*Fred contemplates the swirling light before him. If the reaction of the pair who had just stumbled backwards through the portal was to be any indication, the welcome he would face on the other side might not be optimal. Still, where there are people popping out of vortexes there is a god, and none of the gods Fred had visited had much interest in sending followers to the Neutral Thread. Chances are this would lead to Iacobus. Fred sighs, wishing he could stop meeting gods in situations of default hostility, and strides into what is probably his fifth portal today.*

---

Sorry for the delay. Got caught up in the most wondrous line of events.
Also. In the absence of CoolAZ, I will try to play his role to my best potential.

*Neither CoolAZ, Skunk, nor either of their creatures, were bothered to watch out for stalkers. They were all too engaged in the Gods' conversation to pick up on any slight signs that they were being followed, and so, Tempest and his group managed to elude them all and follow them unnoticed through the Neutral Lands.*

"I don't have a story really," murmured CoolAZ.

"What do you mean? You have to have a story." Skunk chuckled slightly as he spoke. He could not understand how someone could think they didn't have a story.

"I am a new God. I have not had much experience in any realm," explained CoolAZ.

"Surely you have an alignment? And a story for your time on The Boards thus far?" He wandered about this God being completely new. Skunk had thought all Gods were well established before they entered this realm, or at least, he was.

*CoolAZ finally got around to telling the short story of his visit to The Boards, and Skunk listened as intently as possible. Skunk found it fascinating that a God could be this young, and his curiosity was sparked.
He continued to ask questions, trying to piece together as much information as possible on this new God. The topic drifted towards CoolAZ's intentions after the two Gods acquired their weapons.*

"Well, I wish to set up a village near MJLover on our return. He came across as someone who would be a brilliant neighbour, and has been very friendly to me."

"It is important to have a neighbour that is well established. I, myself, was thinking of setting up near the wise Iacobus. He too was friendly to me, as have everyone else. To be honest though, I do not need to have a village, and I don't intend on bringing any followers to this realm. Or at least not to set up a village. Perhaps I will find a few people who have forgotten their God, or convince a group of followers from the side of evil to join me rather."

"So you wish to adopt some followers?" said CoolAZ jokingly.

"Haha. Yes, pretty much."

*The two Gods were reasonably quite for a while. They would occasionally comment on the landscape and all the beautiful, now snow covered, plant life. It was quite surprising to see the weather change so drastically from the Good Thread. The four had been walking quite a distance, and almost an entire day had passed since they left on their journey. As Gods they did not need to rest or eat, or even drink, and they continued walking still. Along the way, Mephitis had caught a calf and shared it with Kanji. Since the creatures had to be nourished, Mephitis had taken it upon himself to get food for the little Kanji. Unfortunately, with the weather getting colder and colder, it would be unlikely that there would be many cattle around to hunt now.*

"Awfully cold now," complained Skunk, "it was much nicer in the Good Lands. How does the weather change this drastically in such a short period of time?"

"The Boards do seem to have strange weather patterns, but I think it could be Winter on this side."

"Ah, yes. I remember someone mentioning that the Evil and Neutral Lands were having Winter. Rather interesting none the less. Do you like the cold?"

"I don't think anyone really likes the cold, but I do not mind it. I'm surprised that you feel so cold, you look more warmly dressed than I."

"I come from a realm that is much warmer. Snow only forms on the mountain tops in the coldest of Winters, and it will never do more than hail in most parts. I am rather glad I chose to dress warmly though. As I can see this trip just getting colder."

*And with that the Gods neared the base of the mountain. They all stopped and stared upwards at the pure might and size of Mount Doom. It was completely snowed over, and any sign of life was hard to find at best.
Mephitis managed to spot some smoke rising from the mountain. The kind of smoke that comes from fire, and more importantly, the kind of smoke that comes from a blacksmith. He pointed out the smoke to his God, and the four began in that direction. They were nearly at their destination.*

"Ah, we're so close now. I'm looking forward to getting a new, enchanted weapon. Have you decided what you want yet?"

"I would like to have a sword. One with and electric enchantment. And you? Come up with anything that you would very much like?"

"Heh heh. Definitely. And I'm hoping they can fulfill my request. For my daggers I intend on getting a simple miracle protection, and make them invincible. I definitely don't want my daggers to break, so hopefully they can make them indestructible. Together with the miracle protection, and they should be all I would ever need to defend myself and others."
"Now, my scythe on the other hand," Skunk snickers as he speaks, "she is going to be very, very interesting. It shouldn't be too much to ask, but I want a very specific and detailed enchantment. I don't want to ruin too much of the surprise, but basically, I want a scythe that relies on the strengths of the wielder, and changes even it's physical shape to better their combat."

"Wow. Sounds very interesting indeed. I can't wait to see it."

*The two Gods looked up simultaneously to see what lay ahead of them. In the dim light they could see a stone building. Above it were large chimneys bellowing smoke out of them. There were a few imps here and there that looked rather busy. This was surely the place.*

Er, not such a great post, but it will have to do.

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

*As the two gods approach the workshop it is not long before one of the imps notices them. It takes off into the building, screeching about the arrival of customers. It is still a bit of a climb for the gods, as there is no decent road to the workshop. Not for now anyway. By the time they reach them, imps have already gathered to greet them. Two imps greet them welcome and immediately begin to talk about the great deals they can get here and the quality of service they provide, before the two gods have even told them their reason for coming. They are definitely not about to let potential customers slip away, even if the gods had not come to Mount Doom for that reason*

*After the gods confirm that they are indeed here to do business, they are quickly lead inside. The building is larger than the outside would lead you to believe, as it expands deep into the rock of the volcano itself. The building seems well constructed to resist heat and earth trembles, with steel even covering the walls. Slits in the ceiling match those on the floor, but seem a bit suspicious, as it is doubtful people would be walking on the ceiling to make use of the grip they provide to the floor. The building might be neatly constructed, but the imps weren't exactly the neatest of occupants. A lot of them had obviously been doing some filthying labor that day, and equipment and other junk litters the hallways. Skunk nearly stumbles over a bucket containing some sort of corrosive material, which earns him a lot of apologies of his imp guide*

*The imps must be quite messy, as the one imp they spot cleaning up the hallways seems quite overworked. His mumblings reveal that he has to hang on for another hour before another takes over cleaning duty. They are lead to the forges, where imps are hard at work to forge molten metal in acceptable new forms. The complex is of impressive size, and large metal transportation buckets are used to bring liquid steel from a lower room into this one, hanging from huge chains. Obviously there must be at least another equally impressive area where metal is won from ore, and an extensive mining operation to provide the ore*

*The nearest imp is one who seems elaborately dressed in what looks like a fancy gentleman's suit. It reminds Skunk a little of Iacobus' outfit. The edges of the sleeves of it are ragged and burned, but it still makes the imp looks somewhat dignified. The imp is working on a fine looking sword, working a beautiful golden decoration into the metal of the blade. To the surprise of the gods, one of the hands of the imp rests on a part of the blade, which is definitely to hot to hold without burning yourself. The imp seems completely unaffected by the heat however*

Salesman Cesparius! We be having customers!
That's great. Give me a minute to finish up here.
But sir's! These are important peoples! They's is gods!
Shhhh. Almost done. It has to be perfect.
*The imp continues finishing his work for another 20 seconds. Of course, this is all part of a sales pitch. To give the impression of Cesparius' importance, so that he might have a stronger position during price negotiations. Of course, the other main point is to show the customers is that the perfection of the work is the most important thing that happens in the workshop. As the anticipation of the gods rises, he plunges the blade of the weapon into a tile of water to cool it. As the steam clears he turns to the gods and holds the weapon in his slightly clawed hands for a few seconds, studying the results of his labor, while giving the gods a fine example of his work to look at*

Greetings and well met to you, potential customers. My name is Cesparius, and if you have come to have weapons forged, you've come to the right place! Have you seen our advertisements, or have you found us by chance? Either way, it's your lucky day.
We have been received flyers and examples of your work by some of you imps. The work was impressive.
Excellent! What way may we help you on this fine day? Do you want to have tools of war forged for your forces, or personal use?
We've come to have come to have enchanted weapons forged for ourselves. I hope you are as as advertised.
Ah certainly! Weapons worthy of those of divine nature and destiny. You will not be disappointed! Hmmmm. Projects like this deserve their very own team. It is not every day that legendary weapons are forged. Asteron, get over here. You shall be the leader of the second project. This is Asteron, his enchanting skills are among the very best!

