Member
Lord Zee
Scrawl Banditta
Vec
ImagineTheStars
Iwannabeyours
Simply Not Real
Double Capybara
Shovel
TimemasterLi’Kalla, Goddess of Rain
MP 18 FP 16
&
Shengshi
Rivers and Rain
“Alright,” the snake sighed. “I suppose we should go pick up those… What did Laurien call them again?”
“Nebulites, Your Lordship,” He Bo replied helpfully.
“Ah, yes - the Nebulites. Have their rooms been prepared?”
“With impeccable attention to detail and comfort, Your Lordship.”
“Splendid,” the snake praised with a smile. The great vessel of Jiangzhou was currently cruising lethargically through the clouds due west. The ship had been primed and prepared for the coming day-long feast, and the army of servants zoomed back and forth with towels, bedsheets, food and drink. Everything was going to be perfect - nothing less could be expected.
However, an odd sensation suddenly prickled at the snake’s mind, and as he looked outside, he saw heavy, gray clouds on the horizon like dark wool. Behind them, a presence teased its position like the final cookie in the jar.
“Say, He Bo - what is in that direction?”
The master servant followed his finger and squinted at the clouds. “Cannot say, Your Lordship. The holy vessel Jiangzhou rarely sails these clouds.”
The snake hummed. “If we have sailed in the right direction, there should be an archipelago below us. Though this presence is… Awfully unlike the one I was expecting. We shall investigate.”
The ship dipped down under the thickest cloud cover, but it seemed to extent forever. Moisture clung to the cool wood and cloth onboard and the snake pursed his lips.
“He Bo, I think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”
“It could be raining over the isles today, Your Lordship,” He Bo suggested. The snake shook his head.
“No, no, we are definitely somewhere other than where we intended to go.” He slithered out onto his veranda and stared ahead. He Bo followed swiftly after, even his controlled steps slipping on the wet floorboard. Before them a great island stretched towards the north, and above them fell raindrops upon raindrops in a ceaseless manner. The snake blinked and snapped his fingers.
“Oh, now I know what this presence is!”
He Bo opened a silk umbrella. “What is it, Your Lordship?”
“A goddess - one whose presence I have not sensed since the dawn of time. Oh, what a splendid opportunity! He Bo, have the servants deck the feast hall for two.”
“At once, Your Lordship,” the master servant answered dutifully and hurried inside. The snake scanned eagerly across the vast lands: the froth of waves at its coast, the thick growth of trees, and, his divine eyes observed, a particularly hot lake next to what looked to be a house.
“Ah, wonderful.”
Some time later, the impervious vessel had landed neatly on the boiling lake. The snake peered over the side of the deck, backed up by a few curious servant eyes, to see several barely clothes shapes on the shore, staring at the ship in both fear and awe. All in all, at least fifty of those shapes were present, with most being very young children and babies in the arms of females. More were arriving quickly, however.
One male, pale with white hair and grey eyes, pushed his way through the small crowd and took a stance, pointing his stone spear at the magnificent ship.
“You land in the Holy Lake of the Eagle Clan,” The male exclaimed with all he had, his voice barely reaching the ship, “You dare bring foreign materials into sacred lands without the permission of the True Queen-Mother, state your identities now, invaders!”
As he spoke, three more of his kin, these ones with black hair and brown eyes, joined him, one of them with a primitive bow and the other two with clubs.
“Ouch, what a greeting,” the snake muttered. “He Bo, fetch a meal for each of these as a peace offering.” The servant replied in his nasal, musical language and disappeared behind the top of the deck. The snake wrinkled his nose and turned to look down at the creatures below. In a bombastic move, he swung his arms open and boomed, “Lower your weapons, people of the Eagle Clan, for I, Shengshi, am not your foe! I come in nothing but peace, for the sake of peace, and with an invitation of peace. In but a moment, my intentions will be clear for you all to sample.”
He clapped his hands together once and smiled. “In the meantime, would you tell me a bit about yourselves? I do so love a mortal story or two.”
