Crane's Wen's Story

Into the breach?

The Wen followed dutifully as Dicta required it for conduits as Crane went to the volcano. Then it watched her she in turn watched the volcano for a moment. The conflict in dicta began when the conduit leapt into the volcano. While it was bound to allow humankind to kill humankind its native dicta read also to protect the Conduit from damage. Death by immolation most certainly qualified even overly robust mind. Several copies of its own mind debated what it should do about this. It had to allow her to die and it could not allow the conduit to perish. An outsider identity suggested a solution which the slow movement of little available time forced it to accept. If the body must perish the conduit must be prevented from dissolution. The conduit could be preserved.

The owlbear threw its torso downward shattering the rim with the force of its leap toward the conduit. It could feel the body burning away from here the latent image inside its mind screaming about perturbations of the outside person plummeting into lava the objects bound dissolving their tether subsumed into the conduit. As it watched the energetic destruction take over at the mouth of the volcano releasing violent energies the iridescent maw opened wide burning hot toward the melting body around the conduit. Like a missile it targeted the burning star of a conduit energy of the volcano flowing through her and the orbiting objects to affix a new sun inside that endless star field. The storage sufficient to contain a body and all its attendant artifacts utterly destroyed to hold the conduit's shifting starby the expansion as it the Wen adapted.

As the last of the volcano's heart drained in behind the star the Wen's robust if burning frame sent out an urgent beacon. A plea for Myrkul's Vein to recall it and the conduit at all cost. A noisy note of immolating thought that given a moment of attendant notice shooting a gate across the multiverse it answered. Myrkul's Vein shifted the bit of the plane that the Wen occupied in whole into the rekindling vessel below Adolefactus. He set the subbing to rebuild the conduit or shape its healing as the Overbeing couldn't quite see what the shifting light inside represented only at range to quantify the change as progressive damage.

Holding the line

Adolefactus never was far from the Altar. It was one of the perks of having other bodies. His others largely set to tasks of operating the minutiae of the altar or redesigning Jinhai moving through it. Then Myrkul interrupted his freshly tuned altar for an incoming gated Wen who clearly could barely contain whoever it was trying to bring back. What joy. He hurried across the floor of the altar to his position on the control plate connected to the nodes and vessel beneath it. Myrkul's altar took the hit when the incoming psychoportation with nothing but a light shudder but he could feel the maelstrom creak. He shaped the conduit through the Wen stabilizing its formation and protecting it from the bonds of Aetherkind that tried so abnormally hard to chain it down. There were few places where Aetherkind had less control than the inside of Myrkul's Vein and the darkest shadow to them the inside of its altar.

Time dilated for him and the conduit as he shaped it and it took the roll of several years before either of them emerged into normal time. His attention was long but it felt like trying to keep mountain from falling apart while it wore itself into a statue as foreign armies tried to invade it. He was glad when the Wen finally could be prised off the stable conduit and take its physical form though he'd made changes to its interior to accommodate the strange modus the conduit attempted to lay upon it. The Wen was nearly a quarter more massive now and it was all ferromass. The damned free rotating parts were the hardest to shape as he'd ended up bathing the entire heart compartment and most of the under parts in a telekinetic mire for internal support and gave it a small psi-factory to take the inevitable wear.

Something in its makeup changed the conduit reaction chamber but he didn't know what to make of it. The painted technological Wen he thought rather hideous doted on her rather closely. It still clearly fulfilled its duty and had a place in the Almanac under Myrkul's ken so he didn't see much point to argue.

Just out of the garage

The powder-painted Wen bent down making chirps and dings of cut-off warning alarms and bongs from vehicles Crane impressed upon its modus. While they weren't all from the same model the chirping would likely make perfect sense to Crane at least eventually. Its mind was very much larger than it once was but still fairly simple. It wasn't an animalistic intellect anymore.

The speaking if she understood it likely had the cadence of a voice you'd hear from a talking vehicle, "Are you intact, Crane? Please ensure you are in gear before accelerating."

The walls are eyes and ears

Myrkul's attention came by direct emergence of swirling eyes from the ceiling. It observed the new arrival as being of scale categorizing a new creature for the Almanac. It found an alarming characteristic and momentarily considered hostility with a red flare from behind the walls. It then decided the Living Emperor's dicta applied even to Aetherkind as it did to Odona and considered the Aetherkind more closely. The awareness found a curious lack of the bonds that tethered beings to Aetherius and the combined will of the heavens. A curious creature that lacked the cause for the Fallen Emperor's ire against Ao. Thus, it decided that it currently it had no immediate cause against the Aetherkind as with the Aetherkind Odona.

The room echoed with Myrkul's voice channeled firmly. The giant cloaked statue turned its head Myrkul mustering an individuality for a moment thus a voice of its own. Mostly to look upon the newcomer as a show of force against hostile Aetherkind. Its voice was a strong tone still instinctively perturbed at Aetherkind allowed in this important place, "We are made aware of your name, Aetherkind Crane. What is still Wen vouches for your conduct. The Living Emperor's Dicta requires us to give a neutral eye toward the unknown. We see no bonds of Aetherius upon you, Diety. Your will is your own so we permit you in this place but be warned. Deities have fallen in the black storm. To me. Their souls imprisoned in the halls atop my Wellspring around you."