*Cesparius whistles loudly and imps begin to gather. They are divided into two teams, and that of Asteron is assigned to CooLAZ. Of course, though probably a smith, the real reason Asteron is chosen is that Asteron's communication skills are highest among the imps. Asteron leads CooLAZ into an office-like room, and Cesparius does the same for Skunk. The rooms contain tables and chairs, in addition to stacks of designs for stuff that seem to be in danger of falling over. Black boards on the walls are scribbled full with formulas, designs, schedules, etc. Both gods are faced with the same questions*

Alright, let's get ready to start on some designs. What kind of weapon or weapons would you like forged and what types of powers of powers should the work be enchanted with? We should also talk about the manner of payment you will be using. We offer a wide variety of payment options. Have you decided on a manner of payment for our services?
----------------------

*Launching a Fireball at Jimmy is in hindsight not the best idea that Meiji could have acted upon, as his opponent is still holding his tail, and raises it up to block the Fireball. Meiji's tail does indeed block most of the explosion, but the heat forcea Jimmy to let go as well, freeing Meiji from his grip, who leaps back to create some distance between the two opponents. The two opponents circle each other, as the pain of Meiji's tail subsides to a level bearable enough to focus completely on the fight again. Jimmy is the first to make a move, jumping and arching forward to deliver a powerful blow to his draconic opponent*

*Meiji dodges swiftly and follows up with two strikes, which Jimmy blocks. The snake strike that Meiji tries next is also anticipated and deflected. A roundhouse kick of jimmy does connect and sends Meiji backwards. The dragon recovers quickly and makes a jumping attack at his opponent, to slice him with his claws from above. Jimmy dodges, but is unprepared for a secondary attack of Meiji's tail, which catches his legs off balance and causes him to fall on the ground. As he gets up, Meiji kicks him in his face. A following strike and kick are blocked, but serve to drive Jimmy against a mountain wall. Eager to use his advantage Meiji charges and fires another Fireball, but Jimmy charges a miracle also*

*Before the ball of fire reaches its target, it slams into a well-aimed Wind Miracle of Jimmy, exploding fiercely. Through the smoke, flames and wind, Meiji fails to see his opponent coming in time. Using the mountain wall for support, Jimmy has jumped high and fast at Meiji, and even though the creature dodges, Jimmy's right claw smashes through the scales on his side. The white tiger recovers from the jump faster than Meiji does from the attack, and quickly grabs Meiji's arms from behind, locking him in a tight grip. Meiji has no attention of surrendering however, and again Jimmy's inexperience fighting a creature such as him pays off again in Meiji's favor. Unable to defend against it, Meiji's long tail coils tight around Jimmy's neck from behind, attempting to strangle him*

*Jimmy is forced to let go to use his claws to try to break free and Meiji quickly turns around, whilst making a slashing kick over Jimmy's chest with one of his talons. Another slash of Meiji's claws goes unpunished, revealing that the poor white tiger is indeed help pretty defenseless as he is trying to break free from Meiji's stranglehold. Unfortunately for Meiji, just as he wants to begin with a whole barrage of attacks to bring down his opponent, Jimmy has charged a Wind Miracle and unleashes it upon him. The blast of wind blows Meiji back hard, and Jimmy keeps the miracle up long enough to force Meiji to release him*

*As both creatures recover and look each other over, Meiji can't help but notice that his opponent does not seems to be having a bad time. It's not because Jimmy is doing so well either; he too is getting his fair share of damage. Still Jimmy smiles at Meiji as he beckons him to start the next attack. It even seems like the creature might be enjoying the battle a little. Meiji finally comes up with a move that might use the confidence of his opponent against him. He charges Jimmy again, making several attacks, that fail to do impressive damage. When Jimmy retaliates with a mighty swing from above Meiji grabs hold of his arm and turns around and in the same graceful move, throwing Jimmy over his shoulder onto the ground. The effort requires a lot of strength, and Meiji roars loudly as he stresses his muscles, but he pulls it off by using his opponents weight against him*

*Jimmy is perplexed. He is definitely getting all sorts of new experience from this battle. Rather than get up, he first charges a Lightning Miracle, to prevent Meiji from pouncing on him and ripping him to shreds. As the dragon dodges the ball of electricity, Jimmy gets to his feet. The combat had been interesting indeed, but in the end there could only be one winner, and Jimmy intends on it being it. Both creatures charge and hit each other, but Jimmy's attack is the more powerful one. Though Meiji leaves a slash over his opponent's chest, Jimmy has jumped and slammed both his claws down on Meiji's head as the dragon slashed at him. Meiji is dazed long enough for Jimmy to make a follow-up attack. He makes a forward flip, and slams one leg down hard on Meiji's shoulder*

*The unfortunate dragon crashes on the ground and Jimmy quickly jumps over him towards his tail. Meiji's head strikes at him in viper-like fashion as he flies over him, but he strikes too late and misses. Jimmy rolls on as he lands, grabbing Meiji's tail as he does so, and uses the momentum at the end of his roll to drag his opponent over his shoulders, and slam him into the face of the mountain. He jumps back and charges a miracle, as a recovering Meiji also decides to do. Jimmy recognises Meiji is about to launch a Fireball and throws one of his own. Right after the Fireball leaves Meiji's snout, that of Jimmy slams into it. The inferno slams into Meiji like a wave of heat, and even a few patches of Jimmy's fur are scourged*

*Meiji is all but defeated and is probably debating some desperate options, weighing their chance of success, when the warm soothing energies of a Heal Miracle move over him. Jimmy has decided to heal his opponent. Since Meiji healed him earlier he is still under the assumption that this fight has mostly been a test of strength and skill, rather than a battle to the death. As such, there is no need to give his opponent a finishing blow. Before Meiji decides how to react to this, Jimmy leans forward and crosses his claws, giving Meiji a humble bow in honour of the fighting prowess he has shown. Jimmy is nothing if not an honourable representative of his god and people. Whether the fight continues further is up to Meiji*

---

*On the other side of the portal, Fred finds himself standing under the archway of what would under normal circumstances be a city gate, except that there are no actual gates fitted, and behind him is no road out into the boards but rather the gentle slope of the lake's shore. A wide, cobbled road stretches out in front of him, with a small watch house just to his side and various shops arranged along the street. It leads down towards a small communal square, with a fountain set among several statues in a colourful garden.*

*More immediately relevant but far less interesting to describe since everyone knows what he looks like is the recently-arrived Iacobus. Although he is hardly on the tips of his toes and ready for a fight, he is clearly more tensed and alert than he would normally be, and holds a shield miracle ready to protect Itotia and Ueman's group, who are standing off to the side.*

morning, Fred. I am impressed that you managed to find us so quickly, but I must admit I am surprised to see you here. I do hope you don't have designs on restarting the war? You would swiftly find no end of enemies.

---

*Fred nods briefly at the group of mortals, and again with appropriately more respect at their god.*

Hail, great Iacobus. You need not worry about my intentions. When Ceron passed from this world I regained control of myself, and my purpose are rather less sinister than it was then. However, I do come with tidings of war. It is not yet being fought, but the great players are already moving to secure their positions. The once-mortal Emperor Fei, that arrogant monk who stole the powers of the gods for himself, has fully secured his realm, and now he seeks ours. I come to you on behalf of myself and the Gods, to request your aid in the battle against the Jade Armies. You of all the gods have the most at stake here. If he should conquer this world, then you will surely fall to the Void.

---

Then we are well met. I am aware that Fei is in motion again - one of his Sohei found its way into my territory earlier, and they wouldn't be wandering around here without him having some purpose. You may know this already if you've seen the gods, but we've also learnt that he's sent his shades out to find access to the home realms of the other gods, so you should avoid opening portals there when possible.

Do you know anything about his activities? Fei will have some sort of plan - the more we know, the better our chance of stopping it.

---

"Well, I've taken a lot of time to think about it, and have come to a decision on the weapons I would like made, and what enchantments each should have.
The first will be a pair of daggers. Not just any daggers, but rather large daggers that will be used as defense."
*Skunk removes his two daggers and presents them to Cesparius.*
"These are my current daggers. I would like a pair of similar size and shape. Including hand guards. The enchantment I would like for both sounds simple, but I'm not sure how hard a task it really is. If is is possible for them both to be indestructible and have a strong protection against attacking miracles I would be extremely grateful."

