As the light show of fusion ended, and while Bowser was still trying to show off his (mostly) old bod to anyone who would take a look a crew rolled in some of whom, unlike his intended target, did take an interest in his new-old form.
One was Rubick of many titles, a mage/scholarly looking type who took an immediate interest in the mechanism of fusion itself.
”Ah…” Kamek said before quietly admitting that ”In hindsight maybe we should not have been doing this in such a public setting without expecting… consequences” there was a pause and then she shrugged ”oh well, too late now”
”I’m Kamek, royal advisor and top magikoopa of Lord Bowser. Please, allow me to explain” she introduced herself, before she picked up the remaining dire penguin spirit and began to do just that ”This is a spirit, the remains of a felled foe. It can be applied to the heart to one of said foe’s powers or the head for some of its skills or knowledge, which results in the fusion you have just witnessed. We also just got a way to localize the effects of the fusion process as well, as can be seen by his flexfulness’ changes now mainly being to the shell where before they warped and contorted his entire body”
”You can also make a pact to instead summon them as temporary support” she flicked a hand to the side and summoned both Quiet and the End to one side. The pair glanced to and fro once or twice just in case there was a threat, before both took the opportunity to sit or lay down and enjoy the beach, with the old man commenting: “Finally some real sunshine. Took you long enough” as he basked in the light for the few moments he’d get.
”I, ah, yes. Entirely intentional” Kamek lied which got laugh and an eye roll from the snipers, before she coughed and got back to the last part of her explanation, saying ”and finally you can crush the spirits to produce useful items,” before demonstrating that by crushing the spirit and producing:
Toy Penguin A bouncy, rubbery penguin that's one foot tall. It's totally resistant to blunt force, making it a handy stress reliever, and it's cute too!
”Uhhh. Ok so it’s a bit arbitrary in what it produces sometimes, one moment” Kamek said after it sunk in what he had produced. She tossed it aside (where it was instantly tackled by Dazzle the Poppilo, demonstrating its toughness as it went bouncing away entirely unharmed no matter how many practice dire leaps it took to the face) and picked up one of the ocean crawler spirits.
There was a brief flash of light, and then the mage was holding a finely crafted silver and blue shield.
”There we go,” Kamek said, a touch relieved that she had not been given a detestably useful nick nack twice in a row, before holding out the shield and offering it to Rubick while saying ”here, see for yourself. Real as can be and quite finely crafted too I must say”
Loch Shield An artisanal shield crafted with blue glass. Originally used to safeguard the leader presiding over a sacred Healing Church ceremony, and later supplied to tomb prospectors, in particular those exploring the labyrinth of Isz. The blue is fashioned after a lake, and the shield is effective against magic damage
While Kamek engaged with her fellow mage, Bowser got the attention of the small pink robot who had been introduced as Susie.
”Yeah you know we are!” Bowser replied to her comment about them being as tough as they said, entirely missing the intent of the wink he had received and just taking things at face value as he gave another flex, arms pumped up on either side of his head, before gloating that ”Honestly, the stories probably don't even do us justice” while doing a downward flex over his chest, causing his shell to ripple as segments rose to reveal cannons, before those fell and allowed other segments to rise and unleashed stabby crackling crab limbs and tentacruel tendrils for a moment before they to where put away.
The king dusted off his hands after that, somewhat done with showing off now and instead directed his attention fully onto the newcomers, specifically challenging Susie with: ”So what makes you think you're tough enough to roll with us, huh little lady?” the question intended to be more of a prompt for her to talk about herself than any kind of derision or preemptive put down. After all, the ever useful Blazermate was right next to her as an example of why you shouldn't underestimate little bots.
While those two old turtles nattered on with the newcomers the kids were left to enjoy the sunshine and say hi to the more familiar late arrivals. Jr invited the hat kid to come build sandcastles with him, Lana and Rika, while the ship girl herself Bazermate and Nadia a wave before getting distracted by the big ship pulling into port. The talk about it being a trade ship reminded her she had a bunch of personal spending money burning a hole in her pocket, and suggested they check that out at some point as a result.
But maybe only after dinner.
While all this was going on there was the somewhat hard to miss street, or rather beach, fight also going on between their fancy host and the rough and tumble Sakura. While the troop were, of course, cheering Sakura on when they went otherwise occupied by chatting, they had to admit that Karin was quite the impressive brawler, something none had really suspected given her high class aesthetics.
It was an impressive bout, of that there was no doubt, and quite the nice piece of entertainment that ended with the hero winning (naturally) and then showing off some cunning by swiftly freeing her opponent from Galeem’s grasp.
”A big ball of light with wings blew every world to bits and then stitched them back together and made everyone forget that it did that” Bowser called over to the confused and embarrassed Karin, giving the most abridged explanation of this whole situation he’d given so far ”So we’re gonna punch its bosses, and then with them outta the way we’re gonna punch its lights out”
The bees were buzzing and the fish were flying in the gardens around node 12’s temple. The first were trying to eat the bees, which were new to the area, but neither the bees nor their keepers would have any of that. As a flying minnow was swarmed and stug rather viciously while a figure in thick black cloths that covered all of his body body expect their eyes (which had red volcanic glass lenses over them instead) huffed and puffed into the bag of oxygen rejuvenating kelp as he ran after a housecat sized Tonnikala with a wooden staff, trying to get it to either die or at least just leave.
“Let me get that for you” came a voice, before the fish was suddenly gripped by the air acting under Xavior’s command after which the god flicked his wrist and tossed the wannabe bee eater high into the sky where it belonged.
“There we go. Curious things those, but I’m sure they’ll learn soon enough just as they did with the gardens proper” Xavier said as the beekeeper stopped to catch his breath and offered muffle thanks to the god
“Think nothing of it. Now then. I'm told there has been a breakthrough when it comes to the nature of what Dzallitsunya’s bees produce in the 12th realm?” he asked, and was quickly directed past the rows of artificial hives to a little workshop, and upon entering saw a familiar face working away alongside a pair of assistants, both lesser demons.
“Ah, Damian, good to see you working with something other than the blast crystals” Xavior greeted the long horned demon, who had had quite the turn around on his opinion on the explosive crystals since his first reaction of trying to get rid of them all when they had harmed the god.
“Ah, Xavier, my god, good to see you as well” Damian turned to the god, and presented his new Ambroisen arm to shake (which the god accepted awkwardly) only to inform Xavior that “but in that you are entirely mistaken, for I have been investigating what occurs when you mix ground up crystals with the bee’s produce”
“After already mixing it with everything else under the moon” one of his assistants noted dryly.
“Quiet you. It paid off in the end after all. Its like I have been saying, persistence and experimentation, they get results!” he insisted, before admitting with a side tilt of the head and a sheepish smile “Eventually”
Xavior who, while not entirely pleased with some of the consequences, did see this self sourced innovation to be a beginning to a relieving lightning of his own burden as arch-inventor, moved to tacitly encourage it by insisting that Damian “Go on, tell me what you’ve found”
“Right right yes, my discovery!” the mage-demon said, perking up again before leading the god over to a table which had a yellowy line of wax on it that sparked softly with a rainbow sheen wherever the light caught it “This is a mix of the bees’ wax and crushed crystals” he explained simply, before adding “now watch what happens when I touch it with just a bit of power”
Everyone else stepped back instinctively as the demon reached out his remaining flesh arm and tapped one end of the line of wax laced crystal, but rather than explode the part he touched started to glow. The glow pulsed out in both directions of the contact point, at one end earthing itself harmlessly in a mass of pure wax, while at the other exposed end it sent a shower of red electrical arcs sparking out
“It didn't explode” Xavior noted the obvious in order to invite Damina to explain further.
“Indeed. The wax seems to dull or even nullify the power of the crystals, and unlike other substances we tried, it survives that interaction without degrading or igniting or worse. All the others have been a toss up to whether reaction goes out of control or not, but this? This works near perfectly” he explained, before saying, matter of factly “you can see what this would be useful, yes?”
“You could remotely detonate crystals with a long trail of this” Xavior noted, but it seemed the demon had thought of so much more.
“Well yes, but also you can use it for timers. Using a coil of wax-crystal mix surrounded by more wax and ending in a blast crystal would make far more reliable tossed explosives for example. You could use it to create a weapon as well, that produced that lightning at the end or near the blade of course” he explained “and I am sure there are other uses. My muse is singing of them as we speak. About ways to signal or conduct power with these and a dozen other things, you see, but I can't quite get them to fit right at the moment. But I'll get there, oh yes I'll get there.”
The god nodded, commenting that “that all sounds very interesting” before congratulating the mage “well done Daminan, for figuring out one half of this insectile conundrum. I’m sure this will be infinitely useful.”
“Thank you, thank you” the demon replied, giving a little bow before adding that “Oh and I've done a bit of investigating into the honey as well, but all I can say is that it is very nutritious. An admittedly large sample I had has kept me awake and working for ohhh, two days now?”
“Two… days?” Xavior echoed, before inquiring “And you haven't eaten anything else?” with a concerned tone
“Oh no. I’ve been much too busy. My muse has been just as awake as myself, my mind abuzz with thoughts that I can't quite nail down. But when I do. Oh, when I do! Then you’ll see, they’ll all see” the demon said, before giggling for a second before the laughter ended suddenly and he said “now be off with you. I have more experiments to perform”
Xavior glanced towards the man’s assistants “have you all taken this as well?” to which they both shook their heads
“I… didn't know he’d stayed up after we retired last night. I thought he just went to bed later and got up earlier… Damian this isn't good for you” the one who had snarked earlier said, now showing his true colors
“Nonsense. have never felt more alive, ha ha, alive!” Damian insisted, already moving to start mixing more wax and crystal to optimize his discovery, before pausing and saying “but perhaps I could do with some more honey”
“Absolutely not!” Xavior broke in, before addressing the pair of apprentices “Both of you, make sure Damian gets some actual food to eat. And water. Feed him if you have too and then as soon as this wears off get him to bed” he commanded them, mainly to put official weight behind what he was quite sure they were already going to do now that they were aware of the issue.
As the god and Damian’s apprentices fussed over the demon and tried to convince him to stop working and to go to his room and lay down for a few days, someone who was dealing with the exact opposite called out to him.
“Xavior,” Jermane skulked under an entrance archway, not quite entering the area proper.
The god called out “one moment!” and then after resolving the situation, or more accurately putting it fully in the hands of the apprentices, stepped outside. He raised an eyebrow at who it was who wanted his attention “Jermane, yes?”
“Shield of Benea,” The man stood up straight, giving Xavior a subtle memory of when he first met Frederick.
“Ah yes, her right hand man” Xavior said, his memory properly jolted, before asking “how is she faring today?”
Jermane swallowed, betraying his emotions. “That’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”
The giant man looked past Xavior before gingerly reaching past him and closing the door. He then looked both ways, as if a spy would come tumbling out of the shrubberies of the garden. Putting a fist in front of his mouth he said. “I need your help getting into her room.”
The god raised his eyebrows in surprise, but acknowledged the man’s desire to keep this out of the public eye and walked past him while justuring him to follow him inside. A few moments later they found them inside a private meeting room, where the god finally asked “How bad is her… seclusion?”
“She’s locked the door and refuses to not only leave but answer me,” Jermane all but whispered. “I don’t think she’s eaten or drank anything either.”
“We don’t exactly need to,” Xavior said “but I get your point” before stroking his beard for a few moments and then asking simply “In what way do you think I will have more luck than you?” not unkindly, but instead to gauge the exact intent in this request for help.
“She trusts you more than most, if not me — then you.”
“Hmmm,” Xavior thought for a moment, before agreeing to help the man ”we will combined forces then”
Xavior goes to see Damian the mage-demon, and finds out about the effects and properties of the honey and wax produced by Dzallitsunya’s bees. He learns that the wax can resist the energy build up of unstable crystals, and when mixed with ground up crystals can make fuses or wires that can conduct power through them and then eject it at the end.
He also learns that Damian has dosed himself on raw honey two days ago, and that he had not eaten or slept since due to his mind being filled with hard to nail down inspiration and ideas, which becomes very noticeable when he starts becoming more and more mad scientist as the conversation goes on.
Xavior and Damian’s assistant are in the midst of trying to get the caffinatied demon to go to his room and lay down for a few days when Jermane shows up, wanting to deal with the opposite problem he has with his goddess, who won't get out of bed, let alone her room.