The male hesitated, but ended up relaxing. His kin followed suit, casting uncertain gazes at their leader. Just as he opened his mouth to continue speaking, a loud knocking echoed through the land. Heavy metal on thick wood, it came from the large front doors to the Pristine Manor on top of the cliff, overlooking the crude huts and workshops of the mortals.
Three times the knock was heard, and after three times the doors dragged open, the wood creaking and allowing light into the dark interior of the building. Behind the doors, the tall Goddess Li’Kalla, Goddess of Rain, stood proud. Her pure white wings were stretched at each side of her body, tips touching far above her head, outlining a sort of halo behind her head. It barely fitting through the frame of the entranceway. And so she walked out and the doors closed behind her, one last heavy knock reverberating through the bones of the mortals present.
Every primitive watched with tears in their eyes and happy smiles, the only one who remained watching the foreigners closely was the male leader.
The Goddess walked gracefully to the shores of her Boiling Lake and made herself float up to Shengshi’s level, without drawing too close to the Jiangzhou.
”I welcome you to my humble abode, and I introduce you to my Herd, the Valthumir and Vallamir who reside on this land… Shengshi, God of Rivers, am I correct?”
“Very much so!” the snake replied and bowed low. “It is an honour and a joy to be welcome. Forgive me for not contacting you ahead of my arrival - for a while I was a little uncertain as to who exactly was down here; I am glad to find that it was you, after all.” He tapped his chin. “This is the first time we have met since the dawn of time, is it not? Or did we even formally meet even then? My apologies, my recollections of the eons past are a little jumbled of late.”
”I say the same of my recollections. That is not important now, however. We shall treat it as our first meeting.” Li’Kalla said with a placid smile.
“So we shall! So, this Herd of yours…” As he spoke, a train of servants came out the palace gates behind him. As soon as they laid their eyes on Li’Kalla, they collectively put the covered plates they were carrying on the ground, turned to her with inclined heads and then proceeded to kowtow. Then, they thundered as one: “TEN THOUSAND YEARS TO LI’KALLA, GREAT MISTRESS OF THE RAIN!” The snake spun around and smiled proudly while Li’Kalla nodded at the servants in appreciation.
“... Fantastic, aren’t they? Right, so this Herd… It has a…” He sniffed the air and hummed. “... A certain scent about it - a four-way split of essence. Were they a collaborative project?”
”Ah,” Li’Kalla held back a sigh, ”They are a product of Arae, Roog, Kalmar and I. Unfortunately. Had I been the sole creator I would’ve been able to ensure all of them showed at least one Streak of Divinity… As it stands, I’ve separated the lesser ones from those worthy of leadership.”
“Ah! A hierarchy! Finally, something familiar,” the snake applauded. “A proper civilisation needs its castes. What would my servants be without it, I wonder?” The servants in question had made their way down from the ship on a watery staircase and proceeded to offer the Valthumir and Vallamir clay plates covered with lids to keep the rain out. From underneath the lids oozed mouth-watering fragrances, and seeing the look on the faces of her mortals, Li’Kalla made the rain stop and the clouds disperse.
When she turned to face Shengshi she was blushing slightly and frowning, ”I apologize, Shengshi, they have no tables to place the plates on. They shall kindly accept your offering and eat it in their huts, away from sight. It’s a very young civilization, I hope you understand.” As she finished, she quickly motioned a dismissal with her hand to Van’Kalla, the male leader who still watched the two Gods speak.
“Understood, Queen-Mother, at once.” Van’Kalla replied with a respectful nod of his head and turned around to begin shouting at his kin. each one took one plate they liked the scent of and disappeared into one of the few huts.
The Goddess watched the mortals go one by one until there were none left but the servants, and then she turned to Shengshi. ”Would you rather speak on neutral ground? Have your servants set up a temporary meeting spot some distance away from the Lake and we shall discuss things further there, I have need of your expertise in some matters.”
“Oh, is that so? How fantastically convenient. May I come with a proposal, though? While it may not be neutral perhaps, we have already stacked the table in my feast hall below deck high with snacks and drinks for just such an occasion - would that suffice?”
Li’Kalla pursed her lips, and then nodded, ”That will do.”
