fall overboard,” said Qiang Yi, perhaps a little too firmly. “If we stay the course, the weather should be on our side. His Lordship have traversed the skies several times without experiencing a single storm.”

“Certainly,” Zhen-zhen said in a monotone voice, “though Jiangzhou is a holy vessel, and the skies are bound by different laws from the sea. His Lordship said it himself: Ours is the first sea voyage - we know not what we will encounter.”

Qiang Yi sucked in a deep breath yet again and let out a sigh that morphed into a groan. “I realise this, Zhen-zhen, but we cannot spread fear among the crew. We are the first, after all - the risks are like a menacing shadow in the shrubbery: We cannot see them clearly, but we know they are there. Uncertainty leads to fear, fear leads to panic, panic leads to--”

“Mutiny?” Zhen-zhen suggested. Qiang Yi paused, then looked over his shoulder down to the deck.

“Yes… Mutiny,” he whispered warily. Zhen-zhen shook her head.

“I apologise for my tone, captain,” she confessed. “One should not speak such words aboard a ship - they may bring back luck.” Qiang Yi nodded and shot one more look down on deck. There, the deckhands were jogging to and fro as the vast dark blue approached the bow. Some were retying the mast lines; some were running water rounds around deck; some were taking in the views; and some were staring back at him.

“... Yes… Bad luck,” Qiang Yi echoed quietly.

---

The brackwater brushed against Qiang Yi’s skin as they reached the lower edges of the delta. It itched, a little like a miniature cut. He stood at the front of the bow with one and on the railing and one shielding his eyes from the heliopolis. He felt his breathing speed up again as the surrounding crew members began to rub and scratch their various exposed parts. This certainly would not grow vexing over time, he thought angrily to himself.

This was, however, no time to think about such nonsense. The grey silt began to vanish from the water surface and give way to darker and darker sea. This was the time.

In an almost rehearsed motion, Qiang Yi turned to face the helm while he raised his hand. The crew simultaneously braced themselves. Qiang Yi shot a glance back at the sea, the abyss below signaling that they had left the delta.
“NOW!” Qiang Yi boomed.

The crew rocked to the side as the rudder was violently jerked to the left, sending the ship on a sharp curve northwards. Some brave individuals let go of whatever they had been holding to turn the sails. Good, Qiang Yi thought. Everything was going according to pla--

There was a blood-curdling snap as the south wind caught the sternward sail harder than anticipated. The rope holding the sail snapped the hook it clung onto straight out of the woodwork, sending it like a morning star-tipped whip straight into the chest of Li Gongxiu, who had been manning that part of the sail. The force tossed the man off balance and against the railing - then another gust rocked the ship and sent him overboard.

Qiang Yi felt the colour drain from his eyes. “MAN OVERBOARD,” he roared and the crew all charged towards the stern to help him. Rope was found and weighted with a stone and tossed after him, but the crew stood in horror as all they saw were the man’s clothes floating emptily on the water surface.

The gusts gave out. The only sounds that coloured the black soundscape were the breezes from the south and west, and the tweets from the jungle back on land. A whimper grew louder and louder.

“Gongxiu-... GONGXIU!”

Qiang Yi let his eyes fall on Li Shan, who knelt in tears by the railing, his shoulders filling with the hands of his fellow crew members. He felt a nauseating clump fill his throat, one he could not seem to swallow for the life of him. He gently pushed his way out of the crowd and up to the helm. He stood at the front of the helmspost, scanning the deck from above. Slowly, the eyes of the crew began to fall on him. Qiang Yi tried once more to swallow, but felt himself choke.

“Did His Lordship know about this?!” came a voice from the crowd. Qiang Yi blinked and looked away.

“H-his Lordship did not inform me of this. We had no idea th--”

“But His Lordship must have known! We should have known! Why were we not told?!”

“I-!” Qiang Yi had to pick his words carefully. “I cannot answer why - for I do not know, either! We must have faith, however, that this is part of His Lordship’s plan!”

“No master should plan their servants’ death!” came a particularly angry voice, this one from a source Qiang Yi could place. Wang Huangxia stepped forth in the crowd. Qiang Yi felt moisture collect on his face, apart from the seabreeze.

“His Lordship certainly did not plan for us to die, but we are th--!”

“Yes, we are the first to sail the sea,” Wang Huangxia continued, “and yet we were not told about this. His Lordship likely hypothesised of this effect, but needed proo-!”

