It was the dawn of the 20th Day of Ashes and Tears, the quietest day of the year on Astalon. It had also come to be known as the day of pilgrimages, which is what Lionel was packing for. He wasn’t a particularly big fan of the sad and gloomy atmosphere that always befell Vie around this time of year, so ever since a few years ago he’d take a couple weeks off work and make a pilgrimage to his lineage’s actual home, a fishing hamlet to the southeast of Vie that always pointed in the direction of the great lands to the east no matter how much Astalon herself danced.
The journey started at dawn and saw him braving the endless snowstorms and earthquakes of the region with only a heating-core lined cloak and a bottle of (very expensive) schnapps for whenever the cold got too much.
It was difficult. Difficult, but possible.
As usual after an uneventful three day journey (thanks to his route planning skills, which saw him give a wide berth to any area of conflict), he arrived. Lorelei was as small as he remembered, but the people in it greeted him with hugs and cheers. It was home. It also helped that it wasn’t as cold or nearly as snowy down in Lorelei.
The first night he spent in a warm barn courtesy of his aunt’s husband. He slept amongst horses, but he didn’t dislike it. He took the entire first day to rest and by the second day he had started to help out by fishing in the creeks and rivers all over Lorelei. He spoke to lots of people and got to meet some of the people who had arrived at Lorelei over the last year.
They were mostly survivors of the Day of Ashes. Every year a handful of them showed up after receiving news of the Rebirth of Astalon from passing Primes, riding the waves on their magnificent yet mostly broken down boats of the past. Even now he could see the non-functional wrecks of at least five of the beasts, just marooned on the beach.
He wondered what it was like, the world beyond the shores of Astalon. Despite having seen the survivors’ scars and listened to their frightening stories, he couldn’t help but be drawn to the world beyond.
II
It was one day at sunset, while he was sitting at the top of the beachhead looking at the fading Godlight all the way beyond the horizon, that he was approached by Dandelion for the first time.
“Y’look sad, y’know.” She said, her voice husky. It was a pleasant sound, and Lionel thought it went well along with the waves. He leaned back against the rocks, and looked back at her with a half-smile.
“Everyone ought to be sad around this time of the year.” He replied.
“Day of Ashes and Tears, right?” She asked, having gracefully found her way atop the massive boulder he was leaning up against. She looked down at him from the top, eyes gleaming like two spotlights. She flicked her ears.
“Yep. Not that I care much for the sadness… We got enough of that with all these ruins.”
She hummed in response and tilted her head. “I’m Dandelion. You?”
“Lionel.”
She chuckled, “We both got ‘lion’ in our names.”
He chuckled too.
“Say Lionel, are you from around here?”
He shrugged. “My ancestors were all born here in Lorelei. I was born here too, but my dad took me into the Vault soon after.”
“Huh…” Dandelion pursed her lips and after a moment, jumped down and landed next to him. “I was born here, too. Bit later than you though, so my parents took the last boat outta here and we ended up living next to elves to the east.”
“Elves? You mean-”
“Yep! Aliens! They do exist, and they’re pretty dangerous! Not used to our kind of pointy ears, y’know.” She said with a chuckle, flicking her ears again. Lionel pet her head, making her tense up. “Huh, you catch on quick don’t ya?”
“Heh. You’d be better off looking for someone else to date if that’s what you’re after.”
She blushed and shook her head, stepping back. “I-I wasn’t here just for that! I just, uh, I saw you working the other day and your markings looked really familiar. Y’know there’s a girl named Lorelei living in the Valley? I know, weird name, but get this – She’s got the same markings as you!”
Lionel froze, his heart skipping a beat. “You mean-”
“Yep! Hundred percent sure that she’s your family. She’s also around the same age, maybe younger. You sure you don’t have a litter sister?”
“I-I-” Lionel coughed and looked at Dandelion with wide eyes. She was smirking smugly, her previous blush still faintly visible on her face. He felt tears well up in his eyes and he hugged her, eliciting a small surprised squeak from the young woman. “Thank you. According to my dad, both my litter siblings died before the day of Ashes, but… If one of them is alive, then I can go rescue her! Thank you so much, Dandelion!” He repeated, hugging her even tighter.
“H-Hey! Too tight!” She grunted and he immediately loosened his hug, smiling sheepishly even as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “Wow, you’re crying.”
“Obviously, I- I thought I was alone in the world. It’s why I kept coming here, to make sure my family’s names were still carved into the memorial stone.” He sniffled and shook his head, recovering from the sudden wave of emotions.
“Um, I’m glad for you actually! You know Lionel, I came here to stay but if you want I can take you to see your sister in the Valley.” Dandelion declared with a nod.
“Really? You’d do that for me, even though we don’t know each other?”
“I owe your family, y’know. It’s only thanks to Lorelei’s brother that my family escaped Astalon all those years ago.”
“Brother? You mean that I have even more family?”
“He’s dead, so no. He also wasn’t really Lorelei’s family. I was very little back then, but even I could tell he wasn’t from the Vie region. He had white hair, y’know.”
“Oh. So when are we leaving?”
“Next week. Y’wanna meet here every sunset till then, Lionel? I don’t want my dad seeing me hanging out with you, y’know. He’d tease me for years afterward.” She groaned, with Lionel laughing in response.
“Sure. Want me to bring anything? I fish throughout the day, so I can get you any fish you like.”
“Hmm…” She caressed her chin in thought. “Salmon? Salmon! Smoked salmon sounds great.” She said with a grin. “I’ll bring berries and salad. You’ll get to taste some traditional Valley cooking!”
Lionel smiled. For the first time in a good while, he was actually looking forward to the future.
We follow Lionel, an Astalonian who goes on a pilgrimage to his hometown in the Vie region of Astalon. There, he meets a woman named Dandelion who reveals that he’s got family currently living in the Astalonian settlement in the Valley close to the elves, a sister that he’d thought dead his whole life. Dandelion offers to take him to meet his sister and he accepts.
It had been a month since that day, when every last organic living in Astalon was kicked out of the Vault and told to settle the lands like they’d done before.
Groups of hundreds of Astalonians, mostly children, were escorted to their lineages’ hometowns. The ones who traveled to the south towards the coastal city of Roi had to brave the ancient, broken, melted asphalt highways and had to navigate around massive blockages where dozens of carriages had crashed a decade ago. Items, clothing, mementos, framed drawings… All those things still remained, strewn all over the roads near the mountains of scrap. Yet there was no blood, and there were no bodies.
Those who traveled west to the secluded village of Sol had to weave their way through overgrown swamp and forest alike. At times, they would stumble upon caverns. The first two they explored had old furniture inside, filled with the tattered and dirty clothes and diaries of the people who had thought it a good idea to hide out in the wilderness. There were craters in the walls and stained bedrolls in the back of the caves. Yet there were no bodies. They didn’t walk into any other cave after that.
Those who traveled north to the sky city of Nube had to climb and climb until they were breathing more cloud than air. Their journey was, relatively speaking, the smoothest. There were no ruins anywhere before Nube City, but upon climbing a rather steep drop the Vaulters saw the near hundred pairs of shoes that had been lined up neatly against the ledge, some big like a champion’s and some tiny like a child’s.
Those who traveled east towards the great boreal city of Vie had to brave treacherous weather and the last remnants of wildlife. They found nothing. Absolutely nothing of what had once been the greatest city in Astalon. Nothing, but the tip of the cracked Monolith that had once stood at the center of Vie. The city had been buried under hundreds of meters of snow alongside the rest of the region.
Something that had been thought of as a happy event by the Vaulters, that of finally going back home and leaving the confined spaces of the Underground Vault, was faced with the reality of what had happened to the majority who couldn’t make it to the Vault all those years ago.
There were no cheers.
There were no laughs.
There were no hugs and no wide, wonder-filled eyes.
The adults then realized that the world they knew, and the people they knew, were gone and would never return.
Thus, the Day of Ashes became the Day of Ashes and Tears, and would come to be mourned on a yearly basis ever since as a way to pay respect to those who were lost.
Astus finally kicks the Astalonians out of the Vault and gives them detachments of Primes to escort them to their ancestral homelands. They all quickly realize that going back out into the world isn’t a cause for celebration, as they see the remains of their old home and realize that nothing will ever be the same as it used to be.
Astus’ Starting=11 + 1 from Chailiss week
Prior to kicking the Astalonians out into the world, Astus made sure the Primes taught them a bunch of basics to ensure their survival and the proper re-settlement of Astalon and gave them a blessing on top of that.
Spent 1 Vigour to teach the Astalonians how to craft and maintain complex clothing for all kinds of temperatures.
Spent 1 vigour to teach the Astalonians how to build complex structures (wood, stone, lil bit of metal).
Spent 1 Vigour to teach the Astalonians the basics of metallurgy (copper and the like).
Spent 1 Vigour to teach the Astalonians about bronze.
Spent 1 Vigour to teach the Astalonians about complex tool-making such as pickaxes, doctor’s scalpels, pliers, nail files, etc.
Spent 1 Vigour (discounted to 0) to teach the Astalonians about ways to make their resource collection and refining more efficient.
Spent 1 Vigour (discounted to 0) to teach the Astalonians about the Labyrinth and the basics on how to brave it without immediately combusting.
Spent 1 vigour (discounted to 0) to bless the Astalonians with unnatural industriousness (they all have a tendency towards working hard and being happy to do so. Astalonian refers to any sapient born on Astalon, so a Childan immigrant from da norf being born in Astalon with this unnatural industriousness is as likely as a native Homuran being born with it.)
Spent 1 vigour (discounted to 0) to bless Astalon with an aura of industriousness (meaning any creature who spends a long enough time in Astalon will eventually start to become more of a hard worker.)
That Time I Almost Died, Got Saved by a God Blinded by Rage and Pain and Taken to Another Goddess’ Home to be Taken Care of By Her Champions Only to End Up Being a Dress-Up Doll: Volume 1
They gathered in a circle beside the Eternal Fire in preparation for the ritual to create the two items Lorelei requested. They each held one of their hands outwards while the other hand performed slow and graceful gestures. Their skin became covered in shifting symbols as they channeled the Gnosis, their power enhanced by the presence of the Eternal Fire. They closed their eyes as they focused on the spell, shaping the desired effect in their minds.
“Let’s name the first piece… the Ribbon of Many Fashions. Anyone have any objections?” Pride said while the air began to distort around her, becoming blurred by an otherworldly power. None of her sisters voiced any disagreement, the air around them similarly began changing. The space in the center of the circle began to shimmer, as the contour of something small and bending appeared from nothing.
Their outstretched hands which reached towards the faint outline were shrouded in a scarlet aura, specks flowing from their palms into the materializing object. More and more pieces of red light seeped into it until it formed a soft black fabric, woven into the shape of a small bow akin to what the five larger champions wore.
Then the light faded, and the symbols on their skin receded. Pride approached the levitating accessory and collected it in her little hands. She looked to Courage and Lorelei, and offered the now undone bow to her sister who passed it upward to Lorelei herself, who in turn grabbed it carefully and inspected it with wide eyes.
“Waow… What’s it do? H-How do I put it on??” She asked excitedly, bouncing a little.
Courage kneeled so that Kindness could reach the back of Lorelei’s head, gently gathering the little girl’s dark hair in her hands. “Hmm… well it is imbued with the power to change its shape and color. You can tie your hair back like we do, or wear it wrapped around your head. It can become a scarf or sash that you could wear anywhere else around your body.” Kindness explained.
“You could put the bow on your tail!” Curiosity exclaimed with excitement, while Lorelei played around with the ribbon.
“Ummm… Tail! For now. C-Can you show me how to tie it please, Cour?” Lorelei asked, reaching back to grab a hold of her tail and bring it up front so that it was right next to Courage’s face.
Courage looked at the undone ribbon, and then at Lorelei’s tail. Her features became set with determination as she took both the accessory and tail, making sure not to move too much to unseat the little girl on her shoulders. “Hold on, ya. First you take both ends and wrap them around… your tail, hehe.” Lorelei giggled.