“Then,” the snake said with a bow, “if you would follow me, please.” He then spun calmly on his tail and slithered towards the palace gates, with Li’Kalla letting herself touch the ground and walking next to him.
”I couldn’t help but notice the efficiency at which your servants work and the plates they carried. Clay, correct?”
“Correct. It is of my own making, as with most of the items onboard. The servants have a complex and fascinating culture, and while they are slowly reverse-engineering much of the equipment they have been using over the centuries, there are certain processes that offer more obstacles than others, hence why the clay plates are not made by them.” The pair entered into the palace where the walls along the great corridor to the feast hall were lined with kowtowing servants, all of whom were shouting their humble, praising greetings with one voice. The snake continued, “They are nigh infinitely loyal and rigorously well-trained. There are none in this universe but the gods who can best them in service and servitude.”
Li’Kalla watched with some discomfort as the servants kept going out of their way to greet them, ”I see,” She said, ”Gods are not meant to serve others however, so they might as well be the best there is in that aspect for now.”
“I could not agree more,” the snake said with a smile. The pair descended a great staircase draped with crimson silk carpets and before them unfolded a room of gold and glory. Its walls carried splending paintings on colossal rice paper canvases; the roof was lit with red paper lanterns; nearly every surface and column wore a golden coat. In the background sang flutes and harps and in the centre of the hall stood a long table with a golden dragon throne at the far end and a beautifully bejeweled throne of wood upholstered with silken pillows on the left side of the far end.
When they arrived at the thrones, the snake took the liberty of pulling Li’Kalla’s throne out for her. “Please, have a seat.”
”Thank you,” Li’Kalla said furling up her wings and sitting down in one graceful movement. ”Beautiful decoration, was it all decided by you, Cardinal Courtesy?”
“Down to the last tablecloth,” the snake confirmed with a smile and sat himself on his golden dragon throne. “The feast hall is the jewel of my vessel - only perfection is acceptable. I would have nothing less for my guests.” A number of servants came over to the table and, with swift, courteous movements, they placed down warm clay plates for the both of them upon which sat rolled up, hot towels. The snake took his and rubbed it over his hands.
“Forgive me for jumping straight to the point, but I am so curious: What was it that you wanted to discuss?”
Li’Kalla imitated what Shengshi did, and she nodded, ”As you surely observed, the state of my civilization is rather… Unsatisfying. You saw how they greeted you. Their ignorance comes from a lack of knowledge and respect, so upon seeing your servants I wondered if you would be able to teach some basic etiquette to the Vallamir and Valthumir, and while at it I would be thankful to receive advice on how to ensure the loyalty and productivity of the lower castes.”
“Ah, so that which ails you is issues of the state,” the snake mused. “The request for basic etiquette can easily be solved if a few servants were left behind to educate them. Etiquette stems from respect, which can be achieved through fear or fame. Let us examine these two,” the snake stated. “If they respect you because of your might, they would never dare to rise up unless they thought that they could win - which they cannot. For a god, it is safe, reliable and simple.”
Servants came over to them with cups of light wine. The snake took a small sip from his and continued, “If they respect you because of your heroism or out of their love for you, they are likely to be loyal, as well. Working for a master one knows will care for you is a great motivator, so productivity is assured as well. However, mortals are ungrateful and easily corrupted by worldly riches. They may not love you forever for the gifts you grant to this generation. Therefore, my advice is to establish clear boundaries - offer them a stern rule set that tells them what will lead to wealth and riches, and what will lead to sanctions and punishment.”
Li’Kalla set down the hot towel, now soaking due to her rainwater, and brought her hand up to her mouth as she thought. After a moment, she nodded again, ”I see. Yes, I will create a concise ruleset. There is another matter...” Li’Kalla grabbed her cup and gave it a long sip, gasping quietly in surprise at the flavour, ”... Wine? And it’s exceptional.”
“Like it?” the snake smiled and chuckled. “This one is a pear wine, made from Atokhekwoian pears. It is very much a new favourite of mine. I will give you a pot if you like it that much. Oh, why not take two, to honour our friendship.”