“Wang Huangxia!” came a voice from the railing. Qiang Yi recognised it as Li Shan's, but it was broken with emotion and tears. The red-ringed eyes of the carpenter burned with fury as he walked over and stabbed a finger in Wang Huangxia’s face.

“His Lordship may have left out some details about our bodies, but you will -NOT- stand here and use my friend’s death to speak ill of His Lordship, is that clear?!”

Wang Huangxia stood in shock at the gesture. The crew had similar expressions. Eventually, Wang recollected himself and got down on all fours in a kowtow.

“This servant apologises profusely for its heretical words.”

Li Shan nodded and looked at Qiang Yi with somber, yet determined eyes. “Orders, captain?”

Qiang Yi remained frozen for another second before his mind absorbed and processed the question properly. He blinked a few times and stared at the crew, who were all staring back. There it was, that curséd clump.

“First of all,” he began a little weaker than intended, “get the sternward sail under control. Then ascertain the status of the ship. Then…” Qiang Yi looked at Li Shan.

“Then we will take a moment to remember Li Gongxiu.”

Li Shan’s eyes teared up again and he rubbed them profusely with the sandy back of his hand. As the crew dispersed to perform their tasks, Qiang Yi felt his breath escape him.

“You have a lot of loyal people aboard, captain,” Zhen-zhen mused from her seat next to the tiller. “You’re a lucky man.”

“They’re loyal to His Lordship, first mate Zhen-zhen, not me,” Qiang Yi answered shamefully.

“If you continue to do His Lordship’s bidding, they will be,” Zhen-zhen said with a sad smile. Qiang Yi turned his head and sent her a sideways glance.

He prayed that he would be worthy of such.

He prayed dearly.

Summary

The scene opens with Qiang Yi doing poetry on deck. The ship sails lazily down Nanhe, though the waves are felt more strongly in such a small vessel. A sudden maneuver interrupts the poetry, but just in time for Qiang Yi to notice the beautiful ocean ahead.
A consisting of three people, Li Gongxiu and Li Shan from the Skilled caste and Wang Huangxia from the Noble cast, come over to inform Qiang Yi that the windmill pump is ready.

After they have informed him, Wang Huangxia remains and asks if Qiang Yi knows what may happen to them if they get into contact with saltwater. Qiang Yi says he sadly doesn’t know, which upsets Wang Huangxia. Qiang Yi tells him to remain calm and inform the crew that they must harden their skins before they break into brackwater. Zhen-zhen reasons that a little seabreeze won’t do much harm, but that falling overboard will be painful. Qiang Yi reassures her that nobody will fall overboard and that the weather is on their side, which she is skeptical to.

Later, they reach the end of the river delta and are about to cross into the coastal ocean. Upon breaking out of the brackwater, they turn hard to starboard side (right) in order to avoid crossing too far into open ocean. However, the southern winds are too strong for the sails, and a terrible accident causes one of the crew members, Li Gongxiu, to fall out. He dies instantly.

This infuriates the crew, and Huangxia blames Shengshi for not telling them about the dangers of salt water. Li Shan, who is broken up about losing his friend, is having none of that heresy speak, however, and shuts him up. Qiang Yi later reemerges from his dumbstruckness and gives the crew new orders, growing increasingly aware of the difficulty of his role.

The Journey So Far

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Hermes
&
Xiaoli
&
Eurysthenes

Hermes lazily scooted forward, nuzzling her face into the back of Xiaoli's head and taking in her scent. The two had come back to the room without getting much else done, and so it was still rather bare, but Hermes didn't mind. She was surprised that Xiaoli was tired enough to have fallen asleep alongside her, unless she had made it so on purpose. The Dreamer poked her sleeping companion, a tiny smile forming on Hermes’ face, she didn't doubt it.

Poppler buzzed out of Xiaoli's hair, drunk with sleep and crackled on its way to go get fresh air. Hermes shot the cloudling a look before continuing her gentle prodding, “Xiaoli?”

Xiaoli let out a quiet snore, rolling a bit further away from Hermes while hugging a pillow. Hermes leaned up into her elbow and rolled her eyes, at least she might be dreaming.

