Always wanted to be part of the Divinus series, ever since the first (second?) one.
Got two ideas in mind. Either the Goddess of luck/chance or the God of evolution. Let me know which one sounds more interesting.
Feel free to chase whichever one you like. Evolution seems a bit more difficult to play but as long as you've got some tangible goals, you should be fine!
Wyn met some humans and made them prettier near the Sea of Reflection, and even made them a bit of fresh water so they wouldn’t die.
Wyn drifted in the air above her lands, relaxed as any could be. With ankles crossed and hands behind her head, she basked in the sunlight again and felt the wind upon her being and all was good. The only pressing matter at hand was seeding more life for the world to become shapely and defined, as it should be underneath her gaze. Yet the Goddess was still feeling a tad bit tired, as those ugly humans had awoken her from her nap. Beauty needed its rest after all, but where would she go to continue it? Or perhaps the question was, should she continue it? With a long, drawn out sigh, Wyn snapped her eyes open and reorientated herself. The goddess looked around some, her eyes falling upon the distant sight of that pesky mountain where the water had come from.
Wasn’t Ze’kelia heading there? She touched the ring upon her finger, wondering if the other goddess had found the ones responsible for hitting her with a river. Perhaps she should go check out that mountain as well? It wasn’t like the humans she helped would multiply that quickly while she was away. Not that she really cared what they got up to. But what of the Crystalline Expanse? Could that wait? If she was capable of creating life in her own image, did that not mean others could do the same? The humans were an example of this. So what if… What if someone seeded life there that wasn’t to her liking?
Wyn thought upon this for a long while and came to a realization. It did not matter what came to live there, for she would alter them to her own image. She had a perfect plan incase that did happen, and who knows, maybe she could cry foul, make a fit, and get something more out of it. If the God or Gods in question were civilized, that was. She smiled, for either way, it would be taken care of. Wyn was beauty and beauty would always endure, even if it has to be forced.
So she flew off towards the mountain, wondering what she might find.
The journey was quite boring for Wyn. Nothing really happened and she watched landscapes go by, slowly changing to green as she neared the mount. Others were at work here, weren't they? She would have gotten closer to inspect the land down under but her goal was elsewhere. For the mountain before her was impressive. Larger than any she had seen yet and grander then any that would yet come. This she knew, for the sheer magnitude of it was astounding. Add in the majestic waterfalls splitting from the crown, and it was truly a sight to behold.
She neared the top, well above the clouds, where the air had grown colder and when she at last ascended above the mountain- Wyn was befuddled by what she saw. A bubbling lake of water, some sort of made structure with scampering beings that swarmed over it, makeshift shelters next to that and… Not much else beside the stones. It was a rather dull sight compared to the rest of the mountain.
Wyn descended. Her feet touched, what she thought, was a pavilion and she got a better look at the creatures that were busy building it. The goddess was appalled, for they looked dreadful and whoever had made them had terrible sense in design. They also didn't feel… Alive? Rolling her eyes, she became aware of other presences and scanned the area, before landing upon an unmoving rock that vaguely resembled a person. Or a brute. Was it alive? Why wasn't it refined to a more pleasing state? She crossed her arms and placed a hand underneath her chin as she looked to the shelters where humans lulled about watching her. Why were there humans here and why did they look so terrible? She shook her head and looked away. There was another presence too… One that reminded her of Ze'kelia. Another god?
The presence however made no attempt to approach Wyn. It moved to and fro all over the area, always narrowly avoiding any path that would have it stumble upon Wyn herself. Was she being ignored?
Eventually, one of the raggedy humans who’d taken refuge in the half-built structures shyly walked out of his temporary home and walked up to Wyn. His light brown hair blew slightly in the breeze that traveled through the main street where the human and the goddess were standing. With wide eyes he dared to look at Wyn and speak, “H-Hey. Are you, uh… N-new here? I can show you around. If you want.” He flinched and then looked at Wyn with an unexplained fire in the depths of his eyes, something that definitely did not fit in with the rest of his demeanor.
It took several seconds for Wyn to acknowledge the human and when she did finally look at him she frowned as he spoke. Did this creature really think it could even approach her? Nonetheless, speak to her? She would have smote him then and there but with the other god being aloof, or perhaps watching from a safe distance, she decided against it. Better to let things play out, see where they go.
Her frown turned into a bemused smile. ”So there are more of you.” she began, arms behind her back as she walked around him, taking the full picture of this pitiful sight into view. ”Not surprising in the least, no. Even more so, I take it that a divine brought you here, so high above the clouds?” She stopped before him, gazing down into those wide eyes of his. ”Was it courage, foolishness, or perhaps something else that compelled you to speak with me?” she leaned in closer, smile growing wide as he seemed to shrink. From her lips came but a whisper. ”A desire?” The word lingered in the air for what seemed an eternity before Wyn straightened herself. [color=thistle]”Your name?”[color] she asked.
“L… Lilac. I-I thought approaching you would be ok--T-The other one is um, c-casual.” He practically muttered, now looking away with a slight blush gracing his red skin.