”Heh, you take large strides, Shengshi.” Li’Kalla chuckled and kept sipping at her cup, ”We can do business later, I am very interested in your selection of wines. For now, the other matter I had in mind was requesting you share some technology with my Herd. I am willing to do business, should you wish to ask for anything in exchange.”
“Hooo?” The snake raised an eyebrow and put down his cup. He intertwined his fingers and placed his chin on top. “What technology did you have in mind?”
”You clearly have the ability to produce wines in large quantities, so that means you have access to agricultural techniques beyond most of those I’ve seen in this world. On top of that, you have access to sugar, an important ingredient in the making of wine, which is also an important ingredient in black powder. You see where I’m going with this, I expect.”
The snake’s eyebrows furrowed together and he wrinkled his nose. “I am sorry, but there may be a misunderstanding here. While I do have expansive knowledge of agriculture and brewing, I personally do not use any extra sugar in the brewing process - not even to carbonate the drinks. Certainly, I can plant for your mortals fields of sugar beets or sugar cane, but I believe you know as well as I that for mortal hands to extract refined sugar from these plants, they require technology that they simply are not ready for.”
”That is no matter, if you can teach my mortals these techniques and technologies, I’d be happy to sponsor any project of your choosing in exchange.”
The snake raised a palm. “I will gladly teach them to work the soil and harvest its produce, and I will teach them to make the tools that will bring in the season’s bounty and where to store it. However, until they at the very least grasp concepts like pottery, furnaces and metalcraft, I feel teaching them sugar extraction is wasted knowledge.”
”That is a fair point. They should be ready for that knowledge soon, however. After agriculture is established, the Valthumir will begin to truly shine. Without having to spend so much time foraging and hunting for food, most of them will be able to focus on scientific pursuits... We may yet be able to turn these savages into proper civilized individuals.”
“A worthy mission. Few goals in this world are greater than the search of prosperity for one’s people. However, I feel a need to stress my earlier point about respect. The mortals respecting you will be simple - however, the mortals respecting one another necessitates that one of them, preferably the leader you have chosen, has a considerable force behind them. How skilled are your people in combat? Will there be a state policing force?”
Li’Kalla finished her cup of wine and set it down on the table, ”Not very skilled. We lack the numbers or stable food source to establish an army. I do know of one Valthumir that shows real potential for warfare, however. He is on a quest at the moment, below ground where the shadows reside.”
“What was that? Below ground where the shadows reside?”
Li’Kalla raised her eyebrows in surprise and leaned back in disbelief, ”... I expected a God with a taste for stories to know this, somehow. I suppose no one visits these lands too much. There are hideous, dangerous beings under our feet right now. Forgotten creations by a Forgotten deity… They seek only to sow destruction and pain and death, and they guard the underground where all the significant sources metals and combustible resources are.”
“How absolutely barbaric - to make life for the sake of destroying other life for nothing but sport.” The snake grimaced and waved the foul thought away. “And here I thought the pinnacle senseless destruction was that bloody flame-bearded dog. To furthermore stand in the way of your people’s future prosperity, too. Horrible - simply horrible.”
”it is good practice,” Li’Kalla sighed, ”I can’t shake this feeling that something horrible lies in wait for us over the horizon, so this is more of a blessing in disguise… It will serve to toughen up the Valthumir. Especially because not even I know how deep the underground goes, or what creatures are down there.”
“... I certainly hope that I will remain merely a blessing in disguise, then… Still…” He waved over a servant who placed a plate of small appetisers on the table: various bits of fish, biscuits and rice balls. “... You will not have to worry about an army. Once they have been taught to work the soil, they will not hunger for many, many years.”
”Indeed,” Li’Kalla tapped the rim of her empty wine cup then looked straight at Shengshi, ”Back to business, I would be interested in obtaining seeds for several different crops, including grapes and these pears you mentioned. Oh, and lastly, would you mind taking me to your cellar? I would like to taste your different wines. If they’re tradeable, I’d like to get as many of the ones I find agreeable as possible.”
“They are both tradeable and giftable, my dear - I am inclined to offer the wine to you as the latter in addition to the gift of seeds, tools and knowledge. The wine shall serve as my letter of friendship and siblinghood to you - the rest can be traded for a favour which I may call upon at a later date. Does this sound fair?”