The two talk in private briefly, and Xavior agrees to lend him a hand in this endeavor,
Had Minda been in a position to hear Primrose’s comment about wanting to go back to the spa after this, she would have wholeheartedly agreed. After being frozen on the mountain and now scorched by the desert, she knew her body would thank her for seeking out the pleasantly warm waters of one of the warm bubbling pools up there in the sky.
As it was, it was still thankful for the recuperation it got via the thieves’ healers, getting her half closed wounds properly sealed up by the masked furball. Unfortunately while he could help those who where hurt, the kitty wasn't going to be driving them out of this situation in his van form anytime soon, what with how big the party had grown since they last used that little trick.
Fortunately, after a bit of moogle mail, it turned out that folks back in the south had been busy, busy enough to get their hands on an airship of all things, which was getting sent out to fetch them.
”Thank the Goddesses, let’s find or dig some shelter then and wait out the-” she began to suggest before Sectonia summoned up some of her massive floating crystals to act as a source of shade.
”or that, that works too” she admitted, before getting to work settling herself settled in, which involved summoning her wolfos, and then using its laid down form as a backrest as she sat herself down as comfortably as she could on the sandy ground.
”So yeah, where were we? Right, Galeem and all that” she said once they were settled in, reopening the conversation/exposition that had been interrupted by the change of pace.
”More or less. Well the guy running things back at base prefers calling us mercenaries, and given that a lot of the people in it where big name heroes back home I think it fits a bit better, but use whatever sudo-military designation you want,” Midna replied to Therion describing them as a magical militia before nodding at his off hand agreement to join up ”We sure could, lot of world to cover after all, and a lot of weird stuff out there that needs different kinds of skills to handle”
She had to give a little laugh at his asking about being paid ”Yeah mercenary would definitely fit you better at least” she teased, before actually answering the question by saying that ”Not directly no, but if you want money, there's a princess Peach who’s sort of funding stuff, so if you want gold, you can probably talk her into it…” and then frowning for a moment before realizing that that would probably have been a wise thing to do before they set out. How much better might things have gone if they had been loaded down with the good stuff from Al Mamoon’s markets rather than just what they could scrape together funds for themselves, she wondered.
Would it have saved lives?
Another regret for the pile.
”Maybe we should all do that.” she said thoughtfully, before joking that ”It’d at least mean Raz could buy some replacement pants without having to worry about pocket change” to try and lift her own spirits that she’d just mentally brought down.
The waves lapped the shore as fish swam through the sky and birds flew through the waters of the sprawling river delta leading out into the ocean where that endless blue met the 12th realm. Ships plied the waves, but despite what might be expected of Xavior’s mercantile people, there were few trade ships plying the waves, for beyond the numerous floating towns dotting the marshy lands, there were few ports to be found on forighn shores.
Thus most of the merchant ships that did make their way down to the ocean were here to bargain with those who did ply the wider salty waters. Fishers, divers (and the odd pirate) ruled the waves, roaming far and wide on their new dusklander made sails across seas mostly uncontested by other nations, and reaping the bounty without much foreign competition.
All this piled into the local markets, where it was either bought by the herders and farmers of the plains on either side of the river delta, or purchased by merchants and shipped upstream to feed the ever growing and ever hungry capital.
One such merchant was Jubilee, a russet woman clad in fashionable yet still practical dark robes and with a wide brimmed hat covering her long curly auburn locks, who had passed up the stalls of micro penguins and regular fish and was instead at that moment examining a little shelled thing with critical amber eyes.
“And what is this then? And how is anyone supposed to eat one?“ she asked the tanned and athletic man who was trying to sell her it
“We call that an oyster ma’am. You gotta pry the shell open first you see, to get to the meat inside” he said, taking out an old bronze knife and offering it to her. She waved him off and drew an immaculate blade of her own, which bore the signature mark of the god of merchants.
“Seems a bit fiddly” she said, as she gave it a go, before finally wedging the blade in there and cracking the shellfish open with an “ah, there we go” before frowning a little at the contents.
“That doesn't look particularly appetizing” she said, before squinting at something else inside. She reached in and picked up the anomalous object and then interrupted the man while was telling her to not knock the shellfish meat before she tried it to ask “what is this?”
“Hmmm? Oooh. Lucky. That’s a Pearl. Pretty rare to fund one of those. Pretty isn’t it?” he said as they both admired the shiny stone.
“Very…” Jubilee replied as she turned it over in her hand, before asking “How much for it?”
“Ah you found it so it's already yours Ma’am” the seller said, to which Jubilee raised her brows and then after a moment pocketed the pearl.
And then she had second thoughts, her mercantile instincts set in and booted short term gain aside.
“No no I can’t. Do you know how much I could sell this for back in the capital?” she asked, and then answered her question when he shook his head with: “Quite the pile of golden godheads, that I assure you. Why I could take all your oysters and even if I fail to sell a single one and have still made a profit, I’m quite sure”
“Oh? For that little thing? You're Joking Ma’am… You are joking, right?” the fish seller replied and then went pale when she told him she was deadly serious.
“Now, how many of these can I buy off of you? The pearls I mean.” she said, before waving an hand an adding ”oh and the oysters too I suppose”
“Well I dunno how many pearls there are, but they are rare, so that might be the only one in the current batch.”
“Oh well, can you get more?” she asked, and then when she found out how small their team was they said that they should just just hire more people and do more dives, something the merchant disagreed with the ease of.
“Oysters are tricky to get, you gotta dive down for them and that’s risky even for me and the lads and lasses who’ve been doing it since we got there, let alone for an amateur. This guy Kenny came with us a week back and nearly drowned, the stupid guy” he explained “Plus, even we have limits. We can't exactly breath under water after all,” he joked “so there’s only so deep we can go for em”
“You know what… tell me about more about this operation of yours, let me in on it so i can work out just how profitable it can be, and maybe, just maybe, we can do something about that little human limits issue” she replied with a smile, as her hand subconsciously caressed the handle of her divinely crafted knife.
*Clink*
*Clink*
*Clink*
*Crack*
The freshly imported steel pick finally broke through the tunnel wall where it had sounded hollow, and the dirty miner had to shield his eyes at the sudden and impossible glare coming in from the newly open hole.
“Oy. Derik! What’s the hold up” came a shout from the shift leader from behind the miner
“It’s…. Its…” Derik stammered as he blinked while his eyes adjusted, and then starred as he saw what he had unveiled, “It’s beautiful”
The miner starred out at the vast underground cavern that he’d found, one impossibly filled with both light and life. Massive fungi towered over mossy floors and cavern walls, through which crisp cool water flowed and pooled into lakes and ponds that reflected light coming from the swaths of massive crystals that sprouted from the floors, walls and ceilings. The glow of the crystals was not static, however. No, instead it ebbed and flowed as raced around inside the crystals, causing the room to pulse, as if it were alive.
It was oppressive and yet at the same time alluring, resulting in the miner and his fellows stumbling into the subterranean world, causing jewel encrusted cave lizards to scatter into hiding in response to their home being invaded by outsiders.
Once they overcame their initial awe they explored further, climbing up fungal roots and avoiding the predation of larger gem beasts, and as they did the older among them were reminded of the long march through the unformed realm and the story of how it had been tamed. Indeed, they stood in the roots of the end of that story, within the roots of the ore filled mountain storms end, which had been used to earth the living lightning predator.
Yet they had dug that ore for an age and it had been mundane.
So it was instead an earlier part of that story they found to be the source, tales of a titanic blast of metal shards used to unsteady the titan of thunder, and it was one of these they found, suspended in the crystal heart of the cavern, out of which the rest of the resplendent shining wonder filling the caves had grown, the lingering essence of the predator once more refusing to die.
The wise might well have seen this, and, having learned of the nature of this place, left the primordial crystal well alone.
The humans, of course, saw it as a treasure trove and soon enough had raised their pics and gotten back to work.
Xavior sat upon his throne, a wooden affair which was decorated with an ever expanding number of intricate carvings that he one of his favorite traded tributes, in a distracted state. Since the mysterious snow god had drifted on by Benea had locked herself in a guest room, insisting that she not be disturbed while she rested. Given what he had learned from Monica about the ‘familiar’ god he almost could not blame her, though he was concerned that only he seemed to have been ignorant among them. He seemed to have missed a revelation at the dawn of his life, and now he worried about what else he did not know, because given what he just had learned, what you didn’t not know very much could kill you..
He had directed scouts to try and track the figure, as well as warnings to his dask land and queendom embassies, but as he knew all too well from failed attempts at messenger sending, having mortals try to catch up or outpace a god was unlikely to succeed. Still, while uncertainty and dangers loomed, the affairs of state must go on.
In this particular moment, that involved the god king was holding court, a time during which supplicants, suitably filtered by his priests performing their oldest of duties, came to barter and beg for his divine support. Those mortals crowded the back of the long throne room in which he had met Fredrick a few days earlier, waiting to be brought forward to make their case.
“Madman Jubilee and company, please step forwards” spoke one of the robed priests, now marked more by their divine seal bearing garb than their no longer unique horns of office, prompting the merchant to step forwards, along with a mix of her ship’s crew and the divers with whom she had set up a joint business venture who all carried several chests between them.
“Xavior, our divine patron,” Jubilee said, giving the god a bow before making her case, saying “I present to you the bounty of the ocean, fetched from its floor by brave and stalwart swimmers who have dared its depths” before her help set down the chests and threw them open, revealing a glittering bounty within.
Xavior leaned forwards and looked closer at the contents of the bulging cheats, which were positively overflowing with colorful corals, radiant seashells, sharks teeth, vials of poisons and toxins and, most precious of all, pearls that had been growing since the seafloor was formed.
“And these aren't the only things we have acquired, but I assumed you would not appreciate the scent of shellfish, so we have left those outside, but can also provide those to your kitchens and storehouses within the hour” she added, “I assure you, the rich meats are quite delectable”
“I think I’ve had some once or twice, but I thought they were quite the rare dish due to the difficulty of acquiring them in any number.” Xavior said mouth slightly watering at the memory, before noting that “You seem to have increased diving operations”
“I have, and it is with regards to that that I have come to bargain with you” she said, before pausing for permission
“go on,“
“As you said, the dives are quite difficult. Taxing. I have helped uncover the worth that can be gained from the ocean floor, and this has brought more people into the diving profession. However, there are limits, of course, to how deep we can go, leaving the greater bounties out of reach. Even those with the strongest wills can only hold their breaths for so long after all” she explained
“And some of the new divers have pushed themselves too far” added one of the treasure bearers.
“There have been some…” she picked her words carefully “Unfortunate incidents yes,”before insisting that “but that is something that my request could prevent!”
“And it is?” Xavior said, eyes narrowing upon finding out that there had been a cost in blood for this treasure.
“The ability to breath under water” she replied, which surprised him and it showed. “Or at least the ability to hold breath much longer. There are beasts who can do both, so I’m sure it's possible?”
“It is, of course, but to change people is a costly endeavor” Xavier replied slowly to ensure she knew the weight of what she was asking.
“But think of the benefits. So much more of our shoreline becomes harvestable, perhaps even farm-able. You can see the benefits to the whole nation, not just myself, yes? I’m sure there are, uh, military applications as well?” she tried, which did set Xavior thinking beyond the scope of her own desire for this boon.
He leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard as he did what he sometimes did, which was to take the request and boil it down to what they really needed rather than what they specifically requested. People did not always know what they wanted after all, plus, it always did to tinker with a request to make it more university applicable in his opinion.
As he thought he looked over the others waiting to meet him, and saw among them a group of miners, and was reminded of reports of the air underground becoming toxic or simply unbreathable and the accidents that had occurred as a result, and had a thought. Breathing water was difficult, but producing breathable air? Well, that was what plants did already. All they needed was a little boost and perhaps…
The god stood then, and walked towards the chests of treasures without a word plucked from the glistening piles of treasure a stray strand of kelp that had been included by mistake while the chests had been packed. The mortals looked embarrassed or shocked that the god seemed to be nitpicking their offering but then all stepped back as he cupped the kelp in his hand and a burst of flame erupted between them, consuming the plant.
Then he opened his palms and revealed a set of seeds. “Take these, plant them and grow them in sea water. Then harvest the fronds. When exposed to breath in an enclosed space, they will rapidly turn that very breath back into breathable air”
“Ex… exposed to breath?”
