"Of course, Satsuki-sama."
Hmph. It was getting kind of windy, too windy for Suwako's liking. The little goddess removed her hat and held it out.
"Mishaguji-san, Mishaguji-san, and Mishaguji-san! Come on out!"
Not one, but three immense albino serpents emerged from Suwako's hat. The pouring rain drenched Suwako but made the curse gods glisten with moisture on their white scales. "Mishaguji-san, all three of you, try and do something about all the wind, it's kind of annoying!"
The mishaguji nodded their massive, serpentine heads, and began to slither out. They didn't have much in the way of direct counters to the wind, but Suwako was sure there was something they could do. Now... back to plants...
Ferns and spread all around her, but just ferns weren't what she was after. Suwako shut her eyes, and concentrated. Around her, small shrubs began to sprout, in a rather wide radius. Suwako was working on the planet's first forest.
Next, came trees. They sprang up as tiny saplings, then grew into various species of all sizes. At the moment, they were species suited for temperate areas. It was the kind of foliage Suwako knew best.
She still needed people, though... she'd educate them all about miko, and shrines, and good food, and frogs, and danmaku...
For now, though... trees.
Suwako would get this forest finished soon!
edited 7th Feb '13 1:27:55 PM by AnnoR
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."
WHAT HAS SCIENCE WROUGHT
Krezznorg also had some new faces to introduce, though not yet. He began to take off before sneezing due to the pollen in the air.
"Ooh! Krezznorg will name his scions after the fighting styles he practiced to gain his intense strength! Um... White Crane... ahh.. ahh... AHCHOO!"
Then the sneeze came, travelling to the harshest corners of the world. Where it landed, the orcs sprang up. In desert caravans and cities around an oasis, at the frigid peaks atop Yami's mountains, in chasms reaching deep below the earth's surface, and in places the other races would fear to tread, the orcs would make their home, dedicated to the advancement of their strength- in mind, body, or spirit. For these harsh environments would temper them against the world.
With the sneeze, dust from his horns landed on a chain of islands with complex caverns- these small minotaurs began to wander the islands to familiarize themselves with them. And from these, Krezznorg picked the strongest and most intelligent to be the fledgling race's new chiefs.
From the orcs of the desert, The Falling Raptor, who he taught a fighting style based on the hunting techniques of the dinosaurs yet to enter this world- drop down on someone from high up and tear into them.
From the orcs of the peak of the mountain, took one and taught him Drunken Boxing, to dodge the blows of his enemies while looking harmless.
From the orcs of the chasms, Dragon Slashing the Mountain, who he taught the martial art based upon a man watching a dragon slash a mountain with its claws in key places to bring it to the ground.
Then he chose from the minotaurs. He chose Goat that Goes Stiff When Threatened, to whom he taught the Astonished Goat Defense- an art based around tensing muscles at just the right time to render a foe's sword or fist meaningless inspired by fainting goats.
But there were still orcs without a home that ended up in his metaphysical hands after the sneeze. And they would need a home that would temper them as well. But... perhaps some serenity could come in handy for them. A hidden home where they could develop in peace. So he went to the little girl and tapped her on the shoulder as she made her forest.
"Krezznorg is sorry to bother you, but some of his creations need a place to stay, and he was hoping you could help."
...and that's terrible.
"Of course, Satsuki-sama."
Suwako blinked her eyes open when she was tapped on the shoulder. The forest kept growing, now that it had gotten started, though it would be faster with Suwako's attention on it. She turned to face whoever had tapped her, and looked up when she realized how big they were. The little earth goddess smiled up at the hulking form of Krezznorg.
"There's plenty of space in this forest, so they can stay here!"
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."
BWAH-HA-HA!
"This is whole new kind of chaos," Kefka mused, seeing some of the happenings on. The orcs that were sprouting up everywhere showed some degree of promise to him. At least more than the llamas, that is. Same for the dwarves. Maybe a little help spurring things along would help the races really see the point of existence.