Li’Kalla smiled and nodded, raising her cup up in the air, ”It sounds fair. Now, take a girl to you cellar, will you?”
“Of course,” the snake said with a smile and rose, slithering over to Li’Kalla’s throne to offer her a hand which she gladly took. “Please, follow me.” And so the two walked to the far back of the feast hall, towards the ship’s stern. There awaited them a colossal metal gate sealed with chains and locks. The snake snapped his right fingers and the pair watched as the locks opened themselves and pulled away from the door like retreating serpents.
“A safety measure to keep out any curious mortals. I had three once who spent their entire days emptying my cellar. Never again.” Li’Kalla responded with a chuckle.
The doors slowly swung open and an aged, sour smell fell out like a cloud of dust. It was dark inside, and in the red light shining in through the doorway, one could see fifty litre clay pots stacked in mountains around the room, surrounding research benches and boiling basins. In the centre of the room was an enormous metal contraption, adorned with brass stills and pipes. A vent of steam escaped it with a loud whistle.
“Pardon the mess, my dear - I so rarely bring guests here these days. Not that I do not wish to show it off, oh no, it is merely because so few request it.”
Li’Kalla shook her head and waved her hand nonchalantly, ”No complaints here, I prefer it when workshops are well-used and slightly messy, myself. It shows the one in charge is diligent.” She spoke as she walked around the vast room, taking in all the various tools, rolled up parchments and most importantly, the metal contraption. ”This is the first contraption I see in this world that comes close to a machine. It’s beautiful, really! Pray tell, does it require manpower or is it automated?”
“This is the Distillery. While the fires must be kept alive by mortal hand, it boils the wine and collects the vapours on its own, concentrating them to create liquor. It is a stronger sort of wine, if you will - specifically made to be consumed in small doses at a time over the course of a long night.”
”Oh, I see, impressive nonetheless,” Li’Kalla took in the sight and then looked over at one of the research benches, ”I’m sorry, I’m unfortunately not too well versed in the different kinds of alcohol that can be consumed, so all I can talk about is my admiration for machines and research. I’m a bit of a bore, really.”
“No, no, you are certainly no bore, dear!” Shengshi supported. “Machinery and industry are two fascinations of my own, too, so I could gladly talk about them for ages. How about we talk some over a cup of… Uhm, let us see…” The snake ran his fingers over a number of labels. “How about a mango liqueur? It is a little thicker and sweeter than the one we had for lunch.”
”Hmm...” Li’Kalla brought a hand up to her cheek as she thought, ”Why not? Let’s try a few different ones as well, this is a great opportunity to experience something new!” She said with a smile on her face.
The snake smiled and took off the lid. He took a wooden ladle and poured some of the thick, orange fluid into two cups. He offered one to Li’Kalla and gave his own a whiff. “Ah... Such a sweet scent… Tell me, what sort of crops would you like your civilisation to live off of? With these rains, I reckon rice and various vegetables can thrive.”
Li’Kalla brought her cup up to her nose and took a whiff as well, then tried the concoction. She made a face and coughed, then perked up. ”Ah yes, business. Rice is a great idea and I was thinking of adding corn and a good selection of fibrous vegetables. I do not mind which vegetables, as long as they’re fairly nutritious to ensure the long term health of the genetic stock. What do you think?”
“Rice and corn will serve as the main source of carbohydrates, then - vitamins and fiber will be covered by asparagus, cabbage, carrots and okra. Cucumbers as well, I think. Few of these will suffer too much from monsoons and rain seasons, and they offer many different flavours, textures and nutrients for your mortals to enjoy. As for proteins, I can offer various beans and legumes, though I still recommend either fish or meat for the warriors and labourers.”
”Yes, I expect most of their protein and fat intake to come from animal sources, excluding milk of course. Milk is… Disgusting, to say the least. We can supply them with two types of beans however. What’s your opinion on black beans and green lentils? The former is amazing with some salt, in my opinion.”