*Skunk shuffles a bit as he prepares to ask for the next weapon. He is a bit worried that he might miss word it, or perhaps they wouldn't be able to create such a weapon. None the less, it's something he would really like to have. He chooses his words as carefully as possible in his head to make the most sense possible without being ambiguous in any way, and prepares to speak.*

"For my other weapon I would like a scythe. The design would be simple. Just your regular, modest scythe. It doesn't have to be fancy at all, but it must still be pleasing to the eye. The enchantment, however, might be a bit more technical."
*Skunk reorders the words in his head.*
"I would like her to be able to shape herself to the needs of the wielder. The very fabric and power of the scythe should be drawn from the one who is controlling her. Not only that, but the scythe should add to the power - making her a catalyst to both strengths and weaknesses. She should also allow the wielder to alter her at will, so that she can aid better in both battle and other needs."
*He pauses for a second and figures out how to elaborate on what he's said so as to remove any doubt or misconception.*
"Obviously, the weapon cannot completely change her appearance, but I wish for her to be able to be altered slightly. Adjusting the length, changing sharpness, altering her composition, modifying her power. I don't expect you to be able to make her do all these things by herself, but just make it possible. That way, once I have trained myself enough with her, I will be able to do them to an extent. Her view point on strengths and weaknesses should be based on alignment. She should view anything negative to be a weakness, including an evil alignment, and positive a strength, including a good alignment. If someone is greedy, they should become more greedy. If someone is noble, more noble. If someone bases their power on evil traits, their power must be weakened. If someone bases their power on good traits, their power must be enhanced."
*Skunk backtracks slightly, revises, and prepares a summary*
"In essence, she should be easily modified - even by will power alone, her power should rely on the wielder's power, and she should help only the side of good by amplifying its influence."

*He realises he just asked an imp, probably based on an evil alignment, to create a weapon based solely on the opposite alignment. It shouldn't matter though, as he is a businessman, and should not bring personal matters into his work.
Skunk ponders for a while the type of payment he will be making. He's thinking along the lines of cattle, or rare gems, but perhaps there is something else, something original and once off, that he could offer. A simple payment of valuables would be suitable for the payment of the daggers, as they are seen as a simple task and don't seem all that special, but the scythe? She would mean so much to Skunk that he would like to repay them by offering something that would be totally and utterly beneficial to the imps and their business. Something that would be special to them.*

"As for payment. I can offer gems, or cattle for the daggers, but I would like to do something special for the scythe. On our way here, CoolAZ and I had to struggle through quite a climb, and a lot of grief to get here. The 'path' up Mount Doom was not a friendly one, and I'm sure it could be quite an off putting detail to customers. With this in mind, I offer to create for you an excellent path to your premises. With a decent path you are likely to get more customers. That way, my payment will serve a greater purpose and will save you the time and effort of having to create one yourself - if you ever did intend on making one."
*Skunk stops, and waits for a reply. His request seems bold, even to him now. He could only hope that he would get what he wanted.*

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

*The imps discuss among themselves for a while, before turning back to Skunk*
Alright, we have come to an agreement. The daggers we can create. They would require a shielding enchantment that both protects you from miracles and protects them from damage. We can provide such an enchantment, but unfortunately for now we lack a source of mystical energy great enough to empower such weapons for now. Though if you could provide us with the energy...
Well, I have no source of mystical energy in the form of an item I could trade to you, but I am willing to donate my own energy. Would that suffice?

*Cesparius pretends to be thinking for a while. Of course, he had already concluded that the god's energy would probably be required, but getting an independent power source would have been even better, for the imps that is. Using the god's own energy would make the enchanting rituals easier, but there was no reason to tell that to the customer. Instead, pretending to consider if it was even possible would let him ask for larger payment*
It would require very large amount of prayer power, but it can be done. The daggers will be immune to damage from anything that isn't way more powerful than a god, which should be nothing in this world, as long as their enchantment lasts, which would be at least a millennium, at which point a new dose of prayer power could recharge them easily.

*Cesparius strokes his chin, as if in contemplation. The description of the second weapon had been much more descriptive. Its creation obviously mattered to the god, who already referred to ii as "her" rather than "it". The creation of it shouldn't be harder than that of the daggers for the imps, but he feels he can make it seem like an even more impressive achievement*
As for the scythe... it will require a lot of very complicated work. Fortunately we are professionals, and have full confidence we will be able to pull this project of! There is no better way to start our business than with an ambitious project like this! We won't bore you with the specifics of the enchantment process, but it will be a two step process. The basic weapon will have to be enchanted to be reshapeable. The secondary enchantment will link it to the soul of the wielder, letting that be its shaping agent. Mastering control over the shaping would be like learning to control a new limb, an extension to your body.

Now, to discuss the price... Admittedly, we had not considered constructing a path to our establishment. If you can make it a road worthy of divine praising, fitting to be travelled by the gods and kings we provide our services to, it will be acceptable payment for the scythe. As for the daggers...
*The imps had hoped to demand something of value instead of a service, and had not considered making their workshop more accessible by foot. In the end though, the temptation of having an actual god working for them proved too much of a tempting offer to refuse. The price for the daggers would be where they would demand a really outrageous price. A reward so large, they would be the envy of every imp in Hell. An outrageous payment!*
30 cows or equivalent in weight in herd animals, or the processed highly quality meat products of 25 cows or equivalent. In addition to two gems that can be used as decorative pommel gems. Alternatively we would accept 4 diamonds or a sack of gold coins. Which price would you find most acceptable?

*Of course, for an indestructible divine artifact, a king's ransom would normally be an acceptable price. For the imps, creatures most often living in servitude without anything of value, the price they are asking is astronomically high in their eyes. To break the tension, while Skunk considers their offers, Cesparius begins commanding the imps to prepare the necessary resources and draw up some basic sketches that can be adjusted to Skunks liking*
Once you have decided and negociations have been concluded, we can begin working out the designs for your marvelous new gear! You should also consider whether you want your main weapon to add only to your glory, or whether you want it to gain a name and reputation of its own. In which case, you will get to name your weapon, and thus the project we will be working on towards perfection!

---

*Fred considers for a moment.*

Yes, I do think I have a vague idea of his plans. At the very least I know the general direction he is moving in. Fei is looking for allies, to the best of my ability to discern. He sought my aid in restoring the ancient Tree Temple, though by Amaunator's wisdom it is now forever beyond his reach. He also attempted to sway Battle, but there is too much history between the two for any trust now. I would not be surprised if he was meeting with yet another god right now to try to domesticate him as well.

On that note, I must ask: Do you know the whereabouts of the god Solar? Only he and Lord Terrible have yet to be warned, and I really would rather find them before Fei does. Sirjoe is also missing, but I am going to hope he stays true to his alignment in the event that Fei locates him.

*In true forum post fashion Fred does not wait for a reply but continues on to his next question.*

There is one other god whom I haven't encountered, but he may be the key to destroying Fei. When I met with Battle last, he said that the ancient god known as the Kaiser, he who built the very empire that we now face under the leadership of Fei, is still alive. The Kaiser contacted Battle's ward, and something that was said gave Battle reason to believe there was a way to destroy the Slayer. I know you have been to the Kaiser's lair before, and I was hoping you could direct me there. If the Kaiser can be found, then he could be the one thing that saves us from Fei's armies of shades and Sohei. At the very least he could perhaps direct us to one of his servants, who I have no doubt would be of great use. Battle also mentioned a man named Lord Oda, the creator of the Sohei. The Kaiser may not wish to betray his servant, but there may be other ways to extract the information from him.

---

*Skunk ponders for a moment. He had hoped for a better price, despite the fact that he owned entire worlds of resources. However, he had no experience in weapon crafting, and if these imps could indeed do what they advertised, he was sure he would be exceptionally happy with the produce. It was the manner with which the imp went about asking for the price; sure, 30 cows was hardly worthy of Godly weapons, but Cesparius appeared to be asking for something he thought to be unreasonable. Still, Skunk was not in the position to judge what was reasonable and what was outrageous.
There was one choice to be made, however, and that was the type of payment. Give a man a fish, as they say. Diamonds or gold, while easier to get, would simply give the imps jewels to brag with. As creatures of hell that may be all they wish to have, but as a good God, Skunk felt more like satisfying a need rather than a want. Perhaps if they receive cattle they will breed them and eat them only once they are no longer useful as breeders.*

"I shall bring you 30 healthy bovine. I trust that you will use them well and not just devour them on a single sitting. As for the gems, I know of two in my land. Both gorgeous and purple in colour - amethysts."

*Skunk pauses to discuss with himself the nature of his scythe's identity. It is a short pause however, as he has already made up his mind.*
"Enva. I shall christen her Enva, the Heart of Change."

*All he has to do now is come up with a way to build a monumental road up an entire mountain in as little time as possible. At least it will give the imps time to work on the weapons.*

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

*Of course the imps have no intention of using the cows in any long term way to get a steady food supply by breeding them. As demons the imps have no real need to eat to survive, but that doesn't mean they have no taste for it. In hell, imps would never have access to meat of this quality. Feasting on this flesh would be pure decadence to them, like peasants eating caviar. The cows would last them a long time however, considering their small size. The imps were overjoyed with the prospect of such a large reward, and the prospect of having a god work for them. Truly, they were in their version of heaven. Cesparius did his best to contain his own excitement, and give his customer a positive impression of the excitement of his greedy brethren. He moved quickly to shake Skunks hand to seal the deal, as gods can be fickle and alter their minds*

It is truly a pleasure doing business with you! As you can see, we are quite excited to be working on this project for you! You can rest assured it will be our crowning achievement. A simple contract shall be prepared that confirms your order. Something in ink. There will be no need for a deal in blood, unless you would prefer it. It will be your guarantee that we will provide you with the utmost quality. Meanwhile we will prepare the tools and materials and you can manage to get our payment together. Your presence will be required at several stages of the forging process, and we will let you know what needs to be done at which time. The forging time itself will no doubt be to your satisfaction, as the established team for project "Enva" will work with high efficiency!