The woman sat up and patted her lap idly, thinking of what to do. Her eyes drifted to the right until they fell onto her weathered bag, the corner of a particular leather bound book poking out. A wide smile formed and she fell flat onto her stomach, attempting to reach the book without leaving bed. She was half hanging off the bed, one leg up in the air to counter her balance and an arms stretched as far as it could go before she managed to pinch the corner of the book and slide it out.

With a silent “hup” she pulled back to the bed and sat up. Her eyes fell on the sleeping form of Xiaoli, making sure she didn't accidentally wake her. Xiaoli let out some semi-coherent mumbles and then rolled over on her back. She evidently needed a new dress, or at least to mend parts of it, which became especially evident now that she did not focus on the way she carried herself. Hermes made a face, she'll have to figure out a way to get fabric for Xiaoli.

Letting her shoulders fall into the plush of some stacked pillows, Hermes cracked Abanoc's book open. Almost immediately her eyes widened as whispers entered her head. Her eyes scanned the blank pages and her brow furrowed. It only took a few minutes before the Dreamer slapped the book shut, her head buzzing with ideas as everything settled.

A certain confidence overtook her and she slipped out bed, carefully padding over to get her sandals and club. She peeked over her shoulder at the sleeping form of Xiaoli and gave herself a smug smile, having made a successful escape.

Slipping outside, Hermes feet brushed through the dew that gathered in the mossy glade. She wasn't sure why, but she rather liked waking up in the morning more than any other time. There was something peaceful about the world, as if it too was just waking up.

Sucking in a large dewey breath, Hermes smiled and hefted her club in both hands. Her eyes focused, and the images from the book popped into her head: it was basically a dance in its own right. She stepped, her arms weaved through the air, her club following. She stepped, the club came down at a surprising angle. She stepped, it came back up in such an arc to compliment the former. She turned, she stepped, her arms weaved and before she knew it, she had turned her dance into a dangerous one.

Her sandals fluttered and she sped up. She stepped, a blur. She stepped, a danger. She stepped, the club erupted from the blur. She stepped, her imaginary foe was defeated. With a confident smile, Hermes continued her repetitions, turning every facet of her dance into a defensive or offensive maneuver, using the advice of the book to perfect what she had created.

By the time sweat dripped down her chin, she was red faced and only somewhat satisfied. Leaning on her club she let out an expensive exhale and tried to replay the entire dance in her mind; if only she could actually put it to the test. It was fluid and beautiful, but was it effective and deadly? She didn't want to be the laughing end of a fight again, and certainly not when--

She looked down at her abdomen, her shirt clinging to her stomach -- certainly not when it mattered the most.

“Keep it up, my love,” Xiaoli said with a gentle smile. “You’re doing great.” She leaned against a nearby tree and observed Hermes intently while nibbling on some blades of sweetgrass.

Hermes nearly jumped out of her skin. Quickly recomposing herself she swung the club over her shoulder and spun to meet Xiaoli, “I thought it'd be good to learn. You know-- to fight.” She let the club fall head first into the ground and leaned against it, “How did you sleep?”

Xiaoli swallowed a few more blades and let out a hum. “Like Beihe outside the flood season! I didn’t even hear you leave.” The avatar shuffled over and placed her hand on the enormous club. “Is it heavy, may I ask?”

“Probably not for you,” Hermes gave her a smirk and pushed the handle towards Xiaoli, “Any dreams?”

Xiaoli grabbed the club by the handle and picked it up as it if was a stick. “No… Not this time, either,” she said with a huff and swung the club around in the air as if it was a reed, causing minor windshear.

“Hmph,” Hermes grunted and crossed her arms. She watched Xiaoli swing the club around intently, “I was certain you sleeping next to me would let you go to my dreams if you couldn't find any.”

“Oh, you wish I would, don’t you,” Xiaoli smirked and giggled before handing the club back to Hermes, who had to wrap both hands around it to heave it back over her shoulder. Xiaoli took a moment to absorb Hermes’ toned features and glistening skin. She walked over and squeezed her right bicep affectionately.

“I wouldn’t mind if you kept practicing, just so you know,” she said and winked.

“Mhm,” Hermes grunted knowingly, a smug smile toying across her face, “And what are you going to do?”

Xiaoli shrugged. “I made the rest of the house while you were practicing. I guess I will continue with the rest of the mansion.” She looked down at her clothes. “Alternatively, I could spruce up my wardrobe… Actually, I think I’m going to do that.” She let out a sigh. “Would you happen to know if there is any flax on Tendlepog? Any fiberous grass will do, really.”