“You do not like milk?” the snake asked with a surprised look. “Well, suppose we will be skipping the fermented elephant milk, then…” He cleared his throat as Li’Kalla barely held back a gag. “Black beans and green lentils are satisfactory, though lentils in particular are very vulnerable to floods. May I suggest cowpeas instead? They are a little more comfortable with humidity.”
”Sure, sounds great. In due time we’ll be able to cultivate whatever we desire with just a little help from hydro, aqua and aeroponics however, so all of this might change in the future. Who knows, it might even be sooner than expected! Oh,” Li’Kalla gasped and shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself for a moment, ”I get all shivery thinking of the future, sorry!” She giggled and took a long sip of her drink.
“Oh, nothing to apologise for,” the snake chuckled. “Excitement about the future is something we all should feel! The future is prosperous, harmonious! A promise of peace, stability and joy for all life in this universe.” He knocked his cup gently against hers and flashed her a grin. “Starting with ensuring every mortal goes to sleep with a full belly.”
”Yeah! That’s a prosperous future, indeed! And let’s make sure my Faithful get to taste these sweet drinks as well! They will be a hit, I can imagine all the fun that’s going to be had in reunions and meetings between friends already.”
“Naturally, my dear! The wine shall flow through the camp of the Eagle clan like rain water over their soon-to-be-sown fields of food. Now…” He finished his cup. “Allow me to show you this one… It is an experimental blend…”
”... Aaaand daswhy, Sssheng… Daswhy you can’t mIX WHITE HAIR WITH COLOURED HAIR! Yuknoo… Sgood am here... Nooobodyhasshpreparedathing! I hav’ t...” Li’Kalla let her blushing face drop against the soft surface of the table she found herself to be sitting at and after a moment, ruffled up her own hair and looked up at Shengshi with a flushed, placid grin, ”... I liiiike, likelike youur PRODUCTS, Ho… Li… Ness~”
The snake shuffled uncomfortably in his throne. “I suppose my tolerance may be a little more robust.” A sharp burp escaped him and he covered his mouth. “Oof, pardon me. Li’Kalla, my dear, would you like one last sample before we return upstairs?”
Li’Kalla barely nodded and pushed her cup toward him. ”yuush…!”
The snake poured her a half-full cup of something purple. “For our final taste test, my dear, we have a very, very, -very- mild grape wine. I reckon it would serve you well to drink it and then gulp down some water so as to not appear…” He tapped his chin. “... Inebriated before your subjects.”
”W-Wuh- Am not!” Li’Kalla exclaimed, jerking upright and looking straight at the empty air next to Shengshi, she went to grab her cup and missed, then tried again and downed the cup in one go, letting herself slink back onto the table. ”... Maybeh a lil beet… Am in troublee… Haeelp meh...” Li’Kalla moaned, tearing up.
”I... cant go out like dish… Waddidyoudotoomeee...”
“Would you like to take a nap, dear?” the snake sighed and patted her comfortingly on her shoulder. “It usually helps.”
”... Ok, yesh.”
A few hours later...
Li’Kalla had been moved to a large bedroom with white walls painted with blue and green images of river valleys in the rain. Outside the skies were still gray, and it was quickly evident that the day was still the same as it had been before the wine tasting had begun. Beside the queen-sized, silk-sheeted bed was a small bed stand topped with a tall glass of water and an even tallen pitcher of the same. Between the two was a note.
With a groan and a stretch, Li’Kalla opened her eyes and sat up. She was feeling light as a feather and as beautiful as ever, and the sight of the gray skies invigorated her. By the Architect, did she love rain! Immediately she grabbed the tall glass of water that had been left on the bed stand and drank its contents. ”Hyyaaaa! That water’s good! How is Shengshi so good at picking out the taste for liquids? Maybe that comes with the title of River God… Hey… I am the Rain Goddess, I should be able to make great water as well.” Li’Kalla thought out loud, then shrugged, tilted her head back and opened her mouth, dangling her index finger over her mouth before thinking twice about it and shaking her head.
Instead she picked up the glass she’d just drank from, gave it a quick wash with her control over water and made sure it was dry before sticking the tip of her finger into it and letting a steady stream of clear, cool water fill it up. She took a sip of that water.
