[u][b]Astarte and Undasis[/b][/u] [hider=Summary] -Astarte responds to Undasis's summons -Undasis scolds Astarte for accepting Vestec's influence -Undasis shows her the biral, and how it can be used for magic. She asks Astarte to unlock the full magic potential of the Mer, particularly in relation to the biral. -Astarte promises to do so, if she is given a Merman's life and his soul as a sacrifice -Undasis agrees, and they single out the most powerful Merman Wizard- Sanctus -They appear before Sanctus, scaring the living donuts out of him -Sanctus is terrified and starts crying, but agrees to die for the greater good. Astarte promises to bless his family after his soul is taken. -The Mer gather around the tallest tower in Concentus -Sanctus pulls out his own heart and puts a piece of biral in it's place -Walls grow around the now-floating city -Sanctus dies and Astarte takes his soul and body [/hider] [i]"Something magical, you say?"[/i] Astarte perked up, [i]"And what ants are you speaking of?"[/i] She stood upon the grassy hill in her plane and lightly poked a nearby mini cow with her foot. It mooed, but did nothing else. Astarte grinned at the cow. [i]"Show me this magical thing you've found."[/i] Kraken's eyes lit up when he heard her sudden response. Undasis had been holding a meeting with Arguis and Vestec as the words of the Magic Goddess drifted into her mind- he was still surprised at the unexpected randomness of her thoughts, but, still, they were more calming than the storm of his own (if only barely). Arguis vanished from the meeting at Kraken's threat, and he turned his fierce gaze on Vestec. [color=f26522]"You are still mostly welcome in my domain, Chaotic One, so long as I don't return to find the ocean on fire or something."[/color] Kraken gave some ugly, twisted imitation of a smile. The Sea God vanished in a flury of waves and wind, off to try and meet with Astarte, leaving Vestec alone in his dark nightime waters. [center]-*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*-[/center] [color=f26522]"Yes, Astarte, something magical."[/color] The sarcasm dripping from each word was painfully obvious. [color=f26522]"Otherwise why would I single you out, from all the gods? You can be of great help to us, we think. Come, meet me in my true home, deep within Galbar's Scar"[/color] He sent a trail with the message, so that she could follow their voice to the bottom of the massive crater, where no light whatsoever shone and the pressure was enough to crush a normal man to the size of, ironically, an ant. Astarte followed suit and appeared right next to Undasis. The Woman of the Waters suddenly mentally spoke. [color=00aeef]"Sorry for my counterpart, sister and friend Astarte. We had an...unpleasant incounter. He will soon retreat, and I may take dominance to speak with you. Oh, and the ants! Perhaps you've forgotten, but when Galbar was still in it's infancy- a virgin world- me, you, and Vestec experimented on making ants breathe underwater. This was a long time ago...come to think of it, this was when you and I met one another."[/color] "Ants." Astarte said, then hummed. She spun a few times, enjoying the feeling of water against her skin, until she finally settled behind Undasis. [color=00aeef]"One moment please, my current form isn't the best for speaking with a friend..."[/color] The horrible visage of Kraken shrunk once more into the pleasing one of the Woman. [color=00aeef]"That's better. I'm glad to see you're enjoying the waters. If I may recommend something, [i]don't[/i] generate any light while you're down here."[/color] "Why not? Wouldn't it be great to see the faces of whichever monstruosity you've created to live down here?" Astarte chuckled, then stared at Undasis. She could see her, even in total darkness. They could see each other even before light existed in the Universe. "You do have an ugly counterpart, Undasis." [color=f26522]"And you have an ugly soul, Astarte."[/color] Kraken spoke, [color=f26522]"You are in our waters; Vestec's corruption is clear. Once you were beautiful and whole inside, but no more. Although that change can certainly be overlooked, just be cautious who you let directly influence you, for no soul should be twisted too much, lest it break, as ours did. The two-sided creature we-Undasis- are now is not who we once were, before. Take us as a warning of what happens when a soul is made to be what it is not."[/color] For once, it was clear that the Woman was in complete agreement with Kraken's words. [color=00aeef]"My "ugly counterpart" may speak harshly, but he does so out of worry, not hatred."[/color] She paused for a moment. [color=00aeef]"Still, it is not my job to tell you how you treat yourself. I'm sorry."[/color] Astarte huffed, crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, "Vestec doesn't think I'm ugly." [color=00aeef]"I'm sure he doesn't, but take no offense, for none was intended. As for your question: light is forbidden here, the eyes of our creations are far too sensitive, and there are many gathering around you at the moment"[/color] She chuckled. [color=00aeef]"Here, I have a gift for you."