*And so, the imps rush to work, completing the designs of Skunk's weapons according to his specifications and preparing the forging process. Skunk doesn't know all the terms and names of materials they keep using, but that just proves that they have indeed knowledge of forging greater than his own. As the imps skitter about, Skunk can't help but admire the blueprints of his weapons for a moment. If the fiendish forgers can indeed produce what has been sketched out, he'll be more than satisfied*

---

*Skunk wandered out into the snowy landscape after inspecting every inch of his weapons' blueprints. His anticipation was already building, and he needed to begin his payment. Work would surely keep his mind off the excitement.
First, he would need to decide how to go about building this path, and he would need a good view of the mountain to do so. With that in mind, he charged up a large wind miracle and created a shield miracle around himself before opening up a portal to the base of the mountain where CoolAZ and himself had begun their climb.
Keeping the portal open, Skunk charged up another wind miracle to protect the area. He stared at the mountain long and hard, trying to pinpoint the perfect path. After a while, a small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth, and he walked back through into the portal. Still under the protection of the shield, he charged up a portal miracle and launched it at the ground. An instant portal to his realm manifested on the ground and Skunk calmly leaped into it.*

*Back in his home realm, things were going well. His villagers, his towns, his kingdom, all thriving. He didn't spend too long back home, but took his time to enjoy it. He visited the high priests and most respected senseis, as well as his finest sculptors and builders.
In no time at all, Skunk returned through the portal with five men behind him. The men were in awe at the new realm, and frightened by the sight of the imps. Skunk assured them they would be safe behind the protection of the shield miracles and asked them to inspect the mountain. The six of them discussed the situation and came to a consensus. Mephitis played his part in his usual advice role and agreed with the plan. Then, Skunk opened the portal to the base of the mountain and led the men through it.
After a while of chattering and a bit of bickering, the six came to a conclusion once again and hastily jumped through the portal once more. Then, Skunk reopened the portal to the home realm and guided the men back.*

*After a small period of time, Skunk returned to The Boards looking rather pleased. The men were to design the path, and Skunk would return to the home realm shortly to fetch them and a hundred able bodied men. This was the first step to building the most amazing, awe inspiring master piece of a path - ever.*

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

[Sorry for the long delay, guys. A lot of stuff has been going on lately. Enjoy! ]

*Before answering the questions Asteron has faced him with, CooLAZ took a look at the blackboard, which was covered entirely with formulas and sketches of designs, as well as at the piles of designs for various stuff. He was very impressed by the work the imps had put into their forging projects. He's more confident now that the imps will succeed in creating the weapons he's so willing to have.*

I've been thinking about the type of weapons I would like to possess for a long time now. Nevertheless, I've eventually decided that I would like to have two swords forged by you. I'll be more than pleased if you manage to produce the swords in the shape and design I pictured them. Now, the first sword should be based on the lightning element. Thus, by being so, it must have the ability to strike my opponents with sparkling bolts of lightning. Apart from that, it should have a special ability, which will allow it to absorb lightning miracles at times I find necessary, in order to increase its power greatly. What's more, I'd like to emphasize that the sword's blade must be rather long and narrow.

*CooLAZ pauses for a moment. He reviews everything he has just said carefully, in his mind; just to make sure he didn't miss any detail. Then he resumed the conversation.*

Alright. As for the second sword... well, it might be a bit trickier. *He chuckles while looking at the hideous creature's ugly face for a short period of time. The solemn face Asteron has made totally scares CooLAZ to death. Obviously, even the most adept imp at social skills is more interested in doing business, rather than spending hours chattering and wasting valuable time on nonsense. So CooLAZ gurgled nervously, and then proceeded.* Anyway, the other sword's blade should be made of crystals. Its main attack will be a shower of countless crystal shards, piercing deep into the target's flesh, so that they won't stand a chance to survive. While not in use, the sword should look like a broad, ordinary sword. However, when the right time to attack arrives, the sword will change its appearance a bit, and will be covered with crystal shards, all along the blade – from the very base of it, up to its pointy edge. Whereas some of those shards will burst forth from the sword, others will simply ornament it with their marvelous, hypnotizing glamour. Finally, the sword should change its looks at times I desire, and its deadly attack will, once yelling its name out loud, be called upon. The name of it shall be "Crystal Barrage of Doom".

*CooLAZ takes a short break to breathe some air into his lungs. Talking that much surely isn't simple, especially when you are so excited about the things you discuss.
In the meantime, Asteron looks at CooLAZ, completely astonished. He's amazed by all the interest and desire about the ownership of weapons that overflows CooLAZ's body. It's not long enough before he decides to let go of these thoughts, and so he rapidly gets back to musing about the fantastic payment he will earn from this project. Due to this greedy thought, Asteron attempts to recommence the dialogue.*

Excuse me, dear customer, but do you feel better now? If so, I'd like to know whether you're done. Or perhaps-

*To Asteron's both surprise and huge delight, CooLAZ is not finished yet.*

No, Asteron. I still have two things to say. First, the minor capability I want the crystal sword to consist of is for means of defence. In case I'll need to protect myself against strong weapon blows, powerful special weapon abilities, miracles, etc., I want my crystal sword to be able to create an almost indestructible crystal wall when its tip hits the ground with an enormous force. Second and last, I'll be very satisfied if you succeed in enchanting both swords with a protection against miracles, and blade resistance against overwhelming damages. Please do the best you can to include these enchantments, without reducing the immense potency of the swords' strikes and special abilities too much.

*Yet another short pause is made by CooLAZ, and silence prevails in the room. Suddenly, CooLAZ gazes into the imp's vicious eyes, without even batting an eyelid. Asteron, though, glances at him, completely clueless. A brief thought crosses his mind: “Why did he stop? Is something wrong?” Asteron's facial expression amuses CooLAZ, and consequently, it makes him smirk.*

I'm not done just yet. Now, if you don't mind, I'll use that paper to draw you the two swords in the way I want them to be molded. *CooLAZ takes a paper he found on the imp's desk, and then begins to draw. He outlines the designs for his swords in every minute detail to Asteron, advising him very closely until the blueprints meet his exact specifications.* That will be all, Asteron.

Very well, sir. Is there anything else you'd like to say before I verify the implementation of this project to the others? *Asteron rubs his hands with pleasure, and simpers. He is extremely pleased with the god's demands, for they will all aid him in obtaining everything he can bring to mind.*

Umm, yes. Are you absolutely positive that everything I've wished for is doable and possible? Only after you confirm that will I consider negotiating the payment options.

---

My B&W2 fan fic: here.

The RP I'm writing for: here.


H&HRNU|C00LAZ

I can assure you of our skill, Great CooLAZ. Your designs are detailed, and impressive in quality. Your first weapon is something not beyond our current experience. We will turn these designs into a sword worthy of the mightiest of gods, as I am sure it will help you become! As we finish the enchanting, it is possible we would require you to manifest the energies of lightning for us to infuse the blade and charge the permanent enchantment to the artifact. We are as of yet unable to gather together anywhere near the extreme power you have at your divine fingertips.

The second of your swords will be the real challenge. Something like that none of us has exact experience with. We may have to get... creative. Not to worry though. While most of us lack a mind as expansive as your divine one, we are experts in our area of expertise, and you have the most inventive of our race at your disposal; me! I'll get some research together and we'll forge you this mighty weapon! If needed, I'll pull some smiths from the other project to help us on this one, since obviously this is the superior project. Truly this shall be the most impressive and unique weapon ever wielded in this realm, we shall see to that, I promise you!

*Though Asteron's speech is smooth and elegant and does nothing but praise CooLAZ something seems a little off about it. It's not just that the voice hardly seems to match such a creepy individual, or that it seems odd to have such a well spoken imp in a group of which some members would be bested by 2 year olds when it comes to pronounciation. For some reason, even the other imps look odd at him now and again, mostly when he uses the word "I". It's a practice uncommon among the imps, as if an unspoken rule is in place to prevent them from learning this. Even Cesparius skillfully avoids it. The reasons aren't obvious to CooLAZ, though it may be just as simple as their rulers in Hell not being able to keep the millions of imps apart if they all start referring to themselves as "I", rather than saying their name instead*

Next is a personal question, if I may be so bold. You are having some powerful weapons created, both possibly as eternal as yourself! Have you put thought into whether you want the swords and their power to add to your reputation, or would you wish for them to gain their own unique reputation in the world? The latter is done by naming the weapon. A blade with a name carves out a destiny of its own. A blade without name will carve out only yours. The choice is up to you.