“Well,” Hermes let the club fall as she thought, “There is the trip vine, but that's no good for covering yourself. Hmm.”

She looked over Xiaoli and then nodded, “it's not a plant, but the tree chasers have pretty fluffy coats.” She perked up, “Oh! If you take their coats, can you make me some clothes too? They look very cozy when they sleep and I'm not going to lie, I get jealous now and again.”

Xiaoli drummed her chin thoughtfully with her fingers. “Hmm.. Yeah, from what I can remember, they do seem rather soft! I’ll be right back, then.” With that, Xiaoli skipped happily into the woods.

Hermes gave a cheshire grin, only turning away once Xiaoli was out of sight. She laughed to herself, content, and swung her club.

---

Why didn’t she fly, Xiaoli wondered as she strolled through the undergrowth. She was perfectly capable of flight - all she had to do was bend gravity to her will and demand that the winds push her forward in a controlled manner; yet, something about that method felt inherently like… Cheating. She reasoned the birds she would pass by would be awfully jealous, having to flap and flap and flap to maintain lift. It all just seemed a little too cheap to her - besides, the forest was lovely this time of day.

Xiaoli chuckled as she heard the birds sing to each other, but furrowed her brow as soon as she actually paid attention to the lyrics. She decided to merely clear her throat and move on. The occasional chameleon squirrel complained about having ironically camouflaged its nuts too well again, and the avatar sometimes had to dodge patches of curious flying moss that probably thought her hair looked like tasty dead grass.

Eventually, that nice little stroll brought her to the vast open plains of Tendlepog, characterised by the docile flocks of trees crowding around the water holes, only to be ambushed by--
There was one! A tree eater! Xiaoli hurried over, taking cover behind a rock to observe the creatures closer. It was large - likely the size of a farmer ape, or larger - with a colossal mouth and a cozy-looking coat. Xiaoli pondered for a moment - she wouldn’t have to kill to steal its coat, right?

The huge beast had seemingly just managed to snatch one of the elder, sicklier trees, its massive jaws gnawing menacingly on the wiggling wood. Now was her chance!

She snuck a little closer. The beast did not notice her, or did perhaps not care enough - either way, she would not waste this opportunity. She slowly stood up, eliciting a sideways glance from the wooly beast, though little more. She slowly approached and, with a careful hand, reached out to pat the beast. Thankfully, it seemed rather preoccupied with eating. It was likely a beast without many predators - generally calm and sweet, unless one happened to have bark and leaves. The question still remained, though: How on Galbar would she get the pelt without killing, or at the very least maiming, the poor creature?

Xiaoli tugged gently at a handful of strands, eliciting a deep rumble from the chewing beast. Perhaps she could cut it, somehow - shear it, even. Xiaoli looked around for suitable rocks, though she dared now wander too far and lose sight of the tree eater. Eventually, she came upon a stone suitable for sharpening, its shape tending towards oval with an almost natural handle.

As she ran her hand over the blade and sharpened it, however, she heard the unmistakable sound of rustling grass.

“Noooo, no, no, no!” Xiaoli whispered angrily to herself and jogged back to the water hole. The tree eater had finished its meal, leaving only twigs and a sticky pool of sap on the ground. In the distance, a happy beast trundled through the grass.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Xiaoli shouted and gave chase. The beast looked around and, initiating what little fight-or-flight response it was born with, started sprinting away from the knife-wielding avatar.

“Come back here!” Xiaoli shouted again, her knife in one hand and the front of her skirt in the other. The rest of the afternoon on the savannah was characterised with humanoid shouting, animalistic whimpering, and a sudden appearance of slightly nuder tree eaters.

---

Xiaoli returned to the house with her hands full of colourful striped fleece. But as soon as she turned a tree, entering the glade she stopped in her tracks. There by the newly built house, Hermes was looking up at and talking with the many armed crystalline form of the Lord of Riddle: Eurysthenes. It had reached down with an arm to point at Hermes’ forehead.

”Tell me. This mark, the one of spirals. Does it betray loyalty, or merely showcase it?” it asked in a confusingly straightforward manner.

Xiaoli immediately dropped all the fleece she had in her hands and knelt into a kowtow.

“Y-y-your Holiness! This servant apologises profusely for her insolence in not noticing Your exalted presence earlier!”