”You will come to understand, Lilac, that not all of us are casual. Some require a different approach, a finer touch. Now, this other one, who are they?” Wyn asked, inspecting her nails.
“S-She’s-”
A sudden gust of wind blew through the main street, kicking up dirt and debris everywhere as a form landed abruptly behind Lilac. The young man yelped and stumbled forwards, almost falling on top of Wyn. The form’s large white feathery wings disappeared in the blink of an eye, and as she straightened her posture and stretched her arms, Wyn could see that it was a woman. Much shorter than Wyn herself, with bronze skin, jet black hair and a pair of golden saucers for eyes. On top of her head floated a large halo made of an unknown metallic material. The woman put her hands on Lilac’s shoulders and gave him a slightly-too-rough massage, making him wince. She was only tall enough for the top of her head to peek out from behind Lilac, but even so he froze as if he knew exactly what kind of expression she had on her face.
”’The other one?’ At least call me by my name, Lilac! Have some respect for the girl who feeds you and your entire entourage. Jeez!” Quickly, the short woman sighed and walked out from behind Lilac, giving Wyn a quick once-over, then a smile and finally stretching her hand towards her. ”Name’s Astella. Yours? You also have to tell me who did your hair, and makeup and.. Well, everything.” She said with a smirk.
”My…" The Pale Goddess’ gaze seemed to undress her, something that had Astella chuckling nervously. "What a pleasure it is to meet another divine, Lady Astella.” she said, her voice dripping with honey. A much different tone then the one she had used with Lilac. Wyn gave a small bow. "I am Wyn and you flatter me so. Believing I wear makeup, how charming. Beauty is my domain and everything you see is natural. But I am far more curious about you. That dress, how I like it so my lady, it suits your unique aesthetic. Though is that halo always there?" she asked, placing one hand on her hip and other on her chin. In reality, Wyn really only liked the dress. Astella was too short and too tan for her liking. At least her skin had a healthy glow to it.
Astella smiled a bit uneasily, a bead of sweat dripping down her brow. ”No need to call me ‘Lady’, I’m just Astella, y’know. You really are pretty though, so I’ll gladly accept any compliment!” She grinned wide, ”I designed my dress myself, you know. And yes the Halo is always there. You’d think it’d get in the way of things, but it surprisingly doesn’t.” She said with a shrug.
”So Wyn, why are you here and flirting with Lilac?” She asked suddenly, pushing past Lilac and putting herself between the young man and Wyn. Lilac cringed to himself and turned away from Wyn, holding his face in his hands. ”He’s way too fresh for you! He just had his first Nitt’Dori’n a week ago. Honestly, he can’t handle your level, I told him this already.” Astella said with a roll of her eyes, prompting Lilac to slump further.
”As you wish, Astella.” Wyn’s body relaxed but she still carried a dignified posture about her. She tilted her head to look at the human briefly before going back to Astella. ”Oh, I would hardly call that flirting. Human males are lustful creatures, a bit dirty too. Quite sad really that they often think with their other head.” she said dismissively, Lilac sighing and walking off. ”I would like to say I came here out of curiosity but it was boredom. Why not see where the water that birthed me came from? So here I am, and it seems I have you to thank for that?”
Astella smirked, ”It was a team effort, but it was definitely me who found the clog first, so yeah I will accept all the compliments and all the praise you have for me.” She said, leaning forward ever so slightly while somehow pulling off an even more smug look.
Wyn smirked. ”Ah a team effort, wonderful.” she mused, clasping her hands behind her back. The goddess leaned forward, ”But it’s a shame now that I know you had help, the praise becomes less after all. One who takes such credit, I find to be… Oh what’s the word...” Her expression became thoughtful as her hand stroked her chin. She then shrugged. ”Oh well, no one else is here are they? So thank you ever so kindly, Astella, for giving the world water.” She flashed a smile at the shorter goddess, whose smugness had somewhat worn off.
“... You’re welcome? Though it doesn’t really feel like a compliment anymore... “ Astella sighed and turned around, beginning to walk down the main street toward what looked like a really open part of the city. ”Come along for a quick tour, if you’d like. Can’t promise no one else will try to hit on you, though! Humans get frisky when they feel safe, you know.”
Wyn narrowed her eyes as she watched Astella walk away. Perhaps that had been a bit too pushy? It wasn't her fault really, testing the limits of what she could get away with was ever so much a thrill. Best to keep things cordial here on out. She followed after her, catching up with long, elegant strides. "Hmmm, they may try. Oh and I apologize for what I said, Astella. I find myself still a bit new to meeting fellow divines and with what the proper words should be when in conversation. I meant no offense I assure you." she said, a bit quieter as she looked at the buildings and the human faces that stared at her. She became quickly disgusted. "Is this… Did you build all this, for them? It seems a bit… Lacking, right now." she inquired, keeping innocence in her voice.
