[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7oQVf7m.png[/img][/center] The soul was running out of time. The flames of the pyres drew all lost souls towards their ravenous maws, their appetite insatiable. Untold numbers of souls had been consumed already. First the broken and frayed souls had been consumed, those who barely had selves anymore. Ruined by the void, by their arrival, their long gone deaths or banishments none would ever know, for they had not the will to resist the pull of annihilation. The weak and despondent had followed soon after. Then they had been joined by a slow trickle of new souls made from the dead that had grown into a stream and then a gushing river. These pushed the old souls into the flames while the flames themselves continued to pull them in. Now only the strongest remained. Those who raged against the dying light, who pushed aside the torrent of souls and clawed their way away from the flames. Yet in the end none could truly escape death for where inches were gained as feet were lost. The soul could feel the heat at its back as its limbs struggled futility against the current and yet still it fought on regardless. Here a tree was tossed into the flames to give it speed, there a parrot, a dolphin, a Selka, a fellow void soul. It hated that it did this, that it was sacrificing others to preserve itself. It hated this place that had robbed it of the power of the void. It hated how it didn't fit properly in the space here. Yet it had purpose. A mission. One far more divine than anything in this cursed place. It was made as an observer. It was her ever watchful eye and yet it had lost track of the very person it was supposed to watch over. The other souls had been pulled into this place. Azura had clawed her way here just as the void soul now clawed it way away from the flames, though while she had unintentionally saved those it cast aside while it instead doomed them. It had followed the old tyrant as she fought her way through the tide only to be separated from her by this place’s master, tossed aside and then put in line to be killed by that damnable burning beast head. It’s only salvation now lay in Azura, a being that didn't even know of its existence, nor its vital importance to her. She had entered this realm while death was not present and had tired, and failed, to save all who were to be committed to the flames. At the time it dare not tamper with the mental construct that had been enshrined in the woman’s mind to greatly, to force her to notice it and save it, for it dared not medal with the work of its own creator more than it had been intended to. It had however made a link and had made some miniscule adjustments to compensate for the fact that its charge now had a body again. Memories had been bleeding out. If the dam broke completely it could be catastrophic. So while it had had time it had adjusted the settings on the construct, letting it be more active so that it would, hopefully, nudge her into doing what needed to be done. Alas, it still remain, and yet it saw now that death was once again absent. Here was an opportunity Azura could grasp if only she knew it existed. It used its power, to reach down and out to the construct in her mind for but a second, slipping ever closer to the flame when it did so, the exertion taking its toll even to send such a simple massage. [color=silver]Hurry[/color] [hr] [color=silver]Hurry[/color] Azura shook her head in response, trying to sake free from the otherworldly feeling that had slipped over her brain for just a moment. She was not controlled or commanded, but her thought process was none the less shunted of course to a slightly different line of thinking. She’d been following the Alma’s trail towards the coast of Atokhekwoi where they seemed to have found another sentient race when the effect had struck her. She had been going to investigate each new race one by one. But did she really have time? She went to find Luis instead. The great whale was found on the coast of Atokhekwoi closest to the Ihokhetlani camp. He had removed his armor, which floated idaly above the shoreline while the eclipse whale himself was further out in the water. Varios curios Cetaceans froliced around the titan of their kind, filling the ocean with song as they played in the waters of the bay Luis was bathing in. Azura landed on the back of the armor construct that he had named Bruna and then waved a wing in his general direction. [color=RoyalBlue]”Hello. How was your meeting with the stone god”[/color] he whistled, his tone lacking the sullen edge it had had when last they spoke. [color=lightblue]“It went well I think”[/color] she called back as Luis carefully emerged from the ocean watters without dsturbing the frolicing whales and dolphins. She was glad he had found some way of recharging his energy [color=lightblue]“I think their a good person for the most part. They are also an adorable wee crab. We talked about the problem and he said he’d help once he got proof, which is both a shame and also good I suppose. They also reminded me that one of the gods, Anzillu, has the aspect of demons, a word that sets off alarm bells in my mind apparently, and that they made a.. Self replicating flesh eating bacteria that leaked out of their sphere. Which sounds bad.”[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]”Apparently sets of alarm bells?”[/color] Luis asked, emphasizing the apparently part before thinking for a bit more and adding [color=RoyalBlue]”Oh. Huh. I see what you mean… Odd”[/color] [color=lightblue]”Yes... It is… ”[/color] Azura said falteringly There was a long silence as the constructs did their best to stop any peering behind the curtain [color=RoyalBlue]”Demons must be really bad then. Shame he didn't want to help right away too”[/color] Luis said finally. [color=lightblue]”yes. On both counts. It’s particularly a shame because I think we had best get on with the invasion lan as soon as possible. There seems to be a lot of mortals around, the Alma have gone all over the place. And I fear that the issue with not being able to convince Ohannakeloi will raise its head when I go meet them.”[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]”Oh. ok.”