Frettzo

Crucible of Gods - A New Divine RP

Interested! I just can't seem to stay away from God RP's can I?

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

Astalonian Shenanigans

---

20 Years Ago, Nube City, Astalon

Fred’s official title was ‘refrigeration engineer’, though in all honesty he wasn’t entirely sure what the refrigeration really was supposed to do in the lab or how any of that worked. He wasn’t much of an engineer; more like a technician, and since being assigned to work in this laboratory all he’d ever done was make sure the damned ice-rooms got closed whenever the Boss or any of his more competent and knowledgeable minions came and went.

He didn’t know what sort of research was supposed to be going on inside this lab or why they kept bringing in animals (dead or alive!) and stuffing them in those ice-rooms, but they did it, and he didn’t ask questions. He just closed the doors so that cold air wouldn’t get out, and he felt lucky to have such an easy life.

That all had changed on that fateful day when the announcement came, though. The Boss’ words echoed through even the lab’s speakers, buried as it was within a mountain, just like they echoed everywhere else throughout Nube and the rest of the whole island: 30 minutes to get into the Boss’ workshop, or be cleansed!

Fred had laughed. What did ‘cleansing’ even mean? They’d be grabbed up by some Primes and marched into a bathhouse? He spent the first ten minutes in disbelief, even as all the other technicians and whatever passed for homuran ‘scientists’ fled the lab to find their families or try to somehow make it in time. There was no way anyone could get down the mountain and all the way to the workshop within a half hour, even on the best of days, even without traffic. It was just too far.

This had to be some kind of prank, right? Some kind of horrible prank? As fear began to creep into Fred, he paced down the now-emptied hallways. He heard something from Joe’s office, and peeked in through a crack in the door to see his coworker’s shoe sticking out from under the desk while the lab director hid and murmured to himself in a panic; that was when Fred really felt the adrenaline kick in and send him into a rush. He knew what cleansing meant; they all did. The Boss’ tone had said it all, even if some chose not to hear the meaning.

Fred was running; he didn’t know where, but Joe probably had the right idea. They were deep underground in what was supposed to be a top-secret lab, so maybe if he just hid for long enough, this could all blow over. So Fred threw on a lab coat that he found on a rack somewhere, and then another coat over that. Then a rain jacket over that! Undoing all the latches on one of the ice rooms, he opened the door. He’d never really looked inside before – it wasn’t in his job description and he could supposedly do everything he needed to do from the maintenance corridor adjacent, so they’d never cleared him to go in – but now he just ran inside. Nobody would look for him here, and with the three jackets maybe he’d still be warm.

Of course, when he went inside, he shut the door behind him out of habit (couldn’t let any of the cold air get out, that was his one job!) and then he was completely in the dark. He fumbled around looking for a light switch, but found none. He couldn’t even get the door open either; from this side he could only feel a keypad, and he had no clue what combination to try. He fumbled at the buttons in the dark until his fingers grew numb, and then reality set in.

It felt like he’d been trapped in there for hours already. It was deathly silent except for the whirring of the refrigerated room’s fans, and the metallic echos of his footsteps and pounding on the door. He staggered around in the dark, walking facefirst into a wall in what must have been the back of that room. But then his hand felt something strange; it was a terminal of some sort.

He started mashing buttons, and a screen lit up. He could see!

”Cryotank engaged,” a robotic voice sounded, and then a glowing pod opened in front of him. It looked nice and padded, but it didn’t seem to do anything. Fred just stared into the funny bed for a minute, tapping the keyboard every time the monitor started to dim. He couldn’t lose the light. He was starting to get cold, though. He needed to think! To stop panicking! Maybe laying on that padded thing would help. Impulsively, he flopped down in, but then with a start he heard and felt the pod’s lid slam down closed on top of him. Now he was trapped in an even worse place! It was completely dark, but it wasn’t quiet. There was the gurgling of liquids through pipes, and then frigid water filled his coffin while he screamed.