Now standing back on the earth, the Kefka's body shook again with unrest, though less severely than the last time. It had become notably less difficult for him to extend his own essence; there was more room now to diverge from something so...humanoid. In moments, a five mile stretch of earth, stone, and magma began shifting in uniform, the molten rock beginning to glow with the unholy light that marked all of Kefka's creations. This was taking place well under the surface; this was a creature of great scale, after all. tons and tons of the harder stones and metals floated to the shifting surface, forming a rough sort of dermis to hold its softer parts. The creature wasn't unlike a massive worm once the coating had finished itself. The aberration could now bore through the earth with haste.
At the very last, a mind, and a purpose. "You..." Kefka whispered, floating on his stomach not a foot from the growing ground, "Are the Rift Mother. You of the earth and the fire, where your brother takes the heavens and their thunder. As it is your job to destroy, it's also your job to teach the mortal things the secrets of the ground, where your brother is to teach them in magic. Teach them to forge then engines of their enemies destruction, and then their own. Do you understand?"
The Rift mother turned and spasmed within the earth, a ferocious roar all its own. The ground under Kefka quaked as if it were furious. The second archangel had been born.
To the law and for the good of man. All I need to live by.
Arceus stayed in the sky, looking down as the other deities worked at shaping the terrain. His children would have many different places to live. And that meant that they would end up taking hundreds of different shapes to suit their homes, in time. For now, however, it was just Mew and it's various copies.
Or not...
Arceus's attention snapped down to Suwako's forest. There was a new "Pocket Monster" (a somewhat demeaning name, but as good as any, he supposed) down there already. But Mew couldn't even have bred yet, much less produce a new shape. Back in his normal shape, he went down to investigate.
"Bii..." Suwako and Krezznorg would notice a little green figure floating between the trees, apparently studying them intently. It's head looked like a small leek, with the addition of large blue eyes and a pair of antennae. It had a pair of fairy-like wings on the back of it's tiny humanoid frame, though they looked too small to hold it up.
◊ Upon seeing them, it darted over to Suwako and began squeaking happily. "Bi! Bii!"
Kyubey soon found himself inside Suwako's forest, just an earshot away from hearing the conversation take place. He then climbed up a nearby tree and looked upon them, almost like an actual cat when it sneaks on its prey.
"Now then...about those pesky plants..."
Yami turned towards the fourth shadow, which had now taken the shape of a small, black ball. As he pointed at it, green cracks began to appear on it, spreading across it's surface faster and faster untill it finally broke. From the shards, a fog of an unhealthy green arose, collecting into the form of what appeared to be a suit of armor, impaled by various swords. Blight
had risen. Immediately, the fog spread out, covering the entire mountain in it. The plants it touched withered, shriveled up and...began moving. If anything foreign would come too close to them, these Cursed Trees would hit it with their branches. They were just plain evil. And that was good...
huzzaaaaaaaah
"How do you expect creatures to live in our world if all you create will destroy them?" Father asked Kefka, having followed the other deity while thinking on how to properly create this world's humans. "Everything you have done so far will bring pain to their lives just so you can get a laugh or two out of their suffering. Stop it. It is childish and completely unnecessary."
BWAH-HA-HA!
The mad god raised himself up from the floor of the earth, content with the commands he'd given to the Rift Mother. It would seem that the first of his many conflicts had come.
"If these creatures are just as foolish as the creatures I've known," Kefka said with a tinge of distaste, "They'll struggle to better themselves against both their neighbors and the prospect of oblivion. Both futile efforts in my opinion, I won't lie, but that ultimately works to the benefit of you goody-goody-two-shoes." Kefka began floating in circles around Father, laying sideways against the air as one might on a couch.
"Keeping with the theme of honesty," he continued, "You look like the kind of man who should appreciate that sort of thing. Science, engineering, chemistry, all hopelessly fragile to the currents of creation, but not to them. Not to the world around them. It's positively adorable, isn't it Much moreso than spoon-feeding them happy lives in spite of their ultimate doom."
The god stopped his rotation in front of father, and stood upright. "If you really think about it, we both win."
To the law and for the good of man. All I need to live by.
WHAT HAS SCIENCE WROUGHT
Krezznorg smiled as the orcs went to one of the darker corners of the forest to start building their monastery- not much good against rain, but plenty of protection against wind. When the strange creature came up, Krezznorg reached out and gently rubbed its antennae. "Krezznorg does not remember introducing the Fey..."