Both ends came together, and then Courage made two loops with the two ends she held, leaving a long strip for each end. “You make these two loops, and then wrap them around each other. Then one goes under the other, and afterwards you pull on both… but not too tightly.” Courage explained as she tied the ribbon, with Lorelei immediately swishing her tail around behind her as her tail was let go, cooing as she saw the ribbon’s movement in sync with her tail. “That’s how you tie a ribbon, but it might take some practice when doing it behind your head. You’ll get it in no time though.”
“When you want it to grow, just hold it and say enlarge, and It’ll shrink if you say reduce. It can change color too, but it’s easier to change it if you press it against another ribbon, or strip of fabric, and it’ll copy its appearance.” Pride added with a smug smile on her face as she provided an explanation of the ribbon’s enchantment.
“Ooh! That’s so cool! I-It’s so cute!” Lorelei said in an even higher pitch than normal, holding herself upright partly in thanks to how tightly she was hanging on to Courage’s hair as she whipped around and looked at her own tail swishing around. “Thank you so m-much!”
“I’m glad you like it, pipsqueak!” Courage replied, rising up and twirling playfully, while the runes of the Gnosis resurfaced on each of the champions. Pride keeps an eye on Courage and Lorelei, while her sisters begin the ritual to make the second accessory. “Courage, be careful and help us.” The small champion chastised the other two until Courage joined in their circle and began focusing upon the ritual as well.
Once more, their power came together and coalesced in the center of their circle, red light solidifying and shaped according to their will. Unlike the ribbon, the object they create remains its original color, and as the ritual comes to an end, and their sorcerous runes recede, a single red ring levitates between all of them.
Once more, Pride approached their creation and took it in her hands before she passed it to Courage. “The Ethereal Earring. You hold it up to your ear, and speak the command word, then it will pass through the skin and stay there. No need for a piercing.” Pride described, as Courage held up the earring for Lorelei.
“The first command word is; Adhere. The second word is; Release, which will cause the earring to remove itself from your ear.” The small champion added, finishing her explanation.
Lorelei nodded in response and took the earring, pressing it to her left ear. “A… Adhere.” She whispered with closed eyes. Once the ring had locked into place, she let go of the ring and wiggled her ears, chuckling before shuddering a little. “I-It feels funny, but I love it! D-Does it look okay?” She asked, looking at Pride.
Pride squints at Lore as she examines how the earring and the rest of her furry eared sister mingle and complement each other. The other Heralds of Honor, minus Courage, join Pride, and scrutinize the result of their efforts. “So, is it good? Bad? Tell me!” Courage asked from underneath Lorelei, unable to get a look.
The five judges stroked their chins in thought, before they all nodded in agreement. With cheerful grins among her sisters, Pride stands as tall as she can while she announces their verdict. “It looks adorable. Really good. We should make more.” The small champion remarked, and Wanderer gave Lorelei a thumbs up, whatever that meant. The girl grinned and toyed with her new earring.
“I can understand why Gray possessed so many. I can really appreciate the aesthetic.” Kindness commented, allowing herself a small smile. The numerous effigies of Homura looked among themselves, at their identical appearance, and their identical attire, wondering what they would look like with added accessories and different styles. “We should make more of these, and further diversify ourselves. Courage and I are too similar… Curiosity and Wanderer as well.” Kindness concluded.
“Y-yeah! Gray had so many different kinds! Not just earrings. S-She had necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and p-piercings in other parts besides the ears. She had a l-lot! I think Wanderer would look g-good in a long silver choker.” Lorelei suggested.
Fear raised up her hands with apprehension, exuding anxiety. “Shouldn’t we ask our Maker whether that’s fine or not? We’re using our power for ourselves, but is that allowed?” She asked all of her sisters, looking nervously between them.
“It’s just a little bit. Come on, Fear, it’s for fun.” Courage countered with a dismissive wave, her tone teasing and playful. The brash champion steps forward and leans against Fear, humorously kicking her with Lorelei’s legs.
“I think it would help guests distinguish us from each other as well.” Kindness interjected, pulling Fear away from Courage with a gentle tug. “Something for Wanderer to distinguish herself from Curiosity, and something for you to distinguish yourself from me.” She added.
“I suppose that works, but shouldn’t you get something too?” Courage asked, as she absently nodded while Kindness spoke. She tilted her head as much as she could to offer a cheeky grin to Lorelei. “What do you think Kindness should get, pipsqueak?”
“Hmm…” Lorelei hummed and tapped her chin with a finger for a moment, before perking up. “A bracelet! B-because she’s got really soft warm h-hands and I like it when she pets my head.”
“A good idea! What about me then?” Courage asked.
“Umm, belly button stud! Y-Your belly is really cool and tough, like W-White’s.”
“That’s right! Let’s do that!” Courage exclaimed with excitement while Kindness lightheartedly sighed in response to her sister forgetting the purpose of the adornments, it seemed.
“So three more pieces then.” Pride stated, and her sisters gathered into their circle formation again. The process of conjuring the material and then shaping it into what they imagined repeated itself three more times, and when they were finished; a silver choker, a gold bracelet, and a small blue gem all levitated in the space between them.
All of the Heralds of Honor looked at their creations with infectious enthusiasm, the objects being claimed by their intended recipients, as Wanderer places her choker atop her the collar of her dress, the accessory imbued with the same spell as Lorelei’s earring. Kindness put on her bracelet, and slowly it switched through various sizes and colors, imbued with the same spell as Lorelei’s ribbon. Lastly, Courage lifted the hem of her shirt, and placed the blue stone on her bare belly, where it sank into the skin.
All of the champions of Homura looked to the most exuberant of them, and smiled. “That stone will always lead you back to Keltra, Courage. Back to your home.” Kindness said, while she and the others came in close and hugged their surprised sister, with Lorelei shifting a bit and jumping off of Courage’s shoulders, grunting as she landed and did a somersault.
“D-Does Courage get lost easily?”
“You could say that, hehe.” Courage said, her cheeks turned red with embarrassment, as she was freed from her sister’s embrace. She poked where the gem was, now hidden beneath the dark fabric of her shirt, and contentedly smiled. ‘Thanks, everyone.”
“Why don’t I get anything?” Curiosity asked, and was promptly ignored as the rest of her sisters walked back to their small area of the keep where their seats and pillows awaited them. The inquisitive champion merely shrugged and followed after them.
The six took their seats, wrapping themselves in the soft feathers of the white owl plushies. Curiosity pulled Lorelei alongside her, and onto her seat. “Sit with me, the rest all got gifts, but I get to cuddle with you. It’s only fair.” She said, while tickling the little girl, who giggled and tried to swat Curiosity’s hands away until she stopped.
“Hehehe… Okay!” Lorelei agreed, pressing herself as close against Curiosity as she physically could, with her body beginning to vibrate slightly after a few moments.
“It’s come to our attention that we should have more outfits. I propose we tell Mother our plans when she returns. Any objections?” Pride announced, and looked to those gathered for either affirmation or dissent. Silence reigned for a moment, until Pride purposely coughed for attention. “Wonderful, I’m looking forward to seeing what we come up with.” She said, clapping her hands together once.
“Using the Gnosis will be expensive. Are there any alternatives?” Kindness asked, glancing towards the doorways that led into the keep. None of her sisters provided an answer, until Courage spoke up.
“We’re going to have to dance and sing more if we want to make lots of things, ya. We should choreograph some, and think of reasons to have parties! Most of you haven’t met Zenia yet, but she’s lots of fun!” Courage put forth, gesturing wildly, and contributing her liveliness along with possible solutions to their predicament.
“It has been too long since we have spoken with any others among the Divine, but that is not something we can control. All we can do is wait.” Kindness countered, her monotone voice dampening the excitement that had briefly surrounded the six champions.
“Zenia is like our aunt. I’ve never met her, but I’m told she is really beautiful and makes you feel elated to be alive. She took four thousand of our kin across the sea, and promised Mother a lesson in dancing, which means she has to come back at some point.” Curiosity happily explained to Lorelei, while the others pondered the words of Kindness.
“We could ask the other Divine to help us make new outfits…” Fear meekly added her own suggestion, her sisters immediately expressed their approval.
“It’s settled. Whenever we accompany Mother on her voyage and encounter another of our aunts or uncles, we must ask for their assistance with this project.” Pride said, and frowned as Wanderer dragged her seat closer to the small champion’s. Her annoyance was quickly suppressed as her other sisters voiced their agreement with her declaration.
And so the personal quest of finding divine fashion has begun.
-Inside the Keep of Keltra, the Heralds of Honor perform a ritual to create multiple magic items. -There are lots of ideas shared, and everyone’s wardrobe is slightly expanded. -The six champions assign each other personal quests to attain a greater number of outfits, and establish fashion.
-6 Spirit to create Lorelei’s Ribbon of Many Fashions. (-1 each champion) -6 Spirit to create Lorelei’s Ethereal Earring. (-1 each champion) -6 Spirit to create Wanderer’s Ethereal Choker. (-1 each champion) -6 Spirit to create Kindness’s Bracelet of Many Fashions. (-1 each champion) -6 Spirit to create Courage’s Gem of Guidance. (-1 each champion)
Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride gain 2 Spirit. (+1 Minimum, +1 Medium Length)
Finally, after what felt like a whole hour in the air, they landed inside Keltra. All that jumping and magic stuff was really… difficult to stomach. Poor Lorelei couldn’t help but feel a bit queasy and held on to Wanderer for dear, burying her face against the back of Wanderer’s neck.
“I-I like piggyback… The jumping is crazy though…” She said quietly and a moment afterward, Wanderer walked the both of them into the Keep.
Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, and Pride all gathered around Homura as they looked at the two newcomers. The Goddess of Honor was the closest to them and she addressed them with her imperious aura as they approached.
“Welcome back, Wanderer and Lorelei. Did you enjoy your stroll?” She asked, as her reticent champion respectfully bowed with Lorelei still on her back. Behind Homura, most of the champions seemed to be smiling as they watched the scene.
Lorelei smiled at everyone, feeling her eyes burning a little still. “Hii, y-yeah! The forest is very um, pretty! And open. And uh, l-lots of things moving around there too…” She said, her smile slowly vanishing until she went quiet and buried her face in Wanderer’s hair once more.
“Despite the delusions of my sister, her work is very beautiful. Hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future to immerse yourself in its wonder. I apologize, Keltra is still in the process of being built, and lacks an artistic touch. That shall be changed soon, but there is much I must do before that time comes. Forgive me, child. This is not the world I wished to create for you and your kin.” Homura said, looking back at the champions behind her as they all hastily swapped their smiles for much more serious expressions.
“I must depart and speak with the King in Heaven. You are all familiar with my commands, so I expect you to adhere to them. I will return soon.” The red goddess proclaimed, turning to look at Wanderer and Lorelei once more. The others returned to smiling when their maker was no longer looking at them, and without further word, Homura stepped out of the keep, leaving her champions and Lorelei on their own.
Lorelei stared at Homura as she walked out and frowned as she felt a sudden stab of pain in her chest, prompting her to disentangle herself from Wanderer and run after Homura, catching up to her just before she jumped away. As Homura turned to look at her, Lorelei smashed into her leg and hugged her tight.
“Bye bye, Homura! Be careful!” Lorelei said, the impulse dying down. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face and ears against Homura’s leg before pulling away and clasping her hands behind her back, beaming a bright smile at Homura. “N-No one leaves without a hug. It’s for good l-luck.”
“Hmm… Be careful as well. Your body needs time to adapt after the alterations I have made, and besides, there is more to life than just sustainability. There must be meaning in motion, like a hug. Thank you, Lorelei.” The red goddess replied, her tone slightly more gentle. Then she stepped back, and leapt beyond the wall like a soaring star. The wind barely stirred as she flew from the ground.
The six champions had joined Lorelei, and gazed in the direction Homura had gone. All of them were relaxed, and offered Lorelei amused glances.
“So how’re you doing, pipsqueak?” Courage asked with a chuckle, prompting Lorelei to spin around and hug her tight as well.
“I was sooo scared! I have never been outside for s-so long! W-Wanda had to sing for me when I got too scared...”