Astella froze in her tracks for a split second before continuing to walk, a bit faster than before. ”You didn’t say anything bad, no need to apologize. As for this place feeling like it’s ‘lacking’, well, that's what happens when crazy gods bring hundreds of humans to a place that’s only about one third done! I mean, we haven’t even finished the Central Towamid! That’s Tower plus Pyramid, by the way. I invented that word.” As soon as Astella finished, they came out onto a beautifully open green space There was an abundance of soft grass and cordgrass, and several young trees were planted everywhere, some in wild patterns and others in more controlled ones. There were hundreds of different colours as flowers grew everywhere, and lesser critters and insects lived happily in the park. They were currently in a wide dirt path lined by stone benches, and at the end of the path there was a very barebones-looking yet massive triangular tower. Scaffolding covered almost every square inch of its surface, and several large cranes brought materials to the top. Upon seeing that structure in the distance, Astella gestured everywhere around her, spinning around as she walked with a proud smile on her face.
”This is the Central Plaza! Trees are still growing so there aren’t many leaves and I’Iro’s spidercrabs don’t really know much about gardening so the flowers are everywhere, BUT! It’s very pretty, it smells good, and it helps dispel the heat whenever the sky becomes lava. The structure you see there-” Astella pointed at the half-finished massive structure at the center of the plaza, ”Is the Towamid. It’s going to be where we Gods will have meetings whenever necessary to get our super-formal business done. Everyone will be assigned a whole floor to themselves, so it could even be used as an HQ if you’re frugal enough in terms of space. Waddaya think?”
Wyn took it all in, again. Still dumbstruck by what was in front of her. It wasn't that it wasn't ugly, because it was, but it was moreso the fact Astella was using manual labor to build whatever a Towamid was supposed to be. "It's very… Up and coming, yes!" Wyn forced a smile. She couldn't be too mean to the poor girl, something was obviously not right with her. "But I must confess I am puzzled by all of this… Construction? Why not just build it yourself?" Wyn asked with concern in her voice.
Astella raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, still walking backwards. ”Build it… myself?”
Wyn turned to her, her own eyebrow raised. "You are a divine, yes? Have you yet to create anything? A simple snap of your fingers and this project could be done in an instant. I do admire the effort, don't think I am belittling you. I am simply confused."
”U-Uh… Right, right! We can do that, yes. Definitely. Uh, I just um, choose not to, that’s right. In order to… Make the humans appreciate the amount of work that goes into construction? Yeah, definitely.” Astella quickly turned away once more.
Wyn frowned. What was wrong with this one? Were all gods like her? Surely not? Perhaps Astella was just suffering from some ailment? Of the mind most likely. Wyn cleared her throat. "Ah I see what's going on here. Not to worry Astella your secret is safe with me. Performance anxiety can hamper even the gods of seems, but that's alright. However I do disagree with your logic here. These humans have suffered enough, let their children's children worry about building. Besides…" she dropped her voice to a whisper and scooted in closer to the smaller Goddess. "A meeting place for gods should be made by gods. If they built this place it might bring unsavory thoughts into their heads. They need us, we don't need them. Therefore this Towamid must bring inspiration and clarity, don't you think?"
Astella inched away from Wyn, ”But we designed it! Me and I’Iro! The spidercrabs are just in charge of making the design a reality. You can even look at the finished design if you go to the pedestal near the Wellspring.”
Wyn tilted her head. "It's quite alright dear. I can tell this means a great deal to you so I shall say no more. Though, you wouldn't mind if I had my own embassy separate? I'm really not much for sharing a building with others, too crowded you know?" Wyn said, smiling. There was absolutely no way she would settle for such a place when she could very well make her own. She didn't even need to see the full design to know it would be subpar at best. Better to get her point across, alone.
Astella sighed and shrugged, ”It should be okay. Just make sure not to disrupt the plaza’s green areas too much. I’ll make sure the spidercrabs don’t go knocking your stuff down, too.”
"Ah wonderful darling!" Wyn gushed and looked around, her keen gaze landing on an area that sat on the outskirts. Without further ado she flew off as Astella stumbled and called after her. As soon as she arrived at the chosen spot, Wyn snapped her fingers and where she walked the stone turned to marble and formed a pathway. When the pathway hit the area she had deemed worthy for herself, the land began to grow. Long curved arches, pillars of marble, overhangs and stairs began to etch themselves into the mass. More walkways were formed, with fountains of Astella and Ze'kelia popping up as water features amidst gardens of flowers so majestic and beautiful the wind cried as it blew through them.
She walked upon the growing steps to where the true building began to form as a long temple, held up by pillars and a roof with golden veins. The area inside was enormous and a second floor was in the process of arranging itself when Wyn stepped within. Right in the center of the entrance rose a statue of Wyn, standing above the dead creature she had slain. Wyn paused to gaze upon her sheer majesty. She cracked a smirk and walked on, filling the walls as she went with reliefs telling the story of her life so far. Embellished and grand, she left a great deal more to be filled as the rest of the rooms came to be.