---

Navigating was hard for a dragon. You couldn’t just go wherever you wanted – you had to swim through clouds, and clouds tended to just float wherever the wind was going. You could at least huff and puff and summon clouds when there weren’t any, but that got really tiring really fast. Raijin and the rest were taking their chances with the clouds and swimming through the sky, but Shen had laughed at them all and said they’d probably just wind up back where they started, but that he’d come back and find them if they took too long. He had important things to see to in the meantime, so they were on their own getting back. Susanoo really wanted to get home, but in the end he couldn’t be bothered with all of that, so he was just swimming in water like a normal sort of thing.

Swimming all the way across the ocean, from that northern land full of giants all the way back home to the dragon mountains! Yup, that was the plan. But sometimes plans went awry, and all the islands that they’d passed on the way over here were different. Some memorable ones were gone, and others were there that Susanoo could’ve sworn he hadn’t seen the first time through. It was all terribly confusing and tiring and in the end susanoo decided to just take a break, so he clambered up onto the first island that he saw. This one was big, and it did look familiar, which was a good sign. It was a bit rainy too, so Susanoo slithered up into the sky and flew to a mountop to get a better view. It was icy on top, and his landing wasn’t terribly smooth, so when his great serpentine bulk landed it cracked the ice and started a miniature avalanche. Woops.

---

Astus was pretty good at building things, but everything broke after a long enough time with nothing to fix it. It was a wonder that the prototype cryopod had lasted as long as it had on low power and with no properly certified refrigeration engineer servicing the rooms for the past two decades, but it had kept going! At least until an avalanche had knocked out the last of the ancient backup power lines to the lab.

Fred had been dreaming that he’d drowned, and that he was cold. Then he woke up trapped in some sort of liquid, and he was freezing cold. He panicked and thrashed, trying not to breathe in, but when instinct finally made him surrender, he did. But strange as it felt, he could breathe in this strange water! And it felt as though it was warming up.

”Power levels critically low,” a strangely familiar voice announced. ”Initiating emergency abort procedure. Thawing.”

Fred was too weak to think or make sense of that, much less move.

”Thawing.”

The memories were starting to come back, as were hints of the panic.

”Thawing.”

Hadn’t it already said that twice?

”Thawing.”

Was it going to just keep saying that in the same annoying voice?

”Thawing.”

SHUT UP!

He angrily pounded the lid of the cryopod in just the same moment as it finally cracked open on its own. In reality he’d done nothing, but it felt like he’d just smashed his way out, and that did a lot to soothe his bruised ego.

He clambered out of the wrecked pod, a shaft of light coming from the ceiling to illuminate the tiny ice-room, or what had been an ice room. Now it wasn’t even cold anymore. There shouldn’t have been any light… shivering and wet, he padded over to the place beneath the beam of light and looked up, only to see a hole all the way to the surface. Some fissure in the rock had erupted and cut a hole all the way through the mountain down into the lab, twenty feet below! Well, that was convenient. But how long had he been down there?!

---

It took hours for Fred to cough up the last of the weird liquid from his lungs, wring some of the freezing fluid out of his clothes, and then regain the strength to climb. It took the rest of the day for him to actually succeed in climbing out – he’d slipped and fallen, or been too tired and had to give up, a half dozen times, but luckily he never really got hurt and eventually he mustered up the willpower to finally succeed. He clambered out of the fissure and onto the ground above, beholding the wonderful sky again, and panting. And then some sort of weird snake slithered through a cloud in that sky. He blinked, thinking he was hallucinating, but it was still there, so he screamed.

That was a really dumb reaction, because the snake seemed to hear and almost immediately it began coming down. Fred looked into the hole he’d just clambered out of, and seriously contemplated going right back down to hide. He really didn’t want to go back down there, but he also didn’t want to be eaten. He steeled his nerves and got ready to slide back down, but then the dragon landed right next to him with a thump.