Curiosity jumped with joy and held Wanderer’s hand while she exclaimed, “She used to always sing and hum lullabies to all of you when we were watching over Keltra by ourselves. She doesn’t talk much, but she likes to sing.” While she spoke, Wanderer attempted to shove away to no avail, a scene which made Lorelei giggle.
“If you would like to go on more walks, please feel free to ask us whenever you want.” Kindness explained, while Courage and Fear assisted their sister in freeing herself. Pride was shaking her head in slight annoyance, but the smile she wore was filled with love and fondness for the antics of her sisters.
“I want to go outside too!” Curiosity shouted as she was pried from Wanderer, and restrained by both Courage and Fear. Wanderer then stepped beside Kindness, as the latter loudly sighed with exaggerated frustration. “Perhaps in a thousand cycles, we will let a crazy fool like you roam on your own.” The impassive champion said, pointing an accusing finger at Curiosity.
“I’m no longer the crazy one, huh?” Courage chimed, and Kindness softly smiled, before she looked at Lorelei. “Also let us know whenever you need rest. We are unfamiliar with taking care of others, especially those that are awake.” She explained.
Lorelei perked up at being addressed directly and shook her head, “Oh, I’m ok. I-I’ll keep up with you, we’re sisters now after all! I-I won’t fall behind. But, um,” Lorelei looked at each of the champions’ uniforms and then at Kindness. Gosh, she really wanted to look more like them. She scrunched up her nose and let her ears lay flat. “Can I have a ribbon like you? Maybe a red ear piercing! White used to tell me that I had to be older to get one, but! I’m o-old enough now.”
“Of course. What do you mean by red ear piercing though? I do not understand.” Kindness replied, while the others all listened intently. None of them seemed to know the answer to their sister’s question either. Lorelei looked at them all, eyebrows raised in surprise.
“A piercing! Like,” Lorelei grabbed one of her ears and poked at several spots along the helix, “you poke a hole and p-put a ring or stud or bar through? Right? Gray had a lotta them!”
“You want us to poke a hole in your ear?” Curiosity asked with bemusement, as her sisters still looked both concerned and confused while they touched their ears.
“Yep! It’s cute and everyone in Astalon has- had them. Every piercing represents a friend you w-wanna remember. It's a v-very small hole and Gray said it doesn’t hurt. You need uhm… Ice and a hot needle to punch the hole!”
“We’ve neither of those things, but we could make them!” Courage proclaimed, and looked among her fellow champions for assurance, but Pride quickly raised a hand in protest.
“It’d be more efficient to create the piece of jewelry itself, and we can enchant it.” Pride suggested, and all of her sisters nodded in agreement, aside from Courage who chuckled with chagrin.
“That’s a better idea, ya. We’ll do that then.” Courage said, as she and her sisters all hurried back into the keep, with the brash champion easily lifting Lorelei onto her shoulders and dashing after the others.
“W-Wah!” Gasped Lorelei as she was taken into the depths of the Keep.
After coming back from their forest walk, Wanderer and Lorelei are welcomed back by Homura and the other champions. They have a little chat before Homura leaves again but not before she gets a good luck hug from Lorelei. After that, Lorelei asks the champions for a ribbon similar to the ones they wear and an ear piercing.
Homura spends no Vigor.
Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride gain 1 Spirit. (+1 Minimum)
Lorelei gasped for air. Her small, calloused hand finally reached the first of the ledges along the C-strides long Keltran walls. She grunted and tried to pull herself up, her muscles burning and screaming at her to rest.
“Lil… Bit more…!” She said to herself, her voice turning to a squeak at the end as she felt an insect crawling onto her hand. Still, she steeled herself. The fresh Keltran air, the godlight, the music of true wildlife off in the distance, it all gave her energy.
She tried to pull herself up onto the ledge, grunting. The packed dirt under her hand on the ledge came apart and her hand nearly slid off, but she managed to hold onto a sharp rock. She winced and wiggled her nose to try and knock the small pile of dirt off her face. Her ears twitched and turned from here to there, and her tail stiffened at an angle that made her feel more stable. She tried again.
This time, she pulled herself up and over onto the ledge, panting. She lied down there for a while, letting her exhausted muscles rest until she was good enough to sit up and do what she had come to do – She pulled out a long rope from her pack and staked it safely into one of the cracks along the wall, then dropped the rope down so that it reached the ground below, maybe about ten A-strides down.
Having done that she let out a sigh of relief and sat on the ledge. She let her legs dangle off the ledge as she took in the view of the City of the Asleep with a placid smile on her sweaty, dirty, and tired face. Quietly, she began to sing. “Climb once for your life, climb twice for your wife, climb thrice for a pie ♪”
II
Lorelei awoke with a start as usual, though this time things were different – Actual sounds reached her ears, echoing off the immense Keltran walls. Footsteps, muffled by the grass on one of the ledges above her.
“Why do you climb, Lore?”
It was the slight quiver behind the voice that helped Lorelei figure out who it was that was speaking to her out of her six adoptive sisters. Fear. The one with the ice arm.
Lore had been looking up towards the sky since she awoke, so she immediately saw when Fear peeked out over the ledge to look down at her. “I like being h-high up. It feels good, so I do it!” She said, feeling a grin seep onto her face. A small stinging sensation came from her hand then and she got to licking her earlier wound.
Fear nodded. “Me too! It’s beautiful! I’ll, uh, wait for you at the top!” Fear said, then leapt from her ledge down to the ground below, before she suddenly soared past the girl with another mighty jump up to the top of the wall. Lorelei merely looked at the trail of grass leaves and dirt that Fear left with her leap, then up towards the top of the wall, which was almost too high to even see. There was no way she’d catch up to her, just like…
“Huh.” She blinked. After a moment, she chuckled and sat up. Her muscles were a bit tense, so she stretched. Many of her joints popped.
A whisper rang out from below, faint. The only one who used that tone was Wanderer. “Would you like me to lift you up?” The reticent champion asked. Her voice was unnaturally quiet, so much so that Lorelei herself had no idea how it was even reaching her ears all those strides up the wall.
Lorelei scratched her ears, then looked down at Wanderer and nodded, a chuckle escaping her lips. “Y-yep!”
Before she even knew what was happening, Lorelei found herself in Wanderer’s arms as they ascended at incredible speeds. Wanderer’s body felt warm and soft, yet it also felt more resilient than stone and stronger than metal. One of the champion’s arms shielded Lorelei from the breakneck winds, and the other held her close to her chest. She felt good like that, she felt safe… Involuntarily, her chest began to vibrate.
Time slowed as swirling leaves and dust danced at an entrancingly languid pace. The wind no longer howled but gently hummed and the godlight fell from the sky like golden flecks of ash. Wanderer’s long scarlet hair slowly swayed behind her as if it was a tail with a mind of its own… It felt like an eternity but then they reached the top and stood overlooking the lands of Keltra.
Fear stood beside them and smiled slightly. “I should’ve offered to carry you, I think.” She said with chagrin as Wanderer let Lorelei down and time resumed its normal pace. The strange stone they stood on top of shimmered with the radiance of the godlight and sparkling reflections of the trio stared up at them… Except the imitations did not move with them, nor follow their steps. It was as though ethereal duplicates had accompanied them, and now laid down upon the surface of the wall, content to merely observe them. Lorelei didn’t like it, and instead took in the incredible view.
“Waow! Y-You look at this every day?” She asked, coming dangerously close to the edges on more than one occasion, but always keeping her balance. The hues of red, yellow and orange were something she’d never seen before… Not to mention all the life, all the wind! The forest stretched on and on, farther than the eye could see, seeming endless in its vast beauty. She never thought she’d get to see something like that. Much less without the ones she loved.
“We could go on walks through the forest.” Wanderer quietly suggested to Fear and Lorelei, as she also gazed upon the woodland realm spread out before her.
“Really?!” Lorelei turned around and ran up to Wanderer, pressing up against her and tugging on her clothes while looking up at her with wide shiny eyes. “When? Can we go now? I wanna go!” She begged, eager to see what actual wilderness looked like.
Wanderer tilted her head. “Perhaps… one hundred and fifty five thousand days from now?” She replied and Fear looked at her with shock. Lorelei on the other hand almost immediately deflated with her ears flat against her head and her tail limp and resorted to pouting up at Wanderer while she gently rubbed her head against the champion’s hip..
“Is that too long?” Wanderer’s head tilted the other way, as though her mind needed to transition to another location in order to think of another answer. “Perhaps… nine hundred and eighty five thousand, two hundred and three days from now.” She said, very subtly smiling after her answer, while Fear freaked out more.
“That’s even longer!” Fear cried out and Lorelei whimpered.
“Hmm… we could go now, I suppose.” Wanderer added, glancing at Lorelei for confirmation while Fear merely sighed. Lorelei felt her heart jump in her chest. It took a second, but eventually she grinned and hugged Wanderer, bouncing on the spot.
“Yay! We go now! Let’s go! I wanna see the trees! I wanna chew the twigs! Oh oh, I want a pet… A pet mouse! Like the one in the trashed posters back home! A brown one! Let’s go let’s go!” Lorelei squealed, a myriad of memories of drawings of blue cats and brown mice flashing across her mind’s eye.
“I don’t know what a pet mouse is, but I think we can explore the woods for a while. Remember not to eat anything though, the body needs to stay empty for the Eternal Fire to fill it. Wanderer can watch over you, I need to stay back and watch over the others still sleeping. You have fun, and come back before it gets dark.” Fear said, looking at Lorelei with what could barely be described as stern eyes. “Don’t do anything that would get you in trouble, okay?”
Lorelei smiled sheepishly, pressed herself up against Wanderer once more and moved one of her hands to the top of her head between her ears, hoping that Wanderer would pet her, which she did. “Okay, I promise! I won’t eat anything, I just like to chew stuff!”
Fear smiled, until Wanderer moved to stand behind the little girl. The last thing Lorelei saw was Fear’s horrified expression as the world seemed to fall away, and Lorelei felt weightless. Once more she was cradled in Wanderer’s arms and together they fell backwards from the top of the wall.
Lorelei could not see Wanderer’s face, but she did see the way that unknown symbols made of black, ethereal ink danced across Wanderer’s skin, as if her very skin was one big, curved sheet of paper. The champion did not brace for impact with the ground, nor did she enact any maneuver to properly land, no… They simply fell until they were not. It was a strange, surreal experience for someone who’d spent her entire life either underground or in cramped moldy spaces.
The call of the wilderness was all around, the song of the sea and sky returning in full volume, the not too far forest beckoning them towards it. The otherworldly melody washed along them like waves washing along the nearby stoney shore. The world was still caught in some spell, or perhaps it was Lorelei and Wanderer that were captured, as runes still covered their bodies. It did not matter as their every sense was welcomed with new sensations; the caress of the warm wind, the aroma of the vibrant flowers, and the sight of something new and pure waiting for them to uncover its secrets, to transcend the barriers between the self and the world. It was almost overwhelming.
Wanderer let go of Lorelei and helped her fix her dress, and the two were then ready to begin their venture into the forest.
Lorelei climbs the Keltran wall up till the first ledge she can find, which is about 10 meters high. There, she takes a nice nap. She is awoken later by Wanderer and Fear and taken to the top of the wall, and after that Wanderer takes her out of Keltra and into Kel-Phelenia.
Wanderer and Wanderer gain 2 Spirit (+1 Minimum, +1 Collab)
The air was superheated, the perfect temperature for a nice, long, relaxing magma bath in the deepest and most exclusive pool of Zya’s Bathing Emporium. Sparks of pure heat came off the pool of bubbling magma and met their end upon coming into contact with Ichtaca’s rock-solid scales. He sighed out all of the stress he’d accumulated over the last three tides, taking in the sights and sounds of the flowing magma… His favourite sound was probably the constant sounds of the magma-fall that came from the end of Amoxtli’s Claw, but the drips and glugs that echoed throughout the chamber as the very same magma drained down into the Coals were a close second.
He sneezed a big glob of flaming snot into the fiery pool and watched as the mucus, glittering all sorts of colours thanks to the sacred nature of the chamber, dissolved and became one with the magma.
“I do love some alone time at the sauna.”