Into the breach?

The Wen followed dutifully as Dicta required it for conduits as Crane went to the volcano. Then it watched her she in turn watched the volcano for a moment. The conflict in dicta began when the conduit leapt into the volcano. While it was bound to allow humankind to kill humankind its native dicta read also to protect the Conduit from damage. Death by immolation most certainly qualified even overly robust mind. Several copies of its own mind debated what it should do about this. It had to allow her to die and it could not allow the conduit to perish. An outsider identity suggested a solution which the slow movement of little available time forced it to accept. If the body must perish the conduit must be prevented from dissolution. The conduit could be preserved.

The owlbear threw its torso downward shattering the rim with the force of its leap toward the conduit. It could feel the body burning away from here the latent image inside its mind screaming about perturbations of the outside person plummeting into lava the objects bound dissolving their tether subsumed into the conduit. As it watched the energetic destruction take over at the mouth of the volcano releasing violent energies the iridescent maw opened wide burning hot toward the melting body around the conduit. Like a missile it targeted the burning star of a conduit energy of the volcano flowing through her and the orbiting objects to affix a new sun inside that endless star field. The storage sufficient to contain a body and all its attendant artifacts utterly destroyed to hold the conduit's shifting starby the expansion as it the Wen adapted.

As the last of the volcano's heart drained in behind the star the Wen's robust if burning frame sent out an urgent beacon. A plea for Myrkul's Vein to recall it and the conduit at all cost. A noisy note of immolating thought that given a moment of attendant notice shooting a gate across the multiverse it answered. Myrkul's Vein shifted the bit of the plane that the Wen occupied in whole into the rekindling vessel below Adolefactus. He set the subbing to rebuild the conduit or shape its healing as the Overbeing couldn't quite see what the shifting light inside represented only at range to quantify the change as progressive damage.

Holding the line

Adolefactus never was far from the Altar. It was one of the perks of having other bodies. His others largely set to tasks of operating the minutiae of the altar or redesigning Jinhai moving through it. Then Myrkul interrupted his freshly tuned altar for an incoming gated Wen who clearly could barely contain whoever it was trying to bring back. What joy. He hurried across the floor of the altar to his position on the control plate connected to the nodes and vessel beneath it. Myrkul's altar took the hit when the incoming psychoportation with nothing but a light shudder but he could feel the maelstrom creak. He shaped the conduit through the Wen stabilizing its formation and protecting it from the bonds of Aetherkind that tried so abnormally hard to chain it down. There were few places where Aetherkind had less control than the inside of Myrkul's Vein and the darkest shadow to them the inside of its altar.

Time dilated for him and the conduit as he shaped it and it took the roll of several years before either of them emerged into normal time. His attention was long but it felt like trying to keep mountain from falling apart while it wore itself into a statue as foreign armies tried to invade it. He was glad when the Wen finally could be prised off the stable conduit and take its physical form though he'd made changes to its interior to accommodate the strange modus the conduit attempted to lay upon it. The Wen was nearly a quarter more massive now and it was all ferromass. The damned free rotating parts were the hardest to shape as he'd ended up bathing the entire heart compartment and most of the under parts in a telekinetic mire for internal support and gave it a small psi-factory to take the inevitable wear.

Something in its makeup changed the conduit reaction chamber but he didn't know what to make of it. The painted technological Wen he thought rather hideous doted on her rather closely. It still clearly fulfilled its duty and had a place in the Almanac under Myrkul's ken so he didn't see much point to argue.

Just out of the garage

The powder-painted Wen bent down making chirps and dings of cut-off warning alarms and bongs from vehicles Crane impressed upon its modus. While they weren't all from the same model the chirping would likely make perfect sense to Crane at least eventually. Its mind was very much larger than it once was but still fairly simple. It wasn't an animalistic intellect anymore.

The speaking if she understood it likely had the cadence of a voice you'd hear from a talking vehicle, "Are you intact, Crane? Please ensure you are in gear before accelerating."

The walls are eyes and ears

Myrkul's attention came by direct emergence of swirling eyes from the ceiling. It observed the new arrival as being of scale categorizing a new creature for the Almanac. It found an alarming characteristic and momentarily considered hostility with a red flare from behind the walls. It then decided the Living Emperor's dicta applied even to Aetherkind as it did to Odona and considered the Aetherkind more closely. The awareness found a curious lack of the bonds that tethered beings to Aetherius and the combined will of the heavens. A curious creature that lacked the cause for the Fallen Emperor's ire against Ao. Thus, it decided that it currently it had no immediate cause against the Aetherkind as with the Aetherkind Odona.

