old man moomba

Luna was beside the new god suddenly. A crystalline simitar appeared in her hand, barely an inch from his neck. As soon as she realized he was a god, she dropped her hand down, but kept her sword in hand. "I know you." Sangus said with a smile in his voice. "You're the creation god with the name I can't remember." He gestured to Caeli, "It's hard to keep track, sometimes. Do you know his name?"

"'Different' is an understatement. It feels wrong, that mortals should have killed him. I wonder how many of them he managed to kill." Sangus picked his way across the grasses. As he walked, he began to notice some signs of a fight. Grass was trampled to the ground in massive patches, and there were ruts in the ground. Luna followed, seemingly relaxed, but walking with the smooth gait of a prowling lioness. She was on edge, ready for God Complex soldiers, other gods, just about anything that might appear. Sangus moved in a lose circle around the feeling of wrongness, trying to reconstruct what had happened in his head. "This was a massacre for the Complex. Many, many of them died here. Though, Ares has killed more men before, and walked away all but unscathed. What was his weakness?" Sangus pondered. He wasn't the best at work like this, but wisdom came into almost everything.

Sangus smiled, turning to speak to Luna, who'd watched the entire exchange expressionlessly. "I suppose we should follow them." He concentrated, focusing his mind into a single point until a vision suddenly snapped into clarity. He could see the location where they would find Area's body, see them discovering, though little more than that. "I know that look. Take us to his body, Father." Luna said quietly. Her father placed a hand on her shoulder and shifted them away. They appeared relatively close to the actual location, though not exactly.

"I certainly will, my friend." Sangus nodded. He could see something taking shape here, an alliance between those who had chosen to remain. "There is much to gain in the coming days, I think, and much to be lost as well. We will likely balance this world on a knife's edge, though which way it will tip is still uncertain. For perhaps the first time, mortals have become a major player in our games. Everything has shifted now, I believe, and while we could outwait the Complex, some kind of war is inevitable." Sangus finally stood up, his form changing to that of an old man who stood upright, the weight of age seemingly not touching him. "The body of a child, while wonderful," he said in a rich voice, "Is not suited for traveling to battlefields."

Sangus nodded thoughtfully. "Mortals do love to organize things. This group is no exception, I believe. Looking further into the God Complex and the deities they've managed to kill would serve us well." He paused, listening to what Ulix had to say. "So they have managed to slay Chaos himself. And cage the sun, too. This... changes things somewhat. It is all the more important that we learn how these particular mortals killed those gods."

Sangus continued to sit. “You cannot presume to take charge of this pantheon, Barbados. You may have called us here, but that does not make you the leader.” the god of wisdom smiled, “I think I speak for most of those gathered here when I say I do not trust you. If I am to join this pantheon, you cannot be leading it. Simple as that.” Sangus stood in his chair, adding a good amount to his height. “I find the idea of a pantheon appealing, but I would like to see what Barbados does before I truly bind myself to it.”

Sangus laughed out loud, watching the others argue among each other. "I do not fear death, nor do I welcome it. It simply is, as I am. I don't fear the God Complex, for if it is wisdom they wish, I shall gladly give it to them. Otherwise, I pose no threat to them. We are here today because of fear, perhaps, but as Sij Hawm has so wisely said: if we wish to defeat these so-called godhunters, all we must do is wait. No, if we are to form a pantheon, we must do it because our cooperation would benefit all of us."

Sangus smiled. “I would be happy to weave the ties that shall bind us together, though I cannot be the one who knots them.” He nodded to Caeli, who had just appeared. “I do share your concerns, but I believe it would be wisest to unite together, even if it could cause some... issues among us. However, if we build a stable foundation, we will be able to accomplish more than any other pantheon has. Certainly more than the usual so-called ‘alliances’ between deities. Barbados was fortunate in that the first gods to answer his call were perhaps the best that could have. I see few gods here who are totally malicious in intent.” Sangus chuckled, “Besides perhaps Barbados himself. No offence, my friend.”

"A pantheon could be good." Sangus said, considering the idea. "From the viewpoint of a god, it has many advantages. We are all vastly different, and together, we will be perhaps the most powerful group to ever walk this planet. I will join this group, but I have some questions regarding specifics, though those can wait if we have other matters to discuss." Sangus nodded, swinging his legs back and forth absently. He glanced back at his daughter, who grimaced a little. "I'll join this pantheon alongside my father." Luna said loudly, her voice echoing. "And I'd advise the rest of you do so as well."

He’d taken the form of a younger child, perhaps ten years old, and so she towered over him. Corpses littered the ground of the arena, which Sangus carefully picked his way around on his way to the center. Luna simply kicked them out of the way. Killing was all well and good if one had a purpose, but death for the sake of death was useless. The two of them came up to a table, where several gods already sat. Sangus smiled a little, and hopped up into a chair. He would have looked faintly ridiculous if not for Luna, who stood behind him with arms crossed, eyeing the others with her haunted gaze. Sangus cleared his throat. “Yes, Barbados, why have you slain these men? I don’t think they’ve done anything wrong, and there are less... odious ways to get rid of mortals.”