“What Did You Say Uncle??” Asked the small child swimming around Ichtaca. He chuckled and shook his head.
“Nothing lil’ gecko, I just forgot I wasn’t alone for a moment.”
“That Happens When You’re Old.”
Ichtaca’s right eye twitched, “Listen here you lit-” He stopped in his tracks, perking up. The child giggled and swam up to him, poking his chest and forearms with his forehead. Ichtaca paid the child no mind however, as he had heard something… Different and unnatural, reverberating through the walls of the chamber.
Just as he began to relax, it happened again. This time, he tensed up and jerked his head around to try and locate the exact source of the sound. By this point, his grandchild had realized something wasn’t right.
“W-What’s Happening, Tecol?” The child said in a shaky, small voice.
“Shush.” Ichtaca whispered back.
Again. Ichtaca jerked his head a few more times and pinpointed the source of the noise to be some distance down Amoxtli’s Claw. Several tidbits of information popped up in his head as he tried to figure out what it was that was probably making the noise, and that was when he remembered that Amoxtli’s Claw was the only tunnel connecting Zya to the Great Yoliya’s Sacred Bathing Tube, the very tube that went to the heavens and the hells themselves.
II
The Boss’ latest project was mostly a drag. With everyone having to wait for the heat at the surface to pass, the only thing they could really do was send out Surveyor drones and try to find resources to extract once the resettlement efforts actually commenced. It was boring work, especially for Evoker. She didn’t like it. In truth, she didn’t like much of anything lately.
Another day, another hundred strides of tunnels mapped. Blah, blah, blah… If she was capable of falling asleep she would’ve done so already, or maybe she would be sipping on some Enerjuice and kicking her feet up on the control panel.
Evoker pressed a button and the drone feed flickered a few times, her own visor doing the same as she connected directly to the drone’s motor systems and sensors.
It was a strange thing, being able to so easily override someone else’s control of their bodies. Not that the drone cared, really - it wasn’t even conscious.
While inside of the Surveyor’s body, she explored the tunnels. Its onboard sensors relayed all the information they could back to her real body - The heat, the pressure, the extreme contrast between light and dark… All of it but the actual soul of the place. Figuratively speaking of course, she reminded herself. It wasn’t as if anything had a soul on Astalon anymore, not after-
An alarm popped up in the upper right corner of her vision.
COMPLEX LIFE FORMS DETECTED. CANNOT CONFIRM LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
Her visor blinked yellow, and dug through the Surveyor’s systems to activate its active sonar. Soon enough, she had pinpointed the location of the life forms. Just as she began to accelerate towards the lifeforms, Astus burst into the surveillance room.
“Heeello there, Evocat! My favorite creation, my most effective worker!” He exclaimed, walking at a brisk pace to Evoker’s side with an infuriatingly wide smirk on his face. “What have ya got here I wonder.” He mused, leaning in a little and looking at the drone feed.
“Lif-”
Astus cut her off. “Life forms detected! Finally! Do ya think they are composed of valuable materials? You’d like a chestpiece upgrade wouldn’t ya Evocat?”
Evoker remained silent, focusing her best to maintain a stable connection with the Surveyor Drone until finally, the drone erupted into a great chamber - an intersection between many different tunnels, with magma fall and drains that went even lower into the Galbar - and saw two life forms indeed.
They were two monstrously sized lizard-like beings, and they were… Swimming in the pool of magma. One was much bigger than the other, probably a parent, and frozen in place as they were, Evoker took the opportunity to fly closer.
“Abnormal biology. The Surveyor’s sensors aren’t calibrated to get a read on this kind of creature’s internals. Taking pictures…”
Three flashes of white light illuminated the faces of the two lizards.
“HEY! Bring up that last picture, Evoker.” Astus ordered and she obeyed.
“See that?” He said, pointing at dozens of glints in the background of the photo.
“Yes. Gemstones. Ores.”
“Exactly! We found what we’re looking for. Pull back for n-”
‘Sssss ssss ss ssssss!’
The static-filled hissing came through the speakers of the surveillance station, Evoker’s visor blinking yellow.
“Evoker, translate.” Astus ordered.
“Sssss ssss ss ssssss!”
“That isn’t a translation, you’re just hissing.”
“Missing language index required to translate new language. I can’t fulfill this request, Boss.”
“Tsk.” Astus clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. “Continue observation. Focus on the gemstones now. Try to find signs of Aethelic Infusion. We need more material for Generation Three.”
The Surveyor drone then floated over to one of the walls of the chamber and took several more pictures. It all went smoothly, until…
’Sss!’
The Surveyor’s feed caught the smaller lizard scurrying off into one of the side tunnels, and immediately after that the whole feed shook and the drone fell to the superheated ground at the shores of the magma pool. Alarms blared in Evoker’s visor, so much so that sparks flew. Before she could react, she felt herself being forcibly disconnected by Astus.
“Hm,” The God mused, side-eyeing the small amount of smoke coming from Evoker’s head before focusing back on the feed. From the edge of the feed, a glowing hot liquid dribbled down into view, damaging the camera as it went.
Then the large lizard crawled into view, inspecting the drone’s single camera before leaning back and spitting on it.
CONNECTION LOST.
Astus read the text on the screen a few times, before shrugging. “We found what we’re looking for. Prepare a squadron of Hunters for extreme heat and pressure. Use the new assembly line and make sure to use materials from the Labyrinth… If we don’t have enough, I’ll leave it up to you to organize an expedition or two into the place. Sapient or not, those oversized geckos don’t know the value of the stuff they’re sitting on.”
III
Evoker stood at the edge of Astalon’s only volcano, observing the dozens of Hunters, Seekers, Extractors and Neurons as they plunged themselves fearlessly into the red hot lava at the center, heading for the depths of the Galbar in search for even more materials to feed the beast that was Astech.
To her sides were Aliver and Cat Lover, two of the first Second Generation Primes to have been created. They both had been serving for less than a decade by this point, and were given the assignment of shadowing Evoker. Honestly, it was a pain having to deal with their questions… Not really because of having to answer them, but due to their innocent nature and organic outlook on things. It reminded her of what she’d done, even after years of trying to lock the memories away behind layer upon layer of encryption that even she had trouble cracking.
“So what’re we sendin’ these things into lava for, Evoker?” Asked the shortest of her apprentices standing to her left. It was Aliver with her trademark soft voice box and ding sound effect.
“I transmitted the briefing documentation to you sixteen hours ago, Aliver. Please make sure to process it the moment you receive it in the future. We’re machines, we’re meant to be efficient and industrious. To answer your question, we’re merely observing Astech’s newest drone detachment as they delve into the Galbar’s crust in search for Aethelic Infused Resources. The resources that your core is made of.”
“Evoker, I tried to log into the Astech Cloud last night to take a look at the job pack but my login details aren’t work-” Said Cat Lover to her right, his communication glitch still present.
“Cat Lover, your voice box is still glitching, it cuts off your sentences just before you finish them. Did you attend the Maintenance Appointment I organized for you with the Boss?”
“Uh-”
“Cat Lover, you’re a machine. You do not need to make needless noises with your voice box. You did not attend the appointment?”
“... Sor-”
Evoker remained silent for a moment, her visor flashing red before slowly going back to a blue hue “... Make sure to attend the next appointment I’ve set for you. Also, did you submit a request to be logged into the Cloud after you provided your credentials?”
“...”
“If you do not submit a request after providing your credentials, Mind will disregard your attempt to log in as a misfire.”
“Evoker, I need to pee.” Said Aliver to her left, a ding echoing out after she’d finished speaking.
“Aliver, you’re a machine. You do not need to urinate, defecate, or engage in sexual acts. These sensations are merely ghosts floating around in your Core. Reminders of your previous organic platform and therefore to be disregarde-”
BOOM
An explosion rang out, the shockwave sending the younger Primes flying back and onto their backsides, while Evoker herself merely braced herself. The very volcano even shook a little and small pieces of charred debris plinked uselessly against the Primes’ reinforced bodies. They were the pieces of what used to be a Neuron, of the few that were floating somewhat far away as they waited for their turn to delve into the depths.
The Hunters and Extractors under its direct influence flagged and crashed, some against the rock of the volcano, others into the lava where they immediately began to melt due to their Aethelic Temperature Regulators being offline, and others all the way down into the forests surrounding the foot of the volcano. Those that fell into the forests weren’t too lucky, as smaller explosions rang out soon after.
“Speaking of ghosts…” Muttered Aliver, to which Cat Lover reacted with a metallic chuckle.
“... Activate your Ea Nerdbel RFGs, Aliver, Cat Lover.”
Soon after, a constant hum emitted from all three Primes along with a low purple glow.
It was going to be a long operation, Evoker realized, feeling even more figurative weight piled onto her metal shoulders, and immediately reported the encounter back to Mind who would take care of arranging the deployment of a new Neuron Squadron sometime soon.
For now, they’d have to make do with two thirds strength. Well, it wasn’t like the geckos down under had anything besides fire spit and big bodies, right?
Astus finds tons of Aethelic Resources deep underground in the lava tunnels and decides to take em for himself, despite the area already being occupied by lava lizards. Evoker is put in charge of overseeing the insertion of a new Drone Army into the depths of the Galbar and is not surprised whatsoever when ghosts suddenly make a third of the army blow up out of nowhere. She decides to continue the insertion while she waits for reinforcements, unfazed. Also she’s got two second generation Primes shadowing her and they’re dumbasses.
Astus’ Starting=8 Used 2 Vigour to quickly rebuild his drone army, reinforcing the various models of drones with enhanced materials and smarter programming. They’re called the Servants as a whole, with each different model under the umbrella term having a specific name ranging from Scouts and Surveyors all the way to Hunters and Destroyers and the like.
Used 1 Vigour to create an automated drone assembly line somewhere in his workshop which pumps out new units to replace destroyed ones.
Within the keep there was a balmy presence, it illuminated the vast hall, as it gently crackled and flickered. The Eternal Fire greeted the six champions escorting the little Homuran towards six strange seats arranged around the bright monument.
The seats were large soft plushies, shaped like white wintery owls, their wings spread out or draped across their chests like feathery blankets. The plushies were surrounded by red pillows, strewn carelessly like toys that had been long forgotten. Beside one plushie was a small table laden with two bowls that held a large egg and a dark orb. There was also a wooden staff, and a sheathed dagger.
As they stepped closer, the hard stone floor was replaced with the silken touch of a red and white carpet, intricate patterns depicting the scenery found in Kel-Phelena woven into the floor cloth beneath their feet.
“You can sit here!” Curiosity said, as she and Wanderer guided Lorelei towards the plushie beside the table. The other champions simply gathered pillows and built an improvised couch for them to use.
“Try not to overwhelm her…” Kindness quietly scolded her inquisitive sister.
After having sat down on the owl plushie and moved the wings out of the way a little bit, she looked at the others in the room, immediately looking away from each as they made eye contact with her. This went on for a little while, until she finally spoke. “W-We’re celebrating, right! Because we became f-friends. So we g-gotta say our thanks.” Lorelei smiled nervously before closing her eyes and clasping her hands.
“Thanks for n-new friends. Thanks for old friends. White, Gray, B-Black, Yellow, Red, Rober, A-Alia…” She scrunched up her face, “Night Terror, Olla, D… That’s it.” She nodded and opened her eyes and smiled. “Who d-do you carry with y-you, guys?”
The six champions had imitated her actions, and had yet to open their eyes. “Thank you, O King in Heaven, for new friends and old friends.” They said together. Then they too, opened their eyes and smiled.
“You’re the first friend we’ve made. Mother gave Viho a mission, and he had to leave before we could really talk. Fear is the only one that has spoken with him for some time.” Curiosity replied.
“Those names. Those are colors, are they not? And the others… would you tell us about them? Kindness asked, attempting to keep the pillows together lest the couch she and her sisters sat upon collapsed. Fear stood up and sat in one of the vacant plushies, simply pulling it closer.
