[@Crusader Lord][@Cu Chulainn][@PKMNB0Y][@VitaVitaAR][@Erode][@Cu Chulainn][@PaulHaynek][@Guy0fV4lor][@Pyromania99][@Crimson Paladin] [hider=Epic's End] And lo, night fell upon the village where the future would rise. The sound of battle would slowly draw to an end, the monstrosity of slime would fall, a final push from the one who builds the future upon his hammer into the sea below. As it fell, all it could think of was 'why?' Why, had they slain its mother? Why, had [i]it[/i] been killed for the second time? A final, pitiful cry, but perhaps, now it was at peace. As the water would slowly wash away its body on the beach below, only a small skeleton would be left behind. As the heroes would take a moment to respite, the huntress would force the Scholar to hand over the now injured god-child, and when the others learned of this they would immediately begin preparations for what would likely be the final night for the village should they fail. That night, the group consisting of the future Queen, the Warlord, the Builder, the Skilled one, and the goddess seeking Bastelian would confront the face of the God of Knowledge. Of course, she wasn't going to go down quietly - she would reveal that now that the seal had been appropriately weakened, she just needed only one of the keys...and that Lazhira, was one of these keys herself. Much like their bodies had been created, Lazhira had been a prototype of sorts. The first 'True' homunculus created by him and his mother. This, also was the reason the girl had an affinity for the seal, as well as sought it - the sealed half of the goddess was attempting to use her to get the other key so she could use the two of them to free herself...which was why the Illuminator had a little fox steal the one from the true temple. She didn't say why she wanted to - only that she was tired of being someone else's puppet, and wanted to do something for herself, for a change. The ground rumbled, the moon bled, cracking like an egg as the stars would fall into the void left behind. The ancient goddess would descend, eager to give humanity a trial. A trial to see if they were worthy of carrying the worlds future. The Illuminator would return, promise kept. A weapon that should not exist. A weapon of the future. With the explosives the Queen had made, and a bullet of divine origin the weapon roared, splitting the moon in half, the weapon destroying itself in the process from the force of it. In the end, a new dawn would fall upon the village. A cheer would ring out. Perhaps, the humans of this village, had some future after all. [hr] [color=6ecff6]"Hehe, there. I think that's quite done enough."[/color] [b]"...seems rushed."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Well thank you yes, I am aware."[/color] [b]"Not happy with it, then Del?"[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Well, my little Lottie, perhaps I've grown impatient. I can only hope they had fun with it, and got something out of it in the end."[/color] [b]"Surely you're not going to leave it there, are you?"[/b] [color=6ecff6]"What? Fufu, of course not. Don't worry, they'll get as...proper of a send off as I can manage. After all...my brush is the one which writes the history of this world, and my book is the one which records it all."[/color] [b]"Sometimes, I wonder why I love you."[/b] [hr] The heroes would go their separate ways, Four, traveling with the Merchant. Three would head south, across the mountains that had loomed in the distance since their arrival. Their fates, all up to them to determine. Their lives, theirs to determine. What of the reincarnated warlord, then? They would eventually reach the merchants homeland, missing only one of their number. Upon reaching the islands to the west, perhaps she'd feel a bit at home here, after so long...both the good, and the bad parts of it. Oni clans roamed the beaches and mountains, the Merchant that had brought her here unable to follow for she did not wish to risk setting foot back in the land she was exiled from. Eventually, she would succeed - the Oni, Human, and Kitsune clans fully united...at least, until an unwelcome face would show itself and pose the greatest challenge to the Warlords rule. And of the young Scholar? She would go on to make so many advances in the fields of science, agriculture, and civil affairs. Needless to say though, such things made her a target...especially for the troublesome God of Knowledge, that both would occasionally tempt her with things beyond what a mortal should know, as well as prevent her from messing with things he felt that the world should not mess with. Of course, being of Kitsune origin, she would not be able to refrain from being pulled into a century old conflict, in the end... The bright and curious seeker of skill would stay with the Merchant, training, learning. The Oni and Ninja that she commanded both beating all manner of skills into him, turning him into quite a tool for her to use and as well teaching him the ins and outs of proper business. Eventually they would leave, and the Merchant would take