The room echoed with Myrkul's voice channeled firmly. The giant cloaked statue turned its head Myrkul mustering an individuality for a moment thus a voice of its own. Mostly to look upon the newcomer as a show of force against hostile Aetherkind. Its voice was a strong tone still instinctively perturbed at Aetherkind allowed in this important place, "We are made aware of your name, Aetherkind Crane. What is still Wen vouches for your conduct. The Living Emperor's Dicta requires us to give a neutral eye toward the unknown. We see no bonds of Aetherius upon you, Diety. Your will is your own so we permit you in this place but be warned. Deities have fallen in the black storm. To me. Their souls imprisoned in the halls atop my Wellspring around you."

Crane reached a calm gentle hand towards what had to be her new Wen, the beeps and honks as if from a car alarm followed by the telltale click-chirp-chirp of a car alarm activating by keyring were heard, gently patting the front hood of the Wen it felt smooth, like a new car's untainted hood. This being her Wen it felt... special, important.

her attention however when the name, Dorn was said, her eyes went to where she heard the name before finding herself standing directly next to the God Emperor. Well shoot, another one just like the guy that beat her to a absolute pulp and left her for dead after stabbing her. Weapons and armor looked like the guy too. Her arms were crossed as she leaned back somewhat nochalantly against her Wen as it supported her with a happy sounding click-chirp-chirp.

"The one that beat me... who wished to kill someone.... innocent ?.... is your son ?" She was completely confused, sure she had a bone to pick with the guy for nearly killing her, but now that she had free riegn of the Spirit Pearls, they werent just inhabiting her anymore.

She turned towards the second voice, the one that adressed her directly. Without thinking it she driopped to one knee, her hands in a salute as if in prayer with her head bowed. The voice of Myrkul seemed to also have an affect on her Wen as well as it seemed to also bow on its front struts. To Myrkul she said simply "I thank you. I do not know how I got here, I know only of what I remember doing.... there was no other means to stop the volcano... I did only ehat I felt was right. I gave myself willfully to the Pearls"

As she spoke the six spirit pearls floated around her freely in various colors as memories once more assailed her from every direction. She had given herself freely to the Spirit Pearls, and they dictated that she was to jump into the volcano to stop it entirely. So then it was stopped, completely. No more ash, no more fire.

A Vision...

His son attacking her? Now this got his attention. "So you have met one of my Sons Rogal Dorn before, however it seems he may have attacked you...I must see this situation beforehand..." The Emperor decided to investigate on this matter.

Raising a hand into the air, he channeled his massive psychic potential and began to peer into Dorns memories...There...The time of the Volcanic disaster...A few months ago...

There was his son with a few Astarte's, the Geomancer was out of control and unknown forces were assailing them from a strange fog. They were defending the out of control Geomancer then...There a shadowy figure in the fog...His son reacted quickly and attacked...

A woman was nearly killed, the woman that was in this very room. "I see...some unfortunate circumstances has led to my son nearly killing you...I can only apologies on his behalf, however my son is not here at this moment. He is currently on Terra overseeing the Wing City Elections and ensuring all defenses are in place. I can see why you would seek him out. But...I could already see how you came here, stopping the volcano from waking again. A noble gesture for a planet. So...what do you want? Clearly you hold some ill will to my son." The man spoke calmly as he faced Crane.

Seared tools

Nuria just looked over at the newcomer making a weary sigh lacking the energy for much else. She looked back once to the Primarchs then the Emperor, "Myrkul, Emperor, Sons. I can assist with the shadows but today my well of power is seared at the edges from clearing the egress. I must recover here in the altar."

The red haired warrior looked at the giant statue where a single spark of mind resides in Myrkul's Vein that knew what she needed. Shortly a part of marble wall pulled away to reveal a small normal-looking room added there with a window that shone like daylight. A small window more a lit box that Myrkul channeled daylight into illusion of the grasslands far below. The anteroom had a curious lack of anything to hold her armor or her weapon its contents seemed far too mundane in nature than a barrack. Tables, chests, books, and documents littered the room.

The armor was to be disposed elsewhere as the back of it split and cracked around the flared long red hair as if it were the tether that held it together. Olive skin emerged out of the lantern armor as she stepped out of it backward. Nothing underneath the lantern armor but that flowing red hair with muscles hard like a weapon's contours as she emerged from the sheath otherwise bare. There were distended tears in her legs, severe burns, and an exposed rib that marred her back which smoulders in embers of red light. More tolerant to injury than most Mada the burns moved and flexed fighting off the latent effects of channeling Myrkul's maelstrom inversion.

The engram blade in her hand came with it as she pulled the haft through it parting the material of her sleeve. the armor stood in place on its own knitting closed as she left it. A Jinhai moved up to escort the standing armor elsewhere as she walked over it toward the room. The sword she edged toward the floor to let it go on the point. The blade tottered to balance upright though the floor shuddered slightly as if the weight were a building settling on Myrkul's foundation.

Nuria tottered toward the bed inside moving some things out of the way then collapsed onto it leaving the door open behind her. A number of Jinhai moved into the room and took places to channel a field of stability for her body to purge the effects of using the engram blade to full effect. The armor, hollow now but still standing, looked back then took a place beside the door.