Lorelei perked up and grinned “Y-Yep! They are c-colours. White, my b-brother, told me they chose them b-because their old names were c-cursed. Something about their p-parents leaving them b-behind. So…” The girl pursed her lips, then continued. “Gray w-was my brother’s g-girlfriend, she was really nice and w-would cook breakfast e-every day. She was c-caught by the Homura Guys. Black was his b-best friend, he liked to h-hit things and one t-time he stole a can of t-tuna, but when I f-found him eating it, he shared it w-with me. He was caught b-by the Homura Guys. Yellow and R-Red were brothers… Like you six! They l-looked the same. They had b-blonde hair, though. T-They told me they used to have a s-sister, to explain how they k-knew how to play girl g-games with me… I-I didn’t know her. They got caught by the Homura Guys too.”
“R-Rober and Alia… Old couple. W-White rescued them from drones. They stayed with u-us for a while, then l-left to look for their grandkids. I-I never met Night Terror, but White told me he brought us f-food sometimes, he was a f-friend.” Satisfied, Lorelei dared to look at the champion’s eyes to gauge their reactions.
“What do you mean by the Homura Guys?” Fear asked with a puzzled expression while her sisters seemed to still contemplate Lorelei’s words.
“The Homura Guys, t-took people and did b-bad things to them.” Lorelei shuddered. “C-Came to our house o-one time. White and everyone k-kicked them out. Then t-they attacked them when they w-went out for food. Took e-everyone but W-White. Things h-happened and they were found by H-Hunters. All dead… Even my f-friends. My old friends.”
“Why were these scum created? How did this happen? Our Maker wouldn’t let this happen, right?” Courage shouted at her sisters, after they had remained silent upon hearing the little girl’s answer.
“Is this what happened to the ones that were taken? Or the ones we left with the other gods and goddesses?” Fear questioned aloud, and felt the pain of sorrow choke her as she spoke.
“I-It’s okay. Old b-books made by Primes s-say that we were g-given to the B-Boss. N-Not your fault he ended up b-being an asshole.” Lorelei said sweetly.
“Who is this Biboss?” Courage asked, her features darkened with rage, while Kindness placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s too late. Didn’t you hear her, Courage. Her friends are already dead.” Fear spoke from her seat, head in her hands as she tried to cope with the fact that she couldn’t protect her kin from being abused and killed by some far away evil.
“It’s our time to protect you, Lorelei. Mother will find this monster, and punish him accordingly. It may not heal the pain, but I promise you that you will reunite with your friends.” Pride said, taking advantage of her small size to share the seat with Lorelei, who immediately took the opportunity to hug her.
“What’s an asshole?” Curiosity asked nobody in particular.
“A-Apostate’s nickname for the Boss. Also I-I don’t wanna meet my old f-friends. They’re dead.” Lorelei shook her head, which also served to bury her face further in Pride’s hair. “Your hair is soft, I l-like it. D-Do you wanna eat?”
“It’s my essence, I think. Fire-touched, if that makes sense. What do you mean by eat?” Pride tilted her head in confusion, the word feeling strange on her tongue. She understood its meaning, but didn’t have any context to visualize it in her mind.
“WHAT!” Lorelei jumped up, standing on the plushie. As quickly as she could, she dug through her suit’s pockets and pulled out a somewhat misshapen cube that had been wrapped in paper. Carefully, she handed it to Pride. “W-White’s special. Lasts for m-months and tastes bland. V-Very good. Has meat and potato and corn powder. You c-can share it with everyone!”
Pride peered at the contents within the container after opening it with ease. She leaned back upon understanding what she looked at. “Lorelei, this is terrible. You shouldn’t eat this.” She said, with a look of concern for her friend, and attempting to find a way to properly dispose of the food she held.
“She said you could share it with everyone, I want to see what it is!” Curiosity interjected, while Courage went pale upon the mention of meat as a component. The other champions refrained from commenting.
“B-But… You’re not h-hungry? None of you?” Lorelei asked, sitting back down dejectedly.
“We never feel hunger.” Kindness answered. “Hmm… not in that way, at least. How to explain it… well, we only need to sustain the fire within us. Our Maker and the Eternal Fire offer such sustenance.” The quiet champion explained, gesturing to the blazing bonfire behind them.
“How did you survive for so long eating this?” Curiosity asked as she examined White’s Special with Wanderer looking over her shoulder to see as well.
“We ate that and a-anything else we could find. R-Rats, insects, one time I ate a b-bad plant and White yelled at me. Also cans. I w-wish I could eat heat like you. I wouldn’t be s-so small.” Lorelei said, looking at Pride out of the corner of her eye.
“You should have eaten your fig,” Apostate’s voice came from the threshold, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade, while the other held the spear of Homura upright.
The champions were startled into silence by the god’s sudden arrival, and all of them turned to look his way with mixed expressions. Courage seemed annoyed, while Kindness and Fear had questions in their eyes as they looked at the bloodied god and the golden spear he had.
Curiosity took startlement to the extreme, and did a double-take before laughing nervously, as Wanderer nodded in greetings. Pride remained seated, while holding onto Lorelei.
“Did you discuss what you wanted with Mother?” The small champion asked.
“I did,” the god answered before venturing further into the room. Without another word he approached one of the plush owl seats and sat in it, the soft material squishing under the weight of the tall man. Apostate’s eye fell on the orb set at the center of the table and then at Pride.
“You’ve been doing well then?” He asked, only to look over his shoulder at the threshold expectantly.
“We’ve been fortunate, being able to reunite and be together like this. A lot has happened since you left, it seems. For us, and for others.” Pride answered, and her sisters all relaxed nearby.
“What did you and Mother talk about?” Curiosity asked after passing the can of food to Fear and Kindness so that they could look at it. The inquisitive also pointed to Daybringer, wordlessly questioning why it was in the God of Defiance’s grasp.
Apostate leaned back, letting the spear rest in the crook of his shoulder. He frowned in thought for a moment. “Ask your mother, if she feels you should know, she’ll tell you.”
“The Divine and their secrets, am I right?” Courage chuckled, and simply shrugged at Curiosity who’s curiosity would not be sated.
“I’m uncertain whether this form is more preferable than your previous form.” Pride commented, before shaking her head upon recalling the perturbing memory of a Homura without any eyes. “No, this one is better than the last.” She said.
“Is Lorelei your champion?” Kindness inquired, as she passed the can of food to Courage, then looked at Apostate with an almost perfect replication of the impassive visage of Homura herself.
Studying Kindness’ features with a tired eye, Apostate shook his head. “No, Lorelei is not my champion.”
He looked over to the small girl and gave her a confident grin, which Lorelei responded to with a small smile of her own, before perking up.
“Champion? W-What’s that? Heard it a l-lot today.”
“We were created by our Maker to be her hands that reach across the world. We act in her stead when she is far, and follow her commands with complete obedience. That is what it means to be a Champion of Honor.” Kindness answered, her voice was monotonous, but emotion flickered like a cold fire burning in her eyes while Lorelei stared with her mouth slightly agape.
“Waaow…”
“That’s just the Kindness way of saying that we help Mother out.” Curiosity added with a grin. “We’re also granted strength and knowledge as well!”
“You-re so c-cool! What knowledge?”
“Memories, and feelings. We were born knowing three different languages, and our bodies would just move on their own. Then there are our names. Each of them showed us something deep within. Like looking at something far away, but familiar to you, if that makes sense.” Pride answered, while Kindness and Fear looked between each other, having another silent conversation between themselves.
“They also mastered the dead-pan.” Apostate glanced at Curiosity. “Well, most of them.”
“Most of us were granted strength. Little Pride has trouble lifting only one of us.” Courage quipped, teasing the small champion with a playful grin.
“H-Hey! Pride is gonna g-grow! And she will be s-stronger than even me.” Lorelei nodded to herself, then nodded at Pride. “Right?”
“Yes, I will. I’ll also drop my…” The small champion did not finish her sentence going suddenly still, until she gestured to Courage with her hands moving quickly in little angry motions.
“Ya, ya. What’s with that thing anyway?” Courage pointed to the orb that rested upon the table. She looked to Apostate for an answer.
“Hm?” Apostate perked a brow and looked over at the smoky glass ball. He held out a hand and the ball began to rattle in its bowl. A second longer and it suddenly snapped from its place and zipped right into the gods grasp. He looked it over. “You want to know the secret of the glass ball?”
“YEAH!” Lorelei suddenly shouted then shrunk back down, a blush covering her bronzed skin. “Sorry. Loud.”
Apostate cracked a small smile and then tossed it at Courage. With the enhanced agility of a champion, her arms were a blur as she caught the heavy orb sailing through the air towards her. She almost stumbled backwards, but regained her balance quickly.
“Why is this thing always being used as a weapon?” The brash champion complained.
“Maybe that’s what it is,” Apostate answered cryptically before shaking his head. “There are two more of them, you know. One to the Northwest and one to the Southwest. Combined with this one, you get a nice little triangle…”
He trailed off and then leaned in, motioning for everyone else to mimic him as he arced over the table, a conspirator’s look in his eye.
The six champions seemed bewildered by his actions, and remained where they were. “Are you alright, your grace?” Kindness asked with a hint of concern. Wanderer was the first to realize what was happening, and joined him. She began her rubbing hands together in preparation for some nefarious plot, making Lorelei giggle before joining in.
“What is happening?” Courage asked, still confused.
“The secret of the b-balls is about to be shared!” Whispered Lorelei loudly.
Courage looked at the orb in her hands, then shook her head with mirth. “Fine. I’m in.” Then the brash champion joined them as well.
“And you can’t tell anyone, ever?” Apostate pointed a finger. “Do you understand? This is a secret between us.”
Both Courage and Wanderer nodded. The other champions were more reluctant, but agreed as well. All, aside from Pride.
“If this secret poses a threat to Keltra or its people, then I will reveal it.” The small champion announced, staring with defiance at Apostate. Apostate stared back, a smile on his face. Not wanting to be left behind after looking at both Pride and Apostate, Lorelei nodded vigorously.
Apostate crossed his arms. “I don’t know, you sound a little too easy to peel apart and reveal the secret. Perhaps it would be safer if you didn’t know, in case someone were to attempt to blackmail it out of you… hmm…”
“Hmph, Heralds of Honor, should this secret be considered a threat to Keltra, then you are ordered to share it with your Maker and I.” Pride said again, and her five sisters looked conflicted upon hearing those words.
Apostate swiped a hand in the air, as if closing the case. “It won’t come to that, let me make it all make sense. Are you all prepared for the secret?”
“Go, go!” Lorelei repeated, bouncing a little on her plushie seat and leaning forward on her hands.
Apostate’s eye flashed a stormy grey, and as it did, the eyes of his conspirators pulsed the same, and for a brief moment, so did the ball. The god cracked a smirk and leaned back, clearly proud of himself.
“Now don’t tell anyone, and never say it outloud.”
Lorelei sat back, letting herself sink back into the plushie. “Ok. T-That felt weird.”
“Necessary precaution.” Apostate held up his hand. A thought clearly crossed Apostate, his face becoming thoughtful and serious. Slowly he stood up, hefting Daybreaker upright once again.
“I think I’ll go check in on Homura,” he mentioned simply, but didn’t quite leave just yet..
The champions contemplated what they had learned, and Courage was the first to voice aloud her thoughts. “That’s not dangerous, ya?”
“Did you hit your head with that thing? It’ll be dangerous in the future. I don’t like being involved in the petty games the Divine play between themselves. We should tell Mother.” Pride countered, letting out a small sigh of frustration as she did so often when Courage was involved.
“That was awfully quick,” Apostate commented. “Don’t do anything rash, now.” He looked over at the threshold. “I’m trusting you with this.”
He began his walk out, his boots matching the soft tap of the spear as he walked out.
“Come on, it will be fun!” Courage continued, “Besides, we were also told to do whatever the other gods and goddesses say, so let’s not do anything rash, ya.”
“Fine! It shall remain here, and its purpose kept a secret for now.” Pride said, after relenting to her brash sister’s goading words. “How annoying…” The small champion mumbled to herself.
“Are you alright?” Kindness asked Lorelei, noticing the girl had retreated into the plushie after the experience of having a god insert knowledge directly in their minds.