When all was done she sighed happily. "Now that, is how gods work Astella." she turned around only to find that she was alone. Oh, had she left the smaller goddess behind? She shrugged and went to her chambers. Therein she found the furnishings befit a God and an overlook that would make any jealous, in time… For now the view looked out upon the fledgling, shanty filled town. It was a little disappointing but it was that or clouds. Her reverie was interrupted as a small, furry little creature entered her room like it owned the place. Its white fur was pristine, but it lacked an eye and half its tail.
It looked at Wyn for a few seconds, then hopped up onto her luxurious bed and lied down.
Wyn looked upon the creature, tilting her head. Such gusto, even if it was disfigured and small. To walk in without care and lay upon a gods bed? She would kill anything else but this creature… She would allow it for now. For no other reason that it amused her. That and it probably belonged to someone.
Wyn grows bored and goes to Divinus Mons. She laments that the area is ugly and meets Astella, who she finds a bit underwhelming. She takes a stroll with her and realized that Astella must have something wrong with her because she’s making humans build stuff for her- and robots. So, abandoning Astella once she got permission, Wyn goes off and makes her own embassy. A grand thing of glamorous marble, exotic flowers, statues of the goddesses (but only the ones Wyn has met) and an interior befitting a God in size and stature. There is even a statue of Wyn standing over a defeated Drakhorey in the main lobby. Wyn goes to her room and looks out at the depressing view because the city looks terrible compared to her own work. Then Snowie the Cat comes in and Wyn allows it to sleep on her bed because she likes its gusto and perhaps finds a bit of the same soul as her own, within.
Astella stood in front of I’Iro, a full head shorter and looking up into her face with a grin. She just stared, with no attempt to say anything whatsoever.
The other goddess stared back for a moment too, unblinking but showing a sense of curiosity. Eventually she couldn’t help but to question the situation. Yes? Do you still need help with something?
Astella nodded, paying no attention to Snowy as she jumped off her shoulder onto the ground and went to drink water. ”Got any plans, Iro?”
The robot goddess shook her head. There is nothing in my schedule at the moment. I came to this continent seeking shelter above all and now that is secured. I had no bigger plan outside of exploring this world and understanding things that seemed strange to me. That said. There is this branch of some sort of tree-like entity that I planned to take care of as a memory from a continent long lost you see…?
The goddess searched for the branch for a moment, even the strange readings she got from it seemed to be gone from her sensors. Astella grimaced a little. Ah a code 404. I must have dropped it… in the crater... she looked over at the crater-turned-lake as it continued to be filled by the geyser of water, the overflow crashing down the mountain as a continent’s worth of water returned to Galbar. The land below, once easy to see in the crispy dry air, was now hidden by massive clouds of mist formed by the massive waterfalls from Mount Divinus.
At that sight, I’Iro pouted. Well. Finding it again seems quite unlikely now. she complained.
Astella sighed and rested her hands on her hips. ”Listen! Don’t be sad, I’ll help you look. It couldn’t have gone THAT far, right? Maybe it got stuck in between a few rocks somewhere close to here. Wanna go now?”
The waterflow is forming a storm at this moment. It seems too hazardous at the moment. I can wait. It is a very unique plant not native to this continent. I will look for it myself once Nalmepror is rested. That said. Thank you for the offer. You are a very pleasant company Astella. Snowy too. she looked to the side just in time to avoid Astella’s beaming grin, to the land nearing the lake. It seems we met here due to how central this area is to the continent. Perhaps we could set this mountain as a meeting place?
”I like you too, Iro! And as usual, yes that sounds like a great idea. What did you have in mind, specifically? A big hotel, maybe? I know I’m dying to lay on a proper bed.” The short Goddess said as she slumped over and groaned.
A hotel? Well that is surely an example of a meeting place I just feel like function wise… it might miss the point. The gods we have met so far have been fairly diverse so we should accommodate for that. she turned towards the lake, observing its beauty for a moment. We should also make it imperative that the fountain is protected and preserved as it is such a key feature of our survival. As such, my proposal is as follows.
Focusing her mind, she created a hologram in front of the goddess, a flickering light-constructed replica of the summit of the mountain. From there, she designed a peaceful garden around the lake and to the east of it, the side with the most land, she created a central meeting area.
Astella tapped her chin as she watched the hologram expand and become more and more complex.
[color=salmon]”I’m sorry I’Iro, but...”[/color] Astella took a deep breath and began tapping her foot on the ground, [color=salmon]”That… Looks absolutely amazing!!”[/color] She laughed and jumped through the hologram to grab onto I’Iro’s arm. [color=salmon]”Let’s try it out, alright? Do me a favour and make sure Namel watches Snowy. She might try to follow us even after we walk onto the water. Ready?”[/color] Astella asked, bringing her hand up as if she was about to snap her fingers.
Once again I’Iro was surprised by the suddenness of Astella’s approach. She wondered if she would need to create an algorithm to deduce when the goddess would grab her away like that, though she couldn’t think of any mathematical method to properly predict that. [code]Ah! Oh… Uhm. Sure. Let us. Go? Yes. Nalmepror? Ne Aque Noun Snouu. after sorting that out she turned to her fellow goddess and also readied her finger, aiming to snap them in unison to perform the first step in the construction of the meeting hall.