Watchful eye

Myrkul simply watched as the Living Emperor interacted with the newcomer. Myrkul kept its own council nodding silently at the Living Emperor then returning the statue to its former inert structure. A nearby Jinhai turned to watch as Myrkul moved the spark of individuality inside it seen by the lack of their normally bright grey eyes. It removed a large leatherbound book from within the robe paging through the Almanac to find the place where in its knowledge where memories intersected the geomancer.

Seared tools

Nuria just looked over at the newcomer making a weary sigh lacking the energy for much else. She looked back once to the Primarchs then the Emperor, "Myrkul, Emperor, Sons. I can assist with the shadows but today my well of power is seared at the edges from clearing the egress. I must recover here in the altar."

The red haired warrior looked at the giant statue where a single spark of mind resides in Myrkul's Vein that knew what she needed. Shortly a part of marble wall pulled away to reveal a small normal-looking room added there with a window that shone like daylight. A small window more a lit box that Myrkul channeled daylight into illusion of the grasslands far below. The anteroom had a curious lack of anything to hold her armor or her weapon its contents seemed far too mundane in nature than a barrack. Tables, chests, books, and documents littered the room.

The armor was to be disposed elsewhere as the back of it split and cracked around the flared long red hair as if it were the tether that held it together. Olive skin emerged out of the lantern armor as she stepped out of it backward. Nothing underneath the lantern armor but that flowing red hair with muscles hard like a weapon's contours as she emerged from the sheath otherwise bare. There were distended tears in her legs, severe burns, and an exposed rib that marred her back which smoulders in embers of red light. More tolerant to injury than most Mada the burns moved and flexed fighting off the latent effects of channeling Myrkul's maelstrom inversion.

The engram blade in her hand came with it as she pulled the haft through it parting the material of her sleeve. the armor stood in place on its own knitting closed as she left it. A Jinhai moved up to escort the standing armor elsewhere as she walked over it toward the room. The sword she edged toward the floor to let it go on the point. The blade tottered to balance upright though the floor shuddered slightly as if the weight were a building settling on Myrkul's foundation.

Nuria tottered toward the bed inside moving some things out of the way then collapsed onto it leaving the door open behind her. A number of Jinhai moved into the room and took places to channel a field of stability for her body to purge the effects of using the engram blade to full effect. The armor, hollow now but still standing, looked back then took a place beside the door.

Watchful eye

Myrkul simply watched as the Living Emperor interacted with the newcomer. Myrkul kept its own council nodding silently at the Living Emperor then returning the statue to its former inert structure. A nearby Jinhai turned to watch as Myrkul moved the spark of individuality inside it seen by the lack of their normally bright grey eyes. It removed a large leatherbound book from within the robe paging through the Almanac to find the place where in its knowledge where memories intersected the geomancer. It silently engaged Adolefactus to move to the Living Emperor's side to impart any knowledge about the new Aetherkind he required.

Adolefactus' sandals tapped beside the Emperor hands behind his back ragged chainmail robe clinking. He noted idly with little appreciation for protocol or rank than the rest of Myrkul's subbeings had, "'Coming here' is perhaps too mild. The Wen requested an emergency shift on behalf of this fair lady. We cut the locus of the drained volcano out of reality. It's still somewhere in there, I suspect, or at least its power. I kept the other deities out and turned the potters wheel more than rekindled her."

Seared tools

Nuria just looked over at the newcomer making a weary sigh lacking the energy for much else. She looked back once to the Primarchs then the Emperor, "Myrkul, Emperor, Sons. I can assist with the shadows but today my well of power is seared at the edges from clearing the egress. I must recover here in the altar."

The red haired warrior looked at the giant statue where a single spark of mind resides in Myrkul's Vein that knew what she needed. Shortly a part of marble wall pulled away to reveal a small normal-looking room added there with a window that shone like daylight. A small window more a lit box that Myrkul channeled daylight into illusion of the grasslands far below. The anteroom had a curious lack of anything to hold her armor or her weapon its contents seemed far too mundane in nature than a barrack. Tables, chests, books, and documents littered the room.

The armor was to be disposed elsewhere as the back of it split and cracked around the flared long red hair as if it were the tether that held it together. Olive skin emerged out of the lantern armor as she stepped out of it backward. Nothing underneath the lantern armor but that flowing red hair with muscles hard like a weapon's contours as she emerged from the sheath otherwise bare. There were distended tears in her legs, severe burns, and an exposed rib that marred her back which smoulders in embers of red light. More tolerant to injury than most Mada the burns moved and flexed fighting off the latent effects of channeling Myrkul's maelstrom inversion.

The engram blade in her hand came with it as she pulled the haft through it parting the material of her sleeve. the armor stood in place on its own knitting closed as she left it. A Jinhai moved up to escort the standing armor elsewhere as she walked over it toward the room. The sword she edged toward the floor to let it go on the point. The blade tottered to balance upright though the floor shuddered slightly as if the weight were a building settling on Myrkul's foundation.

Nuria tottered toward the bed inside moving some things out of the way then collapsed onto it leaving the door open behind her. A number of Jinhai moved into the room and took places to channel a field of stability for her body to purge the effects of using the engram blade to full effect. The armor, hollow now but still standing, looked back then took a place beside the door.