...and that's terrible.
"Of course, Satsuki-sama."
Suwako blinked, and tilted her head in confusion. She didn't recognize the little creature that had drifted up to her, but it seemed to recognize her. Which was strange, she'd never seen anything like it... but... it was cute! The little noises it was making and the big eyes and the features... it was simply adorable! Smiling, Suwako reached out to touch the creature.
"Hi there! My name is Moriya Suwako, I just made this forest! What's your name?" she asked brightly.
The mishaguji slithered through the air, approaching what they seemed to have identified as the source of the harsh weather. Two figures, a strange clown-like one and strong-looking blonde man. The curse gods were at least certain that it was coming from this direction, if nothing else.
The vast albino serpents drew closer.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."
Armok wandered lazily about his dwarven civilization as it developed, invisible to the alcohol dependent sociopaths. Things were already too quiet. So Armok went to their water source and threw a huge red orb down into it. The red orb split and shrank, focusing the bloody power. The orbs shined, and finally formed into a creature known long to dwarven kind in Armok's previous worlds as.. Carp. The fish may look small but the creature is known for wrestling creatures who drink from the river into the water and easily bite through bronze armor. A swarm of them could even take down steel clad dwarves if they weren't proficient in swimming which few dwarves were. On an offhand thought Armok created a couple horrible abominations from the void in the moutains below. A giant skinless worm made of green crystal, a 20 eyed telepathic giant llama that leaks deadly gas which causes necrosis of your toes and fingers instantly (but oddly enough only those), and a little fluffy wambler made out of dolomite.
huzzaaaaaaaah
"They will not be as foolish as your humans." Father sternly replied, not even turning to face Kefka. "They will be strong, yet intelligent, and they'll advance all fields of science in little to no time. But my creations cannot survive in an environment that's always trying to kill them. There's no space for progress when whatever progress they have is destroyed by that day's daily earthquake or fire rain."
He turned to face Kefka, and this time, attempted to grab him by his throat. "There's a difference between spoon-feeding them and creating an environment where progress is necessary. What you are doing here is not creating an obstacle they can eventually overcome, you're creating a world designed to make them give up and just accept their fate, so you can have something fun to watch."
"Listen to me, you idiot." Father said, this time glaring at Kefka as he got closer. "It's clear you lack what we call a brain. You will kill your idiotic creations, or I will do away with them myself by using your dead body as a shovel. I will not have some demented child destroying this beautiful place just so it can clap and laugh while the other deities' effort is washed away by its stupidity. Are we understood?"
BWAH-HA-HA!
"You silly son of a submariner..." Kefka said, hand over his chest, "who do you think I am!" The air bore the stench of steel as lightning intensified in the sky, striking down at Kefka and wrapping him in shock. His palms were engulfed in a bright yellow light, opened to embrace Father, if only for a short time.
"If you would rather have the mortals suffer slowly under the illusion of success," he continued, "That's just dandy, I don't intend for this turbulence to last much longer. But don't you call me a child for being so gracious as to contribute to creation in the first place, especially when it isn't my strong suit!" The bolts of lightning intensified, occasionally striking out at surrounding objects and immolating them almost immediately.
"Understand that all the god's effort will be washed away, even if I didn't help. Understand that I'll ultimately abide this exercise in futility. Understand that I am a god with needs, none the less."
To the law and for the good of man. All I need to live by.
Celebi hummed contentedly as Krezznorg stroked it's antennae. When Suwako introduced itself, it blinked once, then began speaking telepathically. "Ah! Sorry Suwako, I forgot that you haven't learned to understand my speech yet!" It looked down. "No wait, of course you haven't. This is your first time meeting me, isn't it?"
"Ah. That explains it."
Celebi spun around to look at Arceus, who had descended behind her. "Hi grandfather!"
"Greetings, Celebi. To be here now, you must have come from from the future?" Celebi nodded enthusiastically.
"I wanted to see what my forest looked like in it's original state!"
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.