him to see the rest of the world. Across the vast northern plains where primeval monsters dwell. To the eastern seas, where the people lived in a sky-city, worshiping the Goddess of the Dead, to the south where the remnants of humanity cling to ancient ideals and false prophets. But so too, would he eventually return. The Merchant would meet her end here, putting to rest a conflict with her sisters old as she was. She would leave her company, teachings, and everything she had to him. As for one who sought the Apex of Humanity, he would not stay with the merchant for long. Upon meeting the ice-beast worshiping cult upon the northern ice fields, an accident would split him and Chohei away from the group, where they would become wanderers, eventually taking in many refugees and humans, becoming a wandering band of nomads across the land. Soon though, he would find a pristine city of ice amidst a lake, where he would find an blood-drop shaped artifact with a single red eye gazing out over a city frozen in time. Perhaps, he would make the ultimate sacrifice once more for those who believed in him... [hr] [b]"I'm surprised none of them have met a terrible fate yet."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"How rude. These are supposed to be the heroes of civilizations! The builders that the civilizations from the world are all built on! They're supposed to be triumphant tales of courage, heroism, and feel-good stories!"[/color] [b]"You said that about that one king too, and look how that ended."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Look sometimes I get a little carried away I can't help it, watching humans struggle and clinging to me for salvation, hehehehe...its all the more sweeter when they hopelessly die."[/color] [b]"...just finish it already before I decide to put you back in the prison I found you in."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Tch, alright alright!"[/color] [hr] The three that had crossed the mountains, would stay together for quite some time. The builder, along with the dwarf companion he had picked up in Dawn. They would first find themselves crossing the mountains, only to fall victim to a raid by the Bastelian peoples. The one scorned by the sun would be taken, ripped from them as the goddess had demanded it...for she had yet to carry through on her oath of killing an Elder beast, and she was getting impatient. So the Goddess would tell her such, and tell her to kill a false sun that was plaguing her peoples. Once done, she would gain the Goddess Favor, and name her the incarnation of the sun - and the one who could lead her peoples. With a life of building futures and hopes behind him, the one with hammer and blessings of the Oldest God would be given a piece of advice by the Beast of Forests and Winds - if he wished to understand the nature of beasts, demons, and those that had come before, he should first seek a beast guised as a human across the mountains. After learning all he could from this person, he would eventually find his way south to the place where humans of old cling to false prophets. He would soon cast out the lies and false inheritors from the palace, and build a true future for humans upon its corpse...but when one makes a splash within the world, others will notice. And the God he had been worshiping for guidance...would soon be beset by old enemies. The Queen would soon find herself standing upon the precipice of greatness. After her initial worshiping of the moon back at the very beginning of the temple, whether she wished it or not, the Goddess of the Moon would take interest in her life from that day forward. Eventually, after overcoming several more trials the young monarch would find herself upon an island, just off the coast of the mainland that felt close to home. She would find a final trial upon this land whether she knew it or not. At the end of it all, she would possess a necklace of Divine Tears, that marked her as the true queen of that land and would give her both great wisdom and magical affinity rivaling that of the Goddess herself. Of course...such hardships would never end. The Goddess, after all, desired a good story...in the end, would she overcome the greatest challenge? One designed to ultimately kill her? [hr] [b]"...no."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"What?"[/color] [b]"No killing any of them."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Awww, come on! What story is fun without a little bit of death! Tragedy! Lemme murder at least one of theeeem!"[/color] [b]"No. Those bodies of theirs are mine. I forbid you from needlessly maiming any of my handiwork."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Even if I bring you your favorite little treat later?"[/color] [b]"What are you talking about? My favorite treat is already here."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"...oh~ Well I suppose if you're being affectionate for once-"[/color] [b]"...not you, this ice cream I made."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Guh. Ow. My poor little fragile heart...maybe I'll go write a sad poem..."