“Yep!” Lorelei responded and yawned, the light of the flames in the center of the hall reflecting off her eyes. “T-Tired. Small. I w-wanna be big like you. Maybe then I would understand more. Also I-I’m icky. Sorry.” She blushed. “Y-You’re all so much more c-cleaner than me. I-I’m just a Homuran. I shouldn’t be t-treated this well. Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You’re more than just a Homuran, you’re our guest. You’ve been treated poorly by one who should’ve known better, and that’s tainted your view of yourself. Do not be ashamed, we think you’re wonderful the way you are. If you’re tired, would you like to rest?” Pride said, her voice returning to its more gentle dulcet tone.
Lorelei was silent for a while, “I-I think you’re all really nice too.” After another moment, she continued, “Is there a river here? I-I gotta clean my body and suit and visor.”
“There’s the sea… but I think it’d be better if we asked our Mother to help us.” Curiosity suggested, gesturing to the exit.
“I’ll go ask her!” Courage volunteered, and dashed out the doorway before any of her sisters could intervene.
“Nng, nyo!! I d-don’t want Homura to know I get dirty…” Lorelei groaned, pulling her hoodie down over her burning face.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Mother is much more likely to get mad at us if we don't do anything. She wants to help us, but I think she is too focused on nonsensical things to just say what she wants to say. You’ll find that the Divine can be just as childish as any mortal.” Pride explained, and attempted to soothe the anxious girl by massaging her shoulders.
Lorelei yelped as Pride immediately found a knot in her shoulders, “Ow! Don’t stop!”
“It is too late anyway. Courage cannot be stopped once she has a plan, and our Maker has been listening in on our conversation this entire time, I imagine.” Kindness added, emotion still exempt from her voice.
“What? So she- S-She knows…” Lorelei sighed, “Kindness why a-are you talking like that? Are you okay?”
Kindness tilted her head at the question. “I am fine. This is how I have spoken since I was born. Is there an issue?” But before Lorelei could reply, Fear interjected. “You could smile more often.” Then Curiosity chimed in as well. “And you had such a beautiful laugh!” She said while Wanderer nodded in agreement.
“I understand. L-Life is tough. White told me that the c-cure for sadness is a big meal. I will p-prepare a big meal for you Kindness. N-No meat, right?” Lorelei asked, hopping off the plushie and walking up to Kindness.
“We do not eat… You do not need to make something for me. Your smile is the only cure I need for my sadness.” Kindness said, leaning close to the girl, and offering a small smile. It seemed only a facsimile of an actual smile, but the reticent champion’s words were tinged with truth and echoed with faint power.
Lorelei in turn pursed her lips, “Humm… Okay. Okay.”
“You will find that there is no need to consume the beauty all around you, child. The Eternal Fire sustains life, much like the presence of the Divine, and wards the faithful from the vile touch of hunger.” Homura’s voice echoed with far more power in the vast halls, resonating with both the light and darkness.
She stepped into the hall followed by Courage and Apostate, approaching them with otherworldly grace, and shimmering with heavenly radiance.
“Oh! Uh, umm… Hi! I-It’s not making me feel full… The Fire. How d-do I feed off of it?” Lorelei asked, turning towards Homura but not daring to look at her, instead she looked at the ground as usual and twiddled her thumbs as she waited for a reply.
“You must cleanse yourself of death. All of the life you have consumed has become lost, and has forgotten its purpose. I will teach you a ritual to purify yourself, child, and then you will know how to sustain yourself.” Homura answered, until Kindness stepped between the goddess and Lorelei.
“Let her make the choice for herself. She is not your servant, nor is she bound to Keltra like we are. What if she should want to leave?”
Apostate raised a brow and Homura came to a halt before Kindness, and spoke softly. “She will not be hurt, and is welcome to leave whenever she wishes. Besides, while the fire is small now, perhaps it will one day spread its warmth across the world. I presume this is the influence of Apostate compelling you to stand against me.”
“No, this is me. I would rather you stop pretending that you have all of the answers. We were fortunate that Courage and Fear were able to return. If you make a mistake, and harm her, know that I will not follow you any longer.” Both the goddess and her champion stood still and stared at each other. Of her six champions, Kindness was too much like her, that when they stood beside each other, it was nigh impossible to differentiate them. Only divinity and mortality separated them.
Apostate spoke up, “Homura wouldn’t hurt Lorelei,” he looked at the Goddess intently, “wouldn’t you? You’d let her live as she wanted, and be there for when she needs someone, yeah?”
Lorelei meekly pulled on Kindness’ clothes, “I-It’s okay. L-Life is tough. Bosses have it tough. I-I remember my brother c-crying himself to sleep at night every night after w-we lost the others… The morning after, h-he would always pretend everything was o-okay even when it wasn’t. He d-did it for me. And now he’s dead. And I w-wish I had talked to him more. I-It’s okay, Kindness.”
Wordlessly, Kindness stepped aside, her gaze wandering between Lorelei and Kindness. Courage came forward, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. It doesn’t even hurt, ya.”
Homura knelt beside the little girl, and smiled. “You will awaken feeling reborn, but your past will remain with you forever. I will not stop you if you seek to return to your old ways. Now sleep.” And the hand of the goddess gently touched the head of the child, sending her into the world of dreams.
“Hmm… I wonder why our siblings choose such an inefficient method of sustaining the fire of life within their creations? I can only presume it was hubris, or cowardice. Brother, our aspects are very similar. Do you know the truth that is the ultimate act of both Honor and Defiance?” The red goddess asked.
“I have a strange feeling in my heart, that even if I did, you’d correct me with a different answer.” Apostate pinched his chin in thought. “Perhaps. Hmm… feel free to correct me if you think I am wrong then. I believe the answer is being alive. The King in Heaven bid us create life, but why? My understanding of Honor tells me that this world gave us only two choices. Accept that we have been imprisoned, or accept death and fade into nothingness. I cannot accept either of those choices, so I defy them. Honor is the means with which I defy both nihilism and annihilation. That is what I believe.” Homura said.
A deep rumble came from Apostate before he closed his eye in silence. “All life is a rebellion against entropy.”
The goddess smiled while her hand began to shimmer and she removed Lorelei’s stained outfit, setting free her short, disheveled dark brown hair as well as the pair of small triangular ears on top of her head, both of which were laying completely flat at the moment. Without the hoodie covering her face, it was also clear that there were several natural markings of a darker skin tone along her face which extended down her neck and onto her shoulders, and a (relatively) long cat-like tail sprouted from the bottom of her spine and was currently wrapped around her waist. Everything about her body was natural, with the exception of the near-invisible strings of characters that had been inscribed into her skin over her wrists and above the base of her tail.
“Hmm... Astus has a sense of humor, it seems. Rebellion… Rebellion. Every devil needs a proper name. I think mine shall be The Red Angel of Rebellion. What do you think, brother?” The light from Homura’s hand washed over Lorelei, seeping into her skin and illuminating her veins.
Apostate gave Homura an amused look before letting loose a chorus of chuckles. He squinted at her, still bemused, and shook his head. “You’re quite the rebel now, are you?”
“I am what I am. I will fight against death and despair until I have achieved victory. That is my purpose. That is my first law that I uphold, and only the King in Heaven supersedes it.” Homura answered, and her champions gathered around to watch as she performed the ritual to cleanse Lorelei of the death that was within her.
“Well, I’ll have to remember that the next time you decide to throw a rule book at me.” Apostate crossed his arms and muttered, “rebel by law...”
He cocked his head, still clearly talking to himself and gave nothing in particular a satisfied shrug. “Well it’s a start.”
Time passed while Homura continued the spell, and her champions remained silent. When the ritual was complete, the goddess altered the nearby pillows into blankets and covered the sleeping girl.
“I shall cleanse her attire, and rid myself of pollution outside. You six watch over her for now. I will return, and when she awakens, we shall deliver our gifts to Apostate, as promised.” Homura proclaimed, and then set out from the keep into the darkness of night. The six champions looked between themselves and then at Lorelei. In their eyes burned the fierce fires of devotion, a desire to protect and comfort that which they saw.
“You won’t suffer again. Not as long as we can do anything about it.” Pride promised, and her sisters nodded in agreement.
“We should make her something, like a gift.” Fear suggested, and once again, all of the champions nodded in agreement. “I have an idea.” The anxious champion added, and explained the thought to her sisters. All of them ascertained that the idea was good, and began to work on it immediately.
“Ah, she’s so cute!” Curiosity chimed while she worked, watching as Wanderer stroked the soft furry ears of the sleeping girl.
Apostate shook his head. “I’ll leave you to your…” He couldn’t think of the right word and groaned in silence for a moment. Instead of figuring it out, the god slowly left the room.
-The champions of Homura lead Lorelei into the keep where they take her to their spot beside the Eternal Fire to have a relaxed conversation.
-The champions learn about the horrid state of things in Astalon, and Lorelei learns that the champions do not eat food.
-Apostate makes an appearance, and does Apostate things.
-Courage almost dies again.
-Secrets are shared, but kept safe.
-Homura does some laundry.
-Lorelei goes to sleep, and the champions make her a gift.
Apostate spends 0 Vigor.
Homura spends 0 Vigor.
Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride gain 2 Spirit.
Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride each spend 1 Spirit to forge an artifact: Lorelei’s Outfit (it cleans itself)
Midnight Lavender recoiled, pulling up her hands in time, barely, to protect against the sandal that had been thrown straight at her face.
“What the hell, mom!”
Midnight’s mom fumed and held her temple. The teenager could swear her mom was about to burst a vein. “I TOLD you not sign up. I TOLD you! Now what are we-”
“We? WE?! We haven’t done anything! YOU haven’t done anything! Even though everyone’s being carried off into the guts of this stinky ass place, you REFUSE to even let ME do ANYTHING to improve our lives!” Midnight stomped on the metal ground, a shot of pain travelling up her right leg all the way up to her hip as if it was lightning. She huffed.
Her mom stepped back for a moment, but Midnight knew her very well. There wasn’t a chance that she would back down. “D… Don’t talk back at me like that, you little bitch!” The very air froze. Her mom stood in front of her, hand high up and ready to come down on her face. But it never did, instead, her mom blinked and made a face she’d never seen before. Tears welled up in her mom’s eyes and her shoulders began to shake. “I-”
“Fuck you! I’m done with you and this tiny can of sardines.” Midnight shook her head and began to dig through the scarce few drawers in their home and put some of her clothes and essentials in her backpack.
“I-I’m sorry, Middy. I don’t know what came over me. Please stay, let’s talk this over.” Her mom began to plead, gently placing her hands on Midnight’s shoulder.
Midnight pulled away, closed her backpack and left the cell they’d called home for the past seven years, pushing past her nosy neighbours in the process. As she turned a corner in the metal labyrinth, she could hear her mother’s sobs slowly fade away.
II
Midnight wiped the cold sweat off the old man’s forehead and then helped him stretch his limbs one by one. The man groaned, eyes closed and face flushed. His fever had only risen and risen since he had been quarantined, his body slowly starting to atrophy, skin colour changing little by little. Lucidity wasn’t the strong man’s suit, as he had dementia from before he’d caught the Spores, but even that had been deteriorating lately. Over the last three days, the only time that the elder had said anything was that morning.
“Hunger…” He whispered then, and then fell into slumber once more.
It was a sign that he was close to the end. She knew, because this was the twentieth person she’d been assigned to in the last week, and the only one to remain well enough to still be considered alive.
The others laid completely covered in white sheets on the beds they died on, lined up along the walls of the ward.
“Homurans should take care of Homurans, isn’t that right Midnight?” Asked a somewhat muffled voice. Midnight turned to see a familiar face. Pale skin and red markings that seemed to bleed off of his fiery red hair were always a sight for sore eyes. She smiled at Bloodred, her half-lidded eyes only exacerbating the dark bags under her eyes. She wobbled a bit.
“Wow wow, easy there tiger-” He rushed to her side and held her by the shoulders. He lifted one of his thick eyebrows as he looked deep into her eyes and pursed his lips. “What did I say? You need to rest, Mid.”
“Nah…” Midnight grumbled, taking just one second too long to turn back to her patient. “I got work to do, hunk.”