[/color] She waved her hands over the Magic Goddess's eyes, and a gust of air spread over them, giving her the power to see even in these depths. What Astarte saw was... Magnificent. A common mortal would have found it terrifying and traumatizing to suddenly realize she was surrounded by dozens of creatures. Some huge, some small, but each of them was monstrous. There was what looked like a shark, only ten times larger and with teeth as big as Astarte's torso. She moved up to the gigantic shark and touched its fins. "They feel so different from surface beings!" For a moment, she felt like touching the shark's huge eyes or its teeth, and she would've if another fish hadn't bumped into her back. She turned around and stared at the fish, eyes narrowing and mouth curling up into a wide smile. The fish was quick to understand the message and swam away as fast as it could. The Woman laughed in apparent joy. "That's a baby Mighty Shark, only a year old. By the time it is twenty, it should be about..."[/color] She stopped to consider a form of measurement Astarte would understand. [color=00aeef]"...one-hundred-and-fifty pine trees stacked on top of eachother. A little more than what Vowzra's humans may call a 'mile'." Astarte whistled her appreciation and then swam to Undasis, "Now, what was it you wanted to show me, Undasis?" [color=00aeef]"Look beneath us, what do you see?"[/color] Below their meeting place, the very floor of Kraken's Crater was revealed. This was, of course, the first time any foreign god had seen the place where Kraken's strange imagination was allowed freedom. There were a myriad of terrors swimming, fighting, and crawling over one another. It would take a century to describe the revulsion one feels at their first sight of these...things, but suffice to say, there were a few who stood out from the crowd: One creature, [url=http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/50-terrifying-3d-monsters-to-make-you-shiver/30.jpg] the Nasus [/url], had a vaguely human appearance. Such was appropriate, as this was the fate of human sailors who failed to appease Kraken through prayer before their journey. The waves sunk their accursed ships, and now they will spend eternity serving the very god they refused worship, as mockeries of their former selves. The two divines looked forward and saw it swallow whole a smaller fish, only to have the baby Mighty Shark that Astarte frightened devour the Nasus moments later. Another fish monster, claiming absurdly large eyes and propulsion through natural air-jets attached to it's back (there are no fins whatsoever), opened it's humongous mouth to show row after row of flexible, moving, [i]wiggling[/i] teeth. Before their guest could get any more lost in observation, Undasis spoke up. [color=00aeef]"Ignore the monsters, as difficult as that may be. Look past them and you will see that, growing on the seafloor like so many colourful plants, there are these little gems. I'm certain that you, of all people, can already feel the raw magic radiating from them. The plant-gems, which I have named biral, seem to be capable of manipulating the physical realms in extraordinary ways. My chosen champion Aestus has already built me a temple by manipulating them into an unbreakable wall, and I can feel they have more potential...but I'm unable to unlock it on my own. Life in the sea is not always easy, my friend, and my Mer children struggle at times. If they could [i]all[/i] learn to use biral to complete capabilities, the effects could well be amazing to even us gods."[/color] "Hmm..." Astarte caressed a non-existent beard as she cooked Undasis' request over in her mind. "I can unlock the Merfolk's full potential. What would I get in exchange, though?" [color=00aeef]"Does friendship count?"[/color] The Woman smiled hopefully, and then sighed. [color=00aeef]"I guess not. Half a moment!"[/color]. She suddenly dived down to the full depths of the ocean, reaching the biral-coated bottom effortlessly. Reaching out a long arm, she gathered up a few dozen of the fist-sized gems into her hand and once more levitated up to the Magic One, who had started to swim and flip and spin around once more. [color=00aeef]"Beautiful, aren't they?[/color] As Undasis held the gems out to their guest, the seemed to change colour at random. A moment they would be as blue as the sea, then yellow like the sun or green like grass or orange like fire. [color=00aeef]"These can be fashioned into almost anything you desire. I could easily have my hero make something of them for you. As it stands, Aestus is one of the very, very few Mer capable of shaping them- about one in fifty. All others stay caged outside of magic."[/color] Astarte raised an eyebrow upon laying eyes on the gemstones, "Are you sure Vestec didn't create these things? He likes color changing stuff." She grabbed one and sniffed it, then bit it and then put it to her ear, "They smell different from anything I've ever smelled." [color=00aeef]"It's not impossible. Vestec hasn't been down here much, but the gems are undeniably chaotic when exposed to magic. Did you notice how they didn't change colour until they came close to you? I've been experimenting. I noticed that they stay in a stable, balanced state until they are forced to interact with any form of magic, and then they become volatile and unpredictable. Under normal conditions they are just plants."