”And… Go!”
The two of them snapped their fingers at the same time, and suddenly they were standing in the middle of the location that had been a hologram just a few seconds ago. Everything, down to the smallest detail, seemed as if it actually had been there for hundreds of years. The wind changed, the sky wasn’t as saturated with mist, there was light, there were an abundance of plants… It was just like the hologram but alive and tangible.
Astella chuckled quietly and shook her head, ”We didn’t have to actually snap our fingers, but I thought it’d be cooler if we did. This isn’t the real thing, by the way. We haven’t built anything yet. It’s just an illusion, so that we can experience the place first hand and figure out all the smaller details before starting the actual building. We wouldn’t want to spend years building and landscaping just to end up with empty, massive floors inside every structure, you know.” She explained, let go of I’Iro’s arm and walked over to the nearest structure. It was the central one that I’Iro had shown her in the hologram. She ran her hands against the smooth stone, cringing a little as the moss on top of it stuck to her fingers. ”What do you think?”
I’Iro smiled at Astella. It is very impressive that you can create environments like this from within your own mind. Such levels of mental consistency are extremely rare and I doubt even the gods can create environments out of thought like you can. When I first noticed your domain as a goddess was over illusions I feared we might have had trouble communicating however it seems that it is quite the opposite. she was not as much of a fast observer as her fellow goddess was, she took a moment to observe the whole environment in all of its details. It is quite amazing. This feels like it will work as the central zone. The meeting ground of gods.
Astella grinned proudly with a slight tint to her cheeks. ”Thank you! Yeah, in terms of looks, it does work as a meeting spot for gods. I think we should plan for future expansions too, as well as separate structures and sectors meant to house different gods’ staff. Embassies, if you will. Dibs on mine being a cool tower! Yours can be next door, maybe like… A very shiny pyramid? With lots of lights. There could even be a giant platform on its side for Namel to land on.”
A pyramid? Hmm. It's a possible shape. For my area I was not thinking anything overly complex as I would prefer if nobody felt intimidated or lessened by my architectural choice.
”Oooh, I didn’t know my friend was this humble.” Astella remarked with a smirk, but quickly shrugged “Well, other than that, we just need to make sure we know what goes where inside the central zone’s big structure.”
And so the two of them got to work at properly designing the different floors and areas within the central structure. I’Iro would often suggest simple things. Maps. A fountain. Perhaps a wall of information so they could always come to the most logical decisions as not every god was built in with an impeccable database such as her. While Astella took the duties of making everything comfortable and easy to navigate, as well as making everything look as pretty as possible. She wasn’t very good at picking the right furniture or plants, though, but she did her best.
In the end, they had spent a good chunk of time in the illusion. So long, in fact, that at a certain point Astella had even forgotten that the place wasn’t really there.
So, when the two had come to an agreement about the way they’d construct the soon-to-be Divine Meeting Spot, Astella cozied up to I’Iro and snapped her fingers again. In the blink of an eye, what had once been a complete reality now became nothing more than a ghostly landscape overlaid on top of reality. It was intangible and barely visible, but it served perfectly as a guide.
They, of course, were standing on top of the Lake, having walked onto it without realizing during their time in the Illusion.
”Aaaand… There we go. All ready to start. Though, um, I admit I don’t really know where to start. Did you have any plans as for how to actually go about building this thing?”
I’Iro nodded, of course she had some sort of plan to deal with the situation. Yes I do have a small plan. But we will need to set up a way for other gods to help as I am still just getting used to my divine abilities and you seem to be the same. The great advantage here is that your illusion gives the perfect amount of information for automated work and as gods we can create a supply of materials with ease. So. I believe I can create workers who upon being given your illusion will work to make it into a reality.
The dream goddess had to think about how she would create a medium to supply such information, soon she came up with an idea. In her hand she formed a scroll, but not a simple parchment, it was a black scroll made of some sort of shiny synthetic material. May I touch your forehead for a moment? I believe with me as the intermediary I can transfer and transcribe the information of the illusion to this scroll.
”Sure, I’m always ready to have people mess around with the things in my head. I wouldn’t be a good Illusionist if I wasn’t.” Astella winked and made sure her hair was swept back while tilting her head up slightly.
What a peculiar predisposition. Nevertheless let us start this process. with a gentle touch I’Iro rested one hand on her friend’s forehead while the other held the scroll. Astella felt the machine goddess’ touch go from its typical cold to an increasing warmth as her eyes started to shine. A “whiteness” or shine would overtake the typical darkness she saw with her eyes closed, I’Iro meanwhile seemed to be unmoving outside of her fingers, which slowly unfurled the scroll between them. And done. This was surprisingly clean to perform. I was unsure if this would be the result or if something unpleasant could have happened. she explained casually.
Astella blinked a few times and shook her head, smiling nervously after I’Iro explained the possibility of things going wrong.
With the information in hand, she wrapped the scroll again and placed it in a copper cylinder she had created. Inform me. Do you think you can keep this illusion somewhat permanently in this area? Furthermore. Could we erect some sort of… guidestone? Something our fellow divines could gaze upon and understand our project in this area?