“Hello, stranger!” it amicably announced. “I’m Susanoo, a loyal servant of the god Shen, just passing through. But I seem to be lost! Who are you?”

“I’m Fr-Fre-Frederick Zolner,” the terrified homuran stammered.

“I’ll call you Frettzo for short,” Susanoo answered. “Where is this place?”

Frettzo blinked.

---

Astus tapped his chin with his middle finger, eyes focused on the strange colleague in front of him.

“Listen li’l dude, I can fulfil your order just fine but I need twice the time and some of your flying snake friends to provide extra protection to my Labyrinth expeditions. It’s dangerous down there y’know? And I’ll need to make many, many trips just to establish enough mining outposts to gather the resources we’ll need.” The gray-skinned God asserted and set his hands down on the metal table between the two Gods, the metal that had come into his skin slowly turning a shade of orange. Who knew that doing business with fellow gods would be this exciting? “I’ll also need a copy of the schematics of the weapons and other items you want me to mass-produce and some assistance in locating the Colossus I mentioned before, number 8. Deal?”

Shen brought a finger up to his fu-manchu, braiding and twirling it in thought. “Those favors seem easy enough to arrange; how hard could it be to find a Colossus? And half those dragons just spend their time mucking around in caves anyways, they may as well do something useful while they’re at it.” But something was troubling him.

He explained, “You see, if i knew what sort of weapons would be most effective, I might’ve built them myself! Fortunately, or uh, maybe unfortunately, I can sense the taint here, too. You’ve had issues with that nasty fungus infecting the locale, yes? Well, if it’s still around, we can at least do some experimentation on it to try and devise an effective countermeasure. Then we’d both be equipped to fight it!”

“Hah! I like the way you think, guy. Let’s go, I’ll lead t’way. D’ya know how to airwalk?”

So they went to one of the triple-quarantined isolation zones, neither of them paying any heed to the countless biohazard signs, robotic guards, or other countermeasures in the way. “I feel as though fire might be an effective means of destroying these things,” Shen explained as he looked through a window at one of the fungal horrors inside. Then he suddenly grunted and groaned and took on a form closer to his true nature – a giant golden dragon that nearly filled the whole room, and he opened the door with a claw and then breathed out a torrent of fire that roasted the monster inside.

Then he went back into a smaller and more convenient form and ate a grain of rice to wash out the sooty aftertaste from all of that. “A shame that my dragons can’t do that!” he announced nonchalantly. “Really seemed to do the trick though, eh? Maybe we can make a weapon to spit fire! Or, to throw it, maybe.”

“Huh. I won’t deny that it was effective, but that kind of fire could vaporise anything on this Galbar, guy. There’s no telling if a mortal-tiered fire spitter would even come close to your breath in terms of power, but I can make a few prototypes to test them out.” Astus perked up a little once he saw another oversized, deformed fungal horror shambling into view from behind one of the half-melted boulders at the far edge of the area vaporised by Shen’s breath. “Hold on a second- '' He said as he dug into the various pockets in his extra short cargo trousers, finally pulling out a tiny vial from his back right pocket. It held a yellowish liquid inside. With a smirk, Astus threw the vial at the faraway horror, the sound of breaking glass and hissing reaching their ears but a moment later.

After a moment the horror’s skin went red, then purple, then blue, and the blisters all over its skin popped and dark blood seeped from its orifices. It groaned in anguish the whole time, scratching away at its skin and throat until it crumbled onto the ground a shivering mess.

“It’s a gas-based weapon designed to immobilise infected personnel. Recipe’s a trade secret and liable t’change, but I can make as much of it as you need if ya like it. I recommend your cloud gecko boys wear gas masks if they’re going to be handling it… We offer those too, by the way.” He explained with a thumbs up and a grin, a single glint of light reflecting off of his teeth.