The gesture was firm and serious, though it would have looked better had Xiaoli not been shouting into the ball of fleece she had just dropped. Hermes seemed to have been pulled from her finger-biting thoughts and looked over.

A short moment of groveling passed, before Xiaoli felt herself being lifted by her back to her feet. The wool was dangling in the air in front of her.

”Such gestures are unbecoming of an Avatar,” it clicked, and began reeling in its arms, ”What, I would ask of you, is the reason?”

Xiaoli seemed dumbstruck for a moment, slowly picking the fleece out of the air and piling it back up in her arms. “Y-your Holiness, it’s a gesture of respect - to honour Your Holiest of presences. As a student of the Flow, such courtesy is a must, in this servant’s eyes.” She tipped a bow upon finishing her sentence.

The stare of This One was scrutinizing. It patted her on the head. ”Respect yourself and stay on your feet. Better yet, respect your creator and use those feet to hold yourself up. Covering your face with ground is not respect, it is silly.

“Oh!” Hermes spoke up from behind Eurysthenes and in defense of Xiaoli, “She’s not from Swahhitteh-Tendlepog,” The Dreamer started to explain, “These are different customs, it took me a while to understand them, too.”

“Did you really build all of this with K’nell?” Hermes asked the riddle god with wide eyes.

Eurysthenes blinked without eyes at Hermes. Whether this was out of understanding or uncaring was unknown. It tapped her on the forehead, directly on the center of the spiral.

Hermes’ vision swam, and while she was completely sure there was ground underneath her feet, she was soaring above it. There was nothing but ocean in sight. Ocean, a staircase, and the entrance to Limbo. Ever so slowly the massive cogs spiraled into existence. Each rock, ridge, and slope meticulously placed. Each trick of the light curated. Even the parts Hermes thought she knew were hazy.

When she came to, the feeling that she had been gone for years could not escape her, though everything was unmoved. The woman stood in shock, wavering back and forth as it all assimilated into the correct parts of her mind until finally she blinked. Sucking in a huge
breath, all she could mutter was, “Wow.”

A smile formed on Eurysthenes’ face. It was a grotesque thing, though undeniably friendly at its core. ”Do you know what it is at the core? What it is to have been mean. Simply put, have you shown others what?”

“What?” Hermes almost echoed the riddle, her face befuddled.

This One hummed. ”What is brown and sticky?”

“--Sap?” Hermes pondered out loud.

Silence. Eurysthenes scratched it's head. ”That is… not the answer I'm looking for. Tell me, what has layer upon layer, though makes you cry the more you see of it?”

Hermes bit her finger in thought, “Oh! Li’Kalla had some in her kitchen--” She thumped a hand against her head, “Little round plant bulb, flaky outer skin, mushy insides, juice that makes you cry.”

It patted her on the head. ”You know what I speak of, child. Well done.”

Hermes seemed to scrunch a little under the pat but didn’t outright object to being told she was right, “Thank you.”

This One turned as if to go, but stopped halfway. ”But before I leave, tell me, why did K’nell make you?”

“At first,” Hermes said with a shrug, “To experience, but then, to be more than that.”

Eurysthenes nodded. ”And tell me, what is the most worthy thing to experience?”

“I don’t know,” Hermes answered, “And with how experiences tend to go, I don’t think I ever will.”

It stared at her for a second, waved, and left, melding into the surrounding forest. The moment it could no longer be seen, Hermes’ form flickered for a brief second and she blinked in confusion, her face twisting with thought.

Xiaoli appeared as if she had been hiding behind the mountain of fleece in her arms, her face pink with shame and embarrassment.

“D-do you think I insulted him?” she whimpered at Hermes. She lifted her gaze and let her eyes lock on to Hermes’, furrowing her brow.

“Did His Holiness Eurysthenes do anything to you? Your aura is different.”

Hermes’ eyes disappeared and then reappeared, “I can make things seem a way that they are not, it seems.” She seemed shocked, but admittedly less shocked than expected, likely getting used to the blessings. “I like Eurysthenes--” She looked over at Xiaoli’s pout, “I think he liked you too, he is just hard to read.”

Xiaoli blinked and dropped her fleece yet again. She quickly paced over to Hermes and put her hands on her cheeks, squinting as she let her eyes scan her with great detail. “‘Make things seem a way that they are not’,” she echoed. “C-can you show this power now, you think?”