*It was starting to dawn on CooLAZ what exactly seemed a little bit strange about the imp with the elegant voice. His voice was like that of a storybook teller that you could listen to for hours, but that didn't count for just those listening to him. The imp itself seemed to enjoy the sound of his voice as well. It was obvious by now that he liked to hear himself speak*

As for payment, a variety of compensation methods will suffice. You can pay in meat, gemstones or just pay us in gold. Our required payment will be significant. However, I am allowed to offer you a perhaps more interesting deal. We require certain scarce resources. We have plenty of all the common metals, but if you could supply us with ores or refined materials of precious metals; gold, silver, titanium, etc, I am certain we could come to a satisfying arrangement regarding the price of both weapons, or just your lightning one.

For the crystal sword I have another payment idea you may or may not find interesting, though this would require a lot of mutual trust, which I should hope we will have earned with the construction of these marvels for you. We can create an enchanted orb that can store energy. If you would provide us with the divine energy to fill it, we can use the power to enchant even more artifacts for future customers. Not just prayer power, I would request that you donate a significant portion of your personal energy. From my understanding of mighty gods such as yourself, your energy will recover given some time, as long as your religion prospers, so you would lose nothing at all in the long term.

A god of your stature obviously has nothing to worry about, as you obviously have tens of thousands of followers, but you would be weakened temporarily, so I understand if you'd rather not do so, though I doubt you would be fearful of our still very inferior strength... The other payment options are of course equally valid for your crystal-enchanted weapon. If you dislike this idea, forget I mentioned it.

*Asteron tilts his head slightly. He hasn't told any untruths, even though lying is one of his greatest skills. It was unwise to lie against gods, as they offer fates worse than death. He analysed the god before him in every detail. The god seemed innocent and even likable in appearance. Truly this world was strange. Comparing this being with what is considered a god in Hell, was like comparing young fluffy bunny with a Saber Tooth Tiger that died of extreme steroid use and was then raised as some sort of supreme undead creature*

*Still, a god is a god, and as such deserves the same fearful respect any being does that could kill you easily or has countless followers. Asteron was a little nervous, but also quite happy to be talking with the god. It was a unique situation to be talking and negotiating with a god, rather than being ordered or threatened. Asteron had been in a forward-thinking mood. This plan of Cesparius seemed to be working out, and all the imps were highly pleased. Therefore Asteron was attempting to suggest payment options that would make their business more sustainable in the future. Riches were one thing, but sometimes investing was necessary. Besides, should the god agree they would have a god giving imps precious materials and power. It would be like a peasant being granted the titles of Count and General; definitely brag-worthy! Asteron hoped the god would agree*
-------------------------

*While preparation for the construction of CooLAZ's weapons is coming underway, the construction of Skunk's weapons is already proceeding. The required ores have been refined and mixed to specifications and the forging process is under way. The imps work tirelessly on the blades, while others are designing the handles and decorations. Imps are working around the clock, encountering temperatures and toxins which would kill or severely incapacitate mortals. The formulas and rituals for the enchanting process have been prepared. Before he'll know it, Skunk will be wielding his divine weapons. Not a moment too late either, for the forces of no doubt stand at the door, so to speak, no doubt ready to burst in and force the new gods to use their weapons in defence if they are to survive... For now at least, life is still going in their favor*

---

The Kaiser is still alive? That is a score I have every reason to regret, and I will tell you now that I have no intention of helping anyone achieve his return, no matter how useful he might be. If you think Fei's devious plans of making allies and restoring ancient holy sites are the essence of pure , meeting the Kaiser might send you into a nervous fit. I will warn you now: do not seek out the Kaiser except to destroy him. Nothing can possibly come of any cooperation with that lunatic.

*As Iacobus finishes, the cloak of darkness under which Fei has hidden the Boards strikes, blocking the dawn sunlight before it has much chance to get underway. The all-consuming darkness is somewhat lessened here, however, by the brilliance of Iacobus's aura, and over the rest of the town people swiftly begin lighting torches and lanterns to bring some light to the darkness.*

Well, this is unexpected. Blocking out the Sun? I wouldn't have expected so vulgar a move from Fei. Quetzalcoatl, Tlacochcalcatl, you had best make sure you have enough light sources to last your journey, then I will send you directly to Battle's village to begin. Trekking over the Neutral plains may be dangerous in these conditions. Fred, If you will excuse me, and resume your search for Solar and Lord Terrible - I'm afraid I am not aware of their whereabouts - I will see what I can do to deal with it.

 Meanwhile, elsewhere...

*As the lanterns are lit again along the prison cells, an authoratative figure strides down the corridor towards Oda's cell - Ohtli, the governor. I should also note at this point that Oda, and all the prisoners, have had a nutritious if somewhat bland breakfast, and will be well-fed and watered throughout their stay in the prison and as such will not be starving to death at any point thank you very much Kaiser. Two guards accompany him as the door is opened, but stand ready outside as he enters to speak to Oda.*

morning, Lord Oda. Or evening, the day just doesn't seem to be able to get itself organized. I should really speak to someone. I was thinking you might like some company, before I get down to work? One official to another? You aren't among particularly great minds in this place.

And elsewhere again...

I can see all right now, but it's dark as anything! I haven't felt this blind in months.

Everyone else adjusted? Come on, we've got work to do! Not afraid of the dark, are you?

*A chorus of 'No sir's follow Nagual's question, as the Jaguar Knights do their best to acclimatise to the sudden darkness. They are, in fact, just outside the forest, and several are still dripping from having swum across the lake, and despite their discipline they're obviously not keen on it, or at least obviously to anyone who's eyes can penetrate the dark. Nagual's energy is infectious, however, and they are soon jogging towards the mountains in a light formation.*

Come on lads, look lively! And don't spend so much time straining your eyes that you forget everything else! Follow your noses!

---

He found it kind of funny, he found it kind of sad that the dreams in which he was dying was the best he had ever had. He found it hard to tell you, he found it hard to take when people run in circles it was a very, very mad world. But let us leave Donnie Darko aside for the moment and concern ourselves with the creatures, who, like Donnie, were in the Thread.*

 

*Beset by the full and terrible might of Jimmy’s honour and advances of friendship Meiji had opted to flee! For no god or monster could have withstood the awesome power of kindness and innocence! No, no, there was no recourse left. The only, desperate and hollow defence left was to run away as quickly as he could. He could only half-heartedly hope that Doom had its fill of blood and would not give chase, perhaps spend the time on studying for a PhD instead, maybe develop an animosity with another student called Reed Richards. Yes, Jimmy suffering facial scarring from a dimensional experiment gone wrong in the most explosive of ways would be a fitting fate in Meiji’s opinion.* 

 

*Meiji’s injuries had reduced his retreat to a sprightly amble with most of the sprightly quality originating from the fact he could, by fortune of being a colossal dragon, take greater strides than your average bipedal humanoid. He dare not reassume human form: he was no blind to the fact that the despicable ape was pursuing him, mockingly staying out of reach. He wished to preserve his energy for miracle of healing should the taunting creature attack and he had not desire to be stepped upon, a tactic tremendously effective against things much smaller than you. It was surprising how many terrible horrors from the Id could be defeated with due application of weight. It was a universal truth that had the consequence of elevating the hippo to one of the most deadly animals alive. A hippo had never sat upon Meiji, but had he known people that had been sat upon then he would have known when they told the tale they told it with haunted faces and a flattened lower body. The irony was that such a thing was rather prominent. Fate had it’s little jokes, most of them tragic.*

 

*Meiji was not thinking about hippos for Meiji was a more sensible person than the narrator. Meiji was considering the lessons to be learned from his defeat. However, there was no great realisation or teaching to be found, he was struggling to identify what he had done wrong. AS far as he could tell, he did everything right. Oh, it was easy to look back and tell where a counter or another move would have come in useful, but at the time there was no way he could have possibly known that. He fought to the best of his ability. He had lost. It was a bitter truth to accept. He would consult his Master.*

 

*Jimmy may have just been returning to Battle, but Meiji could not have known this. The irritation was building up inside of him. A few times, he stopped, turned and snapped at Jimmy, who kept his distance, making this rather like the Dragon equivalent of barking. Meiji had been humbled and he was feeling wretched from it. For the first time since his introduction, his blue eye was very much more intense than his red. Beneath the cloak of his wounded movements, he concealed the fact he no longer strutted, or carried all before him in his imperious glare. But this was about to change. For then came a sign.*

 

*The sky turned black. His Master had reached out to him. Confidence swelled. Pride engorged. Arrogance was nurtured. As the Sun was conquered, the shadow that swept across Meiji’s slender form dressed him in renewed dignity.  His Master was supreme and he was his Master’s servant. The retreat ended. The creature coiled to face Jimmy. The feeble bark was empowered to become an invigorated roar. If you want it, cat, come and get it.*

 

We go now to an armchair beside a fireplace where a Koios bot tenderly leafed through the pages of some old tome of forgotten lore.