“Oh, the dragons won’t be using any of this stuff,” Shen snorted, “because they’d find a way to screw it up, and they’d tip my hand anyways. This is all top secret, see? If it it goes according to the plan, they won’t even know I was involved. So that means you’ve got to keep all this to yourself, too!”

“That goes without sayin’, moustache.” Astus answered as he pretended that he was zipping his mouth closed.

What was left unsaid was that it’d look an awfully lot like Astus or maybe Voligan had set this whole thing up when push came to shove and it was time to execute the Grand Plan, but hey, Shen couldn’t exactly take all the heat on himself.

Shen momentarily ceased toying with his moustache to give Astus a hard, serious stare. “But yeah, I’ve got a bunch of golems. Rock guys, sort of like your metal ones here,” Shen went on, lightly thwacking the closest Prime Astalonian with a stick for emphasis. “So I figure this gas wouldn’t do anything to them. They’d be pretty good for distributing it.”

“Ah, the automatons created by my pal, Vol! Yeah, the golems will be perfect! Nowadays I never seem to have enough bodies t’do the things that need to be done.” Astus admitted as he slicked his napalm hair back. “Station a number of your rock guys with me and I’ll give them your monthly order so you can decide where to distribute it.”

---

The pair of third-generation Primes stationed at the main entrance to Astus’ Workshop were known to be the best of their class. How else could one justify having been given the important job of protecting the Boss? So naturally, as soon as they saw the strange fellow approaching the blast doors, they stepped in his way. The organic looked markedly… Different… Than the ones they’d seen inside the Vault. His golden hair and lanky, uncommonly tall stature almost made him look like one of the fabled fang-ears said to inhabit the east. His scent, too, was unlike anything they’d ever sensed, and his hormonal balance was all over the place.

The Prime to the right, an amalgamation of hundreds of interlocking plates and gears made of bronze and iron, twitched. Its visor flashed red, yellow, then red again, and finally turned black. A spark flew from the back of its head and it slumped, immobile.

“State Your Biz-Ness In The Workshop, Homuran.” Ordered the one who remained upright in a tinny voice that resembled a drone’s whirring engine more than a Homuran’s vocal chords. This one was made of an almost entirely opaque metal, the colour of the poisoned earth to the southwest of Astalon, and had an ovoid visor that covered the entirety of its face and top of the skull that flashed an intense yellow.

Susanoo, in his perfect homuran guise, projected a confident air and smirked at those two chumps. “I’m here to see the Boss, so you’d best not keep him waiting.”

The Prime's visor stayed yellow, "Doubt. No App-Ointment Today. You Will Leave Now, Homuran, Or You Will Be Stab-Bed. Not By Me, The Boss."

“It’s one of those, uh, what are they called? Walk-ins!” the persistent dragon-in-disguise retorted. He really needed to see who the hell this ‘Boss’ was, stabbing people and laying waste to the island… Shen would need to know so that this place could be liberated, as soon as they finished saving the world with the Grand Plan.

It turned out that Shen already seemed to know all about the place though, because in the next moment the workshop’s metal door opened with a loud clack and Shen strolled right on out, next to some other god that Susanoo had never seen or heard of before.

Shen and Susanoo locked eyes. It was a really awkward moment, because the god’s fist was jammed into his rice pouch as if he were about to chomp on a whole handful, but he’d just been busted. “Oh, Susanoo! Fancy seeing you here! I promise I’m sticking to the diet! I was just counting how long until I need to cook more!”

“Huh, wait wait wait!” Astus tapped his temples as he jogged over to the Prime that had short circuited, a quick glance being enough for him to turn to Susanoo with a raised eyebrow, “The hell did you do to my newest employee, gecko?!”

“Why, I didn’t do anything to it! Just told it that I wanted in!” Susanoo would have answered, if he’d been paying any attention at all to what that fiery-haired Astus fellow had been saying. His attention in that moment was on something far more urgent – that of his master, and his excuses.