“Indeed. Fill a bag with the cuttings, and place that bag over the moth and nose. I imagine the dusklander’s wax will help in ensuring the bag and seal is airtight” he explained, before adding that “This should be useful for more than just you, you understand, as those working around smoke, or down the mines, or in other places where breath becomes difficult will also benefit. So I’m sure the state would be interested in entering an arrangement with you to acquire it for those purposes, yes?” handing the woman another business opportunity to add to her sub-aquatic farming and harvesting plans, and tacitly suggesting she enter into an exclusivity agreement with the city’s government when it came to trade of the kelp.
“I… yes, thank you my god” she replied, graciously taking the seeds and cupping them close to her chest as if they were worth more than their weight in gold. Which they, of course, were.
“Good good. Kyle will be able to help facilitate that future trading, and, perhaps, sponsorship of your burgeoning business by myself or the state at large” Xavier added, calling up a priest to handle the fine details “and the transfer of the rest of your tribute, of course”
“Of course… of course... Thank you again, Xavior” she replied. Despite being not given exactly what she had asked for, she had gained something even greater. Her fortunes, and those of her associates, were assured. What were a few chests of treasures when compared to that?
“My pleasure” Xavier, who had just increased the nation's food supply and the safety and efficiency of its mining, forging, burning for demon creation and other operations that put people in contact with dangerous air, replied, before adding “I look forwards to watching your career and your development of this resource with great interest” before returning to his throne.
The merchant and her supporters stepped away along with the priest helping them work out the fine details while their tribute was dragged to sit beside the throne by other priests. Then the next group was called, who turned out to be the very same miners Xavior had noticed earlier and been inspired by, which boded well, he thought, as they were introduced and started to make their own case.
“And that’s where we found these!” Derik, said after explaining the discovery of the hidden subterranean ecosystems, before unveiling a cart filled with large glowing crystals, which caused gasps to echo among the assembled group.
“Remarkable” Xavior said, before flicking a finger and causing one of the smaller hand sized crystals to leap from the cart and into his awaiting hand “and you said these were simply growing down there”
“Yes my god. We cut a line in the rock near one, you see, and in a few days it had gotten ever so slightly bigger. We even tried planting one and it seemed to grow too, though they seem to need to be deep down to do so” Derik explained
“A renewable resource you say? How useful. We could maybe replace torches with these?” Xaviro mused
“We’ve done so aye. Good to not worry about smoke and such, though the pulsing is a bit annoying if I’ll be honest” the man admitted before someone could stop him from devaluing their goods.
“So. Pretty. Somewhat useful. I’d say these were quite valuable, and I’m glad that the lingering chaos within has not produced anything harmful” Xavior said, and was about to ask what they wanted from him before he was interrupted by one of his priests
“Pardon me, but could I see that, Xavior?” The man, who had the red skin of a demon and who’s ascension had resulted in him sporting a pair of towering curved horns and very little in the way of wing or added bulk, stepped up beside the throne to ask.
The god tilted his head slightly before saying “Certainly Damian, here” and handing him the crystal.
The demon, who had had the privilege, and the will and determination, to try and decipher the small and haphazard assortment of spellbooks Xavior’s people had managed to acquire on the black market (and which were of very dubious quality as a result) when the attempt at a deal with Brey fell through, turned the crystal over once in his hand once while muttering about it calling to him. Before Xavior could even turn back to the miners however, the rock suddenly started pulsing faster and faster, the lazy heartbeat of power rapidly quickening from that of a slumbering whale and to that of a frantic mouse.
“Fascinating” the Demon said, even as Xavior’s eyes went wide, the sight of that energy building sending his mind back to when he had faced the node’s thunderous guardian. The god made a grab for the stone, snatching it from Damian’s hand and pushing him away before the god pressed the pulsing crystal (which now had streaks of red lighting arching over it’s surface) to his stomach and curled up around it.
And then he exploded.
Xavior’s immaculately carved throne was reduced to burning splinters and the god himself slammed into the wall of the throne room as the crystal detonated, leaving the god slumped against the back wall, his body slightly scorched, his garb a tattered burnt mess, and his expression dazed.
Several things happened at once in the moments that followed. People panicked and some tried to flee the room, while both the miners and the Damian where sized by other priests (and even a few other supplicants) as accusations of “assassins” and “traitors” echoed throughout the room
“I swear, we didn’t know it was dangerous!” Derik the miner insisted, his hands raised and with a knife at his threat, while as Damian shoved off his own would be arrester with a “get off of me you idiot" and declared that “we must dispose of these crystals before they destroy us all!” which brought everyone’s attention to the massive cart filled with explosives currently sitting in the room they were all in.
There was a pause, and then several rushed to try and do so, only to be halted from a shout from their god.
“No wait” Xavior, who had been stunned more by the shock of being hurt at all than the actual damage of either impact, said as he picked himself up off the floor and pushed past people trying to help him and, with a strange manic look in his eyes and a wide smile on his lips, declared breathlessly “We can use these”
1 mp used to create a special breed of kelp that, when its fronds are cut and exposed to breath, rapidly convert that breath into breathable air. This lets them be used to make rebreathing gear that can be used to avoid drowning, toxic gasses, and other threats to breath. The cuttings don’t work forever, withering visibly and producing a bad smell once they are close to being used up, but they can be revitalized using salt water and sunlight before they perish completely. Present tech will result in horse feed back like masks that can last for a few hours, while further innovation will allow miniaturization and optimization of the tech.
2 mp used to fund research into primordial/unstable crystals produced from crystals tainted by the chaos infected remnants of the projectiles from Xavior’s shotgun attack on node 12’s guardian. The crystals can be farmed due to their non-geological growth speeds, making them a useful renewable resource once the current reserves are stripped from the earth. Present research allows them to be used as bombs when empowered by demonic magics, while future tech advancements will likely find further uses for them.
0/9 mp
We jump to the south west of node one to a river delta where much of the ocean bound shipping is based, and most of that is used for fishing the mostly uncontested waters of the crucible. Within said markets, a merchant woman named Jubilee finds a pearl in a selfish she is thinking about buying. She informs the merchant selling the shellfish of the pearl’s true value, and then offers to start a joint business with the seller and his diver friends looking to acquire first more riches, and then divine aid to surpass human lung capacity.
Then we cut to caves under storm’s fall, a metal fluid mountain also in node 12, where miners discover an underground cavern filled with life all growing under the glow of pulsating crystals that are filled with chaotic energy originating from a splinter of Xavior’s divine shotgun blast against the node guardian back when he was first fighting to claim it.
Finally we cut to Xavior’s throne room, where, while worried about his sisters and the snow god, he still has work to do. Specifically seeing people who want to buy his divine aid.
First comes the merchant Jubilee, who ends up trading chests of seafloor booty for a type of kelp that can be used to make rebreathing gear.
Second come the miners, who’s attempt to use the newly discovered crystals to purchase divine favor is interrupted by a demonic mage (who has learned via poor quality blackmarket acquired magic tomes) who destabilizes the crystal, and causes it to blow up Xavior.
People panic, accuse both miner and mage of being assassins, but mage draws their attention to the cart full of crystals brought by the miners and implores the others to get rid of them before they all explode.
Xavior, only lightly scorched by the explosion, stops them, seeing value in these crystalline bombs, and then implicitly starts the research of them.
A short horned woman in dark robes that bore the symbol of Xavior’s preisthood peered up at the titan of a man that was Frederick, one armed with a titanic blade and wearing the skull and fur of a Wolf King large as any had ever seen, and nervously adjusted her (freshly minted) spectacles.
“His ah, lordship will see you now” she informed the man, who had been offered refreshments while he sat and waited to be seen on the same veranda where Xavior met Dzallitsunya a few days earlier.
“If you would, ah, follow me please?” she added before turning to go.
With a hand the size of a brick, Frederick grabbed the tiny ornate cup he had been given, the vessel hiding behind his knuckles as he walked behind the steward.
The priest led the man through the halls of the temple, some of which had recently been expanded vertically such that they provided even the giant of a man with ample headroom. They passed by a few of the various scholars, pupils here to learn the new arts, bureaucrats and councilors who managed the state’s affairs, who filtered in and out of corridors. The main group they met, however, was a tide of the day’s supplicants who had come to barter or beg for the resident god’s divine aid, all of them flowing out of the temple and back into the streets of the city, a mix of joy and disappointment on their faces.
All made way for the warrior and his priestly guide.
Once past that river of humanity they reached the chamber they had come from. It was a grand chamber, at the end of which sat an artfully made throne, made of a fine wood and covered in intricate carvings depicting events and achievements of the god and the state, upon a dais. Its owner, clad in fine robes with a purple cloak that covered one arm and which was secured with a golden brooch on the other, was not however found upon the throne at that moment.
Instead he was in the midst of putting the finishing touches to a mechanical arm made from Ambroisen Fibres to a scared caravan guard, while the Merchant who had acquired the fibers at great expense and whose life had been saved by that same guard looked on with nervous energy. As Frederick entered the god stepped back front he warrior, who was flexing the arm experimentally, and then glanced towards the new arrival
“Ah, I see my next appointment is here, so I am afraid this will be all the time I can spare for now” Xavier said to the grateful pair before adding “thank you for the opportunity to try working with this new material. Given her conduct at our genesis, I am amazed and hartnened that Eleanna has turned out to be the kind of person to make something like this. I hope she lives up to the good sign that this is” before the pair bade their farewells and made their way out of the room. The priestess dismissed herself as well, leaving only Xavior and Frederick in the room… for all of a few moments before a titan of a woman with blue skin and who sported grand horns and wings stepped in behind him, carrying with her a table and two chairs.
“Ah excellent, thank you Annie” the god said to her as she set up the seating in the throne room, before saying to Frederick “Thank you for waiting, Frederick. Please. Do take a seat” while gesturing at an appropriately large chair before moving to do so himself in the smaller one opposite him.
Annie, notably, did not leave the room, and instead leaned against one of the walls of the throne room, her arms crossed and her eyes never going far from their guest’s massive blade. Frederick only spared her a quick look before sitting in his assigned seat. The legs of the chair creaked dangerously as he laid his weight into it.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me, your majesty,” Frederick started.
“It is my pleasure. I always have time for someone who has done so much to rid my lands of those blight-some beasts” the god replied, nodding at Frederick’s grizzly trophies, before continuing “especially when he comes bearing word from our dear sister.” The ‘dear’ was a little strained, though the god found he meant it more than he would have in the days after she and he went their separate ways. Absence truly did make the heart grow fonder it seemed.
Frederick shook his head. “My achievements here were less than selfless, but rather a show of force. I am a single paladin, and I alone have done all you heard of. To speak plainly, the paladins wish for official endorsement from you to operate in the 12th node. As it stands, we do collect recruits from this area, but have no official quarters or staff. With the growing turbulence the crucible is hosting and the encroachment of doom, I implore you to consider such a proposal post-haste.”
“That- hmmm. Straight to the point I see” Xavior said, sounding not entirely pleased but getting over his initial reaction relatively quickly as he leaned back in his chair, stroked his beard, and considered the ramifications that would have.
One the one hand, with the threat of the cradle in the south and the wolves growing ever more bold/desperate, they sorely needed professional warriors.
On the other, letting them operate in the 12th realm would all but cement his position as on Benea’s side of the war. Plus did they really want forighn troops camped in and around the city? One man alone was bad enough, but a legion of them? That would rankle both him and the people to say the least.
“I’ll have to put this before the council to get a final stamp of approval, but let’s iron out some of the details for when I bring you’re proposal before them” he explained, fairly convinced that he could get them onboarded with whatever was agreed here, before moving swiftly along to those details “Your martial prowess would be of great help, of that I am certain. However” he paused for a moment to decide how best to phrase his concern before deciding on, simply: “It would be good if you could clarify how you intend to operate in the area.”
“We will use funding from direct donation as well as from logistics from the northern Queendom. Recruitment will be both passive and active, with volunteers joining the ranks of the Paladins to successfully support their local area as well as, ultimately, the crucible as a whole.” Frederick gave his speech as if he had rehearsed it before falling into a different tone. “I am more than willing to prove the effectiveness of the training by besting each and every doubting council member in hand to hand combat. Just show me who you would like me to perform against first.”
Annie shifted slightly at her position on the wall, but Xavior kept a calm face “I’m sure that won’t be necessary” he assured the warrior. Had it been anyone else, the god might have put money on the muscled Argus taking such a challenger by surprise, but Frederick certainly made a strong point in that regard.