”For sure, I could create an item that embeds the full illusion into other people’s minds once they touch it. This transparent overlay we’ve got going on right now will not be visible to anyone whose souls I haven’t touched, though. I imagine that’s what your scroll is for, right? They read it like a blueprint and then they can see the ghostly overlay?” Astella scrunched up her nose.
It is a blueprint. Correct. It is however in a language compatible with machine thought. to exemplify what she meant, I’Iro gently walked over the water towards the shore, where she created a small spider shaped synthetic creature. in which she placed a copy of the copper cylinder she had created. With another touch on the robot worker, the goddess filled its material and resources needs so it could start working on the project assigned. My idea is to make more of these, and allow the gods to supply them with materials as needed for the project.
”Huh. Efficient! Let me take care of my bit, then.” Astella said with an enthusiastic nod before walking onto the shore and creating an unassuming stone pedestal, upon which was an equally unassuming, pageless, leather-bound book. On the cover of the book was a simple set of instructions, embossed in what looked like silver.
Open this pageless book in order to experience a projection of what the Divine City’s Central Plaza will look like after construction is finished. The projection will involve all 5 human senses and feature a realistic weather model and day/night cycle.
Close the book gently and slowly in order to dismiss the projection and return your perception of this area to normality.
Please provide construction materials to I’Iro’s spider constructs in order to ensure a speedy construction process. Thank you.
-Astella & I’Iro, Founders of Divine Friends Incorporated.
Immediately after the unclogging of the world spring, I’Iro and Astella start to have a casual conversation. They note that the mountain became a meeting spot for the gods and as such plan to actually make it into a proper meeting ground via the long-term construction project of transforming the area around the lake into a calm garden and building the foundations of a location where all gods can construct their embassy in whatever form they wish (within reason) Astella visualizes the location in an illusion, I’Iro turns that illusion into data and prints it out so it can be given to robot spider workers. Astella erects a pillar containing a book which shares the illusion and explains how other gods can help with the construction of the divine city.
Also I’Iro lost her fire tree sapling to the water torrents :(
Snowie was a snow-white cat with blue eyes. She was deaf and practically blind. For most of her life, Snowie had come to rely on and love the dainty little hands of her owner, Fifia. Those tiny human hands were the ones that brought Snowie food, caressed her when she was feeling sad and lonely, and played with her when she was feeling bored.
Those hands were everything to her.
The last time that Snowie saw and felt her owner’s hands were on a particularly smelly morning, when Fifia sneaked a boiled egg out of the kitchen in order to share it with Snowie.
It was delicious, tasty and salty.
That day, Snowie had been left alone in the family home, and that very day was the day that the earth shook. Even a (self-proclaimed) agile cat like Snowie was taken by surprise and stumbled off her perch on the dinner table and onto the floor.
During the Shaking (That’s what Snowie got to call the event), the doors and windows of the home broke, and several walls collapsed. She was lucky not to be injured, but at the time she didn’t care much about that. She was only worried about Fifia...
But being blind and deaf, what could Snowie do? All she could really do was wait and hope that her owner would come for her, unhurt and safe. That was all she could do.
And so she waited. Minutes turned into hours, and Snowie got hungry. The Shaking had broken open a few of the food containers that she could never get into, and so she ate from that. Hours turned into days. Snowie quelled her thirst with the small puddles of water that formed after rain. Days turned into weeks, and eventually her food rotted so much even she wasn’t able to force it down, and the rain had stopped falling.
She couldn’t stay any longer, she had to go out into the world in order to survive.
She had never really been out and about before, not on her own four legs, since Fifia had always carried her whenever they would go out. She didn’t know her way around, and so she knew, deep down, that the moment she stepped out of her home, she would never find her way back unless it was with Fifia by her side.
Eventually, she took the step (more like a tiny jump through rubble) out into the wide, cold world.
For months she wandered, seemingly lost in the eternal jungle of ruined wood and stone structures, sometimes running into pieces that hinted at humans being stuck under rubble, having died long ago.
The smell of old blood and rotting flesh was almost too much for poor Snowie to bear, but she kept going. She had to find her owner. Her lovable, kind Fifia.
One day, while struggling to move through a particularly tough area, she cut her face a little. That cut would leave a scar across her left eye. Another day, she managed to step onto a large shard of glass, which would leave her with a limp. On a different day, she would fin a large stone falling towards her, which she would barely dodge at the cost of it crushing the tip of her tail. She lost half her tail that day, and was weak for days afterward.
When the journey was starting to get too much for the kitten, Snowie finally caught a whiff of Fifia.
Excited, she limped as fast as possible in the direction of her owner’s scent and when she reached it, she was delighted to find her lying down on the wilting grass, arms outstretched and legs neatly covered by a tilted wagon.
Snowie immediately meowed happily, rubbing her head against Fifia’s open hand. It was then that she realized her owner’s hands weren’t warm. They weren’t fleshy like they had been before, and felt more like a corpse’s.
Fifia wasn’t returning the affection either, or even moving at all.