Susanoo’s open palm, raised as if in peace, twisted from its soft and squishy state into a hard draconic claw, and then he swiped right at Shen’s face. The god barely managed to thwack him at the wrist in time to block the blow! “You told me what to do,” the dragon reminded Shen, “if you ever tried to get off the diet!”

More swipes were met with more thwacking blocks and graceful dodges. Shen frowned. “The plan was that you’d forget! Stop this nonsense anyways! My new business partner here has some work for you to do!”

The dragon stopped his wild swings at Shen and turned to look at Astus, panting and with his face now covered in golden scales. The gray-skinned god merely watched, a gentle hum coming from inside the prime he was leaning on, until a loud ‘DING’ came from the Prime’s chest cavity. In response to the ding, Astus pressed on the Prime’s chest plate and once it swung open, pulled out an oversized bowl filled with rice.

“Y’should really eat up, pal! The little pleasures in life, am I right or am I right?” Astus said with a chuckle as he walked past Susanoo and pushed the bowl into Shen’s hands. “Try it, it’s amazing stuff lil guy. Handmade!”

When Shen sniffed at the steaming hot grains, he caught a faint whiff of some sort of chemical. Everything here had weird odors though; must’ve been some sort of food additive. He indulged himself one grain right in front of the infuriated dragon, but nearly gagged. This stuff wasn’t rice! “There!” Shen said, pointing up at the sky dramatically. Everyone looked up at some funny-shaped cloud, just as he’d predicted they would, so then he took the chance to discretely spit out the nasty piece of rice-shaped plastic.

“That’s where I’ve gotta go,” he explained awkwardly to Astus, “back up to the sky. Gotta make sure all the pieces keep moving, never enough time. I’ll be seeing you around, partner! I’ll just take this grub of yours to go.”

And then the funny-looking man was suddenly a great big golden dragon, five-clawed and winged unlike any of the others. The celestial dragon took off into the sky without any further goodbyes. A torrential downpour of acrid rain (everything still smelt and tasted wrong on this whole polluted island) came a few moments later, which afforded Susanoo the chance to likewise make his escape.

Summary

Fred, a refrigeration engineer working at a mountain bunker-lab near Nube City in Astalon, accidentally throws himself into cryosleep the moment Astus announces the Genocide.

Approximately two decades later, he is thawed out when the lab runs out of power. At that point, he leaves the bunker. He climbs his way out through a caved in part of the bunker. He meets Susanoo after leaving.

At the same time, Astus and Shen are negotiating back in his Workshop. They’re discussing a big order and several different types of weaponry that Shen needs. They end negotiations after testing something similar to a napalm bomb and a nerve gas.

Back at the entrance of the Workshop, Susanoo then arrives and asks to be let in, wanting to meet with Astus to ask about the Genocide. He is unsuccessful, but is surprised to see Shen coming out of the Workshop with Astus by his side. Susanoo and Shen get into a fight as Susanoo realizes that Shen had broken his diet by eating two grains of rice instead of one.

After that, Astus gives Shen an entire bowl of rice and says to eat up. Shen nearly throws up when he realizes the rice is made of plastic. After that exchange, Susanoo and Shen part ways from Astus.

Vigour

Astus
Starting=7

None used

Ending=7

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

Corelei

I

It was a clear midnight. Rays of moonlight reflected off of the big drops of sweat rolling down Lorelei’s face. Her shoulders rose and fell rapidly as she panted and rested the head of her hammer on the stony dirt ground. One of her small hands came up to wipe some of the sweat away from her face, a hand that she quickly wiped on her dress after the fact.

She let out a sigh, took a look at her hands, and slowly touched the tender calluses that had started to form. Stone was difficult to work with, she thought with a groan before completely dropping her hammer and squatting down to pick up two of the better shaped boulder shards. She flipped them and observed them closely and nodded to herself only after she was satisfied with them.