Watchful eye

Myrkul simply watched as the Living Emperor interacted with the newcomer. Myrkul kept its own council nodding silently at the Living Emperor then returning the statue to its former inert structure. A nearby Jinhai turned to watch as Myrkul moved the spark of individuality inside it seen by the lack of their normally bright grey eyes. It removed a large leatherbound book from within the robe paging through the Almanac to find the place where in its knowledge where memories intersected the geomancer. It silently engaged Adolefactus to move to the Living Emperor's side to impart any knowledge about the new Aetherkind he required.

Adolefactus' sandals tapped beside the Emperor hands behind his back ragged chainmail robe clinking. He noted idly with little appreciation for protocol or rank than the rest of Myrkul's subbeings had, "'Coming here' is perhaps too mild. The Wen requested an emergency shift on behalf of this fair lady. We cut the locus of the drained volcano out of reality. It's still somewhere in there, I suspect, or at least its power. I kept the other deities out and turned the potters wheel more than rekindled her."

Crane turned her attention towards the massive man. Somehow his own height became hers as she regarded him. Herarms once more crossed as he spoke. Apology ? No she did not want that, so he knew she had ill will towards him ? That didnt matter either. She was tempted, albiet briefly to attack the man, but instead just shook her head "That wont be needed. Your son left me for dead, the one you call.... Dorn.... If it were not for a young man, and the Wen,. who saved my life, I would not be here, and the volcano would have destroyed the world"

She smirked then "Your son failed in his duty. At first he beat me down. Then left.... But as I stood up.... he used something...... cold... to stab me..... to kill me." The smirk turned briefly to laughter then "I want a rematch, he picks the place."

She turned towards the nearby Jinhai whom she figured, and rather felt Myrkul move into apparently as the soft grey eyes blazoed briefly with white tinted gold. "By your leave I may go ?" The Wen behind her Chirp-Chirped at her, which then she corrected herself "We.... may go ?" She asked to Myrkul.

The sooner she got back to Rick, to show him she was OK, the better

The Emperor slowly nodded, so that's what she was after. A simple duel? Against a Primarch in one on one combat? Well, she was certainly brave he would give that to her. "As you wish, if you wish to duel my son then so be it. We don't have many areas on Terra to duel so a Galaxy known as Segmentum Solaris will suffice. Once these elections are done you shall have your duel. And that Volcano? I will agree that it could have destroyed the world if left unattended. So I have nothing left to speak of. When the time comes I will bring you to the arena." The man replied.

It would be good for his sons to have a chance to fight in a duel. However their duty came first, however a match that may have honor between two opponents between it. This he had to see.

The Emperor soon faced Nuria. "Our battle will take a long while to finish. There is no need to rush. A great war is not won in a single day, but after careful preparations and time.

The eyeless Jinhai that Myrkul animates walked closer motes thumping each step against the underside of the floor. Attracted toward a temporary locus point of a massive psionic machine held in the body of a Jinhai. One could see the moving currents just under the robe, trundling gears barely contained.

Adolefactus looked over at the locus of Myrkul's Vein with two yellow torch-eyes alight with mirth, "You're looking positively swelled."

Myrkul's voice was flat without any intonation from the Jinhai while it looked at Crane, "I have no opinion of myself. The Aetherkind Crane is deemed of no current consequence. Your path belongs to yourself at the leave of the Living Emperor. Absent cause by Dicta or the Living Emperor's will the Wen's prerogative remains with its conduit. However, I must not permit the Wen to participate in attacking the Living Emperor's sons. Your arena combat is your own, Aetherkind Crane."

The eyeless hooded Jinhai turned to the Living Emperor, "I stretch tethers closer to that place, Segmentum Solaris, but it is distant. The only suitable long-term anchors are many airless worlds between here and there."

It appended a comment from Nuria inside the room though Myrkul's voice lost all emotive content, "Mada Nuria says: Thank you, Living Emperor, for the time to purge voidfluid contact. The worst of my wounds will heal by three days time. I finish purification several days after."

The Wen moved smoothly, with Crane at the 'wheel' within the pewter silver Wen as they chugged along. Out of habit alone as they moved over ruined buildings and passed wrecked cars her power went to work due to being a habit she never could break. Seemingly like a wave of a sort buildings were repaired and cars undamaged as they drove past.

Coasting smoothly to a halt hoewever Crane felt something off, something felt wrong. Myrkul had said it itself, she wasnt tied doew to the rules of what it called aetherkind, she was a Goddess after all. no rules, Just herself, her wen, and Rick.

Oh no Rick! her mind went to thinking, was Rick safe ? yeah, when she left him at her home he was. Was he still there ?

It didnt matter, mere thought of Rick made her smile, he was safe.

But the same couldnt be said for herself! Out of nowhere she heard voices, stepping from the Wen as the driverside 'door' faded open allowing her to exit smoothly she looked around the street. Where were the voices coming from ? the Wen seemed to cower slightly behind her as her sword faded into her hand as she looked around for the owner of the voices.