“Believe me, I do not doubt the effectiveness of your people’s martial prowess. It is mainly the” he waved a hand vaguely as he said “logistical and political aspects that might prove troublesome”
He tapped his fingers on the side of the table a few times thoughtfully and then decided that avoiding beating around the bush any more would work best with this man when he said “I’ll get right to the point. How willing would you and your organization be to operate under the patronage and guidance of the Eunomian state instead of the Queendom’s, at least when it comes to operating within our borders?”
“Would you like the simple answer or do you wish for an honest explanation, your majesty?” Frederick sat up, somehow making sitting down look more exhausting than standing up. His chair protested.
Even as Annie stirred, the god looked up at the towering human from where he sat and said simply “By all means, be honest with me.”
“While myself and some of the other original paladins haven’t forgotten the time we walked beside you as you claimed node 12, the younger generations and recent recruits only know you as the god who never showed up during the battles in the east. I know you had your reasons, but it cost a lot of lives. Now as the quarantine builds, we are still doing it alone with our Queen, whose life was nearly forfeit. As it stands, the organization will not find you a suitable patron, but hopes that this can change through continued official contact in node 12.” Frederick’s brow dropped. “This is for the good of the original alliance, especially as doom taints the crucible so freely now. I hope you can see from my own words that the paladins as a whole wear our faces on our faces and not under the table. As for political concerns, frankly, we are in good standing with every healthy god in the north — unless you are hinting at a friendship with Anak’thas, of course.”
“Yet it is the people of the 12th realm you will be working among and recruiting from. To them you are an alien force who are known for your proficiency at killing other humans. If you want to operate here you need official endorsement, and to be at least partially integrated with our own military. This… false narrative of my lack of involvement in the north will not sit well with people who as we speak fight and die to keep the land safe from inhuman monstrosities”
Frederick blinked. “Excuse me, your majesty, but first I would like to remind you that you had asked for my honest report on the feelings prevalent among the ranks. Secondly, I would like to remind you that the good people of node 12 have been in constant contact and in healthy trade with the Queendom since the opening of the road of light to merchants and regularly interact with the paladins who escort the traders along the way. Lasty, I would like to report that the Commander of the Pristine Palace has authorized me to mobilize over five-hundred paladins to secure your southern border should you agree to your official endorsement of the recruitment process. The stories of your merchants have met our ears well, sire.”
The god raised an eyebrow and glanced at Annie, who nodded.
“My apologies, I was unaware that you had also begun patrolling the northern road” He admitted
“It’s where I learned the best way to decapitate a being with a hard carapace,” Frederick chimed, which got a grin from the so far stoic Annie, who noted that “I find blunt force is best for cracking those things open, but that’s mighty impressive”
“I’m sure” Xavior said, before sighing and leaning back in his chair “However it is one thing to be protected by forighn soldiers in neutral lands, it is quite another to have them setting up residence around your own home. It is something that needs to be handled delicately. Your reinforcements, for example, would be welcome, because you are sorely needed.”
“but if an unchecked force as strong as yours, funded by forighn powers, sets up camp inside the city or near a town and starts operating mainly in the interests of itself and said power? There is a potential for there being unfortunate parallels to your actions in the north. Justified actions in that case, of course, but still” Xavior explained “I’d like to have some level of influence within your local chapters such that those kinds of fears and concerns need not arise. Influence that will also allow us to better support you in your worthy and welcome endeavor of making the lands safer for all humankind of course.”
Frederick blinked, as if he didn’t quite understand some of Xavior’s words. Shaking his head he added. “As the King of this realm you will be given the responsibility of approving specific locations for our buildings as well as setting the occupancy maximum. In short, you decide where we officially set up and how many Paladins can be present in your realm at a time.”
“Excellent, I knew I could bring you around. Now” Xavier said in a blatantly self declared win before he snapped his fingers and caused a scroll sitting among other documents near his throne to wisk its way over.
It clattered down onto the table and unfurled, revealing itself to be a map even as conjured tokens and playing pieces plonked down onto it to mark out cities, armies and foes.
“Let me give you an outline of where those places will be. First off the simplest of these is here,” he pointed a finger and a figure with a sword held in two hands with the blade planted in the ground appeared in the north at Twilight’s rest, the settlement on the other end of the road that wormed through Monica’s realm “Based on what you said earlier, I take it there is already something of an ad hoc presence in the area. Paladins resting before going home and so on?”
He glanced at Annie, who nodded, and then continued that “we might as well make it official, and add a permanent wing to the local barracks. I should ask if you would be willing to do the same on your side for our local forces, so as to at least make an attempt at integrating them into one patrolling force with an overall commander at each posting? One of yours and one of ours, naturally”
“Sure.” Frederick leaned forward, causing the blade on his back to violently rub against the wooden chair he was in. He plopped an elbow on the table and held his chin. “So you agree with the official endorsement, then?”
“If you keep to the place and numbers we set, as you said, and also agree to keep to our laws, I don’t imagine there will be much trouble getting an endorsement” Xavior said while still ruminating over the map.
“I don’t see why not,” Frederick agreed. “A minimum operational number will have to be devised regarding the troop maximum to prevent the structure from caving in should the number be rolled too low, but I feel that can be hashed out between the logistics corps and your own.”
“I’m sure I’m sure. Speaking of which, how centralized is your structure? I ask primarily to know how feasible it would be to have you set up an emissary that could properly facilitate relations between our government and your order” Xavior asked while setting down another paladin piece
“Easily done. Benea had the wisdom of creating a precursor to a proper embassy structure after her last visit with Queen Dzallitsunya. I can relay your desire to the Pristine Palace.”
“A touch roundabout… we would welcome representatives from the queendom itself of course, but will you have a… regional commander, say, who could send representatives, or have an office in the capital?” another piece went down
Frederick perked up. “Oh! Yes, I misunderstood your question. A regional commander will be introduced to the area to oversee and represent the Paladins of Node 12 in all matters. Of course this means you will have a direct connection to the infrastructure whenever you need it.”
“Good good. We can get them something down by the lakeside, perhaps, maybe make something of a diplomatic district” Xavior said as he popped down the final paladin. Joining the one in the north were two at the passes leading into node 18, one by Stone Lake and a final bastion on the far side of Lake Bulwark, close to but not in the capital city.
“There we go. We’ll need to bring this before the council, of course, and there's the issues of numbers, local funding, military collaboration and so on and so forth to hash out, but I think this will make for a good basis for the proposal” Xavier said, while Annie noted that each and every paladin garrison was in a place it could be checked by local forces in terms of influence. “If you agree?”
“Looks good to me.”.
“Marvelous,” Xavier said, dismissing the tokens and picking up the map as he stood “then let's get this all sorted out and onto paper then, shall we? I’ll set up a council meeting as soon as I can, and then you or a messenger can be on their way with a formal invitation to the Paladins… within the day let’s say?”
Frederick stood up as well, casting his shadow over both the table and the god. “It shall be done, your majesty.”
“Good good. Annie will show you somewhere to wait for the meeting” The god replied, and then with a “I’ll see you there” he made his way out of the room while the demoness stepped forwards, casting her own shadow over the human and table. She grinned a fang filled grin and then asked “So, want to show me how you decapitate a being with a hard carapace?”
Frederick, the big man paladin of Benea has come to Xavior town and he is here to install some of his buddies. Xavier, perhaps a touch intimidated by this wolf and bandit slaughtering man, holds a meeting with him in his throne room with Annie the Demoness present as a bodyguard.
Things start off a bit roughly, with Fredric offering to beat up the council to prove the effectiveness of his order, and relaying some of the younger paladin’s disdain towards Xavior that they feel as a result of him not being in the north.
Xavior meanwhile is not comfortable having a bunch of paladins, an order known for occupying other gods' territory, simply setting up camp with oversight.
Things clear up once Fredric offers Xavior full control of both how many paladins can be in the region and also where they can operate, which resolves most of his concerns. Xaviro then maps it out so that there are 5 groups (Twilight’s rest, Stone lake, east and west passes into node 18 and finally one at the capital) all of which can be checked by local forces if necessary. They also agree to get an embassy from Benea’s people into the city, as well as one from the paladins, namly their soon to be regional commander.
With all this agreed with words, Xavier moves to get it in writing by holding a council meeting, which will invite the Paladins into the 12th realm and initiate more detailed talks about numbers, logistics and military cooperation and so on.
”Why thank you Geralt,” the now much less human Kamek (a state of being she was quite happy with) replied to the witcher’s praise for finding the device, before adding ”But I can’t take all the credit, Rika was the one who lead me to the general area. One which had living food that turned parts of people into themselves when eaten. One can only wonder what they gain from having such an ability”
She paused there, leaving space for thought about what trickery might lie beneath the bugsnack’s cutesy exterior, before she went on ”And of course Miss Floofty, for inventing it” as if that had pause had never happened.
She listened quietly as Geralt spoke about the power he felt lurking within him, just beneath the surface.
”Oh yes, the changes can be quite… insidious in their depths, the personality ones most of all” she said, probably not helping matters in terms of the level of worry about the changes, before adding more optimistically that ”I can only praise your self reflective abilities that you have noticed what has occurred on your own”
”Ah you’re both over-complicating things. Look. see. Weird new limb goes zap” Bowser, who was most certainly not a master of self reflection, insisted as he showed off his new lopsided limb, by flicking it forwards and delivering a shock to the ground, sending a little burst of sand out from the impact point.
Dazzle meanwhile was finding their new limbs quite annoying, being lingering, feather covers flippers even less suited for land walking in the way his old sea-lion limbs had been, and he was not opposed to letting his new trainer know via seal-clown sounds.
”Yeah I know they are kinda inconvenient. But at least it's more like just a jacket instead of going full penguin. Plus you should have a new power of. Um. flapping about?” Jr retorted, floundering a bit at the last hurdle.
Dazzle gave Jr an eye roll, everyone knew piplups flew like iron bars, but gave it a go regardless, inflating one of his water balloons and using it as a trampoline to launch himself. And then splashed down pretty far out into the water, much to his and everyone else's surprise. Just not quite as surprised as various gunship pilots had (very briefly) been when faced with a deadly bird strike by a flock of genetically enhanced penguins.
No for the troop that level of surprise came when Dazzle sped through the waves and launched himself back out of the water like a rocket.
”...uh, see?” Jr managed as the awe wore off, before saying more loudly ”See! Seal missile! Told you it was worth it” which Dazzle had to somewhat agree, even if it was still annoying to be on land.
"It's to see that everyone's enjoying themselves...in their own ways," observed Peach, having given the brawling streetfighters a wide berth as she made her way to where the Koopa Troop looked on. She couldn't keep her eyes off Bowser as she approached, although not in a good way. "Have you been fusing again!?"
”You know it princess. Look. Weird zappy arm. Pretty cool huh?” Bowser said, gesturing to his new asymmetrical addition, and deflating a fair bit when a brief look of disgust flashed over her royal features.
"Well...at least you're not like that all over, I suppose?" she allowed, trying to see the bright side. Then she took a deep breath and spoke her mind. "I have to say though, doesn't it all seem a bit much? All those spirits have made a mess out of you. I can barely even recognize what you've become."
”Well I mean. Yeah. Sure. But I’m stronger, so what does it matter what I look like!” the koopa bit back with a growl ”I’m doing everything that I can to make sure we win this, what’s so bad about that, huh?”
Kamek tried to mediate between the two by pointing out ”Well at least with this we can spread out the changes now. Keep them separate and avoid any more, ah, dramatic transformations”
“Or just shove it all into the same shoulder?” Rika suggested from where she had been getting a crash course in sandcastle building from Lana. The fast learner had already added her own little neutral fort onto the battlefield and she was very proud of the misshapen mass even as she tinkered away at improving it.
”Yes… or that…” Kamek said, furrowing her brow while glancing between the messily morphed Bowser and the spirit extracting Peach. The princess’ face looked just as contemplative before both she and Kamek snapped their fingers at the same time with a shared “Ah ha!”
A few moments later, and Bowser was (briefly) his old self again thanks to Peach pulling out all of his spirits, and then Bowser reabsorbed them all while Kamek helped the Snaktivator to his shell, focusing all of the changes in the place where all the useful mutations had occurred anyway.