”Bleh. Could use some work...” She set the glass back down on the bedside table and got off the bed. She walked to the dresser and looked into the mirror, fixing her disheveled appearance with a mere thought and finishing with hand-grooming her wings. Why was that the one thing she did by hand? Because it felt good.
After a while, she looked through the drawers and the dozen wardrobes and found what she had wanted for so long -- Footwear. A pair of lace-up sandals made of leather. They weren’t a perfect match for her dress, but they were good enough, considering the dress covered up most of the leather strips reaching all the way to her knees anyway.
She also got herself a piece of parchment and a brush, and with impeccable control of her arm, wrote a divine message into the surface. They were beautifully crafted, the sigils, and each of them carried parts of a concise message.
There was no hurry, of course, but it was important for a God to be as efficient as possible. Therefore, as soon as she was finished with her small masterpiece of a letter, she rolled it up, tied a string around it and opened the door to her temporary chambers.
The Sandy Servant posted outside her door tensed up briefly, but otherwise kept her composure as she turned slightly and bowed deeply, never making any eye contact with the Goddess.
“M-”
”My apologies for cutting you short, but I have a task for you, female.” Li’Kalla said with a polite smile, handing the servant woman the rolled up parchment. ”Take this to Shengshi at once. Thank you.” And just as quickly, the Goddess had closed the door again, leaving the Servant alone.
‘Steemed Shengshi,
Your stock of spirits is incredibly high-quality, as expected of a fellow God. I write this brief letter to you to highlight a few concerns of mine. First, nothing improper happened earlier on, and I never got to any stage of inebriation; and second, I am ready to bestow the gifts mentioned before onto my Herd. How should we proceed in order to strengthen both our positions? I would wish for this event to strengthen yours as well, within reason.
Li’Kalla Lithokelles.’
A few moments later, a knock came on Li’Kalla’s door.
“Li’Kalla? It is me, your brother,” came a muffled voice.
There was a moment’s worth of silence, and then the door opened. Li’Kalla herself was standing a few paces back, with her hands clasped in front of herself.
”Brother is a strong word, I believe. We are not related by blood, are we? Though it is true we are both Gods. I suppose it’s more of a gray area. Come in, please.” Li’Kalla smiled and nodded.
“Oh, forgive me if the terms makes you uncomfortable, my dear,” the snake said as he entered. “It has stuck with me somewhat since the first time I met Arae at the dawn of time. It personally brings me quite a bit of joy to see the gods as my siblings--” He frowned a little. “... Even the less civilised lot.”
”Such as Kalmar and Roog?” Li’Kalla asked suddenly, tilting her head innocently.
“Roog? Now that is name I am… Unfamiliar with, to say the least. Is it godspawn?”
”Indeed. It takes the form of an animal made of fire. Spawned between two male gods, as well. It’s a… Disappointing situation.”
“The personality, or the being’s conception?” the snake asked with a confused frown and a scratch of his temple.
”Both.”
The snake cleared his throat sheepishly. "My apologies, dear sister, I, uhm, I do not quite follow. The creature is rude, that I can see as problematic, but why is its male parentage an issue?”
Li’Kalla raised an eyebrow, ”Procreation should only be done between a male and a female, to set a healthy example for our creations. We want them to build new generations for us, right? If everyone turns deviant, their very continuity would be threatened. As a God, it is our duty to be the best of the best.”
The snake’s brow fell low. “For your information, dear, there are several mortals upon this good world that do not require two individuals of different sexes to reproduce. My Servants are among them, and if I am not mistaken, them numbering over ten thousand makes them the most numerous group of mortals in this universe.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides, in addition to this Roog, my son Anu was conceived with the blood of Narzhak and I - both, I assume, have a male form and consider ourselves to be male. I will not bat an eye if you wish this to be the view of your mortals, dear, but please do not equate all mortals to one another, nor mortals to the gods.”
Li’Kalla’s expression darkened, ”Let me ask you this, Shengshi… Why do you and Narzhak identify as males? By adopting that identity, you take upon your shoulders the laws of nature that keep sexually reproducing entities in line. What good is a male that seeks to copulate with another male? The Goddess rubbed her temple and sighed, “And you referring to the product of your interaction with another male as a ‘son’, just further confirms your actions as the product of rampant deviancy. A true son is brought to the world by a mother and father through sexual intercourse, anything else is either a creation or a deviation and must be purified.”