"Who is there ?" Crane called out, her melodic voice, now amplified by her newfound power, had a rather commanding tone to it. Her armor fading onto her body without a sound, the pearlgreen and black steel meshed seemingly into her body without a sound or sign of pain or blood.

"Such commanding devotion to your own power...." came the reply, right next to her in the car with his feet up on the dash as he leaned back, filing his nails with a nail-file. His blue hair and the suit he wore pointed him out to most Gods immediately. If that failed, the Creation Symbol of a Galaxy on his breast pocket usually did the trick.

But Crane was freshly born.

"I'm afraid none of it will help you against me, however. I have come to do two things, Crane." he spoke, not taking his eyes off of his delicate process. "The first one is to welcome you to God-hood, I'm sure you must feel very powerful and proud of yourself. The second is to take away your high horse before you get on it: There are rules to being a Diety."

He blew on his nails softly to remove the built up dust, then continued. "First rule is simple enough: Don't interfere in Mortal Affairs. Second Rule, too: Don't interfere in the affairs of other Gods without just reason." he explained. "Most other rules are just sub-rules branching off of those two. Proper manners are usually appreciated when talking with your fellow Gods, particularly since you're the new girl on the block. Age and the like, I'm sure you understand."

He then cleared his throat and lowered his feet onto the floor of the Wen-mobile. "Am I understood?" He was not speaking down to her, nor up to her, nor even on an even field. He spoke as a father would speak to his daughter, yet his words held much more weight to them. It was almost as if his words were law. He'd seen the rise and fall of many Deities, the falls of which often occurring by his own hand, based on the strangely monotonous, yet melodic tone in his voice, and the calm look on his face.

He did hope however that Crane would cooperate and simply follow the rules.

Crane never looked towards Spiral, yet heard him clearly, as the Wen chirped seemingly angered at the suddeness of the new being within it, Aetherkind! It seemed tpo chirp out unhappy at the intrusion. As he spoke of rules, and high horses Crane simply wondered what the man drank for a living.

She felt no anchors, nothing pulling at her or holding her back as she looked to where a man was watering plants at a flowership, just looking towards it made the flowers he was watering bloom. Crane laughed then when the man looked her way, her sword aimed towards the ground, he bowed towards her in greeting, she waved.

Finally she said simply. "What rules ? I feel no anchors, nothing holding me back. I feel only the path set before me." She turned towards her Wen, the poor thing was visibly scared at the sudden arrival of Spiral in the briefly nonexistiant passenger seat. her sword up and close to her eyes, she breathed on the blade, using her sleeve to clean off what had to have at one point been her own blood on the blade. the crane etching shined brightly.

"Please step out of my Wen, you're making it nervous" She said then, simply just asking nicely for once rather then bartering for something. She trusted this man was kind enough to do so when he looked at her when she said she wasnt tied to any rules, she felt no anchors, nothing was holding her back, heck, making the fglowershop owner happy..... that was interfereing with mortals right there.

For all he knew she just broke a rule. Crane smirked "All my life I helped others. Gave many beautiful things, flowers, fresh water, clothing, green grass, warm days... Fire for warmth in the winter. How can you say then I cannot continue to do as I have always done for others ?" It was a simple question sure, but the mere movement of making the flowers bloom brightly as the flowershop owner was watering them was a solid way to get his attention.

But then she was confused, "Who are you ? Should I know you from somewhere ?"

Spiral only chuckled, but continued to not look at her. "None of us feel the anchor of the rules, but those who know of them do their best to stay within the confines of their boundaries. What you do, the passive brightening of a person's day, while yes, is interfering, it is not a direct interference in Mortal Affairs. For all I care, you could be the Goddess of Making people wake up in the morning." he said.

"The Interference I speak of mainly applies to the creation of demigods, the taking of sides in conflicts between those who worship you, the interference in a mass loss of life." He was staring straight at her now, his purple eyes back-lit by what appeared to be billions upon billions of stars. His gaze was all seeing, all-knowing. It was piercing yet blunt, it saw her for what she was, what she had been, what she could become, and for what she was down in her core.

He wasn't unimpressed with what he saw.

"We are all bound to the rules of the Void, Crane. Even myself. I did not create them, but I do enforce them. You are A deity, you must abide by the rules or I will be forced to reduce you to Mortal Level once more. This is not a threat, this is not a promise. This is a fact." He ignored the request to leave her vehicle. All in due time. "What this creature, the Wen, the Myrkul, has told you about your immunity to the rules of Gods was simple ignorance. Not all Gods are "Aetherkind" as it calls us, you will find this out. Sooner or later you will feel a pull to a place you've never been to, but know all the same: The Citadel of the Gods. You will find that you are not the first Goddess of your kind, nor will you be the last. I am not the first God of Space, nor am I the last. I am however, the rule-keeper."

His head twitched slightly to the side by a few millimeters, as if he were listening to something in the distance. "I must leave you. If you need to reach me, you'll know how. Remember the Rules of the Void, and be a good Deity."

A small progress bar came across the console at the notion crossing her Wen's mind of Conduit Crane being dispossessed. A window entitled: 'Updating imprint (Wen, Conduit)'. Systems slowly scanned Crane to equalize the last known image and the current one lying somewhere within Myrkul's Altar. Concerning itself with repairs to the other Aetherkind was unlikely ever to be on its list of priorities.