The host's shell has turned Blastoise brown, with a knobby outer texture, and divided into seven plates sections, with a hexagon in the middle and trapezoids all around. The rim, both of the shell and of the spikes, is purple-blue and flared outward in a wave pattern like the edge of Tentacruel's body. At every corner of the shell plates there is a cerise Tentacruel orb. The whole outer layer of the shell is actually metal, with the seams gilded and a golden fleur-de-lis on the middle one, and it's biomechanical beneath. All six of the outward plates can raise up and extend a pair of thick cannon barrels each. in the direction their facing. Only the upper right and upper left ones can swivel forward to fire straight while Bowser is standing. The middle section of the shell can be raised to allow four large Land Dreugh limbs to extend outward to the sides like giant spider legs, while a nest of tentacruel tentacles can be stretched out of the top.
Purplish-blue scales extend outward for a short ways across Bowser's body, with his shell as the origin point, and his hair is Trendo lavender. His suit jacket, which the shell sets atop, is now much longer and styled like Trento's coat, although the epaulet tassels are now Tentacruel tentacles. The host's personality is sweeter and more caring, but also more mindlessly aggressive when angered.
These spirits confer the Powers Torrent, which allows his cannons to fire water blasts that get stronger in a pinch, Liquid Ooze, which allow his cannons to spray low-pressure jets of toxin, Shell Generation, which allows Bowser to internally manufacture his own explosive ammo for his cannons (as well as regrow his spikes) from his food, and Shocking Touch, allowing Bowser to electrify a Land Dreugh limb that then spends the charge on whatever it hits next, zapping it. These spirits also confer the Weaknesses Psychic Bane, causing mental attacks to deal double damage to the host and increasing mental susceptibility, Electric Bane, causing electric attacks to deal double damage to the host, Soft Machine, increasing the host's stamina consumption and fall damage by way of increased weight, and Can’t Swim, which means that when in water, the host can only sink to the bottom
Peach's eyebrows rose as a smile dawned on her face. "Oh, well then. There's the Bowser we know and...well, the Bowser we know."
”Yeah! The king is back” Bowser announced loudly while flexing his back to normal arms, enjoying having his proportions back rather than being all gangly due to the human touch.
Then he paused mid flex and somewhat bashfully scratched his lavender hair before saying ”And, uh, sorry about arguing with you before. This is waaay better. So, uh, thanks?” to the princess.
”Well, almost back” Kamek said ruefully as Jr ran up to give his far more normal looking dad a hug.
East of the Stormfall an unusual group watched what could be vaguely called a battle. The group was composed of multiple servants carrying baskets on their back and/or holding up parasols of black gilded cloth, a few guards wearing armor of either shiny bronzer or the opaque turquoise orichalcum, all of them wearing dark cloth beneath the metal and wielding lances. Finally, two paper-white skinned women in blue uniform and a young man of olive skin and dark hair decorated with a contrasting platinum diadem. Around them laid the bodies of many wolves, their blood staining the raised lances.
One remained however, locked in a fight away from the others, a fight it could not win, because it had found itself facing the goddess of the dusk. With precision strikes, the goddess had been outright trimming its fur, fully humiliating the beast as it tried to pounce and bite at times, to reposition or retreat at others, but was always outmaneuvered, snapping at the air or finding itself facing the goddess in what was an empty escape route a moment ago. The strikes continued, either taking bits of fur or striking the ground around it, not allowing the beast to rest for a single moment. Finally, it collapsed, patting on the floor with not a whisper of energy left on its body.
At that, Dzallitsunya approached, sat down and patted its head. ”You are a clever and dangerous beast, more so than all of your fallen comrades.” she told the animal. ”I spared your life so that you may serve me. Do you accept this contract? You followed that Wolf King before, and he was weaker than me, no?” she smirked, her words made so that the beast could understand them.
It was not really a choice, the wolf had little option but to stand up, its body healed by the goddess’ touch, and ‘nod’ to the divine. Dzallitsunya smirked and with one more pat, marked the wolf with the symbol of her rulership, to symbolize to whom it now bowed.
The group made it to the city of Eunomia by nightfall, some of the warriors had a certain tension in their movement as they had memories of Dzallitsunya’s last visit to a “sunlander” city, this time however, the eyes were not of animosity but of curiosity, at the parasols and odd metal work, at the white hairs and the presence of a goddess.
“If we are to set up an embassy, I would love something by the lake, perhaps into the lake, atop stilts.” the young man with the gilded outfit said.
”We will accept what Xavior can offer. This isn’t Tellum, this city has divine leadership which you will respect.” the goddess warned.
With no one stopping the group’s advances, she found herself walking all the way up to the temple in search of her fellow divine.
She drew looks, of course, but unlike how it was with Monica the people did not recognize this goddess on sight, so she and her delegation merely drew gazes and glances of curiosity, while her newly acquired wolf companion drew a mix of ire, fear and respect for one who could bind one of the beasts that plagued the outskirts of the 12th realm to her will. For the most part however, the city’s residents got on with their lives, working away at trade or domestic labor, or doing business using coins of various metals, all stamped with a bust of Xavior on one side and a national animal on the other, such as Goat, a Velocoraptor or a soaring Tonnikala. They came in various hues and shades, including some unnatural blue and red tinting found on low level demons who were mixed within their masses of mundane mortals, and who used their gifts for everything from heavy labor to vanity to rushing deliveries and messages across the winding streets.
The open gateway through the wall standing before the temple provided little resistance other than a polite nod from a bored looking guard dressed in steel armor, after which they found themselves in the gardens surrounding the city’s sprawling central complex. Finding who they sought within would likely have taken some time required a guide if their target hadn’t been conveniently located in the gardens themselves. Specifically the horned god was in the middle of lunch, sitting casually at one of a number of tables laid out on a veranda overlooking the gardens.
The god was in the midst of consuming a set of bread wraps containing spiced meat and vegetables, served with a small glass of wine, while sitting opposite to his table companion, the angelic Monica. The two seemed to be in the midst of discussing something called the Ume theory, but broke off when Dzallitsunya approached alongside her delegation.
“Dzallitsunya? What an unexpected pleasure,” Xavior greeted her after getting over his surprise of seeing her “I was made aware that someone of interest was coming, but had I known you were coming I would have prepared a reception. Would you care to join us” he asked, before glancing at her entourage and briefly frowning a little at the wolf before asking “or is this a more official visit?”
The dusk goddess was quite surprised by the presence of Monica, her senses and her scouts had been searching far and wide for her, to find her casually sitting in a table was ironically quite shocking. ”Sorry if this is sudden, I was in enough of a rush to not send anyone ahead.” the goddess explained with a smile, bowing and extending her cape to both divinities present.
”I recently met with Benea as she marched her troops east. While talking to her, I realized that it would be best to re-establish contact with you and Monica. After all, our peoples are doing it already, I saw some products from my lands in the markets of your city and my lands have also had access to the uhm… surplus, of your civilization.” she tilted her head to the bronze armor of one of the guards in her party, it bore markings that made it clear it was crafted at this very city. Remembering the request from Benea’s side, the goddess advanced and hugged Xavior very briefly.
The god was again taken by surprise by the hug, but again adapted well enough, giving her a hug back in return, before breaking of and getting back to business “ah, well… ah yes, I believe there was mention of trade occurring in the north in one of the council meetings” he cupped his bearded chin and tapped a cheek a few times before he recalled “ah, of course. The issue with it being considered ‘Smuggling’ by your people and complaints about altercations that had occurred as a result has come up if I recall correctly.” he recalled, leaving out that their response at the time had amounted to ‘stop getting caught’ and instead added diplomatically “We have attempted to discourage the antagonizing of your people in such a manner, but I think finding an official medium for exchange would benefit both civilizations. Though I am sure that discussion can wait for a more official meeting of our peoples rather than at a lunch table“
“Can I offer you and your delegation anything in that regard? Light refreshments at least after your long journey?” he then said, gesturing to a few seats by their table and a few unoccupied ones that sat around them on the veranda.
“I think a few of them would be very pleased with some shade and something to drink.” she turned to her group and simply signaled for them to take seats away from the table of the gods. ”And ah, some good news for once, it's good to see that your proposed solution is the same as mine. I will admit that I have my reservations to the systems of this land, the same way you must have towards mine. Similar inventions appeared in my lands, and I suppressed them in fear of certain issues. And while your land is one of creativity and skilled craftsmen, to the far east I have reports of things being done that fulfilled my fears. Namely, slavery.” she shook her head, noticing how she derailed her point. “Ah, but that is irrelevant. The solution is what matters, and I am sure it will work best for both of us.”
As her group settled to the margins, the goddess found herself a chair in the main table. ”Wish I had brought more food, perhaps some coconut chips or a bit of fire tea to share, oh well, when you are in my palace I will serve you both properly with the riches of the dusklands.” she sighed. ”And should Benea find success in her campaign against Anak’Thas, that should be soon, she seemed eager to have us all together, setting up this alliance properly.”
“Coordination has been a touch haphazard in that regard so far that is for certain” Xavier replied as a server wandered over and gradually worked his way through the group to find out what they all wanted to eat/drink. They hadn’t quite invented the concept of menus yet, but otherwise the setup was very much like that of a restaurant.
“So I look forward to having a proper meeting, and to setting up solid lines of communication. There’s a messenger from Anak’Thas running around the continent trying to deliver a message to Benea, likely unaware that the two are at war, the poor fellow.” he shook his head in sympathy at Finley's ordeal while taking a sip of wine, before expressing that “We really need something faster and more reliable than that”
“I also look forward to enjoying your hospitality. I’ll cover the costs of this of course” he said, that last directed mainly at the server who approached to see if the goddess wanted anything on her own part, “and anything else you might need during your stay. Within reason anyway”
”Indeed. If my scouts were not pinned in Node 13 keeping the order and the law I would have them start poking in the east after the rumors of half people half birds. If civilized, those would be great couriers. This wolf too could be quite helpful but I fear he would just chew on the mail.” she took a deep breath, and then picked up a folded up blanket of a dark textile. ”And since I just mentioned poking around. I have to confess that there is one reason above all why I came here. I am planning an expedition to the extremes of the crucible, namely, Node 34, it's on this crescent shaped island, yes?”
“I am afraid in that regard Monica has already beaten you to the punch, haven’t you sister?” Xavior replied, turning to and addressing the so far silent goddess.
“I have claimed a node upon the southern island, and there are two that remain unclaimed. It was my intention to aid Xavior and Benea by providing them with those two nodes.” Monic replied impassively after awkwardly setting down the wrapped up meat and vegetables she had been nibbling on while the other two deities spoke. “Hmm… have you spoken with Benea prior regarding your planned expedition?” She asked, tilting her head with a hint of curiosity.
Tsunya shook her head. ”Unfortunately no, the idea came a bit after she left.” the goddess had been caught by surprise again, she did consider the possibility of someone being there, probably one of the southern gods, but not a nearby god making such a far journey. ”It's important to me to have that node in specific. Enough to be willing to make a deal for it. Furthermore, with my plan to supply the area, it would be easy to guarantee other nodes for both Benea or Xavior and their people along the coastal provinces.
“I have no qualms with letting you claim the node you desire, and I would even aid you, if you would accept such… but I do not speak for Benea and Xavior. Would you be kind enough to inform us of why it is important for you to claim that particular node?” Monica inquired after a lingering moment of contemplative silence, glancing between Xavior and Tsunya before focusing her attention upon her cup of wine.
”It is the farthest of provinces, as far from the origin point where we first woke up as one can get. I am curious about the boundaries of The Crucible and its shape. Another advantage is that it's quite far, allowing me to experiment with the land as I wish.” The other goddess answered immediately, waiting before continuing as she was being served her first ever cup of sunlander tea by the temple staff, pleasant but with a taste far too soft. ”That you are already there Monica makes it even better, I am not perfectly familiar with Maelite, but Umbrium is such a peculiar material, if a bit volatile.”
“Forgive me for this presumption, but we seem to be kindred spirits; guided by our curiosity, sister. We share similar ambitions, and as I have said before, I would be willing to impart my aid in this endeavor.” Monica murmured meekly, withholding her hesitant gaze and idly playing with her drink now, swirling the contents within the ornate cup. “Even though we are enemies, I remain fond of you…” She said, briefly peering at Dzallitsunya with a forlorn look.
This froze the dusk goddess in place, tilting her head with an almost distant look of utter confusion. ”U… uh? … Huh? Enemies? Huh?” from the background of her last interaction with Monica this was entirely out of nowhere, her mind racing for whatever she had done to deserve such a moniker from Monica.
“I would not worry too much about being declared Monica’s enemy at this hour. The philosophical logic behind it is… complex shall we say, but I can assure you it is not derived from malice or hate, nor has it prevented cooperation so far” Xavior supplied, giving an apologetic smile in acknowledgment of how confusing this state of affairs was.