[/color] She thought for a moment, before a grin suddenly broke onto her face and she rapidly closed the distance between her and the Woman, ending up a mere three inches off her face, "I want one of the Mer to sacrifice his soul to me. One of your best Biral manipulators, to use his ability until there's nothing left of him, and I want his soul to be put into one of these stones, which I'll wear in a crown made of the finest, shiniest, whitest, strongest seafloor rock-" Astarte spoke quickly, her voice overflowing with excitement by the end, "I. Want. His. Soul." "Give me that, the crown and permission to visit your oceans, and we have a deal. And don't worry, I'll make sure the sacrifice's family is one of the strongest families, if nothing else." Kraken sent off spiritual waves of approval, while Woman frowned slightly.[color=00aeef]"A worthy death for a great Mer alchemist and Biral manipulator, if a gruesome one. I know who will be sacrificed."[/color] The Sea God's voice was grim and determined. [color=00aeef]"Aestus has told me much of one man taking up residence in Concentus, he says this is the one who first mastered the art of Biral, and who taught even Aestus secrets he had never before grasped. He aided in the construction of my temple, built the roads of Concentus with a few massive spells, and has impressed even I. He will make a truly worthy offering. The Merman's name, I've been told, is Sanctus"[/color] She lifted out a hand for Astarte, who took it. [color=00aeef]"Do you want to come with me to demand our sacrifice of him, or should I? He is worshiping in the inner-sanctum of my temple as we speak."[/color] "I will accompany you. It is only just. I also want to see his expression!" She squealed in delight, but ultimately suppressed her growing excitement. "Let's go at once--We shouldn't leave my sacrifice to wait for too long." [center]-*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*-[/center] Sanctus knelt before a diamond and marble effigy of the Kraken. Even in inanimate imitation, the onyx eyes of Kraken struck fear into his worshiper's humble heart. The robes Sanctus proudly wore had been crafted from shining white and black fish-scales, mingled with cloth (which he had personally blessed to be waterproof). As he came daily to pray, he fell into a pattern of words he would mumble before the altar: "Oh, mighty Kraken, protect the sailors of this fair city, lend them your grace and your power, defend us of our enemies and forgive us our debts..." [color=f26522]"No debt, dear child, is simply forgotten. But blood can cover all things."[/color] "What?" Sanctus suddenly rose from his stance. "Who goes there? This is a private worship." For a moment all was silent. "He-hello?" "Your blood. Your thick, red and pretty blood." There was a laugh, which echoed through the small hall. A chill of cold water ran through the hall, and seemed to run down his spine, as well. "O-out! Ge-get out! I know magic, I'll...uh, I'll turn you into a stone!" There was another cold chill, this time like ice. A voice spoke behind him. [color=00aeef]"We know you are a magic one, my child. That is why you have been chosen."[/color] He turned to see the origin of the strange words, and behind him stood a most beautiful woman. She seemed to be made of seafoam? And her dress was cut from water and wind. He knew immediately who she was- if the divine presence was not enough, he had seen and prayed to a hundred statues of the very same. He fell once more to his knees. "She of the Waters!" The way he fell reminded Undasis of Zerabil, and Aestus before that. The goddess felt a sudden pang of sympathy for what she must do. "And..." Another woman jumped out into the hall from behind Undasis, long lavender hair flowing behind her and silky white dress struggling to follow her energetic movements, "Astarte! Goddess of Magic, the Summons, the Ranges, however you prefer to call me. I'm like this woman's sister." Astarte chuckled. "I know who you are..." His voice still held reverence, but also, now, much more fear. Undasis could sense that he was beginning to catch on. He was smarter than most. [color=00aeef]"Do you remember the prayer you said to me that one night, three moons ago? The one you cried out with tears in your eyes?"[/color] "Yes," he said "I asked for all the Mer to be gifted as I am. So many struggle and urge themselves to learn the magic arts, but none comes to them. Astarte does not hear our prayers for the Gift, or, at least, so I thought." [i]"Aw, that's so cute!"[/i] Astarte cooed with delight. "I will do anything I may to gift these people with magic. What do you desire, goddesses? What have I, a simple servant of greater forces, done to deserve such a most wonderous visitation?" [color=00aeef]"There are no gifts. Gifts are a myth. All things come at a price. Astarte has heard your pleas, and she demands sacrifice. Namely, she demands your life."[/color] The Woman leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. [color=00aeef]"I know how difficult this must be for you, but your life will forever be remembered among gods and mortals alike."