“I feel so objectified and sexualized.” Bloodred smirked, although the expression was covered by his half-mask.
“You can handle it. Semma Aqua, on the other ear…” Midnight sighed, slouching just a tiny bit.
Bloodred sighed and used one arm to hug her from behind and the other to gently caress her head. She started to cry, the sobbing muffled by her half-mask.
“It’s been tough, hasn’t it?”
“Y-Yeah…”
They remained like that for a little while, until…
“Gggheelll…”
A voice Midnight hadn’t heard in days suddenly groaned. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a shiver going up her spine and her ears shaking and twisting and turning to try and confirm whether the sound came from where she thought it came. She tried to turn around to face the source of the groan, but Bloodred’s grip had tightened, and upon looking up at his face she could see him looking back at whatever had groaned.
“Mid, the list said that Semmi Aqua died two days ago, right?”
“Y-Yeah, why?” Midnight asked, still trying to free herself from her partner’s embrace. “Why? What’s there?”
“”Two days… That shouldn’t be enough time for Spores to get this bad…” Bloodred said quietly, before looking down at Mid and nodding. In an instant, he hoisted her up with a grunt onto his shoulder and walked toward the exit. “Situtation’s evolved love. There’s no way to know when the other 18 people in your ward are going to wake up, so we’re leaving.”
“Wake up?! You mean-”
“Yup. The infection cycle has accelerated.”
The last thing Midnight saw before the door to her ward closed behind them was the shambling form of Semmi Aqua, Semma Aqua’s lifelong mate. Her skin was a sickly colour, her eyes clouded over, she had strange growths under her skin, and was making her way straight for Semma Aqua, who laid unconscious on his bed.
Then the metal doors closed, and Bloodred smashed the emergency button next to them. Red lights and an alarm started blaring all over the quarantine zone.
“W-Wait! We have to go back for Semma Aqua! If we don’t, he’ll-”
“Die? You know as well as I do that there’s no cure for Spores. If we saved him now, he’d die tomorrow or the day after.” Bloodred explained, still carrying Midnight on his shoulder even as he made his way to the quarantine zone’s exit.
“... How did this happen? It always takes at least four days for the last stage to begin! Four!” She repeated, burying her face in her hands.
“No idea.”
The hiss of an opening airlock betrayed the fact they were entering the decontamination chamber. It was only after they walked inside and the airlock closed behind them that Bloodred set Midnight down. “Sorry about that, I didn’t want to risk you running off on your own, Mid.”
“It’s… Fine.” she sighed.
“HOMURAN PERSONNEL DETECTED. UNDRESS IMMEDIATELY.” Demanded a robotic voice through the intercoms. They didn’t hesitate, they quickly and efficiently took their white overalls off and tossed them into a chute in the wall.
As she stood there waiting for the Quarantine Assistant to proceed to the next step of decontamination, Midnight felt Bloodred’s hot breath on her ear.
“Looking sexy as ever, puma.” He whispered. He chuckled and pulled away as soon as he saw Midnight fidgeting and her ears flattening against her head.
“UNIFORM STERILIZED. PREPARE FOR DECONTAMINATION.” It didn’t take long for the room to fill up with a thick, cool fog. It burned their airways a little as they breathed it in, and they couldn’t help but cough and sneeze.
It was all finished soon enough and the gas was suctioned out of the room via vents placed all over the floor.
“UNIFORMS DISPATCHED. DRESS YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY.” A ding sound accompanied the announcement, and two compartments opened in the wall containing an uniform for each, which they quickly put on.
“DECONTAMINATION COMPLETE. PROCEED TO HOSPITAL.” The airlock leading to the hospital then opened, and the couple walked out of decontamination at last. Posted on either side of the airlock were Primes, each holding a shield and a spear.
“Report to the Archivist at once, Homuran Midnight Lavender. Homuran Blood Red, report to the Head of Security.” Said one of the two Primes, an exceedingly tall and strong-looking one.
“After reporting your failure to your superiors, you may take three days to rest.” Said the other, much slimmer and feminine but made up of sharp and intimidating parts.
Midnight sighed and rubbed at her temple, then began to walk towards the Archivist’s study. Bloodred, who had to go the opposite way to the Head of Security waved at her with a stupid grin on his face.
“See you tonight at Celeste’s Tuna Emporium?” He asked loudly, to which Midnight merely waved her hand.
“Sure, sure. Seven.”
Bloodred made a fist pump. “Yess!”
“Detecting high levels of pheromones in atmosphere composition. Possible source: Clingy, needy, sexually underdeveloped feline Homuran.” The feminine looking Prime said, a high pitched whirr coming from within her body soon after.
Bloodred blushed and shook his head, walking away. “Tsk. You bags of bolts wouldn’t understand how great she is even if I explained it…”
Turns out Astus’ workshop has been suffering from a bit of a fungus infection over the last few months and the Homurans are being forced to take care of their own. It hasn’t been going terribly well. Midnight Lavender and Blood Red, two volunteers, witness the start of the newest outbreak of what they call “Spores”, which is just the reanimation of a body thanks to the Fungus Parasite. They all seem to be used to outbreaks by now however, so they don’t take it too seriously. Guess it’s easy to manage when in a highly advanced God’s home, huh?
Voligan made his way towards Astus’ base of operations, fairly easily following the direction that the 12 earth eating colossi came from. They weren’t subtle creatures, taking after their creators in that way. He needed Astus's help. He had a vision in mind for helping the mortal’s creations and their expansion, but he needed someone who was as interested in the materials and their uses as he was. That would be his brother of Industry.
He arrived at Astus’ base and was impressed, despite himself. His brother had been busy, now that land, resources, and mortals were out and about. Plus, Astus hadn’t killed anyone to make it. That was more than several of their siblings could say right now.
“Astus, it’s Voligan! I need to talk to you about something I would like your help on!” He called out as he landed on the base. His form took on a metallic, humanoid shape that was devoid of any features.
There was a crashing sound within Astus’ wooden base, and a second later a large explosion took out half of the visible structure. Black smoke rose from the debris, even as the walls began to visibly repair themselves. From the smoke came Astus, shirtless and covered in what looked like tar. His whole head was on fire, but he seemed unbothered, laughing loudly upon seeing Voligan, who waved in reply.
“Look who’s come to visit us, Astus! If it isn’t our favourite ol’ pal, Voligan.” The charcoal-skinned god exclaimed, quickly walking up to Voligan and forcefully shaking his hand. Voligan did not return the shake, but it didn’t appear he needed too. Astus continued, “I’m glad to finally meet you in person, metal man! I gotta say, you did a pretty good job setting up all this land. I’m not the only one to recognize that either am I? Our boss thinks the same. So tell me Vol,” Astus grinned behind the flames enveloping his head and slithered up next to Voligan, placing his arm around Voligan’s shoulders. “What can your pal Astus do for ya?”
Voligan waited patiently for Astus to finish his spiel, turning his head to face the other god. “I have set up the land, and you have seeded it with minerals, gems, and ores. I would like to make both of those more useful to the mortals that I’m sure you have noticed popping up all around the land. Our sister Aethel has created magic throughout the world, and powered it through a great tree. I would like to use that magic to make parts of both of our creations stronger and better than it would be normally. To make a realm where the magic of the tree is combined with land and minerals to then be returned to the earth as magical land and minerals. “ Gold that is as strong as steel, iron that resists ice and flame, rubies that increase strength, obsidian that absorbs magical energy, and countless other possibilities. On my end it would allow mortals to craft and utilize stronger and more powerful technology, helping them fight against Iqelis, Yesaris, Ruina and their creations. On your end, it would allow your industry to work more quickly, and help your servants protect themselves from the likes of Phelenia. I’m sure you noticed her tantrum over the Bjorks having the gall to make dams. It would benefit us both, and help protect the mortals that we both want kept safe. Albeit for different reasons.”
Astus rubbed his chin for a moment, face scrunched up in thought. Eventually, he nodded and relaxed. “You speak exactly how I imagined it. Yes! I agree with your line of thought, Vol. Think we have enough time to set up Mana-Infusion Pumps all around the Galbar, though? I know it’d take me about 50 terms to build enough to get started with the project.”
“I would prefer that we created the realm first, and then you make your Mana pumps. Aethel seems protective of her creation, so I would rather not risk tipping her off to what we plan and have to fight against her while trying to set up pumps, create the realm, and spread its magical creations across Galbar. You’ll have enough trouble keeping your pumps up and running after we get the realm set up, I imagine. Your creations are not popular with several of our siblings, and that’s not even including Ruina and her obsession with ‘testing’ things.” Voligan paused, looking over to the north where Aethel’s great tree was.
“Besides, your pumps will doubtlessly be better and stronger if you have experience working with the source of mana itself, rather than trying to collect it with no idea of how it works.”
Astus closed his eyes and scrunched up his face, almost as if he was in pain. Still with his eyes closed, he spoke. “Y’know what, I’ll do you a solid and follow your plan this time, Vol. Consider it payback.” He finally opened his eyes and pulled away from Voligan, dusting himself off and putting out the fire that had been enveloping his head for the last couple minutes. “So that big ol’ tree is still being maintained by Aethel, then? Sounds like an undertaking. Should’a just covered it in pesticides and go build something else. Back on topic though, in order to make this realm we will need to make sure it is securely tied to the Galbar. We should create a lotta entry points all over the world and then cover them up. My pumps can then redirect mana into the realm and let it do its thing in there.”
Voligan nodded. “Since you decided to do me a solid, I’ll return the favor and let you name the realm.”
He looked over in the direction of the tree, musing partially to himself. “Hmm. Until we can get your mana pumps up and running, we’ll have to use the tree itself to power the realm. I suggest taking a root and connecting it to our realm. That should provide more than enough mana to get us started, and make it harder for Aethel to remove it should she take issue with what we’ve done. Then, if she does have a problem, by the time she removes the root the realm will have your mana pumps to keep it afloat. Then it’s only a matter of collection for our followers, which I’m sure you’ll have no problem figuring out yourself.” He looked back over to Astus. “Unless you have a better plan?”
Astus shrugged, “Vol, I said I was gonna follow your plan and that’s what I’m gonna do. Plus, I decided the realm is gonna be called The Volilands. Heh.” Astus smirked.
Voligan shrugged. “If you’d like. Follow me to the tree then please.” He headed off towards Aethel’s magical tree without checking to see if Astus was following. The other god would. There were too many opportunities that he couldn’t afford to pass up by not following. Voligan landed at the base of the tree, his form shifting to loose and crumbling dirt as it touched on the ground. Astus landed next to him soon after, a shovel in one hand and a pickaxe in the other. Voligan looked up at the massive, shining, creation. “Hmm. I suppose we’ll have to start from the roots to create the Volilands. Digging down here is as good a place as any.” Voligan declared.
A grin broke out on Astus’ face as he threw his pickaxe onto the ground and moved to the spot to be dug, just in time for Voligan to move his hands outward in a parting motion. he ground in front of him opened a tunnel down at an angle into the root systems of the Tree of Harmony. Far down the tunnel, a bright light shone with the power of Mana. “There it is.”
Voligan then descended down the tunnel until he was able to touch the root with his hand, Astus once more arriving soon after. “I will need your assistance for this, brother. Creating another realm within Galbar without ripping the planet asunder will require both of our efforts.”
“Wait, we're doing this the magicky way? C’mon... Why did I even bring the shovel, then?” Astus sighed and threw away his shovel and closed his eyes. “Ready when you are, Vol. Guide the efforts and I’ll support you whenever you hit a snag.” He said as he crossed his arms, with all his muscles visibly tensing up as a spark came from the mana concentration. “Whoops, we can’t allow you to destabilize just yet, Sparky. Vol, get to it while I keep it stable. The Mana’s trying to scatter now that we’re here.”
“Of course we’re doing it the magic way. The physical way would take eons.” Voligan replied, amused at Astus’ complaints. Voligan concentrated on bending the mana of the root to his will. The root glowed with brighter and brighter colors as it drew from the Tree and it began to writhe like a snake in his hands.