[/color] [hr] Those that had left the village of foundation earlier, would not always stay together either. The young Elvish queen that would bring civilization to those of the Shadow would soon find herself ascending to the throne. The queen, perishing during a ball where a vicious demonic hound would attack her - the Elfs own pup nowhere to be seen and was soon found to be the culprit. In the end, she'd have to either make the decision to put the pup down, or become part demon herself in order to full control the creature...who can say what she ultimately would have done - but the queens words were absolute and final. After stopping Rullphana's plot to resurrect the old Demon as he had instructed them to do in return for his magic, she would ascend and lead them to a brighter future. The one who bore the storm on her shoulders would leave shortly after, receiving a letter from Tamaln...but such a position is always fraught with trouble. In the end, it would not be an enemy that would potentially be her undoing - but an Elf she would have helped raise. As for the man that would become her right hand, he would learn all he could from Rullphana - and the demon that had nearly flayed him alive? She would eventually become a close friend, too. Well, as close as any demon could be with a human - she would tell him the ins and outs of the red lightning, and that it was really just a single half of a whole...that is, the art of Alchemy. Understanding the natural world and creating something from almost nothing. In the end, the blond haired warrior would ask him to come with her to Tamaln, where they would discover a tragedy most profound, but the warrior woman gaining resolve to finish something she had started many, many, years ago. He would return to the dwarves, where he would earn their respect in settling a caste dispute, but eventually...he would settle back into his old life as a businessman, having a firm grip on the underworld of both those of the Shadow, and those of the Stone. The wayward traveler, would soon find kindness would be met with hostility and cynicism. The girl would merely use him as a bargaining chip - after all the maids were forbidden from harming those uninvolved with their target, and he was simply a traveler in the wrong place at the wrong time. The witch would leave, making her escape...and of the young warrior that had traveled with him? She'd blame him for letting her get away, in fact, she'd actively accuse him of conspiring with her...as after going back to the village - she found every single one of them dead. Whatever his reasons were at the time, he'd soon find himself in the care of the Maids themselves...where he would meet with the Pale Violet of the underworld. Amidst an ancient gothic city he would finally meet her, and the sage. After a long, arduous journey he would stand at the end of the world, a blade of a God of Travelers and Path-making before him. Would he swing it, allowing him to return to his world? The sage would warn him, however - that there is a rule that every alchemist must follow. That of equivalent exchange - to get something, you must first give something of equal value. Would he give something up, to travel back to his world? All anyone knows, is that day, within the heavens a new star would flicker to life. [hr] [color=6ecff6]"There we go, I think we're done."[/color] [b]"...Hm, seems like it. You're not happy, are you?"[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Heheh...not every story is destined for greatness. Nor are they all destined to be remembered. All I can hope is that someone, somewhere, had fun reading this little venture."[/color] [b]"...Heh, well...knowing you, you'll be trying again soon, won't you?"[/b] [color=6ecff6]"Maybe once I that annoying hag in the underworld isn't out for my blood. I swear, those maids are Scaaary! Especially that Cynthia one! She could have killed me!"[/color] [b]"Well that's what you get for pissing off the other gods constantly."[/b] [color=6ecff6]"I can't help it, its what I do. They shouldn't get offended when I decide to test their little champions! That's literally my job description!"[/color] [b]"Missing the mark as always...haa, for now...how about we just go relax a bit. I've got a surprise for you anyways."[/b] [/hider] [hr] [center]And so, this little project of mine comes to an end. Two years, huh? I hope you all at least, had fun with this little imperfect project of mine. I've wrapped it up, and hopefully given every character as proper a send off as I could have here. I'm sorry for cutting things short, but I've already mentioned in the discord all of my reasons for doing so...but not to fret, after some time to think about everything and give the RP a fresh coat of paint, I'll certainly be restructuring and giving it a second attempt. Thank you all for being part of this and putting up with my amateurish attempts to tell a story here. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better group of people. Thank you all and stay tuned for the future.[/center]