The Wen were dutiful creatures and tended the Almanac which was as much their own long-term memory as much as it also belonged to their Overbeing. Myrkul's Vein asked the more advanced Wen to quiet its objections and to listen carefully for such recording. Myrkul's Vein certainly was paying attention to this particular section given the edge case it so recently permitted to leave with a vastly modified Wen. And so it learned from this new exception that these Aetherkind were not explicitly bound as were the divine agents of Ao.

Still, it saw no reason to categorize this new Aetherkind 'Spiral' differently through it agreed that neither Aetherkind Crane nor 'Spiral' were either Celestialkind or Abyssalkind. They lacked the tethers that came with existing deities those terms contained. It would wait to clarify their nature for subbeings upon gaining further information.

A moment later it tasked Jinhai to seek the knowledge of 'rules of the void' and 'Citadel of the Gods'. Someday it surmised subbeings would be called to battle there when a deity clashed with the will of the Living Emperor. Preparing was prudent. Now, however, it had good cause to believe these Aetherkind could die not merely be contained in perpetuity. Certainly if so such weapons must already be recorded to exist between them if so. Aetherkind it found capricious and discordant certainly some deaths must have already been recorded among them.

Elsewhere, one part of the request by Myrkul's Vein began with a confluence of eight-many Jinhai to consider a new construction on Genesis. Necessary structures to inspect the lowest layers of Genesis to later construct defensive military structures thereupon. Depersonalization spires would likely not even hinder lesser deities long unlike most other beings whose minds they paled. Myrkul's Vein would have to acquire a specialist.

Crane could sense the destress of the Wen, her Wen for that matter. But she felt Spirals eyes on her. "You deal in facts and absolutes, yet you never stepped in to save a mortal from death when she was so horrifically killed. You never stepped down to stop the supervolcano....." She cut herself off else she go too far. She didnt want to have an angry god on her butt over something she said.

But when Spiral looked at her, he didnt see, her. No, what he saw, were the Pearls. Objects of pure power, tied to nothing but themselves, Keeping the elements in proper harmony, Guarding the Portal way. the pearls had chosen Crane. And she willingly handed herself over to them when she jumped into the volcano.

Crane never thought for herself, other then as a child like most kids did, but after defeating her most hated and sought after challenge, Crane learned over time to help others that needed it. To the point most reveered her as someone speical. But the Pearls were a factor that she became a Goddess.

Crane was tied to the Pearls. When he finally stepped out of her Wen she felt it ease a bit, but it seemed to watch attentively in the case she needed something. If it came to it, Crane could fight. But Spiral reminded her too much of her beloved grandfather. So all she could really do was talk back to him.

"When you jumped in to that volcano, you did so of your own will. If it were under the influence of another deity, someone would have stepped in. The volcano itself was both natural and man-made. The Rules of the Void prevent interference in Mortal Affairs. I am bound to the rules more tightly than others. Even if I wanted to save you, I couldn't." he spoke with clarity and grace.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of the Spirit portals, and he briefly he considered reaching to touch one, but decided against it. He blinked after a long moment. [b][i]"You are...different. I will return when I know more about your....particular Godliness. Until then, try not to break any rules." he said calmly.

And like that, he was gone. One blink later, and he was gone, as if he never existed to begin with. There was no sound, no hint of magic or of energy, just gone. Nothing. Void.

Crane simply nodded, If Spiral couldnt save her when she jkumped into the volcano to stop it, willingly giving herself, her mortality, all of it, to the Pearls in order to do so... She didnt press him further on ther matter. However it was his notion of having to find out more of her.... brand of godliness had gher confused. But before she could ask what he meant by that he had.... disappeared ??

What ?

Crane sigjhed, she felt with Spirals leaving the Wen calming, the distress turning tro concern for Crane as she stepped towards it and gently rested a hand on the hood, her armor fading away without a sound as she gently brushed some pollen off of her Wen, it chirp-chirped at her and she smiled "ready to wake up ? sweetie ?"

The world went white at her question

Whiteness. She remembered asking her Wen a question, was it ready to wake up ? Did it answer ?

Her eyes snapped open, she was in her bed, A chirp-chirp Bzzt! Next to her alerted her to her Wen's happy looking radiator grill in her face as it stayed close like a kitten sticking with its mother. Crane smiled. Looking about she saw nothing in the room had been disturbed, the house had modified itself to acomondate the new resident. The Wen could easily fit in every room without a problem if need came to it.

With a soft grunt Crane sat up in bed and swung her slender legs over the side to stand up. Oh this was going to be a minor problem. Burnt rubber on the fl... or not. With a flick of her wrist she knew then what her Wen could eat, trash, ash, raw metals, anything really.

Simply thinking of getting dressed allowed her to change clothing easily, back to her normal red and black corset and flowing pants of a sort. With her Wen in tow she went to the kitchen, something smelled good. She looked about for Rick, was he still inside ? Or was he sleeping on the porch ?