[/color] "I demand not only your life," Astarte began with a smile and friendly eye contact, which slowly dissolved into a predatory stare, "but your soul. Once you leave this plane, I will take your soul and I will cram it into a small gem which I will wear on a crown. You will never see the Astral Home, the place where souls are sent to live once more. Your soul will be mine. All mine." Astarte chuckled, each laugh dripping with venom. Tears welled up in Sanctus's eyes. He turned to the Woman of the Waters for mercy. "My goddess, I have served you faithfully all my days. Is there no other way?" [color=00aeef]"You have done well in life, but you will serve an even greater purpose in death. You will be renowned as the one who allowed the gift of magic to come to all your people."[/color] "Ve-very well. I will accept my fate." "Oh, don't cry!" Astarte rushed to Sanctus' side, forced him to look at her and gently wiped his eyes, "I am not a soul eater, in fact you're the first one I'm doing this to, so I'm very excited. Don't you just love the idea of carrying a pure soul with you wherever you go?" She smiled and looked at him with a twinge of admiration in her eyes. She put a hand on his neck. Then she dug her nails into the soft skin. When she retrieved her nails, the four gashes sealed and left behind four scars. "Your fate is sealed. I have placed a curse upon you. When you exhaust your soul of magical essence, the curse will dissolve your body and I'll take your soul." She stepped away from him and clapped her hands once. "Gather up as many Mer as you can. You'll demonstrate everyone what you're capable of in the best demonstration of magic the Mer have ever seen, and then the exhaustion will kill you. After your death, every Mer will find they can use the very abilities that were your undoing. Your family will be one of the strongest users, due to your sacrifice." "My daughters...alright, for them, at least. I will do as you ask. Now, forgive my presumptuousness, but I'm a man on his last wish- please leave me be, now. I need to think and rest." [color=00aeef]"Very well, you've earned some peace. Shall we go, sister?"[/color] She eyed Astarte forcefully. [center]-*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*-[/center] The wide, black eyes of two-thousand Mer were all trained on one spot on one building- the peak of the Tower of the Undasis Temple. The temple itself took up at least a quarter of the already massive city, but from the northern end of the temple rose a spiraling tower, reaching higher than would be possible on the surface. This meant little to the Mer, however, as any could just as easily swim upwards, if they wished. What mattered to the Mer was its sheer room- it was also ridiculously wide and burrowed deep beneath the sandy ground. It was built on the order of Champion-Prophet Aestus, so that it may serve as housing for the poor and homeless of their kind. Above the tower swam the Great Mage, the Holy Wizard, the Alchemist- Sanctus. He curled his long tail underneath him, letting gravity pull him into a resting position atop the lengthy structure. Although it would be simple to do so, those watching him- out of respect- did not dare attempt to go above him. He looked out and saw himself surrounded on all sides by the expectant watchers. He held in his hands a single biral plant, and a knife. On his right was a pile of extra biral, whose purpose would soon be made clear. On his left sat a simple clay dish. Two days before, when the Goddesses appeared to tell him his destined fate, he had begun devising a grim plan; he knew it was not possible for a being such as himself to perform any act that would truly be pleasing to one such as Astarte. He could think of no beings powerful enough to do so, in fact, and he was far too weak and too low on time to search for one. Therefore, it stood to reason that his only available option was to alter [i]himself[/i]. Biral was, as much as he could tell, the most inherently magic substance in the universe. For several years he had been researching and forming a radical theory that proposed it was possible to physically imbue oneself with biral, thus forming an eternal and constant link with the very essense of magic. But considering how likely one was to die in the procedure, Sanctus never once dared to test it. Until now. He tentatively lifted the knife. "Undasis, please" he spoke aloud, "my last prayer to you is this: allow me to survive for just a moment longer." There was no response but he felt certain he had been heard, at the least. And with that final prayer, he plunged the knife into his chest and began to carve. He cut a grotesque circle around the place he felt his heart frantically beating, like it was aware of what was coming. It was odd, he thought, how easily the section of flesh protecting his most vital organ slid out like a puzzle piece, exposing the pumping heart and gushing blood into the clear waters. He reached his long, gangly fingers into the cavity and began to pull and yank fiercly, all the while screaming in terror and agony. It was impressive how firmly lodged his heart could be. In other conditions, he may have praised Undasis for making them so eloquently. But now he was no