A whirlpool of emotions surged inside the tiny kitten’s trembling body.
Snowie meowed more aggressively at Fifia, she swatted her paws at her, even gently bit her fingers, but nothing she did worked.
Slowly but surely, it settled in her mind. Fifia was dead.
At that point there wasn’t much to do but to shakily lay down and rest. She chose to do it on top of Fifia’s unmoving chest.
Snowie didn't know how much time passed, but what awoke her wasn’t a lack of exhaustion, it was the feeling of a familiar set of hands caressing her head and ears. Fifia’s hands. As warm and loving as she remembered!
She meowed as loud as she could as she opened her eyes wide, but saw nothing and smelled nothing other than the now clearly-dead-smelling corpse that was once her owner.
Still, the ghostly caress gave her enough strength to continue. She had no goal but survival in her mind now.
In the vast burning, frozen, solid, liquid and gaseous fields of this strange world she had woken up in, a single Goddess walked. She walked, because she had yet to learn that she could fly. And she walked mostly because that was how she stumbled into the living creatures that needed more immediate help.
Starving critters were given small parcels of food to keep them going just a little bit longer, injured beasts were administered care quickly and efficiently, and plants were granted some small amounts of light.
It wasn’t a very effective way to do things, the Goddess realized, but what else could she do, really?
To her, it felt like she had been walking through the wastes and ruins of old places for decades. She had grown tired of witnessing death and the abrupt endings of so many stories, and so when she finally saw the great Mountain in the distance, she walked towards it in turn.
When she had reached the foot of the mountain, she saw a curious sight.
A tiny cat, malnourished and injured, lying down with its eyes half-closed, under a rock that covered merely half of its body from the elements. Its tail and paw were infected, and she had a nasty scar along its face.
Astella, the Goddess, sniffled back her tears before they formed and knelt in front of the young cat. It didn’t even have enough strength to look back at Astella. It just wheezed, staring ahead with slightly glazed-over eyes.
The Goddess gently caressed the top of the kitten’s head, her heart aching as the kitten twitched almost imperceptibly at the touch.
From then on, the Goddess decided to care for the kitten. She cleaned its injuries, fed it, gave it water, and kept it safe from the harsh elements. Eventually, the kitten was healthy once more and the two had developed a bond, so they both began to climb the mountain. Whenever it was necessary, Astella carried the kitten so as to not let it lose its way, since it was blind and deaf after all.
At the top of the mountain there was a rather odd sight. It looked like a dry lakebed, with a massive, weathered slab of stone in the middle. There were a lot of creatures around the foot of the stone, lapping at trickles of water that escaped from underneath the stone.
Upon coming closer to the stone, Astella was surprised to see that none of the animals fled, much less paid her any attention. They must’ve all been desperate for water…
She sighed and ran her hands along the surface of the Stone, feeling the hint of what at one time, long ago, must have been inscriptions of some kind. That was all gone now, though, being completely illegible due to the effects of time, rain and wind.
”Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? That’s what those humans said a while back, anyway.” Astella muttered to herself and pushed the stone with all her might. She felt it budge a little, the felt it shake a little, and most of all, she felt the mud under her feet give way a little, and then she had her entire face stuck in the muddy ground.
She gasped as she sat back up. The kitten was staring at her, its vision no doubt just a blur of activity.
She tried a few more times, and in the final attempt she actually succeeded. She’d moved it a little under half an inch which wasn’t much at all, but enough to have water start pouring out a little bit faster.
The lake wouldn’t fill up anytime soon, and would most likely boil itself dry every time the sky turned into fire, but hey--It was something, right? Exhausted, she plopped herself down onto the muddy, sedimented soil and watched with a tired smile and sweaty brow as her kitten friend hopped over to the crystal clear water and drank its share, then began to clean itself.
”Yeah… I’m totally not built for that kind of work. I should probably get someone else to do it for me.”
First part of the post follows the story of Snow “Snowie” Flake, a blind and deaf pet cat. Its story leads it to eventually meet up with Astella, a new Goddess, who heals it and befriends it. Together they climb the tallest mountain currently on the Continent and find the Wellspring at the top, a massive (yes, massive. Really massive. Like, 3-story building massive) stone covering the center of what looks like an ancient, dry lake. Astella notices water coming in trickles from under the stone and tries to push it, only managing under half an inch after probably an entire day of trying and completely wearing herself out in the process.
Illusions are anything that is not real, but is realistic enough to the one witnessing them that they may not be aware of that fact. Illusions can affect any and all senses and strong enough illusions might even cause damage (both temporary and permanent) to specific senses. The illusions themselves may range from suddenly feeling cold while standing next to a furnace all the way to seeing long dead loved ones and perhaps even being shown indistinguishable versions of reality which only the most intuitive of minds might be able to break out of.
Myth: It is said that only those with the strongest intuition and self-awareness can wake up from a dream. However, there are extenuating circumstances in which a less gifted person might find themselves waking up. Some could wakeup after being subjected to traumatic events such as imminent death or extremely emotional moments… And others, like me, merely exerted their bodies beyond their limits.