Finally, she sat down cross legged on the ground and started to strike the bigger shard with the smaller one. It would be a long time before she had anything workable, but she knew that patience was one of the biggest parts of life as a tinkerer, and stone tools weren’t known for being fast to make.

Little by little, strike by strike, the true shape of her new tool began to reveal itself. She didn’t even let the sudden scent of smoke disturb her work, reacting to it by quickly donning on her gas-filtering visor.

“What are you crafting?” Core-Verdin’s voice came over shoulder, the moon glinting off the metallic scars that carved the left side of her face. Her words came with tiny puffs of smoke.

Lorelei stopped striking the stone shard and turned towards Verdin, the only features of her face that were visible behind her dark blue visor being her glowing golden irises. She knew this because she could see her own reflection in the visor.

“I-I’m making a hammaxe. I need to use it instead of W-White’s hammer, since I don’t wanna waste my metal tools when I finally get outta h-here.”

“You could use our tools if you like.” Verdin crouched next to Lorelei, examining her handiwork. “Just don’t grind any metal flakes and start inhaling them, not that I think even that would do anything.”

Lorelei chuckled and dropped the two shards of stone.

“Ok! I-I hate stone anyway. I’ve cut my hands like five times y’know! Not f-fun.” She said and stretched, her tail swishing behind her contentedly as she stood up. “I-I need an axe, a hammer, a knife, a c-chisel maybe… Lots of pointy things!”

“We’ll be shaping stone soon, so we just had some of those made, actually.” Verdin furrowed her brow. “Say Lorelei.” Her lisp was ever-present. “I have a question.”

The girl perked up “Yeah? W-What is it?”

“I noticed you have a bit of a stutter,” Core-Verdin said. “Have you thought about removing it?”

“Uh..” Lorelei deflated a little and twiddled her thumbs, thankful that her visor was there to cover her grimace and blush. “Y-Yep… I can’t h-help it though. ”

“All it takes is exercise, and I think I might have a form of speech exercise that could help you strengthen your words.” Verdin stood up and looked down at the young girl. “Interested?”

“W-What?! You do?” Lorelei pumped her fists in the air and nodded, “L-Let’s do it! I like e-exercise!”

“Great!” Veldin brought her hands together. “You’ll be running messages between the soldiers and bringing equipment to those who need it. In return, you’ll have a lot of exposure talking with us and using your words — also you can use our tools and other equipment as you wish.”

“Yes! A mission for me!” Lorelei jumped over to Veldin’s side and stiffened her body, “A-Awaiting orders. Beep.”

“Follow me to the others,” Veldin smirked before setting off, Lorelei having to practically jog to keep up. The recusant flickered her eyes down to Lorelei for a moment. “You used to fight the drones, yeah?”

“I-I tinkered with them. The others did t-the smashing.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Um, so… W-White, Gray, Black and Brown w-would leave the butcher’s every couple d-days or so. Y’know, to look for food or water or other things w-we needed. Sometimes they’d c-come across drone squads which they’d have to t-take out immediately. They had to destroy them fast because if they were given e-enough time to transmit thoughts back to the Boss, h-he’d send one of the Primes to us and then… Yeah…”

“Anyway, every f-few days they’d return with uh… Piles! Piles of scrap! And tell me to sort through it. I got a lot of burns and cuts b-by doing it, but I found out about the Cores, and managed to build and maintain the Astawhacker too from Core shards. ” Lorelei looked at Veldin’s face briefly, then explained herself better. “I-It was a pointy mace kinda thing. You pierce a Neuron’s outer shell with it a-and press the trigger, and it makes the juice running through the drones go stale. It was pretty cool.”

Verdin bit her finger as she thought. “Interesting. A noticeable weakness for sure. vWhat other damages are they susceptible to?”

“Umm… Dunno. C-Crushing? Maybe blunt weapons? They’re made of metal, so… They’re very tough, y’know. They shoot little pellets that can go through normal metal, too… So W-White’s suit had plates of undergrounder materials sewn into it.”