longer able to maintain coherent thought. As his still-beating heart left his body, it was as if his soul went with it. In a state of total shock he dropped the heart onto the clean plate, bloddying it's shining surface. He lifted the biral plant and forced it into his chest and, like the scars claiming his face, healed quickly. Make no mistake, the gaping wound was there, but now his veins were attaching themselves to the stony plant as a surrogate heart. He realized he had stopped breathing, and when he opened his gills to inhale, no water nor air entered in. Instead, he felt the magic come in it's place. His entire being was sustaned, at this moment, on pure magic. He was undead. He swam to an upright position, his body already wrinkling and withering from the mystical strain. "Now!" He shouted in a surprisingly vital voice. "the Great Sanctus will perform his final trick, ladies and gentlemen!" He lifted his right hand and the extra biral floated telekinetically. Each bit of it dripping some thick, red liquid. He spread his arms wide before the city and the twenty biral stones were suddenly cast out to the corners of city, miles away in some cases. Sanctus felt them strike down like meteors in a perfect circle around Concentus. "Let it begin" He whispered that only to himself, but it seemed the biral heard him. Had anyone been able to watch it all at once, they would have noticed that exactly half of the biral suddenly vanished in a puff of black smoke, while the other half stretched out and begin to form a sort of wall. A few seconds of nothing passed, in which the crowd of Mer sat in awe and stun. Then the city began to float off of the earth it had been so crudely anchored to, and somehow lifited itself several hundred feet off. At the same time, the wall of biral stretched into a wall of meshed white and black, as hard as diamond and as smooth. The walls became a sort of semi-circle, stalwartly protecting the entire bottom and sides of the city, with the exception of metal, marble, and wooden gates at each cardinal direction, the Northern one being the most extravegant and detailed; it even possessed carvings of Astarte and Undasis meeting, and Sanctus giving his own life. A metallic substance issued out of the top of the walls (still only covering the entire bottom-half of the floating city) and formed something like a very, very hard chain-link cage to cover the entire top half of the city- so that sunlight could still get in, but enemies could not. The city floated higher still, until the uttermost top (directly above Sanctus's head) was sticking out of the ocean. It would be almost impenetrable. Finally, Sanctus placed his hand on the Biral Heart. He knew he had not long left- he was already looking at least fifty years older. This was his last few moments alive. "You want my soul, Astarte?" He laughed, and with each chuckle the ground shook. "I give it to you freely. Take it." He pulled the biral from the hole where his heart would be, and threw it forward. In a flash of brilliant light, it shaped itself into a marvelous crown encrusted with a diamond between a ruby and a sapphire Darkness creeped into the corners of his vision. This was it. He closed his eyes for the last time. [center]-*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*-[/center] Immediately after his death, Sanctus' body and the crown disappeared with a bright flash of light. Only the clay dish, the heart and bloodied knife were left behind. At first, there was a single gasp of surprise as one of the Mer in the audience cast forth light from his fingers, then another, and then another... In no time, all Mer were frantically exploring their new power. And so Astarte clapped her hands in joy, did a quick flip and spoke to Undasis, "You have great talents here. I'll visit them again, that's a given." She then snapped her fingers and the crown materialized in front of her. She grabbed it and put it on as casually as one could, as if she had always owned it. "Oh, uh..." Astarte clicked her tongue, "Just to confirm, Sanctus' soul is completely mine from now on." She mentioned as she gave the crown a playful flick of her fingers, innocent smile included. Undasis, unlike their guest, did not seem wholly please. [color=00aeef]"Of course it is. Do not treat that fact too flippantly, he was perhaps the greatest Mer ever to be born, even greater than my own Aestus."[/color] "I found it so cute when you revealed he cried while praying to you!" [color=00aeef]"How so? He was a spiritual man, and my edicts and teachings seemed to hold great sway over him. No other man would have done what he did for his people."[/color] "Yeah, yeah, I understand. Now, I must go about my business. Keep an eye out for Garakai. I have a surprise cooking for them." Astarte chuckled, and the following moment she was gone. [hider=Might] Astarte: 1 Free Point used to curse Sanctus' soul and body, leading to his death. 1 Might used to unlock the Merfolk's magic potential. 1 Might used to increase the magical potential of the Merfolk. 1 Might used blessing those with blood ties to Sanctus to be exceptionally strong Magic users, capable of learning any Magic in the world. 9 Might and 2 Free Points remain [/hider]