"Um... Would you two please... don't fight? please?" Madoka said to Father and Kefka, first with her confident Goddess voice, then a short, shrilled, shrinking voice.
edited 12th Feb '13 2:09:33 PM by Psyga315
"Ufufufu~ Calm down, boys, you're upsetting the little one."
Shinki turned her attention away from her latest experiment (a race of superstrong, horned humanoids, perfectly adapted for some of the more inhospitable regions of the world), leaving it in the hands of Yumeko as the demon goddess floated towards Father, Kefka and Madoka. Placing a gentle hand atop the young goddess's shoulders and giving her a soft kiss to the top of her head, Shinki giggled.
"Now, to be fair, you both bring up interesting points," she said, her gaze shifting between the two feuding gods. "Humans may be the great survivors, and may be able to adapt to just about any situation, but you have to give them at least some chance. It's no fun if you stack the deck against them entirely, after all. However..." For the very slightest fraction of a moment, a purely devilish smile curled onto the face of the mother of demons. "Kefka brings up an interesting point. Of course this world is only transient. All things are, after all, for it is the universal constant that all things that have a beginning must also eventually have an end. Even us gods will eventually fade from existence..."
As though realizing she was sounding far too serious for her usual demeanour, Shinki burst into laughter. "Ahahah, of course, being a goddess of creation would be a completely fruitless exercise if I were not aware of how great the opposing force of destruction was! Hmmm, hmmmmmmm, I think I have a solution for this feud..."
With a wave of her arm, Shinki once more channeled her power to create. But this time, rather than a bright light ushering in a new life... A dark, purple miasma spread, before a shining blue figure stepped out. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female, or even if it had a gender. All that was apparent was that this six-winged, robed figure was something at once utterly dreadful and yet absolutely soothing; a paradoxical existence, a wondrous terror...
"Behold, the ultimate reality, the final frontier, the pale rider, the grisly grim reaper, the angel of death..." Shinki stated off the list of titles with the same air as someone absentmindedly reading through a list of groceries, methodically and with a rather bored sounding tone to her. "Sariel here shall make sure humanity has something to fear, but... It is through knowing the transience of their existence that humanity strive to make the best of what little time they have. They wish not to waste it, nor do they wish to be forgotten once they are gone. The threat of oncoming death is one of the greatest motivators towards human... Greatness, I suppose. Aaand..." With this, she reached over and pinched Kefka's cheek playfully. "Now that it has an abstract personification, you don't have to waste your effort on all this silly nonsense, Kefka-poo~"
huzzaaaaaaaah
"You..." Father blinked and opened his hands, red sparks coming out of it, forming balls of lightning ready to be thrown at the insolent deity. "Are nothing more than a child who believes he is the greatest gift this world can ever have. Your contributions are ridiculous, your ego makes me sick, and the universe would thank me for wiping YOU OUT!" He yelled, red electricity flowing from his eyes as he gritted his teeth and got ready to attack...
Until he stopped after Madoka's kind request reached his ears. He lowered his hands, returning to normal, and taking a deep breath to calm down. Father slowly floated over to Madoka and smile, kneeling down to pat her in the head. "Of course. Forgive me for getting so... needlessly angry, child." He stood up once more, staring at Shinki with crossed arms and semi-glare, and when she finished her latest creation, he also gave her a warm smile.
"Of course. Anger was clouding my mind... those sensible and intelligent words were all I needed. Thank you, Shinki." He raised an eyebrow, looking over at Kefka. "I must get back to creating the humans... I suppose..." He held out his hand, his smile having been replaced by his usual stern glare. "... no hard feelings?"
edited 12th Feb '13 2:49:32 PM by Stratofarius
BWAH-HA-HA!
"I can say," Kefka blurted out, the sparks around him calming, "That we both know the score." He shook Father's hand, quickly, gently, and drew away. He had to avoid getting dog-piled by the rest of the deities for the moment, but he didn't have to revel in it. Not before he was finished.
He turned over to Shinki and her death angel. "Thank you kindly" he continued, folding his arm over his sternum. His harsh shrieking town melted into something more playful. "And might I say that creation of yours is something impressive. I'll kick back, for now, knowing that my role is furthered. And as for my own creations, I've already given them word that they ought to teach just as much as act. They aren't wholly ridiculous."