Oh, there he was. Crane turned to her Wen, a gentle finger to her lips to indicate for quiet before lightly stepping to ricks side and dangling a cluster of many flowers close to his nose to waken him.

Crane was home! And it felt like she was gone only a single night! had she just gone to bed and woken up ?

Rick groaned as his nose twitched in irritation. His eyes opened haphazardly as he straightened himself up from his half-seated, half-laying position on the couch. "Kinda wish I had divine power or somethin, then I wouldn't need to sleep a day after... doctorin'...

The man stood up from the couch, feeling his legs close to decent condition now. He then noticed that the woman in front of him was dressed in particularly good-looking attire. "Erm," Rick shifted to the side, "You mind if I use your bathroom?" Rick asked, "Laundry stuff as well."

Crane nodded and stepped back as Ricxk stood and stretched. A smile on her face "Sure," She motinoed towards the guest bedroom. "The guest bathroom is in there, take as long as you like. The laundryroom is in the next room there behiund the kitchen" She said. Rick helped her get back on her feet, the least she could do was help him out with what he needed.

Without thinking it she asked simply "Would you like breakfast ?" She was headed towards the kitchen, as she walked a pan sprang from the sink to her open waiting hand, it was clean and ready for use to make breakfast as she started cooking. The minivan on steroids chirped something and seemed to daintly follow rane to the now massive kitchen.

“Thank you kindly,” Rick replied as he headed to his caravan first, to grab a change of clothes to bring to the bathroom. Once there, he locked the door, undressed, and began to take a shower.

As he washed up, his mind wandered. After that eruption, what would happen to his way of life? He’s a very ordinary hunter by trade. He hadn’t even checked on the markets yet to see if his usual buyers were alright. The ranger made a mental note to check on that as soon as he can.

Once finished, he slipped into a clean set of clothes and dumped his old stuff into the washer. Once that was set, he stepped out into the kitchen.

“Would you like breakfast?” Crane asked as he entered.

“Yes please,” Rick replied. After a pause, he asked “Is it morning already?” He had been out of commission from that healing session a lot longer than he thought.

As Rick reentered the kitchen Crane already had made a few eggs {scrambled} some bacon {chopped up and mixed in with the scarambled eggs!! {Delish!}} And what looked {and smelled} like fresh juices of some form, grap, cranberry and possibly orange or lemon, one of the two. Crane herself couldnt stand orange juice.

"I thought to myself the same question" Crane replied thoughtfully tossing burnt up remains to the nearby Wen that scarfed down trhe burnt food with gusto spitting out beautiful marbles that floated in the air a centimeter or so until she made stands or pillows out of thin air for the beautiful gems to sit on.

"I mean sure, the sky was dark and choked with ash, but... Was it night time ? Was I away the entire night ?" She sat down at table, habit alone she said to the left of the head of the table, across from Rick "You zonked out before I left. I dont think you moved at all. its strange, I woke up in my own bed...."

There came a chirping noice next to her as the Wen scarfed down some more unwanted junk. "The last thing I remember was riding the Wen to the volcano edge.... Everything after that is a rush...."

“That is… eclectic,” Rick said as he sat down at the table, This really is going to put a damper on my way of life… “What can be done, though? Has Wing City made a call for action or anything?”

He tasted the concoction. “Very good!” he mentioned before he could swallow a mouthful. He put a hand over his mouth to avoid the spittle, but it was indeed quite good. “I’d have added in some seasonings, but it’s still good straight.”

Ambulatory inside the house the Wen had the stooped posture of a gorilla but one made of silver powder painted ferroplasm and glass. It didn't have a head so much as it had a large glass bowl between two shoulder blades that were more likely bent doors than head guards. Other doors were wrapped around its legs and back in far more distant resemblance than the ones astride is shoulder though a handle or two could still be seen. Inside the glass bowl that the curved cage of transformed ferroplasm the rear panel protected were running bits of an engine somehow still active though the orientation of the v8 engine didn't make a whole lot of sense at present. The serpentine belt was more labyrinthine as much as the motes feigning rubber curved in and out of the engine. The squeaking in its "voice" likely made at such a belt though Crane likely the only one the array of car noises made any sense to.

It knuckled over to Rick the glassed-in headmotor passed items to consume vanishing through glass like it were a mere bubble with momentary rainbow-swirls of rippling polarization changes. The gems got spat through the back glass along the Wen's the sides. A good deal of tubing and compression vessels were underneath it. Therein discarded ephemeral energies are sorted and compressed into coherent structures. The Wen only required material nothing needed of impure energies contained within most things. Therein lie the random if stable natures of its beautiful 'exhaust'.

The language among the chirping noises was far more erudite than it sounded attached to a goddess as it was. Though the Wen hadn't a strong 'personality' as yet its 'voice' now more resembles a Jinhai's candor. Though its disjointed assessment is somehow squeezed through the sensibilities and intonation of a car console, ((All time zone changes uniform to metaphysical flow-rate of Genesis. Query inadequately contextualized. Locale set to Myrkul Local Time. Cannot express memories existing inside negative intervals. I like carburetors.))