The goddess turned to Xavior and then to Monica, blinking rapidly a few times. ”Oh. I see?” she turned down to stare at her tea instead.
“Though we have spoken a mere few words to each other, our fates and the destiny of the Crucible brings us all together. We are a forged family, united and divided by the coming calamity, so I must muster all of my love and all of my hatred when we confront each other in the end, even as we confront each other now, I think.” Monica mused aloud, before she resumed eating her meal.
Dzallitsunya stared at Monica again, before simply nodding. Indeed? she sipped her tea, trying to brute force her mind out of all the words she had just heard and their implications, given enough time she looked at the fabric she had bought and turned to Xavior. ”So yes. Uhm. With no objections, I would like to create an expedition on the sea to the island. Something that can carry mortals. I have no good ports in my land yet, nor the people able to craft such a delicate device as an ocean-faring boat, but yours have both, Xavior. In return, I have materials that make sails of extreme quality.”
“I’d be willing to negotiate for my claim for a nominal fee if you are interested. It is only a claim after all” Xavior had to say on the node situation, before turning to the more practical one “As for the exchange of sails for a ship, hmmm, I would have to bring in some experts in on that one to see if it is a fair deal. We are in the midst of experimenting with new ship designs as we speak” Xavior explained, and indeed the goddess had seen half built ships in the docks during her approach to the city “so I expect there will be interest on the mortal side as well for this improvement.”
Xavior took a long drought of his wine to finish it off and then continued by saying “It does not do well to presume, of course, so if we are to speak more of affairs of state, we should move this discussion to the council chambers. Once you are refreshed and ready, that is.”
”That would be fine by me, it seems so much of our discussion needs their presence, I would like to meet them and make my points for a possible deal.” already being refreshed the goddess stood up and signaled for some of her followers, the ones in uniform and a few of those who had baskets of goods.
“To business then” Xavior replied, and stood up to lead the way there, though it was a little more complex than simply traveling to the chambers. Everyone else was, after all, also out on lunch break. Fortunately none had gone too far, and so after only a short wait, Dzallitsunya and her guests were welcomed into the council chambers.
The large and spacious room hosted as its centerpiece a large table off of which documents, including Brey’s disappointing response to their request for magic, were cleared, leaving only their imperfect map of the known world sat at its center, outlining various claims as well as cities, resources, and so on and so forth. Among all of these, two features of the state of the board stood out. The first was that node 18 had a sculpture of some kind of strange mass on it, and the second were stylized models of snarling wolf heads squaring off against numerous human pieces on the western edge of the border between the 12th and 18th realms.
The guests had a bit of time to examine this, along with the other occupations of the chamber, a group of well dressed humans from various walks of life (and interestingly no demons), as Xavior quickly filled them in on what had been discussed so far.
“Well, ships are at a bit of a premium after someone burned all of our timber stores a few weeks ago” Argus, a well muscled man who had been quite furious about that at the time, said once it was they were up to speed “But we’ll take a look at these sails your offering,” he nodded towards a tanned women in sailors garb wearing a wide brimmed hat and a necklace of spinosaurus teeth, who moved to inspect the darklander’s wears, “and I’m sure we can help get you a good pierce in the name of good relations, yeah? It’ll be good to get this whole trade/smuggling situation worked out too after all”
The goddess talked with her own group before becoming distracted with the mass on the representation of node 18 on the map. ”So it's spread out from east to west huh? We will need to address it later.” she commented aloud but to no one in particular while the man wearing the fanciest of clothing in his own group took the special sail and readied himself to make his sale to the sunlanders of Xavier.
”It is good to finally meet the council of this realm. I heard so much of you, typically a trader or another saying they would complain about their expulsion to you. I am sorry for all the troubles caused by me, and indeed, I do hope to regularize the transfer of goods.” the goddess initiated cordially. ”For our commission of both a proper harbor and a ship we would be more than willing to bring wood from our jungles, with surplus. Now, Tallon, would you explain the sail to them?”
The young man nodded, picking up the black cloth and going to the side of his goddess. “So. This sail is made from a type of cotton, a fibrous plant not unlike flax, that grows in the salty plains of the mirror marches. Initially we started collecting and growing it because the color black of its threads was pleasant, however, we soon found out it has many qualities that are desirable.” he spread out the canvas.
“If you ever sailed with wet sails you would notice they are simply more efficient, that is because they are denser, wet sails are however also heavier, which paradoxically slows a vessel. This cloth however, is denser yet also lighter. Flexible and durable.” he picked up a bit of water he had previously requested in the temple and dropped it over the canvas, instead of being absorbed by the cloth as one would expect, the droplet simply traveled down and fell to the floor. “We treated it with a type of wax from our lands which brings out these qualities and also makes the sail impervious to water. Meaning that when it rains or the waves batter the ship they will remain light and dry. Why, our soldiers even use this same cloth in their own uniform, if you noticed the black weave they wear beneath bronze and tzurkortze, of course it's the lighter and unwaxed version, but it should tell something about how much we trust the durability of it.”
The council looked a combination of mildly interested to skeptical at the prospect of being offered this in exchange for a whole ship, all except for the behatted sailor who’s eyes darted to and fro as she thought over the implications of these materials before they lit up at prospect. Seeing as she was the expert in this area on the council, the other’s listened as she spoke quietly to them about her interest, before she asked a few questions of her own.
“Captain Delilah, pleasure to speak with you” the woman quickly introduced herself, before getting to the point “How often does this wax last until it needs to be reapplied? Also do you know if it works on materials other than clothing? Such as, say, wood?”
Tallon smiled at the captain, but had to spend a short but noticeable moment pondering on his answer. “So far in our land it has lasted about, hmm, seven lunar cycles? From the wear down of it I think it can last five to seven more. The dusklands are however quite damp, being a swamp.” he kept his hands back as he observed Delilah and the council. “As for other uses of wax, well, bee-keeping is quite new on our land, we only use it on cloth and candles at the moment, among other minor uses. I do not think we have ever used it on wood, but if normal wax works, then so too would this wax. Why, perhaps we could even bring a few hives of them and…”
He was cut off by one of Dzalli’s people, one of the weirder ones, a girl with paper skin and irises as dark as ink, she had been quiet and still, being easy to forget she was there despite her being the weirdest person in the room. “That is impossible. These are not normal bees. They are Node attuned bees. They produce honey and wax unique to each node. The wax of Node 7 is the one used here. It is dry and malleable. The honey is dream inducing. When the same bees were brought to Node 8 and Node 3 however the characteristics and effects were different. This also limits our supply. But that should not be an issue yet.”
Tallon nodded at the magistrate and then looked back to the council a bit embarrassed. “Well, there it is. But if you want to test the Node 7 wax on wood we could arrange it.”
“The need for reapplication may stymie its use on ships themselves, which I had hoped it might be of use in, but for keeping good dry and very small vessels perhaps it may still be of use” Delilah mused, a touch disappointed that her initial idea was not going to work, while also but still seeing uses for this wax
“They change what they produce based on the node they are around? Now that is interesting. How did you set that up, or was it an unintentional boon?” Xavior, from his seat at the head of the table, asked his fellow divine even as his council murmured to each other about how that fact would inconveniently make them reliant on node 7 should they start making use of this substance. When he added “Or is it simply environment based rather than node based?” that certainly got the council’s attention.
Noticing this was a matter directed at her, Dzallitsunya spoke up, after being lost in observing the map for quite a while. ”Their origin captured my curiosity as well. They just showed up, I built a garden atop the volcano in Node 7 and I noticed the bees there.” she explained with a sincere sense of wonder over the topic. ”And it's definitely node based, wax and honey production is always the same in each node, in 7 for example, be it in the jungle or in arid mesas, they seem to produce the same thing. Furthermore, they like nesting close to the node. It's notable in Node 3, since it's centered so high up a mountain that the air is thin and impossible to breathe. And yet, when put there, they thrived.” Dzalli showed them a piece of fluorescent wax, always emitting a soft low light.
”And if brought to this zone, they would start producing a new, never before seen type of wax and honey, unique to these lands.”
“Fascinating. I’d thought of the nodes as all the same, but this suggests there are some slight differences… I suppose the chaos monsters being different was a hint at that in retrospect. Regardless, I am glad your spontaneous addition was more beneficial than the one I got” his eyes flicked to the wolf before getting back on track “I’m sure it would be interesting to spread them far and wide, even if just to get more data on the differences that occur”
”I share that curiosity, which is why I offer them freely, no paybacks required." she bowed gently, extending her cape.
Tallon soon stepped forward again, eager to have the business back on the table over gift exchanging. "What we would like to propose going forward is to establish a trading zone in the entrance to the river that flows from the northern parts down to here. Somewhere we could establish either a river port to avoid the wolves or a small garrison of our guards to guarantee the safety at the crossing? Trading isn't the way of our people, but we are willing to concede licenses to dusklanders to trade using the local currency in the zone, and also to request goods and services in exchange for said currency we have gathered." He looked at his fellow mortals again, now it was the part he really wanted, a chance to leave the dampness of his homeland. "Furthermore, our goddess would like to set up a communication bridge with this city. An embassy, it seems to be called. Me and a few magistrates would inhabit it and directly send the concerns of the council to the dusklands. We would share maps and display the latest discoveries from our land."
That certainly got the council muttering among themselves about the ideas. The second part did not need much deliberation “We would be more than happy to welcome some of your people’s officials to live in this city. Communication and cooperation can only strengthen both our people” Argus paused there, and there was some more murmuring before the council resolved on the first point “and in that same vein, so too would opening up safe and direct passage between our lands. A port would be most suitable for trade, though a small garrison will still be needed, at least while the settlement grows, to prevent any raids. We can provide our own guards to assist in this task of course. It would be a useful exercise in learning how our peoples fight together, should it come to that.”
”Good. My military capable population is very thin at the moment so any help would be more than welcomed.” and the quality and quantity of equipment also seemed not to match it either, if they were willing to oversee the security it was just one less worry. ”And on the matters of the ocean expedition? Can we establish a price for the ship, perhaps?”
“We’d need to sort out the details with the design specifics you require. If I understand it right, the sheer distance you desire to travel is not something that has been attempted before, so that may take some time,” Delilah said, rolling though the numbers through her head but knowing she would need to sit down with some shipwrights and other captains to really get a handle on what would be needed for this task “However I can assure you that we accept payment for it in the form of your miraculous wax and cloth.”
“And if you would leave the door open for some of our people to join you on this voyage, that would be appreciated as well” Xavior added “you will likely want their expertise in this matter regardless”
“That is for certain, the seas can be harsh, and at most we have clipped around to the 22nd and 6th realms. To go further is a daunting task, particularly as it will be passing by unclaimed lands where no forage can be found. You’ll need a good crew and experienced captain if yer to make it” Delilah informed the landlubbers, while pondering in the back of her mind about if she could pawn off her duties here on someone else in order to captain on that historic journey herself.
”And a good crew would need the help of a god to make it too, no? Ah, and a payment in wax and cloth, sheesh, if I knew I would have kept these heavy baskets of gemstones and silver back home. Oh well, I guess they can be part of the gifts, alone with the lamp oils, fruit and wine” the goddess chuckled gently. ”And absolutely, it would also help the matters of my promise to Xavior since the Node I am to take was originally meant for him. As I said, you have my support in scouting and claiming new lands. So having a person of your trust and capable of taking notes onboard will help.”
”Be noted however that my plan is to make the route to 34 to go south then east, the route back north then west. A full circle around the known world. It will be quite a task. Mastery of the seas will be crucial if we want to maintain the peace in the crucible. Why, just look how we have been cut off from the southern gods by whatever that creature in Node 18 is,”
The mention of (one of) the current crisis plaguing the council landed heavily among them. Thought of grand adventures, profit and friendship were set aside. Now it was time to talk of war and strife.
“The work of a god, Grym, who was born late. I fear it is only the beginning of the chaos he will bring” Xavior said dowry, as some of the papers and files that had been put away were brought back out, which included among them artist impressions of the hive and its spawn.
“Monica has met him” he said, prompting the goddess to speak for the first time in the meeting.
“I have seen and spoken with him… he was a combination of cordial, capricious, and cruel, akin to the sea and sky and their wild temperament. He stated that he will free every node and oust every god from their post, and was kind enough to let me look at the map when I sought to claim another node for myself. I am curious to see what he does, considering his chaotic, ambitious, and supposedly selfish nature.” Monica said softly, before she gave a solemn smile and averted her contemplative gaze.