“Ha!” Verdin made a mocking face. “I won’t have to worry about that as much, I think, but regardless — the welders are making chest plates for us. Core-Orphi is especially skilled in welding, too.”

Looking over at Lorelei, Verdin gave a half smile, to which Lorelei responded with a hidden grin of her own. “Thank you for your information, I think you’ll be a valued member of the team.”

II

Already a square perimeter of stones marked Orphi and her brother’s workshop off from the rest of the fortress. Of course it was only separate in theory, but Orphi had already taken to it, only using the spot where the entrance will eventually be to enter and exit the marked space — a habit which Lorelei seemed intent on avoiding.

Orphi was currently standing over a blackmetal bench, tongue bit between her black teeth as she concentrated. She had her mask on, so no part of her was visible, as she often wore when Lorelei was around — her anxiety about infection a bit greater than Verdin’s. Even so, she had no issue with the small suited up little catgirl watching her work — so long as no welding was going on.

“What are y-you doing now, Orphi?” Lorelei asked, standing on the tips of her toes to look at what Core-Orphi was tinkering with on her workbench.

“Something to help with precise cutting for fabrics and cloth,” Orphi explained as she held up a small single edged blade fitted with a curling handle and a small hole punched where the blade met the handle. “I’m going to connect this knife with another opposite blade using a metal peg, so when you press both handles in, it creates a shearing motion as the two blades rub against each other.” Lorelei’s tail swished curiously as she listened.

“Scissors?” The girl asked with a subtle tilt of her head.

“O-Orphi-cutters,” the inventor quickly said. “But I do like the sound of scissors.” She looked down at her work.

“I bet Core-Verdin can’t even say scissors.”

“Lorelei.” Cosi-Dern’s voice came from behind. Turning, the two tinkerers were presented with the blank mask of the commander, with Naulty behind him. He folded his arms. “I was hoping we could do your debriefing.”

Lorelei’s ears flicked a couple times before she nodded. “Sure! What’s a d-debriefing?”

“It’s when you report on your duties and explain everything you learned,” the Cosi explained. “You lived in Astalon for the first part of your life; it would help us immensely if you could recount it…”

A short bout of snickering came from behind Lorelei’s visor, followed by the girl skipping up to Dern’s side and looking up at him excitedly. “You wanna know? I’ll tell you e-everything. Everything! S-so the earliest thing I remember is the smell of s-smoke and burning tuna…”

Summary

Lorelei is flint knapping throughout the night trying to craft herself some backup tools, when Core-Verdin shows up and talks to her, eventually telling her that she can use the Recusant’s tools and also offering her a mission as a messenger for the Keltran Recusant. Ssme time later, a fully suited up Lorelei’s watching Orphi while she’es doing some welding, only for Cosi-Dern to approach and prompt her to recount her entire life, which Lorelei does with pleasure.

Vigour

No vigour spent.

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

The Rebirth: Journey for Atonement I

I

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.

Summary

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.

Vigour

Astus’ Starting=7

None used.

Ending=7

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

The Rebirth: Into the Wide, Wounded World.

I

On the tenth anniversary of the Day of Ashes, the Vault doors opened.

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.

Summary

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.

Vigour

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.)

Ending=7

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

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

Happened just before this post

V

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.

Summary

-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.

Spirit

-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)

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

Lorelei asks for a Red Ribbon

IV

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.

Summary

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.

Spirit

Homura spends no Vigor.

Courage, Kindness, Fear, Curiosity, Wanderer, and Pride gain 1 Spirit. (+1 Minimum)

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

Cats Like to Climb

I

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.

Summary

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.

Spirit

Wanderer and Wanderer gain 2 Spirit (+1 Minimum, +1 Collab)

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

Yolly Week

I

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?

Summary

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.

Vigour

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.

Ending=5

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI

By the Bonfire

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.

Summary

-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.

Vigor

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)