----
I was a world-class athlete. One of the best people in at running the Stadion. I was gifted. I was a prodigy. Until they branded me a fraud, at least. During my last competition, I broke the historical record of 14 seconds. I broke it at the cost of injuring my leg and possibly ending my career…
And yet they still branded me a fraud by declaring that I had doused myself in Vanyan Waters prior to the race. They said I didn’t deserve the recognition, and so they tried to strip away my pride.
They couldn’t do it then, and they wouldn’t do it now.
With my old father praying for me all the way from home, with me representing my nation in the world’s largest sports venue, I was going to show them what I was made of, and who they were trying to mess with.
400 Cubits. It was previously thought to be impossible to clear in under 14 seconds, and I proved them wrong once before. I would do it again.
I could feel my heart beating in my chest. My muscles began to scream in anticipation. My hands were sweating puddles into the track… And then they went cold. A calmness washed over me and my breathing stilled. Even the dull pain in my leg was gone.
The scent of gunpowder reached my nose before it even fired, but I didn’t register it then.
The moment the vibrations of a pistol being fired reached my ears, I exploded into action. The world became a blur. My legs moved faster than the eye could see--But only for a moment.
In a split second, I felt something snap in my leg.
My eyes watered and I lost all the feeling in that leg, and yet I didn’t stop running. Not even when the other runners passed me by. I couldn’t fail. I just couldn’t.
So I squeezed my soul for every last drop of energy, every last drop of strength, and suddenly I was running at full speed once more.
The scent came back again. Gunpowder, as if I was sniffing the barrel of a freshly fired pistol.
I couldn’t feel my legs, but I was running fast. I overtook the other runners in no time. I was going to beat my previous record!
For a moment, it seemed as if the world had frozen still. I wasn’t making any progress and I couldn’t even move. I heard sounds coming from behind me, like clothing being shuffled.
The world was still frozen, even as I heard the sounds coming closer. I felt strange shadows lick at the edges of mine. I felt the tips of fingers stretching towards me.
I narrowed my eyes and pushed through the pain. At a certain point it felt as if the air had turned into stone, and even then I managed to slowly start inching forward. Faster and faster with every moment.
The shuffling behind me grew louder, closer. It grew more desperate.
The world in front of me stretched on and on, but the goal was closer with each passing moment. The world suddenly shifted colours. It became distorted.
As I gained my previous speed, I could feel the hands reaching for me receding back into the distance. But that was the least of my worries at that point. The world wasn’t the world anymore. I opened my eyes wide as I saw the horizon coming undone.
I smelled the gunpowder again. It was all I could smell. The world turned white, then black. The searing pain in my legs disappeared, and was replaced by what felt like flames inside of my skull.
Suddenly, light came back to the world. I could see and hear and feel.
But what I saw didn’t make any sense. An inhumanly big insect was staring at me with its hundreds of eyes, its maw clicking and its razor-sharp forelimbs rubbing together.
As I began to scream, the world disappeared again.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at the sterile white ceiling of a hospital. I was bedridden. I couldn’t understand anything. Not what I had seen, nor my experience in the race.
Eventually, after I’d lied to the doctors and nurses by telling them I didn’t remember anything, they explained that I had had an accident while in the race. Long story short, I would never be able to walk again and a particularly severe concussion would probably render me unable to smell anything.
There was good news, however. Apparently, I had managed to break my previous record. Now, the world record for the Stadion was 11 seconds, a full 3 seconds faster than the next fastest person in history…
But what importance did a world record have when you knew that it was all a dream?
Base Form: Astella is a short, lithe Goddess with olive-colored skin, red-pink eyes, and a large, glowing, silver Halo floating over her head at all times. She usually keeps her jet black hair swept back and dresses in dark or muted colours. When she’s not working, she will appear as a comfortably-dressed woman who isn’t particularly rich or poor; when she is working she appears in a uniform of some sort, which is decided for her by her assistants and friends in a bi-weekly vote.
True Form: Astella’s True Form is invisible, but it is extremely harmful. Were she to enter her true form, anything in a large radius around her would find their illusions and inhibitions broken in the blink of an eye. Anything that people had convinced themselves was true and real but really wasn’t would suddenly be revealed to them. Decade long relationships would end, people would be murdered, the young and idealistic would revolt against the old and weathered, crime would run rampant, and all manner of shallow morality would go out the window.
Even Astella herself is afraid of her True Form, as the effect is not only restricted to mortals but extends to herself as well.
Anyways this is quite nostalgic for me because back when I was apart of this I was like 17 and my writing was still improving. Like I said before the experience that I had being apart of Mk. II really helped improve my writing.
I know what you mean. I've been with divinus for a LONG time and the nostalgia only grows stronger with every new iteration lol
Do you remember which iteration exactly? I have trouble remembering anything from before Godspeed :s I played Astarte throughout the first three iterations
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LokiLeo789,
Enzayne,
Squad 404,
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Legion02,
Vec,
WrongEndoftheRainbow,
ActRaiserTheReturned,
Dezuel