”Eugh. This does not give much prospect for a more peaceful solution. Not when he himself says he is against all gods.”
“Nor does it when his first act is to defile out creator’s corpse and create these vile… things” Xavior said, gesturing over the drawings of the various offspring of the hive that had been seen by the refugees, with notes about their presumed or observed capabilities “they area threat to all life, and cannot be allowed to spread”
“This is, we should note, why we did not send you reinforcements to secure the 13th realm as Benea requested. We were mustering them, but they have had to be directed south where they have run into some… complications when trying to secure the pass leading to the 18th realm” Council Argus explained. It was a convenient lie. They, like Xavior had dithered on the prospect of openly supporting the takeover, though unlike their god who had his misgivings over Benea’s personality, the council had worried more about how that act would upset their trade routes with the east.
“That said, once we have raised funds for more troops, they will be heading east. We want to station garrisons on both passes to prevent the spread of this abomination, so that would require building on the southern border and support from the population” interjected a more military minded council member, before Argus took back over to add “If you consent, of course”
”My magistrates have warned me early of this issue and I too have been acting on it. Currently, I am trying to empty the farms and villages on the south of the 13th to make it possible to take extreme measures to avoid spread, but they obviously don’t take kindly to a foreigner god asking to burn their lands and salt the earth. This ties my hands on the matter until the situation is solved, but I will try to send both Benea and Anak’Thas some clear image of what is happening so perhaps they will try to avoid spending their people and resources against each other.” the goddess sighed. ”But I do approve of your ideas, and having a lot of safety in my own lands, given enough time I should have a surplus of men and resources to spend in the security against this threat.”
“At least people can be reasoned with” one of the council members murmured, but that was all that was said regarding their own problem of natives on the boarderlands. Instead they focused on what could be done, with Argus saying that “We will take all the help we can get, we’re only going to get through this if we work together”
“I do hope we can find a way for the conflict between Benea and Anak’Thas to be resolved, or at least put on hold so we need not worry about war at our backs when annihilation stands before us, but I do not know how feasible that is?” Xavior said, before asking “You have met Benea more recently than I and are closer to the area of conflict, while we have Benea’s note and hearsay to go on for the most part. Do you have any more insight as to the state of affairs in the north east, and the specifics of the core of the conflict that you might enlighten us with?”
”The issue is that I have never talked with Anak’Thas, so I cannot attest for his character, but Benea seemed very sure he had gone mad with the power of the nodes, that he would try to take all that was available and given the chance seize what was ours. He also refused to cooperate with our group and showed signs of paranoia. That said, Node 13 is not truly hellish, at worst a bit peculiar, with how people are not allowed names and zealotry to Anak is absolute. Benea mentioned them killing their fellow countrymen over their faith in Anak” in her view it was different from what she herself did in her own lands, but even she struggled to explain how. ”Ultimately, what will test Anak is his response to this issue and should Benea not succeed in containing him, his actions upon Node 13 and upon our lands. If he is as dangerous as Benea says, he might want to advance upon the dusklands and this very land. I really do dread this scenario, not because I fear him, I do not, but because I will be forced to be the judge of a situation that has been poorly explained to us both.”
“So no one has his side of the story then it seems. Though at this point I wonder if it’s because it can't get out or if he simply has no interest in telling it. Ultimately it is as you say, we can only go off of his actions and they do not reflect well on him” Xavier had to agree.
“If he does not cease this squabbling war when he learns of the infestation then to the depths with him” Delilah added, which got a round of nods and “hear hear”s from the rest of the council. None of them wanted to be worrying about if war of human vs human was going to spill into the 13th realm when there was a battle for humanity vs annihilation going on.
Dzallitsunya agreed with them, while her own people seemed to miss the seriousness of the situation just yet. ”I will be going back to my lands to set it up for journey, securing it. While there I will also make sure both Benea and Anak'Thas will hear of this situation and relay any answer to you by the embassy. I may potentially even relinquish the 13th back to him if he promises to help and integrate with our group. On the sea journey I will also try to establish contact with the southern gods and see if they too have been struggling with this danger. An attack from both sides would be ideal, more ideal would be to take this situation as a clear example of why we should work together." she smiled. ”So again, on the staff that will come with me on the planned travel, a few diplomats to represent you would be good, Xavior."
“I’m sure we can find some people both interested and suitably talented for the task of accompany you home and setting up our own office in your capital” Xavior agreed without any naysaying from the council, several of whom were weighing up the costs and benefits of sending people or clients of theirs as part of that mission.
As they pondered and chatted Xavior looked around and then said “Well then, I think that’s all of the broad strokes taken care of” before retrieving a quill and ink and concluding “now let’s get into the numbers” a thing that took several more hours, interspersed with a few brakes, as everything from ship prices, to reinforcements, building sites and bartering for Xavior’s node claim was hashed out till all where, more or less, satisfied.
Dzallitsunya, along with an entourage, arrive in the 12th realm to meet up and talk to Xavior. After acquiring a wolf (via violence) the dusklanders head into the city, and then into the temple complex surrounding node 12, where they find Xavior and Monica on a varanda discussing metaphysics over lunch.
Dzallitsunya joins the other gods at the table, and they talk for a bit (during which Dzallitsunya is introduced to Monica’s ‘we are enemies’ deal), before moving into the temple so that the city council can be brought onboard to do some actual negotiations.
Through a bit of fairly cordial back and forth the following is agreed upon
A port town, garrisoned by troops from both peoples, would be founded in the north east of the 12th realm to facilitate legitimate trade with Dzallitsunya’s closed market system Dzallitsunya will buy a boat, while supplying waterproof wax and dense yet light sailcloth as part of her payment. Dzallitsunya intends to use this one to sail all the way to the islands of node 33/34/35 to begin human segment of the area and research regarding (what they believe to be) the edge of the world The bees made to use that wax, which produce different types of wax and honey based on the node they live around, will be disseminated across the world Dzallitsunya will pay Xavior to relinquish his tacit claim on one of the nodes (34/35) such that she can capture it instead and make a land for her people Some of Xavior’s people will come along for the journey The Dusklands will support the people of the 12th realm in their attempts to stymie the expansion of the Cradle, by blessing their attempt to fortify the eastern pass between node 13 and 18. They will also offer resources and personnel to aid in this defense. To attempt to negotiate an end the war between Benea and Anak’Thas by using the threat the Cradle poses as leverage, but also to lay the blame at Anak’Thas’ feet should it continue. Finally, the two nations will establish diplomatic relations via the founding of embassies in each other's capitals.
Xavior 3 / 9 (+3 from arrrrrt) none spent
Dzallitsunya 1/5 1 spent to grant Xavior permission to use the power of node 7 , as part of the agreed payment
When Kamek and Rika returned they found the beginnings of a fight brewing on the beach.
They also found Bowser, jr and jr’s new friend Lana besides a pretty intricate sandy tableau that had been made before the sandcastle building had been interrupted by their schoolgirl friend's incessant need to throwdown had interrupted it. As it turned out that both the kids had a knack for sandcastle building, Lana from having spent many a day at the beach on her tropical island home, while the jr was mostly applying the level building chops he’d learned from his dad in miniature (alongside getting a few pointers from the king as well).
In the end Bowser jr had erected a dread-fortresses of sand, one covered in spikes, traps and koopa troop iconography. The only thing it really lacked when compared to the real thing was lava moats, and he had been banned from trying to fill ditches with ever-burning fire the moment he had mentioned the idea.
Lana meanwhile had made a remarkably intricate depiction of her home island of Akala. Said island was presently depicted as being under assault from armies of crude sand koopas coming from the castle opposite it. They were squaring up against much more impressive sand pokemon sculptures Lana had made to protect her lands.
The mock battle had come to an abrupt end when Sakura had arrived and challenged their host Karin to a real battle, only to instead wind up fighting her bodyguard Birdie instead in a riveting battle of brawn vs blitz fighting techniques.
As the two streetfighters squared up, the two ladies plopped themselves down alongside the group, Rika introducing herself to Lana an marvaling about the kid’s sandcastle craftsmanship, while Kamek attempted to inform Bowser of their new discovery.
”Wonderful news sire, I, or rather we, have discovered a new way to control the fusion process, the ah, Snaktivator!” she announced rather proudly as she presented the king with the funny little device she had gotten from Floofty a few minutes ago.
”Oh ok cool, what’s that do?” the king replied, not really paying attention, before loudly hollering ”GO SAKURA! PUNCH HIS FACE OFF!” at the skirmishing street-fighter.
”Ah well it... It lets you make it so only a specific part of a person is affected by the spirit” she explained. Then waited for a moment, and recognized that her king was much too distracted by the ongoing fight to take interest in this ”Perhaps a demonstration would be of help? One moment, I shall acquire a spirit from some hostile creature. Hmmm. Ah there will do”
She whirled her wand and suddenly vanished, which when it sank in with the rest of the group what she was doing and where she might have gone, caused a moment of alarm and concern. Fortunately that ended a second later when she reappeared and said ”On second thought, perhaps going off into danger on my own is not the best idea… oh wait. We already have some saved. Silly me. One moment” before vanishing again.
She reappeared a few more moments later with a jar holding an assortment of spirits that had been gathered up during their last little trip through the weald and then left in their room at peach’s castle to be used later.
”Oh hey. I forgot you got those… anything good in there?” Jr asked, peering at the jar’s contents.
”Well I got this little number” Kamek replied, picking up the green aquatic lizard known as a tonberry from the little collection, but added that ”Unfortunately I intended to use this one to acquire some of my old proportions back, so it is not suitable for the current demonstration”
She set that aside and then tipped the rest out onto the beach to give them all a look.
”Is this a penguin? Jr asked, picking up the spirit of what did indeed look like a penguin until you noticed the eldrich differences. ”Why did you keep this one around?” he asked mockingly.
”You would be surprised, that thing was leaping all over the place ripping things apart with its beak. I’m rather glad it got overwhelmed before we had to deal with it” Kamek replied, before she picking up the spirit of a Land Dreugh and suggesting ”Here sire, maybe this one will suit you?”
The king peered at it and grimaced and replied ”That ugly thing? Urgh, no thanks. I’m already messed up as it is Kamek”
”Ah, but that is the genius of this device. With it we can control the transformation. Limit it to just a small area” Kamek explained, before adding ”I think” quietly.
”Huh. Neat” Jr said (to which the others nodded in agreement) now looking at the device with interest, before looking over at where his newest pokemon was bathing in the sun and saying ”Dazzle, come over here, I wanna try something”
With that, the science/demonstration began, with the Land_Dreugh being absorbed into Bowser and then the Snaktivator on his right shoulder, the Dire Penguin being used on Popplio and then the device being used more extensively on his arms/flippers and finally Kamek just used the Tonberry on herself without the device (all of these where chest/power absorption).
That round of experimentation left only a set of Ocean Crawlers, a zombie dolphin and a spare Dire penguin or two for any further experiments in targeted mutations. Or just crushing.
Twilight warp: Midna can set down gateways (at her own location) that allow her to fast travel between them by skimming along the boundary of the twilight realm. This hop does not go deep enough to expose the traveler to the mutating energies of the twilight realm, and so it can be used to safely transport light-worlders as well as the princess herself. The creation of each gate requires a charge. She begins with 3, and gains one more each time she gains combat exp.
”No no no get lost” Minda shouted at the chasing Trilids. Sure, these ones chasing her meant they where out of the way of the bomb and the rest of the crew, but that was cold comfort when they where nipping at her heels. Her Vibrava dodged to the side, dragging her with it and out of the way of a charging insect trying to smash its blade-like head into the both of them. She slashed at it clumsily, her wounds from her making it hard to fight as well as before ,meaning she succeeded only in batting it away. Fortunately that was enough, as fire suddenly lanced down from on high, scything through her pursuers one and all.
”Thank the goddesses” she whispered to herself as she slowed, and used her long-sword held in her shadowhand to hack at the stragglers to bits, before correcting herself by shouting up ”Thanks Prim!” at her savior and saluting her with a blade holding hand.
Then a few moments later there was an explosion below as the mega jar hit, followed by a cavalcade of final blows raining down on what was left of Red Eye. Minda held her breath as she watched the strikes hammer down, and then let out a whoop of ”yeah! Get squashed maggot!” as the titan finally breathed its last breath and started to turn to ash.