 

Hello! Forgive me, gentle reader, so quietly came your tapping I think you caught me napping in the presence of many a curious volume of forgotten lore. 

 

Do make yourself comfortable, pull up a chair by the warmth of the fireplace. Biological constructs store energy so inefficiently. 

 

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

 

Now, it has come to my attention through a certain source, that certain individuals, who shall go nameless (Iacobus), are bringing up peripheral and pedantic issues of logic, consistency, plot and these other silly things that often preoccupy crazy people. I, Koios, possessing a mind vastly superior to any other, have taken it upon myself to address some of the most frequently registered concerns.

 

If something does not appear to make sense then simply apply one of these handy answers and you’ll be in the paradise-esque realm of perfect clarity and understanding. First, the TITANs did it. TITANs are superior to every life form and possess all manner of fancy shiny things that can do stuff. If the first does not apply, then we move to the second explanation: The ever-inscrutable and ever-wonderful Kaiser did it. 

 

The time of contrition approaches and I shall extract a penance for all your sins. 

 

Yes, creator! Your vast array of wacky powers and legacy of even wackier powers makes everything possible! 

 

Should neither the TITANs nor the Kaiser have had the ability or motive to be behind it, then we must move to the third explanation: Fei did it. 

 

So quick to ascribe guilt? I had thought I would have at least been granted a trial, summary judgement and execution is so much the more the style of the Gods.

 

Ah Fei, the man’s who motives, ambitions and personality is under so many layers and lies it actually just seems like the narrator just changed them depending on his mood. But that isn’t what happened. It’s all lies! Lies and misdirection! There are so many lies that everything and anything that has ever happened in a Kaiser story, Fei has probably opposed it, helped it, created it, stopped it and coated it in ice-cream and probably all at the same time. 

 

Should it not be Fei, then one of the Mori family did it. Yes, we've only just met them and they have all the character development of a shovel with a name, one which was never used to dig, but they probably did it to get more money. If it was not the Mori family, then the Emissary did it as an act of defiance/apology/whinging. If it was not the Emissary then the personification of all the in Kaiser's realm did it and did it ly!

 

Now, hopefully you are becoming familiar with the pattern here, gentle reader, but you may be glad to know that this is where it ends. If none of the above could have possibly done it, for even the most flimsy of reasons, then the man behind it is...

 

Joshua and his cat, Mister Particular.

 

Hahahahahahaha! *Thunder*!

 

It doesn't work if you say it, moron. And that’s all we have time for, gentle reader. Join me next week where we will be taking a look into monastic training, which unsurprisingly, consists most of lessons in basket weaving. Night.

 

Theme tune… dadadadadada something something dododododo musicaaaal noooote da…dah DAH.

---

The Original Crazy Reactionary

The border between Neutral and lands is crossed by Meiji and Jimmy, but I'll post my post here, since I would be double posting in the Thread.

*Jimmy was surprised as Meiji turned and roared at him as the skies turned black. The darkness and Meiji's roaring were something Jimmy couldn't be sure were unrelated and it certainly increased the intimidating effect of Meiji's challenging position. Jimmy had been following Meiji for a while now, hoping to befriend this new creature. It would seem that it isn't possible at this point however, as the dragon has made pretty clear for now. Jimmy is injured, but Meiji is in worse shape and would probably only have one final chance to get Jimmy with a fatal attack if the two creatures would fight again. The likely winner would be BattleF08's Tiger*

*Jimmy has no desire to let it come to that however. He growls a confirming roar and walks off. The wind carries a familiar smell; that has his god. Meiji grins; truly he has reclaimed some of his honour in scaring the enemy creature away. Look at him flee, he thinks to himself. This creature was definitely weak in mind, as he had said before the fight started. No doubt instinct had overwhelmed its enslaved mind. The moral victory at least, would be Meiji's. At least, that's what he thought before Jimmy turned around in the distance and started making aggressive challenging gestures at him, before waving and turning around, all the while sporting that stupid grin of his. The message was clear; Meiji had just been challenged to have a rematch some day. Meiji's annoyance became clear with the glowing of his red eye, as he changed back into human form*

"Until our next encounter, feline..."

---

*After bouncing about on the mountain side for a while, Skunk returns to the imps' building. He had followed a path he wished the path to follow to do some prep work, and was now ready to bring his people in to do the job.
Being careful not to allow hostiles the opportunity to bleed into his home realm, he casts a wind miracle to form a large, powerful shield. As soon as the shield is made, he charges up and creates an enormous portal to his home realm. He calmly steps into the whirling, mystical gateway and returns shortly after with the previous five men, as well as one hundred healthy looking males. Not wasting any time, the prepped men all clamber towards the mountain side and begin hacking away at various stones and rocks. Skunk, being the only one able to destroy major obstacles, charges up a few winds miracles in his scythe and slices away at the rock formations.
With the help of Mephitis, the five top architects/engineers are able to view otherwise tricky angles and the builders are able to reach certain areas and move their equipment faster.*

*After some time, Skunk, Mephitis, and the army of builders had finally finished the first section of the glorious pathway. Ten or so men were still busy carving out two massive statues at the top of the staircase - one on either side of the pathway. These were to be the guards of the workshop; the stony welcomers of all who came. One could make out the shape of the statues by now, and it was obvious that it would be two large, stone imps - wings folded, bodies perched.
The columns on which they stood were the same size as all the other columns that had been placed at each of the plateaus of the paths climb. Only the other columns did not share the same decoration. Instead, there were rock bowls placed on them and filled with stones of all sizes. These would be used as flaming torches to guide the way of a wary traveler during the night, and would ignite themselves as soon as the sun sets if Skunk can enchant them correctly. If not, the imps could simply fill the bowls with oil and light them each night.
The granite staircase has a trough on each side in order to catch water and guide it to the base without flooding the path. Together with the enchanted rocks, a customer would be able to find their way to the workshop in a storm without any difficulty that would arise from anything from snow, to darkness, to overwhelming amounts of water.
Better yet, the aesthetics of the path have been increased by carvings on the shallow walls and columns as well as various shades, textures, and contours of the rock. It is truly a path worthy of Kings and Gods.*

*Once the statues had been completed, Skunk shifted the shield miracle, along with all his builders, further down the mountain. After finishing only the first section, it is already apparent that the men are suffering the fatigue. Noticing this, Skunk opens up another portal and lets all the tired men rest, while bringing in fresh legs to continue the job at hand.
Slashing away at a few large boulders, Skunk himself began to feel tired and could feel his energy being drained with each swing. Mephitis was also being affected as he heaved away, but they all persisted on. This was a large project, and one the imps would surely be proud of. As proud as the ones who built it, and hopefully more. With that in mind, and the fact that the weapons were well on their way to being completed, they could not rest now.
After destroying all the obstacles he needed to, Skunk took a walk back up the mountain to try and enchant the rocky torches. It's not something he's ever done before, but he did once experiment with herbs by blessing them to increase their effectiveness as natural remedies, and if that was anything to go by, he would surely be able give the rocks some kind of useful trait.*

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

An observation that applies to your entire settlement. I find myself surprised that your people would have developed beyond savagery to the extent to require officials. Though in all likelihood the title has vastly lesser connotations that it does among my people. 

 

*Oda roused himself from what was possibly silent meditation, probably on the topic of the divine. He adjusted his spectacles, in case they had lost their position whilst his attention was elsewhere and with a dismissive hand he brushed and tidied himself in the manner employed by people who have considered appearance some vague and abstract notion that is to be delegated to servants.*

 

Your purpose here, heathen? 

 

*Ohtil reacted with an exasperated sigh, and he paced to the side reminiscent of an irritated schoolmaster. This battle between officials was on.*

 

So it's petty insults, is it? Such a shame. I'd imagined that even separated by the gulf of civilizations we might have some common ground in our attitudes to the job, but I would never allow such a lack of diplomacy among my staff. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, it has been a trying day, perhaps your manners haven't woken up yet. I'm the Governor of the peoples of the White  and what I do really depends on how I feel about it. Organisational mainly, ensuring that the entire civil structure runs smoothly, everything from town planning to policing. I take a more hands on approach from time to time, but of course in the judiciary and so on that wouldn't be appropriate. By the way, none of this is particularly sensitive information, if intelligence is your game.

 

I care little for the governance of a society dedicated to a God that did not even exist until a few months ago; you cannot even excuse your misbegotten faith by merit of tradition. If this petty insult does you harm then you should appreciate that I am not a diplomat. I am a prisoner, apparently. If you desire my “manners to wake up” then I suggest you release me. As far as I am aware, I am held captive merely because of my conscience and religious beliefs.