He flew up a little further into the sky, though still clearly within earshot. "My personal touches to the planet itself help keep the mud ball active, in my own defense. I'll go catch up to my archangel and tell him to tone things down, just a little."
To the law and for the good of man. All I need to live by.
huzzaaaaaaaah
"I despise that creature." Father muttered under his breath, turning around to give Shinki another thankful bow. "I shall return to planning the humans... is there anything you want from them, Shinki?" He said, raising one eyebrow. "Anything you'd like to see in them, for example?"
"Of course, Satsuki-sama."
Suwako blinked, confused, and tilted her head. First time meeting the little flying creature? Well, that was obvious, but... It 'spoke' as though it had met her before! How could it do that if this was the first time meeting her? Suwako, to put it very simply, was highly confused.
However, when the little flying creature mentioned that it wanted to see what the forest looked like in its original state, Suwako started to figure it out.
"... So... you can move through time?" asked the earth goddess. Behind her, shrubs sprouted up, and in the distance further trees grew. It was a large forest, for certain.
The trio of mishaguji paused near Father and Shinki, their white ribbonlike bodies twisting in the air. Suwako had told them to find something they weren't entirely sure how to locate, and now they weren't sure if they had found anything promising. Two of the mishaguji approached Father and Shinki, while the third trailed after the odd-looking god who had left.
They'd figure it out as they went along.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."
huzzaaaaaaaah
Father gave the two creatures a cautious glare before softly landing on the ground. He cracked his knuckles, and just like before, raised his hand, smirking as red lightning shot out of it. The red bolts swirled around a particular area, and six figures began to be created layer by layer - bones, muscles, organs, skins... - until, after a while, six humans, all of them completely different from each other in regards to skin color, hair color, eye color, and many other characteristics, stood there, wearing rugged clothes that looked like they were made out of an old rug.
"Welcome..." Father said, taking a stop forward. "My children. Welcome to this new world we have created just for you. I am your creator, Father. I have created all of you in my form, and have given you the basic knowledge that will help you to get things started- like, for example, what you needs are. But I have not given you everything you need. For example, while you can understand my words, you have not developed basic communication skills like language, and writing. None of you know anything about the creatures you will meet in this world. But you know just the necessary for your survival and your evolution."
"There are many things in this world that you will never understand, my children." Father continued, the humans staring at him in awe. "Many creatures that will aim to harm you... many holders of sins that will try to corrupt you... and many dangers in the earth that will try to stop you in your path. But I know that you will all succeed. And I know that the human race will populate this world and bring it into a Golden Age."
"Before I go to take my place in the skies, where I will watch all of you as you live your lives, my children, allow me to give you one last piece of knowledge." Father said, smiling. "I am not the only one. While I have created you, I have created this earth with the help of many others. They are all gods... like me. Some of you may fear them, some of you may respect them, and like me, they will all be watching you from the skies. But do not forget... I created you. Every time that you feel that there's no way you will win, that this is it, that this is the end of the road, never forget that your Father will always be here for you. Do not forget me, my children. And good luck."
Smiling, Father ascended into the skies, the clouds hiding him as he went back to where Shinki was. "And so, the great story of the human race has begun. I shall inform the others." He said, nodding, and floating to where the other deities were. The humans remained in that little piece of land, some of them still staring in respect at the sky... but eventually, they continued their journey, and began to walk through the land, learning from the planet that was created for them.
"Hehehe...the moment has come...the world is ready for the most important thing of all...Come, powers of darkness! Heed my call to flow into the souls of the living! Cloud their happiness and enshroud their love and friendships in your flowing shadows!"
As Yami spoke, the fifth and final shadow moved to the middle of his mountaintop, shadows from everywhere around the world flowing towards it, shimmering in colours no mortal could describe, generating images disturbing, twisted and dark enough to rend even the sturdiest mortal mind...finally they all stopped moving, coming to rest in the shape of a giant cuboid, a ring spinning around it slowly.
◊
As it stood there, it emitted a continuous humming, one that did not resonate within one's ears, but within one's heart. Soon the mortal world would know such things as hate, fear, pain, suffering, gambling and destruction. Who knows, what evils these creatures would be capable of? But it wasn't time to think about that now. Now was the time to watch...evil being born...