Then she was left to fight her way down through the air currents, returning just in time to see Joker bind Red Eye’s spirit to his will. At another time she would have been weary of that, she still didn't quite trust the thieves even after all this time but at the moment she could care less.
”Well I’m glad that’s over… so uh. Now what?” she asked, before glancing around and becoming aware of their current predicament ”Ah ” she held the sentence as she prevented herself from swearing and finally finished with ”Joy. Another death march. Well at least it’s warm instead of cold this time”
They were also a bit better equipped to deal with it. Poppie had her ice core which she could blast people with in a rather brute force cooling method. Midna meanwhile had something much more mundane to help them make it.
”Water and salty food. Come and get it!” she announced as she mounted up and prepared to get moving, opening up portals and (after storing her blades) dropping bottles of water and varieties of travel food into her hands and then handing them out to whoever wanted them. Which was likely everyone. Aid granted, she then helped herself to plenty of water and a cereal bar or two while she stuck close to Sectonia to benefit from her passive healing and holding her shadow hand up over her head to act as a parasol.
The team got moving together, though not all of them set off at the same time. The metal jawed warrior stayed behind for a bit, only to come sprinting after them to rejoin them a short while later, letting them know he had stayed back to find something he had dropped.
”I’m surprised you found whatever it was you were looking for” Minda said, remembering how they could not find their friends that had been blown away the last time they crossed, before pulling out another water bottle and tossing it to the cyborg warrior with a ”Drink up, if you can manage that with only one lip”
She looked away after that, intending to just get back to riding across the sands, before going ”Oh! Right” and turning back and saying ”You should be free now?” a glance at his eyes told her that he was ”Mmm. Good. Then I’ll fill you in on the truth of this world. This is not your home realm, it is Galeem’s world and that” she pointed west and skywards at the winged ball of floating ball of light ”Is Galeem”
”Galeem tore reality asunder, ripped every world to shreds and then stitched them back together into this mish mash quilt of a world. Then it filled its hack job of a world with the peoples of the torn up worlds, and muddied their minds so they couldn’t remember how the world used to be,” she said, before pausing her exposition to take a sip of water for her desert dry throat, ”something you should be free from now, going by the fact that your eyes aren't red anymore. People under its influence have red eyes and can't back down from a fight, you see, on top of the whole, not being able to realize Galeem messed up the world deal”
”We don't know how, or why it did that, but we do know it’s protected by 13 guardians, and we need to take them all down before we can take a shot at the gaudy thing. Other free people… Tora and some others… already got 2. This one here that makes three and there's another team working on a 4th, if they haven't got it already. So, a few down, a fair way to go” she explained, laying out the task at hand, before saying ”We could use all the help we could get, so if you want to go home, or get revenge, or just are the kinda guy who sees a cause and signs up because it's the right thing to do, and considering what you just did I assume its the latter, we’d be thankful for more of your help…”
She paused, and then realized something ”Huh. Don’t think I ever got your name. Mine’s Midna, what’s yours?” she asked as they tramped forwards together under the beating sun.
The end of the golden road that cut through the darkness of node 11 was not the end of danger that its southbound travelers hoped it would be. After tracking across the smooth luminous pathway, where every moment was a gamble on if something truly horrifying would come out of the darkness, the wall of trees found at the node 12 end of the road seemed like it might hold safty.
There was none to be found.
Deep within, a mass of muscle under gray fur sat atop a mound of bones. Bones of the wild made up the mass of it, but they were joined by the bones of livestock, the.bones of herders, and freshest and most prized of all, the bones of foolish travelers. Before this throne of bone the wolf king’s subordinates bowed down, each one no less grand and savage, and each and every one filled with the final spite of chaos crackling through their nervous systems and behind eyes too clever for mere beasts.
One was standing among them, barking and growling in crude communication.
Two legged prey had come. Packs of them blundered through the forest till they reached seemingly random spots, where they were cutting at the trees, piling sticks and setting down large strange smelling seed things.
Ripe for the pickings, just as all the others, growled some.
Strangeness, requires caution, whined others. Cowered. The voracious nipped at them and they were silenced.
The wolf king of the north was pleased his court agreed with the choice he had already made.
The howl of war ripped through the woods.
“You hear that” one of the woodcutters said, as he paused his work to look fearfully through the thick dark woods “Wolves. Sounded close too”
“All the better reason to keep chopping Jack. Faster we get this done, faster we can get out of here and can get paid” retorted Erin, the leader of their 20-something sized work crew, as she worked to reduce a previously felled tree to splinters which they piled up around the barrel they’d been told to place here, deep in the woods.
Jack did that, but the howl stuck in his mind for a long while before asked “Do you think they know?”
“Know? Ha. They’re animals they don't know jack, Jack” Erin retorted with a well worn joke. The target of it just rolled his eyes, but the familiarity of it put him at ease.
Just how the predators stalking through the underbrush wanted him.
Simple beasts followed the order of their pack-lord as they snuck into position, just as many of their ilk were doing around the other isolated herds of prey. They inched closer and closer, waiting for a signal. They were impatient, hungry, and overconfident. They got closer. Closer still. And then one stepped on a twing.
“Hmmm?” Jack hummed, glancing over his shoulder towards the noise. He squinted, but saw nothing and after a moment got back to work, Erin’s words in his mind's ear.
The beasts relaxed, the stupid prey’s dull senses having not alerted the foolish one among them. Unfortunately for them, the working humans had not entrusted their watch to themselves or even others of their own kind. No, instead that duty had gone to a waist high bundle of colorful feathers which tilted its fang filled mouth and tapped forwards on feet each of which was sporting an oversized claw.
It sniffed, tilted its head to the side.
Then it saw them.
The tamed velociraptor let out a shrill alarm call and at once the woodcutters dropped what they were doing to respond. But they did not drop their axes. Instead they shouted at each other and moved to form up into a defensive posture as their watch dinosaur ran back to them, twittering with alarm.
“Maybe it was-” Jack began to say, right before a howl ripped through the woods and the wolves ripped out of the undergrowth, barrelling towards them as their leader’s howl was picked up across the woods and the attack began before it was ready. It was joined by screams from the human and one more sound. A horn, calling loud and low, was blown by Erin for as long as it could be blown before she had to drop it and heft her ax at an incoming wolf.
She caught the first, but then the second leapt over the skull split corps of its fellow and savaged her before she could recover. Several others fell before a stalemate began, the wolves circling the beleaguered humans (and their feathered pets) darting in to nip at them.
Then their lord stood from its hiding spot and began to lope towards them. A towering beast it was, tall as a man in his prime and several times the mass. It walked towards them with a leisurely pace at first, seemingly drinking in their fear as it stepped into the light of the small clearing the mortals had felled.
Only then did it pick up speed, coming at them at a breakneck pace, enough to simply crash through them. Closer. Closer.
Then a shadow passed across the humans and it was like the sky was falling as a blue mass slammed down in between them and their doom.
Annie, the first demon, a titan of muscle, screamed a wordless battle cry as she slammed a two handed warhammer of silver gray metal forwards and left a creator where the wolf lord had been before it dodged to the side, eyes confused. The wolf lord had not known the two legged prey had those like its own kind among them.
The demon met its look with a sharp toothed smile before she lunged, hammer raised and swinging again in an instant as great blue wings bore her forwards with unexpected speed. Yet still, the woman, who had not been a warrior before her ascension, missed again, cursing as she did so.
The wolf lord lunged at the clumsy titan, jaws snapping, only for its fearsome growls to be turned to yowls as Annie grabbed it by the throat and choke slammed it into a tree. Bones snapped and blood spilled, and the stunned wolf lord could do naught as the demon raised her hammer for a third and final time, and reduced the beast to a red smear.
Silence reigned in the clearing for a moment from human and beast alike, before a shout of rage and victory burst out as the woodcutters charged the remaining wolves who turned to fee, only for several to be pounced by raptors and then brought low by axes.
In a moment it was all over. The surviving wolves lead leaving only the victorious humans and fallen bodies behind. Some of those bodies were groaning in pain, quiet sounds that were nearly drowned out by the call of horns coming from other parts of the woods.
“Stabilize your wounded! I’ll be back to transport the worst to safety once the attack is resolved” Annie ordered, before taking wing once more.
The wolf king growled from atop his throne of bone at his subordinates. Failures, all of them.
They whined about humans with wings and great size.
Another growled that they were liars. Winger prey had been barely larger than the norm. It had slayed that which came for it and, true, fled afterwards when the retreat howls came, but that was the cowardice of others. Not it. Cowardice of the king.
The king growled back, stepping down from its throne to meet this challenger. And then stopped. All stopped. And sniffed the wind.
And smelled smoke.
The unhurt woodcutters had hurried out of the woods, while their wounded comrades had been borne out on leather wings. Now those same leather wings returned bearing torches. They flew over the clearings of kindling and barrels of oil, dropped their flaming loads, and then they too fled as the forest began to burn.
Wolves and their kings alike panicked. Ran. and found only fire.
The spots the prey had been in had not been at random. They had been in a circle. And now they were surrounded by all sides by an inferno. It would be a slow death, hemming them in, suffocating them and scorching them, making them turn on eachother in panic.
The king thought it was an impressive cruelty.
He was wrong. The end was quick.
When the forest fire reached a peak a ritual began at the fire’s edge. A great circle of runes within which hundreds of humans, many of them the same woodcutters who had survived the wolf attacks, stood surrounded by priests, one of whom declared
“You shall be guardians! Protectors of all who travel here, and through the darklands! This you have sworn, and for payment for your labor given in the name of this task, now and in future we gift you ascension!”
The woods raged with fire, incinerating all the remaining fuel in the blink of an eye, be it tree, wolf or beast alike and then it swept forth from the forest, plunging down onto the ritual circle, birthing swaths of demons. Guardians of the road of light, who would found the town of Twilight Rest on the ashes of their ascension.
To the southwest, the plan was the same, to burn a hole before the narrow pass between node 18’s north mountains and the sea. However here the wolves were smarter still. They knew humans better because their king ruled from that same sea all the way up to stone lake, where many human settlements sat, clawing at forest and mountain alike. They did not let the fuel be set, and instead came at the humans as they approached. They fought not just with teeth and claws, but also stolen weapons gripped in strong jaws.
Wolven warriors and mortals promised coin and glory, fought, spilled blood, and burned pyres of ascension.
The stink of it all wafted south, the scent of the blood and rot and ash of god touched mortals and chaos touched beasts drifting over the valley. Tempting the very thing the humans had come to guard against.
In his temple home Xavoir set down the last of his gifts to mortals, and turned to the node to once again eye the potential shimmering there that had given him the wisdom of steel. The connection to a distant land. It called to him. Reports from humans who had seen Monica and the unknown god meet, and seen the hunger of the blighted abomination that had been made, sat discarded on a table.
“Is this a trap Monica? Surely not? Who would be so foolish as to step blindly across the world to the side of one who had declared me her enemy? Who stood by as a monster created an abomination that threatens the people and all we have built here” he asked no one but himself.
“Yet perhaps I have been too paranoid by half? Look at me! I have not even left this node since I claimed it, as if looking away for but a second will cause me to lose it” he shook his head “as if I could not trust them with it for but a moment, even when I say I trust them to manage themselves”
He sighed, and then, after a long moment, reluctantly raised his hand to the node.
“You had better give me straight answers this time”
An expedition led by Annie has burned a hole in the 12th node’s woods (after battling its wolf kings) where they meet the golden road of node 11. They intend to form a city there which will guard travelers from the dangers of the road and the woods. The burnt forest was used to make demons.
An attempt to do the same in the south, however there the wolves are smarter and actually armed due to ongoing conflict with the stone lake settlements. The land is locked in an ongoing war with the humans creating demons haphazardly rather than en-mass. The death of god empowered mortals and chaos empowered beasts might well attract the hunger of the very Cradle the humans wanted to use this burning as a jumping off point to battle.
Finally, Xavior has used Monica and Benea’s node access to raise his people’s tech again, and has used the time to wallow in indecision over whether he should link Monica’s nexus to his own. In the end he decides he should get out more, and does so, intending to travel to her to get answers about her intentions and those of the hostile god who took node 18.
4 nodes (2 monica, 1benea, 1 Xavior) and 3 mp used to raise the 12th realm to the iron age
Double
Lord Zee
Goldeagle1221
wintersoldier
Snowdrops
LG
Timemaster
Damycles
Izurich