 

You're held prisoner because our nation is officially in a state of war with the Kaiser's; and even if you weren't, you came here looking for protection. I have been fully briefed on how you came here. Unfortunately, we have no space to accommodate you - you're getting more space to yourself than many of our own people, even if it is less furnished.

 

And considering how quick you are to insult our faith and glorify your own, which as I've stated is directly hostile to ours, it's much safer for you in here than it would be wandering around on your own anyway. You aren't even properly informed - if you fancy learning about the history of our faith, which I can assure you is long, I could see about getting one of the priests to visit you.

 

I would prefer not to despoil my mind with the rantings of superstitious barbarians. It is a sad truth that due to the blasphemy of the great heretic I am no longer in a position to give your people the clarity they so sorely require. I am a talented physician with over a thousand years of experience. It is a shame that I cannot help you... at this time.

 

Oh, a physician? We're quite well supplied, thank you, but if you want I could see about getting Tenoch to send someone in to compare notes. But anyway, since you've brought him up, I see no point dancing around the issue. The 'great heretic' is Fei, right? You suggested you'd be able to help us defending ourselves from him?

 

So your visit was not motivated out of concern for my well-being, but out of concern for your own. You deceived me, Administrator of Savages. For all my sins, at least I am honest.

 

Oh come on, can't it be both? I came here to give you some conversation, as I said, but so far it's all consisted of you insulting me, my relatives, and my culture as a whole. Can I really be blamed for trying to turn the conversation in a direction I found a little more interesting?

 

Whilst your conduct remains disappointing, I grant you forgiveness for your error and I will condescend to maintain this dialogue. You will tell me what aspect of the heretic troubles you.

 

*The lack of a question mark was emphasised in his tone, making it all too clear that it was an instruction. Oda was a formal man, so formal that he found formalities such as politeness rather informal. He said what he wanted to say and what he wanted you to do. Oda talked in facts, and like those facts, he was cold and hard. *

 

Well, I was wondering about the sky disappearing, I'd supposed he was behind that. I'd be grateful to hear your opinion, I've heard you're the expert on the Dreamer. I'm sure it would be very enlightening, even if not in the immediately literal sense.

 

There are numerous methods by which the sky might be obscured, but if we assume that the empathic manifestations are the cause, then there is no other candidate but the heretic. The thief has stolen my God's plan, it is He who intended to coat the sky so all might bear witness to His manifest power. You will brace yourself for a potential increase in paranoia and hallucination amongst the people. However, I find this action in its entirety perplexing if committed by the heretic, he is normally more insidious. I would consider the possibility that this action is intended to conceal another activity.

 

Well, a grand scheme indeed. But even if he stole the idea, surely Fei lacks the experience and knowledge of your god, as well as your guidance? Is it possible he might have made a mistake or two, left some weakness that he wouldn't notice without the sort of experience you've gathered? Something we might defend ourselves by, really.

 

The heretic has gone to considerable lengths to compensate for my loss by allying himself with former acquaintances known to me from my work. Naturally, they possess an intellect vastly inferior to my own, a truth that applies to all who do not recognise the Kaiser as the one true God. There may exist a means to protect yourselves, however, to make this possible I would require access to some unfinished experiments of mine.

 

*Something in the way he said experiments made it very clear to a man as discerning as Ohtil that Oda didn’t mean some test tubes and a Bunsen burner*

 

Well I could see about getting you some test tubes and a bunsen burner.

 

If only it were so simple. The investment of time and resources I have made in these experiments is so considerable that it cannot be reproduced in any facility that you could realistically give me access too. These are the products of Iga and there is no substitute. I am reasonably certain that they remain intact.

 

All you need do is bring them to me and you will have your defence.

 

Break into Fort Iga and steal lab equipment? Ha, that's brilliant! Makes me feel young again just thinking about pulling off something like that.  Still though, it'll probably take a while... I don't suppose there are any other unfinished projects he might be messing around with in the meantime? Sounds to me like he's having trouble getting any ideas of his own.

 

The heretic has revived the First Project. I had largely abandoned it owing to some unfortunate business where an entire garrison of soldiers was lost in a little under an hour. He also appears to have employed the creation of my last research. The remainder of my legacy remains untouched. However, there is no need to attack Iga, an almost impregnable fortress. It is simpler than that, the apparatus and regents I require are currently in the custody of your master's consorts, the entity Battle.

 

Instruct your master to demand release of subjects 26, 28, 30 and 34 from his comrade. The designations will be recognised.

 

Didn't Battle cut off your arm? He probably wouldn't agree... I suppose I can look into it. So, the First Project, eh? The beginning of your fine career, or just a name?

 

He will have no choice but to agree in the end, I am careful to install certain guarantees that ensure they will desperately need to be returned to me. 

 

The First Project is, as you surmised, the beginnings of my work. It involved various manipulations of a demon cadaver left over from an invasion in some time immemorial. Through my efforts, the creature was revived, though not unchanged. Whilst preliminary results were favorable, I was unable to detect the fact it had the ability to asexually reproduce. Whilst I was away attending to affairs of state, the guards brought it food and upon opening its cell released hordes of its spawn, which, most unfortunately, were carnivorous parasites. They used the guards as hosts to infect others guards and by the time a capable, though unknown, individual realised something was amiss, he was able only to trigger the quarantine procedure. Fortunately, my care and wisdom in the design of the quarantine procedure prevented the disaster from spreading further than Iga.

 

So what happened to the demon and its spawn? They obviously weren't just left to their own devices inside the quarantine zone.

 

The quarantine procedure does not simply isolate Fort Iga. That is only part of it. When it was triggered all land routes to the fortress were sealed, which remains mostly true to this day. Once the fortress was isolated, gas-state Dreamer energy was released throughout the entire facility, with the exception of a personal chamber of mine, disintegrating everything less durable than the walls. One spawn and its host survived by sealing itself, in the gas chamber, ironically, from which the gas was pumped. A unit of investigation working under the orders of the Head of the Imperial Army, a pathetic excuse of a man, ultimately discovered this creature before I could return from the Home Realm and have my own soldiers scour the place. Upon learning of this I extracted the creature from their unprepared custody and instilled in it a powerful and unrelenting addiction to miraculous energy, to prevent a recurrence of those events. It continued to develop, metamorphosing, until it reached adulthood. It is now in the service of the heretic. 

 

*Ohtil was not enjoying this conversation, despite his façade of pleasantness and politeness. He was disturbed, something very much exacerbated by Oda’s extremely cold manner, almost casual. He spoke about mass death as if it was an occurrence as interesting as a report on grain shipment. Ohtil, being far more in touch with his humanity (assuming he isn’t , Iacobus, we all know all your characters are secretly ), developed a queasy expression on his face which went unnoticed by Oda. Emotions generally  went unnoticed by Oda, perhaps from being acclimatized, and blinded, to them by his line of work, or perhaps he just had no natural empathy.* 

 

Well, Lord Oda, thank you for your time, but I'm afraid I had probably best be setting off now. Always more to do, isn't there, work never ends... I, ah, hope you have a pleasant day.

 

If you truly wish for me to have a pleasant day, then you would have some books sent to me. I was kind enough to do the same for the demon, if you are in possession of morals then you should be capable of doing the same for a human being. 

 

There's a reasonable library available to all prisoners - since you aren't familiar with our culture, Sacnite's volume of epic poems would be a place to start, or there's the Codices if you prefer a more academic style. day.

 

I shall sample them. Until our next meeting.

 

Many thanks to Iacobus for the responses, , diabolic and sinister as they may be!

---

The Original Crazy Reactionary

*While meddling with the tiny piece of earth in his hands, Skunk couldn't help but wonder what was happening with his travel companion, CoolAZ. He had not seen the god since they parted to discuss their weapons with the respective imps. Perhaps they were still busy discussing, or perhaps CoolAZ was more involved in the creation process. Either way, Skunk hoped the two gods would be reunited once they had acquired their new pieces of art. He was itching to test out the capabilities of his new scythe and hoped that CoolAZ would agree to a friendly sparring session.*

*The stone in his hand began to glow, dimly. Skunk tensed his hand, charged a fire miracle, and created a tiny inferno around the little stone. It caught alight immediately and continued to burn once Skunk subdued the flame from his palms. A burning rock, who would have thought? It would make the perfect torch at night, but it would have to be lit by the imps in the evenings and blown out in the morning. As he continued to enchant the rest of the rocky torches, he fantasised over his weapons a bit more. He stared at his current scythe and daggers for a moment, getting slightly nostalgic in the process; he would miss them. Through his training and past adventures they had been loyal and trusty, but it was time to move on. They had no enchantment and would not be as effective in a world of gods.*

*Switching the shifts of his workers again, he could see that they were nearing the end of their project. They had completed most of the mountain and were nearing the base. Soon all their hard work would be complete and Skunk would be able to claim his weapons - if they were ready. He thought about going back quickly and fetching the amethyst gems, but decided against leaving his people in this realm without him. Besides, they would take no time at all to get and there was no need carrying them around with him while they worked.*

*Looking around he did not see any signs of chaos or grave danger. On this mountain, which had its own particularly ominous name, staring out at a land filled with differently aligned gods that were currently in a state of war, you think you would notice it all. But Skunk's current view was one of peace, tranquillity and seeming innocence. Hopefully the good gods would be able to return this land to that state of peace, and if he was to help he would need the right tools and training. This was the true beginning of Skunk's existence.*

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

Here we have the Neutral Thread summary. Unfortunately it seems I may have summarized it too much. Considering all I had to read through, I could have made note of more details, in retrospect. Well, I hope it may still be of use.