The snake recoiled as if he had been shot. He placed a palm on his chest and sucked in a breath through the nose, a scowl overtaking his visage. “There is no law of nature that says sexual reproduction is the only way - the only law of the universe is that there will be life, and there will be death. Anu is my son - that fact is as true as my very existence - regardless of whether he had been made with another male, female or something else. Mortals will reproduce regardless of whether homosexuality is normal, dear, and to enforce such a view upon all of mortalkind is to deprive them of a staggering joy.”
”Homosexuality is a joy? No. It is a perversion. See, why have two sexes when everyone can procreate with everyone else? There is no practicality to that, you might as well have created all mortals as hermaphrodites or completely sexless beings. It is disappointing to see Gods defend perversion and deviancy so freely, truly. In fact,” Li’Kalla smirked mockingly, ”We have no need for deviants here. A God that chooses his form to be half an animal’s and half a man’s? I should have realized you were worse than Kalmar or the dog. Shengshi, you may take your leave whenever you’re ready. Please do forget any business we spoke of, and keep your spirits. I wouldn’t want any of my followers doing things they’ll regret while inebriated.”
Li’Kalla then frowned, flicked her hair and walked past Shengshi, letting her slightly unfurled wings bump his shoulder on her way out.
”I know my way out, I shall not bother you on that.”
As the goddess left the room, the snake stood there speechless, opening and closing his mouth. His pupils were less than slits, near utterly empty. A quiet droning escaped him, one that slowly turned into quickened, furious breaths.
“... The nerve…” He closed his fist and sent it straight into the mirror in the room, reducing it to dust. He let out a livid scream at the top of his lungs and eyed himself up and down. “Half man and half animal?! DEVIANT?! Worse than-...” He reduced the wardrobe to sawdust. “I invite her into my home; I offer her my services…” His finned spine turned to a row of quills; his claws extended; his teeth lengthened into fangs. “THE NERVE!”
The snake stormed out the door, blasting it off its hinges, over the rails of the veranda walkway and into the depths of the belly of the ship. The echo silenced the whole vessel, and it did not take long before a train of nervous Servants trailed the snake with their heads bowing. At the head of the group marched a sweating He Bo, his watery eyes quivering with fear.
“Y-your Lordship, what is the matter?!”
“We are leaving this instant,” the snake spat back. “See to it that none of the gifts reserved for the Valthumir make it off the ship.”
“Y-yes, Your Lordship!” The master servant began to bark orders left and right. In the hallways, wine pots were sent back to the cellar; grain and seeds were thrown into the hearths; tools were left to collect dusts in their storages.
The snake climbed up onto the deck. There, he saw the goddess enter the mansion again, acting as if his ship was nothing but an insect flying by. The ship had begun to sail away by now. The snake grit his fangs and hammered at the ship railings with such force that the elementally-impervious planks began to shatter. Slowly, the rage manifested itself through a glare that could set fire to water.
“... So… We are supposed to set examples, are we?” he droned menacingly. “... And you want your little Valthumir not to do things they will regret…” He rubbed a claw against the wooden railing. “What a poor, poor example you make, my dear.”
The snake raised his hands into the air. A black sludge formed between his fingers and began to drip down into the soil far below.
“From this day forth, no soil upon this island will ever sprout a single grain, a single fruit, a single vegetable. As this bile runs black as night, so in kind shall every harvest yield nothing but filth and rot. Neither wild nor domestic trees will spawn anything but putrid slime; any sown grain will be as salt to the soil. From this day until the end of time, this island will be a pool of rot and decay.”
The ship disappeared behind the clouds before Shengshi could move on to a curse on the rivers, as well. Down below, the effect was immediate: All around Li’Kalla’s island, wild fruit, grain, vegetables, legumes - any edible yields of plants - all began to rot away in minutes. The stink was staggering.
Li’Kalla’s island, was sentenced to death.