Right as the power of the tree began to be too much for the two gods to handle, Voligan thrust the root into the ground beneath them and directed his vision. The earth beneath their feet rumbled and groaned and then exploded downwards with an intense magical force. The two gods fell downwards, blinded by a swirling storm of mana. Out of sheer instinct, Voligan unleashed his true form. One hand grasped the root which, seemingly feeding off of his divine energy, also grew in size with him. The other cupped Astus to prevent the other god from being thrown around or hurt by the writhing storm of magical and divine energy.
Voligan landed with a crash still grasping the, now massive, root. As his vision cleared he saw that the mana was acting exactly as his will desired. They were in an endless cavern that held all sorts of impossible and beautiful sights. Mountains of rubies that glowed with an inner flame, dunes that stretched down from the ceiling and up from the ground to form and endless hourglass exchange of sands, gold that flowed like water, massive mountains that rose and crumbled into dust off in the distance, a giant sunstone ground across the ceiling while an equally large moonstone moved in perfect tandem on the ground.
“Hmm. Yes, this will do nicely.”
“Nicely? Vol, this is one hundred percent amazing! Imagine all the new machines I can create with these things! Oh, I’m gonna have a good time delving in here!”
Voligan and Astus’ pleasure at seeing their work coming to fruition was cut short by gigantic bolts of mana ripping into and across the ceiling. It was trying to force its way out. If it did so in its current form there was no telling what kind of devastation and destruction it would wreak once it reached the surface. “Astus, could you take care of those bolts. Create a way out for them that won’t result in explosions across the face of Galbar, or something similar.”
Astus tapped his chin for a moment, then nodded. Immediately, he got to work. He dug up through the ceiling in many places and created vents. After some time, he came back down to meet up with Voligan and wiped some sweat off his brow. “There we go, pal. 238 Mana Vents ready for service. They will open and let out some of the pressure accumulated by the Mana currents down here every now and then. It will be safe, probably. Also now that I’ve made these vents, Volilands isn’t really fitting. Let’s go with… The Labyrinth. Tons of dumbass mortals are gonna get lost here, so the name fits well.”
“They will, especially once tell of the entrances I put all around Galbar reach them. They will be drawn to the riches promised by the Labyrinth, and the strong will survive to use those riches for their own betterment.” Voligan looked around again, pleased with their work. “Hmm. Now we only have to hope that Phelenia doesn’t murder them for daring to be industrious, or that Aethel doesn’t throw a tantrum over us borrowing her tree root.”
“Hey hey, I get tired of Gods and mortals saying ‘Phelenia this, Phelenia that’ all the time! All she did was squash some little fleshy watermelons! It was quite industrious I gotta say. To be so bold so early!” Astus laughed, both hands on his hips. “Aaand yeah, I think we’re done here. We heading home now or do you have any more stuff you need my help with, pal?”
Voligan looked around at their work, shaking his head. It was already exactly what it needed to be. "I believe we're done for now. Thank you for your help, Astus. If you are looking for other projects, mortals have been spread over much of Galbar. They could use someone to teach them of Industry." Voligan began follow the root they had pulled down, heading back to the surface of Galbar.
"Though I would caution you against brushing off Phelenia's actions. She killed mortals for building dams with wood. If you wish to expand beyond your home, consider how she would react to your devices."
They returned to the earth under the tree, Voligan now in a featureless vaguely humanoid dirt form. "Thank you for your help Astus. I wish you luck in your endeavors."
Astus nodded, “See ya around, pal. You’ve got my word--I’ll be using the resources we just created to make our world even cooler.” He said before floating out of the burrow. Voligan followed soon after, covering the burrow to make it as if they had never dug down to begin with, and then left. He had other things to create.
Some time in the past, before Astus had built the Prime Astalonians and stolen the Homurans, Voligan visited. Together they decided to make an underground realm that stretches across the world called the Labyrinth. They do so by travelling up to the Tree of Harmony, digging down and finding a root with a particularly high concentration of Mana, which Voligan then uses to create the Labyrinth while Astus keeps the mana stable. After the Labyrinth has been created, the two Gods go down to check it out, which ends up with Astus creating several hundred Vents in order to keep Mana Pressure manageable down there, and Voligan creating lots of entrances on the surface.
Fin.
-Voligan: 2 (reduced from four) to create the Labyrinth, a magical realm in the center of Galbar that creates magical gems, minerals, ores, whatever is of and comes from the earth. Rubies that grant fire resilience or generate heat constantly, iron that never rusts, gold that is strong as steel, diamonds that allow you to turn invisible, anything and everything. You just have to get there to collect it. And survive there as it’s always changing and moving, and there is no edible food or water. There are countless entrances that spew forth magical minerals, ores, gems, etc etc. Some are only big enough for whatever they’re spewing out to get through, others big enough to march an army through.
Ending vigor: 3
-Astus: Starting= 6 Vigour
1 Vigour used to create several hundred Mana Vents to keep a stable amount of mana pressure down in the Labyrinth. Whenever the Vents open (and they’re automated at the moment, so they know when to open), a lightning bolt of pure Mana shoots up into the sky on the surface and infuses the clouds over it with supercharged mana.
CRITICAL ERROR. FOREIGN OBJECT DETECTED IN CORE CAVITY. ELECTRO-AETHELIC FIELD DISRUPTED. CANNOT CONNECT CORE TO PLATFORM.
Carer’s field of vision flickered on erratically, the noise being phased out little by little. The weird thing was that she hadn’t even tried to activate any of her sensory systems. She tried to move her head and felt her heart skip a beat when it moved the complete opposite way and found herself looking straight at the other two Astalonians beside her - Evoker and Knuckle. Knuckle in particular seemed to have gotten a brand new head, something that hinted at what must have happened after she had been deactivated the night before. For a while there she was forced by her own body to look at her fellow colleagues, until one by one the hum of the Vitae in their conduits started to pick up and the lights behind their visors turned on.
Their bodies jerked a little as they activated themselves, and Carer’s fears were confirmed when they stared straight ahead without a word - Their Father had imprisoned them in their own bodies. Carer carried out a few tests of her own to confirm this, of course, by trying to move each of her limbs or trying to shift her form, but nothing worked.
It wasn’t until what felt like hours later that an excited-looking Astus barged into the room.
“Wow!” He yelled as he nearly tripped on a large wrench that had been laying on the floor. He then banged his shin against a low metal stool and hissed, “Ffffuck!”
It took a few moments of him organizing the workshop before he finally turned towards the three Astalonians, his grin vanishing and replaced by a thoughtful look. He brought a finger up to his chin and tapped it repeatedly.
“Aalright…” Astus muttered, walking up closer to Carer. He stood right in front of her, a full head taller, and looked down at her. Carer would’ve looked back at him, but her body wouldn’t obey her, so instead she looked straight ahead like a lifeless puppet. “No words now, Carer?”
There were words to say, but she couldn’t say them. Right now, the only thing she had any control over was her Core, and even that had been difficult to control lately…
“Even though you were so adamant about saving the tiny lives of the Homurans?”
Carer tried her hardest to move. She sent wave after wave of commands to her body, but none would actually reach her Vitae. Still, she tried.
“Good. You’re called the Industrious for a reason, and the reason is that you’re all supposed to work whenever you’re required and never question my orders. I can repurpose you all just as easily as I created you.” He explained, patted their heads and turned around. For a while, he just resumed tidying up the workshop until finally, he began to walk out. “Oh, feel free to consider what’s about to happen as your punishment for both defying me and not giving your all to work. I know you in particular have an unhealthy amount of ‘feelings’ for the Homurans, Carer, so this will be therapeutic for you. I imagine it will desensitize you to the intended nature of organic-machine interactions.”
And with that he turned off the lights, walked out, and closed the door behind him. Soon after, Carer lost all perception of the world as her body went into stand-by.
II
”GOOOOOD EVENING LITTLE HOMURANS.”A deep, static-filled voice rang out throughout the entire Island of Astalon, reaching every corner of the land. The announcement this time caught everyone as they were making their way home from work, with the exception of the night workers. ”THE ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT IS A BIT SPECIAL - I’M SURE YOU’VE ALL BEEN COMFORTABLE LATELY WITH THE RATE OF PROGRESS WE’VE BEEN SEEING, ALL THANKS TO MY HARD WORK. WELL, I’M ANNOYED THAT YOU GUYS NEVER ACTUALLY CARED TO LEARN ANYTHING OF WHAT I DID, SO I’M GOING TO BE GETTING RID OF ALL OUR PROGRESS. OUR ISLAND WILL BECOME A BLANK SLATE UPON WHICH YOU WILL BUILD ONLY WHAT YOU KNOW AND UNDERSTAND. I WILL NOT BE CODDLING YOU ANY LONGER.”
There was silence. Neighbours looked at each other nervously. Kids tugged at their parent’s clothes trying to get an explanation.
”AH, WHOOPS, BEFORE I FORGET - THOSE WHO WISH TO LIVE AND WORK HARD AT THEIR NEW LIVES MUST COME TO THE WORKSHOP. YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES. EVERYONE CAUGHT OUTSIDE DURING THE RESET WILL BE CLEANSED. END OF RECORDING.” And just like that, the transmission ended. For a second, everything was quiet.
Then all hell broke loose.
People rushed to grab whatever belongings they could carry. Some grabbed sentimental stuff while others grabbed valuables. Some even chose not to grab anything, thinking that doing so would garner favour from the Boss. Within the first five minutes, those who were close enough to the Workshop ran to it. Those who were unlucky to live further away instead hitched rides on whatever carriage they could. Many fell from the overloaded carriages and were run over, while others were pushed out into the wilderness by the panicked movements of fellow passengers.
After fifteen minutes, carriages collapsing or crashing had blocked virtually all the roads of the nation, and long lines of carriages had to be abandoned as people got off and tried their hardest to run to the workshop -- though most knew it was a futile endeavor.
After twenty minutes, a family of four split off from one of the large groups of people and headed out into the wilderness in the direction of the coast. Along the way, others joined them. Many of these groups formed as the hopelessness of their salvation became evident. Some of them tried to hole up in places they thought secure, but most headed for the coastal villages, where they hoped to find some remaining boats to use for their escape.
After twenty five minutes, three of the legendary Prime Astalonians were posted up at the front doors of the workshop, and all other entrances were locked and barred off. The machine-persons were each holding a different weapon. Carer had a long blade slung over her hip in its scabbard, Evoker had gauntlets, and Knuckle had her fists. They stared ahead emotionlessly, even as a weeping mother held onto the cloths hanging off of Carer’s form. The woman begged and begged, asking Carer for help carrying her disabled grandmother up the steps to the workshop, and she received no response.
After thirty minutes, the large front doors creaked closed, and even though dozens of people kept banging on them, they didn’t budge.
The Prime Astalonians did, however. Carer unsheathed her sword in time for a shower of warm blood to fall on her - Fountains of the liquid flowing from the cut open necks of the Homurans next to Evoker and Knuckle.
“W-What the fuck?!” Yelled one of the Homurans, and both him and another hid behind Carer, only for the kind machine to mercilessly cut them down, painting herself even further in the blood of her family.
The three machines seemed stunned for a moment, as one last Homuran crawled away from the scene, having fallen backwards from the shock. It was a young girl, wearing a small red ribbon and a humble green and brown dress. She hyperventilated, tears streaming down her face as she stared at both Carer and the form of one of the cut down Homurans. “D-Dad…”
Upon registering the sound, the three visor-covered faces tightened their grips on their weapons and walked off into different directions, with Carer herself making a first stop in front of the girl, her long, thin sword pressing against her throat.
Evoker, Carer and Knuckle have all been repurposed by Astus, having their cores (souls) trapped inside their bodies. That night, Astus announces his plans for ‘cleansing’ to the Homuran populace and obviously, panic ensues. He gives them a ridiculous 30 minutes to reach the workshop in order to be safe, which is obviously not enough for those who live a hundred kilometers from it. Many Homurans head to the coasts in search of boats to use as escape vehicles, while others hole up in different ‘secure’ buildings in order to weather out the storm. Only about a fifth of the whole populace actually makes it to the Workshop before its doors close and the Prime Astalonians begin to kill all those who are still out and about.
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