[/color] Luis responded, [color=RoyalBlue]”I’ve been kind of hoping we could get this done sooner rather than latter”[/color] Azura opened her beak but Luis predicted her question [color=RoyalBlue]”I was going to says so earlier, but you’ve been occupied with the unexpected mortal situation. So. are we ready to go now or…?”[/color] [color=lightblue]“There are three final things we need for the invasion of the sky pyres. First is a way to clear away the arid smoke that would choke the life from any who set foot in it, namly you, anyone aceal is bringing and the Alma. Also, i need a way to get everyone/thing we need there in the first place.”[/color] Azura said [color=lightblue]“For those two I’ll make a construct that will allow me to command and control the air over a much larger area and one that can do so for me even if I am otherwise engaged. It can create a safe bubble of air that can both keep us safe from the pyres and that can also be launched up to them.”[/color] Her explanation made she set to work, a wordless melody leaving her beak which spread out before her and formed into Luftstone segments. These massive stones where abstract shapes with the odd hole bored in them that. When the wind blew through those holes it caused them emitted a singular note. Individually their shape and sound where simple, but as more and more formed they coalesced into a singular whole. The sounds of whistles, pipes, trumpets, horns and other wind instruments all emanated from the stone and gradually came together to harmonise harmonise as the construct took shape. Its final form was one roughly humanoid framed by a pair of static wings. Its arms had a second set of four limbs that drifted freely around the primary ones. It’s legs where narrow and ended in a pair of heel like spikes rather than feet. Its head was nestled in a massive armored coller, out of which it started with a singular soul gem based eye. It was armed with a pair of crescent bladed glaives which it gripped with all four of its limbs. [color=lightblue]“I dub thee the Titan of Winds”[/color] she announced All of this was made up of jagged stone plates and frames though which the wind howled, playing a symphony as it did that harmonised with Azura’s song. Together the titan and goddess sung into being thousands of new Alma to which she granted a new ability. [color=lightblue]“ Bring truth and wipe away the lies For soon we shall travel heaven's skies No more shall souls be torn asunder For realm of death we will plunder There all shall witness, all shall see The foul depths of death’s cruelty”[/color] As she finished singing the alma began to project small holographic screens from their forehead soul gems, displaying a thousand different angles of what they could see and hear. Mostly, this ment each other and Azura. Then there was a rapid switching of images as they began to project one another's sight until all showed a single perspective, one that very nicely framed Azura, the new construct and Luis with the gathering of sea mammals swimming in the background. Azura took a few moments to admire herself before turning to Luis [color=lightblue]“And these will let us inform all of the mortals at once of the danger and our plan to help them”[/color] she explained, the birds all quietly echoing her as they kept recording [color=RoyalBlue]”With the speech we wrote. Like those crows we met.”[/color] Luis noted [color=lightblue]“Exactly, but not just that. We can also show them the sky pyres as we assaulted them. Then they will be no doubt remaining that Katharsos is a murderous tyrant.”[/color] she said sounding rather delighted in her cunning despite the fact that she had been instantly caught plagiarizing K’nells idea of storytelling birds. [color=RoyalBlue]”That’s good… I’m turning them off now tough. Because hearing everything repeated like that is rather annoying”[/color] Luis said before shutting off Alma tv with his mind. [color=lightblue]“oh. Ah yes. I suppose it is a bit.”[/color] she said before flapping over and landing between the shoulders of the new construct on what was clearly a deliberately placed pertch [color=lightblue]“Right then. Shall we be off to meet up with Aceal?”[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]”Is she ready?”[/color] Luis asked as the three giant flyers headed towards the nearest tall mountain to re-enter the blue. Most of the Alma followed, but some spread out across the world to find their fellow avians. They would pass on the new power to the others so that all would be ready for Azura’s announcement. [color=lightblue]“Maybe. Maybe not. If not then we can always help her get ready.”[/color] she says, before reaching out with her mind to contact Aceal. [hider= summary] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/UhoMjou.png[/img][/center] We spend a little time up in the pyres with one of the last void souls, learn that it is connected to Azura’s memory blackbox/construct. The soul sends a subliminal command to azura to hurry her ass up. Azura’s line of thinking is altered slightly by this message. She decides that it is time to go to the pyres again, because she is pretty sure there are lots of mortals at this point and it would take ages to convince them all individually without any evidence of Katharsos’s misdeeds. She and Luis meet up again and talk a bit about her meeting with Ohannakeloi. They realise that both do and do not realize they both have the same black box in their minds when demons come up in the conversation. Azura says that she wants to go to the pyres. Luis is cool with this. She then she makes a giant robot to control air for her and makes more Alma. finally she makes the alma able to record, transmit and display images and sound so they can show people what the pyres are like. They go up into the blue for fast travel purposes while Azura Phones Aceal. [/hider] [hider=might summary] Start: 11 fp, 5 mp 2 fp, empowered by wind. extraordinary beast: [url=https://i.imgur.com/TvL8MZG.jpg]The Titan of winds[/url] Other than being a massive warbot that can fly it can also form a massive bubble of air around it that it can use for use in space. Finally it has empowered wind manipulation abilities. 1 fp to give the ability for Alma to record, transmit and display images and sound. End: 8 fp, 5 mp Portfolio progress: Tonnikala (7/10) Birds (6/10) [/hider]