Hermes pursed her lips in thought, and then in an instant Hermes’ face flickered and then the River-girl was staring at a reflection of herself where Hermes’ face should be. Xiaoli jumped back and hid her face in her hands, only peering back through a split opening between two fingers.

“That’s-... Very frightening, I’ll be honest… Also, do I really look that boney in the face?”

Hermes’ face reappeared, “I think you mean to say beautiful.”

Xiaoli’s pale face reddened and she giggled faintly. “... Dumby.” She turned around and picked up the fleece yet again. “Did He tell you anything else, by the way? You seemed a bit… Lost for a moment, there.” She walked over to the house and stored the wool just behind the door.

Hermes peeked at the fleece, “Oh, he said a lot of things, but they were all questions, and I am not sure how well I answered them.”

Xiaoli hummed curtly. “Well, I’m glad His intent was good, either way.” She clapped some dust off her hands.

“K’nell does the same thing,” Hermes observed, taking a few scanning steps towards Xiaoli “Is it a Divinity thing?”

Xiaoli nodded sheepishly. “The Exalted Creators do have a… Less than fortunate tendency to be quite indirect in their ways of speaking… I may be, too, on occasion.”

“Not that,” Hermes chuckled and poked Xiaoli’s nose, eliciting a blink and an ‘oh’ from her, “You all hum when you think.”

“M-maybe we do. I’ve never thought about it.” She began to hum, but then cut herself off. “Is it annoying?”

“I like it,” Hermes shrugged, “I just noticed is all.”

“Oh! Well, I’m glad you don’t mind it.” She winked and poked Hermes’ nose back. “I’m going to find some materials to make a spindle, okay? I won’t be long.”

Hermes gently bit Xiaoli's finger, “Mmkay.” She let go and smiled. Xiaoli grinned and giggled before skipping happily into the woods.

“You seem taken to her,” A grainy voice appeared from the woods.

“Yep!-” Hermes turned and froze. K'nell stood at the border of the glade, a crow on each shoulder, “K'nell!”

The God's smile crecented and he tilted his head, “And I see you have met Eurysthenes.”

“Yes,” Hermes smiled wide, “He was very nice.”

“Good,” K'nell began to walk past Hermes, only to suddenly stop, “I had felt Limbo fluctuate and wane as if someone had stepped into it. Would you know why?” His silver eyes studied the house.

“It was me,” Hermes answered sheepishly, “I had gotten curious.”

K'nell hummed in thought, causing anxiety to split over Hermes’ face, “I see.” He turned to her, “It is good you are okay, such a place is not for idle walks.”

Hermes’ anxiety turned to guilt, “I know-- now.”

“Then I will be wise to keep it closed, and you will compliment by heeding my advice,” K'nell stepped towards the Dreamer. Hermes nodded, and K'nell put a hand on her shoulder, “I wish you luck on your house, and your-” The God smiled, “Your new family.”

Hermes smiled back and with a silvery wink, K'nell had disappeared back into the woods, in the direction of Limbo.

Summary

Hermes wakes up after one hell of a night and pokes Xiaoli a little. It seems she is fast asleep, so Hermes gets out of bed and reads a bit in Abanoc’s book. There, she learns kung fu and hears Mobius say, “show me” from the outside, so she goes out to train. She combines her war dance with her sandals and trains both defensive and offensive strategies.

After a while, Xiaoli shows up and compliments her. The two discuss dreams, then flirt a bit, then Hermes asks what Xiaoli’s up to. She answers that she needs some new clothes and Hermes recommends she goes to hunt tree eaters. Xiaoli does this and comes back with fleece for new clothes.

Upon returning, she finds that Hermes has received a visit from Eurysthenes and proceeds to kowtow. Eurys finds this silly and lifts her back up before giving Hermes helluvan acid trip. Pimp Daddy Eurys then disappears, leaving Hermes with the ability to create minor illusions on herself.

Xiaoli, still a little bummed after Eurys told her her kowtowing was silly, is a little wary at first, but then Hermes shows her her new power and Xiaoli freaks out. Hermes manages to flirt her back into reality. Xiaoli then strolls off into the woods to the woods to make a spindle so they can turn the fleece into yarn. While she is gone, K’nell returns to Tendlepog, asks Hermes if she’s been to Limbo and then considers closing it to outsiders. He then disappears, too.

MP

Eurys:
Somehow or another she becomes aware that she can manipulate minor parts of her appearance through illusions. 1 FP for praising