The fear, pain, hate, and every other negative emotion humanity faced didn't just help manifest Yami's evil influence, but another evil influence all together. There was one negative emotion that succeeded all others. When they are hurt to their absolute limit, when they are so scared that there's nothing to make them safe, when they hated enough to make the world suffer, when their gambling destroys their lives and the lives around them... They lose hope. And so, robed men began to absorb these negative emotions, mainly despair. The world never existed without this despair... this grief, and so these monsters, these... Wraiths, make it their duty to curse humanity.
And no one, save for Gods and the Incubators, could see them...
However... Mankind would soon be given hope.
Father stared at Shinki with the same expression an interested student had. Once the other deity finished her explanation, Father turned his hand to the ground once more, closing his eyes and snapping his fingers. The same red sparks shot out of this hand, travelling through the ground, but this time, they seemed to be creating something. Slowly, the bones began to appear, followed by the meat and the muscles, and finally, the skin.
Standing in front of the other deities was a bald, short and chubby creature, wearing black clothes and looking around at everything with its innocent, childish eyes. It tilted his head, sucking on his big, chunky finger as it tried to find something. "I'd like to introduce you to Gluttony," Father said, floating down to land besides the creature. "My child."
"Father?" Gluttony asked, tilting his head to the other side. "... where's Lust?"
"Oh, yes, I forgot about your little... dependency." Father said, lowering one eyebrow. "Do not worry. I'll soon bring back your siblings. But this is a new world, Gluttony, and in this new world you no longer have to hide in the shadows."
"Does that mean I can eat whatever I want?" Gluttony's gaze wandered over to Shinki and her daughter, at which point the chubby creature licked its lips.
"... no, it doesn't." Father said, raising his hand and grabbing Gluttony's attention. "There are still some limitations. For example, refrain from trying to eat the other creatures. And do treat the other deities with respect, although that counts more to some of your other siblings. And remember, just because we have succeeded does not mean I will not punish you if you step out of the line."
Gluttony nodded like a little child and sat down besides Father, watching the grass grow, as the deity went back to creating the other homunculi. With another snap of his fingers, six more bodies began to be constructed from nothing: one belonged to the personification of a femme fatale- a young woman with black hair whose re-appearance made Gluttony smile- one to a young man wearing fancy clothes and sporting a shark-like grin, one to a humongous man with a dead stare and a permanently-open mouth, one to an older gentleman, one to a small kid whose expression clued into the fact that he wasn't a kid at all and the final one to a teenager wearing minimal clothes who immediately glared at the other deities.
"My children." Father said, grabbing their attention, and all of them abandoned what they were doing to adopt a respectful posture. "Welcome back. As you can see... our plan succeeded. I am now a god. And I was chosen, together with these other gods, to create this new world you are standing on. In this world, there are no humans- although I plan to fix that soon." That last comment made the teenager grit his teeth in anger, although he quickly went back to a grin. "Which means that we no longer have to stay in the shadows. You are all free to do whatever you desire, and perhaps influence this world's creation as much as I, or the other deities, will."
"But I repeat the warning I gave to your brother. You are free to wander around, to interact with the environment and the people that will populate it in the future. You are free to watch and even to participate. But there are limitations. If any of you dare to either destroy the other deities' creations or disrespect them in some way, I will punish you." He shot a glare towards the young man, who diverted his gaze to somewhere else. "Oh, yes, an introduction."
He turned to the other deities, pointing at his children one by one. "These are Sloth," He pointed to the big one. "Pride," The kid. "Envy," The teenager. "Lust," The woman. "Wrath," The old man. "Greed," The young man. "and Gluttony. They are not humans. In fact, they are a different species known as homunculi. And I can see them becoming the guardians of the sins they embody." He turned back to his children, who nodded to him and went about their own business as Father floated back to where Shinki was.
"I thank you for your assistance, Shinki." He said, giving the other deity a formal and respectful bow. "I will forever be in debt to you. Now, if you will excuse me... I have to work on my next creation: the humans. Those... will require a little more planning."