- Skunk traveled to BattleF08's territory with some of BattleF08's ninjas, visiting Iacobus on the way.

-Master Fei's servants uncovered a Tomb in the frozen mountains that they had been looking for.

-Iacobus was holding Kaiser's servant Oda captive, hoping to uncover information on how to better fight Master Fei and his forces.

-Master Fei's monks invited New Solar(Fuyushimo) to visit Fei in his lands.

-A group of Imps set up a smithy on the slopes of the volcano dubbed Mount Doom and contacted all gods with a free sample sword and sales pitch.

-Master Fei's servant Meiji was revealed to be a transformed Dragon Creature
and fought BattleF08's Tiger Creature Jimmy. He lost but was spared.

-Skunk and CooLAZ visited the imps to have their weapons forged.

-Fred visited Iacobus to discuss the threat of Master Fei.

So in and around Neutral territory you can expect to run into CooLAZ, Skunk, Fred and Iacobus, among others.

---

*The unnatural darkness continues to have a hold over the boards. Deep shadows cover the lands, and even more so when one would stand next to Mount Doom. Then, a light appears on the ground, which pierces through the darkness.*

*The light grows, and swiftly turns into a swirling vortex which violently scatters the dust and lights up the area. A figure majestically rises out of the vortex, and carried by the winds produced by the portal, he lands majestically in front of it. If there were any onlookers, they'd see a stark contrast of light and darkness; a dark figure in front of the bright light. It created quite a dramatic effect. Then, as sudden as the vortex had opened, it closed, allowing darkness to consume the land once more. Only minutes later, one could have seen the faint light cast upon the world by the shimmering aura of a deity.*

*Fuyushimo looked up at the old volcano, and a small smile formed on his lips.*
So... This is Mount... Olimpious. I wonder...
*The deity spent a moment looking at the steep climb ahead of him. Surely, the imps didn't expect their costumers to climb all the way up there. The smile quickly turned into a frown. Of course, there were no signposts, and even if there had been any, he'd probably have missed them in the darkness at any rate. This was something he'd have to talk about when he spoke to the imps.*

Hmm... *Fuyushimo mused to himself.* Maybe... I just arrived on the wrong side? Bah! This accursed darkness may serve a purpose, but it hampers my own progress at this time.

The end justifies the means, eh? No matter...
*The deity began walking around the volcano. As he soon noticed, he had apparently arrived on the wrong side of Mount Doom; while he hadn't seen as much as a single sign of life there, he now found himself frowning at the activity and light near the base of the volcano. Quite a difference indeed.*

*The deity hid his aura to make him harder to spot, and slowly made his way toward the light. For a moment, he simply observed what was going on. Apparently, a number of humans were working on a road which most likely lead to the forge. A god was spending quite a bit of prayer power to shield them with wind miracles, so they were most likely his followers. Why a god would work for imps was beyond Fuyushimo however. If they wanted him to pay for their services through hard manual labour however, they'd have another thing coming. Most likely, a renewed visit to hell, unless demons go somewhere else upon dying.*

*All in all however, the god nor his followers appeared to be a major threat to Fuyushimo. There appeared to be no soldiers, and on a first glance, the god didn't appear to be a warlike one. Fuyushimo could of course try to sneak past, but that would require him to actually bother climbing. Furthermore, a streak of arrogance demanded that he'd walk over this road; a deity shouldn't hide in the shadows like a common thief, after all. And it wasn't like visiting a forge was an incredibly devious thing to do either.*

*The god rose from his position and walked directly towards the nearest group of workers, who were safely under a shield made out of wind. They were so engrossed in their work that they barely noticed him until he brightened his aura significantly and casually knocked on the shield with his hand.*
Excuse me, my dear gentlemen. *He said surprisingly politely.* Do you think you could spend a moment to ask your deity to lower these shields for a moment so that I could pass through and visit the Imp forge? I'd like to place a little order, you see.

*A warm smile hid the cold nature of this god. He'd have no quarrel over slaughtering every single one if they resisted his attempts to let him pass; in fact, he'd most likely find it amusing. However, that'd be a bit counter-productive. Tactically speaking, it isn't a brilliant strategy to alienate an unknown god on sight by murdering his followers in front of him. A tactful approach is often best, even if it can be incredibly dull at times.*

---

Out of the corner of his eye, Skunk noticed the new arrival audiencing one of the groups of workers. It was clear he was a god from his appearance and obvious aura, but what could he be asking of the followers. He only spoke a few words and soon after one of the workers turned to face Skunk, who was not too distant from the action and took it upon himself to bound down the mountain to meet the new god.

"Greetings, friend," Skunk addressed him kindly. This god did not look violent nor was his manner of speaking fierce. Actually he was quite friendly looking and from the look of the builders' calmness he had spoken gently.

"He wishes to pass through the shield, master," one of the builders blurted out, "to get to the imp forge."

"Oh, so your needs are similar to mine then? I shall have my men return to my home world and lower the shields for you. Not that I don't trust you, it's just that one must be wary in these times of despair," Skunk explained in his most pleasant manner. "They are in need of a break in any case, and with the path so close to completion this will not be a major set back at all."

Mephitis had reached the conversation at this point and was quick to pick up that the new figure seemed to pose no immediate threat. Skunk turned to Mephitis and asked him to guide the workers back to their home realm; which he very promptly did. The men were relieved with their early break and hurried into the portal swiftly. As soon as the last follower was safely in the home realm Mephitis returned to a pleased looking Skunk.

"Right, the path is all yours," commented Skunk as he lowered his wind miracle. Keeping it up for so long had exhausted him over time and he was in no shape to oppose the new comer, but he kept his left hand on one of his concealed daggers just in case; there was no way he was taking any chances even though the figure appeared friendly. "It was lucky of you to get here with a path almost complete. My companions and I had to climb this icy mountain in order to reach the imps. But your journey should be an easy one now."

Skunk stepped aside and let the older looking god through. He was definitely an accomplished deity and his confidence glowed off him as though it was an aura of its own. "My name is Skunk by the way, and this is my creature, Mephitis. It was a pleasure to meet you."

---

[Lionhead Pub] [Good Read] [Photobucket]

*Fred smiled and bowed slightly.*

It was a pleasure to see you again Iacobus. When the time has come we will send word. day.

*Fred quickly sunk into the ground, as though some great subterranean beast had pulled him under. Just as the tip of his bow vanished from sight one could see the faint glimmer of a shrinking vortex.*

---

The pleasure was all mine. Please keep up the work.

*With a polite nod, Fuyushimo walked past the god and his creature. If he had expected to spend some time talking to the passing god, Skunk was to be sorely dissapointed, as Fuyushimo had no interest in general chitchat. He didn't even bother to tell Skunk his name, even though Skunk had mostly expected him to do so after telling him his own.*

*It should probably be noted that this wasn't done out of disdain towards the younger god, but rather because Fuyushimo didn't see the use of any lenghty conversations. Whilst small talk can be pleasant, it usually doesn't serve much of a purpose, and as such, not a high priority of this deity.*

*The god makes use of the newly created path however, and makes progress. When arriving at the entrance of the forge, he actually spent a moment observing the statues which were the handiwork of Skunk and his followers before moving on and walking in.*

*The sounds of smithing and the heat of the forges greeted him as he entered. He looking around for a moment, wondering what he was supposed to do next. After a moment of observation, he noticed an imp on cleaning duty a small distance away. Without a second thought, he strode towards it in a few paces and picked it up by the wings before it could respond.*

Hello, little one. I'd like to negotiation the use of this forge's services, which I believe include the forging and enchanting of weapons, armour and other items. Could you please call somebody who can help me with this?

*Despite his unorthodox manner of grabbing somebody's attention (in a fairly literal manner too), his tone and facial expression are kind, and one would easily believe that he just didn't realise that picking up an imp by the wings and lifting him up by several feet might be considered rude. Of course, knowing imps, they're used to such behaviour due to their servitude under stronger demons. If we'd have to judge Fuyushimo by this post however, it might be a idea if somebody gave him a guide on social interaction for his next birthday, before he tries the same with the daughter of a certain ninja god and angers said god through doing so.*

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