You're all here losing while I relax, knowing that I have already won the game.

Alaska Luna brought the axe down once more, feeling the wood split beneath it. She wrenched the axe out of the wood and rested it on her shoulder. Chopping wood was boring, but it did give her time alone, something which she’d had precious little of for the last half century. At least her father had decided to settle down with his few followers in a remote village. It was unlikely anyone mortal would make the journey to attack him, and she’d scared off any gods foolish enough to try. Still, she kept busy with more mundane tasks, as well as protecting the village from more mundane threats. Luna slammed the axe into the chopping block, gathering up the wood. She walked back through the village to the house she and her father shared, glancing at the villagers, who looked away. They had more traditional deference towards her than her father, who insisted they treat him like a simple wise man, albeit an immortal one. That was part of the doctrine he’d helped create. Prayers, if they could be called that, were simple requests for wisdom, such as one would ask a wise man. She reached their house and shouldered open the door, dropping the firewood by the hearth before sitting down to take her boots off. Her father was sitting on the ground as he often did, staring into the flames. She knelt beside him, looking into the fire and wondering what he saw in it that she didn’t. “What do you see, Father?” she asked quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well, since you asked, I see myself opening a letter that has just appeared out of the flames. I’m not sure what’s written on it, but that doesn’t matter, since it’ll be here soon anyway.” Sangus nodded to himself and stood up, moving close to the flames. About a minute later, just as he’d said, a letter formed out of the flames. Sangus grabbed it nimbly and pulled the seal off, just as he’d done in his vision. He unfolded the letter and quickly read it. “We must go to Tokyo. And soon.” Luna raised an eyebrow, already putting together a list of things she’d need in her head. “How soon?” “How soon can you get your things together?” her father asked, tucking the letter back into its envelope. He’d already have everything he needed, as always. Luna held up five fingers and disappeared upstairs. True to her word, she came back five minutes later with a black backpack over one shoulder. Her father was standing outside, talking to one of the villagers. He quickly finished and nodded to her. He was ready to leave. Luna waved the villager away and stepped close to her father. She grabbed his shoulder, and they shifted away from the village to a busy street in the Japanese megacity. “So why are we here, Father?” she asked, glancing around at the mortals surrounding them. None were any threat, but it always paid to be careful. “A meeting of gods. We’ve not had one of any significance in some time.” Her father began walking, and Luna followed close behind. A meeting of gods. Sangus was right in that no meeting that of any significance had occured in quite some time. Luna scanned the crowds as they walked, but she didn’t spot anyone she could tell was a god. Likely, most of them had simply gone directly to the meeting place, wherever it was.

Reamas chuckled, eyeing the other fae. "I accept your invitation to the ball, Ash. You seem like an interesting person to get to know."

“There are lots of people like you.” Jamie said with a smile, “Though most of them live on the other side of the country. I’ll tell you what I know about what we can do and how.” She paused, getting her thoughts together. “I’ll start with the basics. We’ve got magic, called Investiture for some reason. And as far as I know, every type of magic is Investiture. Surgebinding, Allomancy, Awakening, it’s all, at the root, the same. You following me so far?” Jamie asked, sitting down on the couch.

Reamas raised an eyebrow. Everything was moving quickly, probably too quickly to follow for anyone normal. Reamas, of course, tracked it easily. He looked at the raven-winged fae, a quick grin quirking his face. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you not both fairies?”

Reamas very nearly laughed, but years of hiding his emotions kept his face in check. A formal invitation to the ball. He could only recall a few times when he’d been this lucky. An invitation to the ball was exactly what he and Sean had come here to get. Though there were clearly some strings attached. Reamas thought for a moment, considering the ramifications to the plan. The most that could happen was Ash seeking him out to talk to him at the ball, which shouldn’t affect that portion of the plan unduly. In fact, it could even give him some advantage. Reamas looked at Ash again, his mouth quirking in a small smile. She was unique, and Reamas was fascinated by her. He’d never met any fae before, and she didn’t really meet his expectations. No, the raven-winged one was much closer to what he’d thought they’d be like.

“Metals? Like more than one?” Jamie whistled. A Mistborn, albeit an untrained one. She could make an extremely powerful ally. Mistborn were rare, far rarer than Twinborns. In terms of raw power they were below only compounders. So Aya was certainly more powerful than Jamie herself, though Jamie would have the advantage of training and years of experience with her powers. But if there was one thing every Metalborn knew, it was that skills, and tactics mattered more than raw power. There were stories of a single Misting taking down a Mistborn, because the Mistborn had been overconfident, or less skilled than the Misting. Jamie herself hadn’t personally taken on a Mistborn, or a full Inquisitor, but she’d gone up against plenty of people more powerful than her and won, simply because she’d managed to outthink them. Or because of plain luck, though that had only happened once. “A Mistborn then. Well, you’re mostly out of luck if you want actual training, since the only Metalborn who can train Mistborn are other Mistborn. However, if you want to know more about the actual Metallic Arts themselves, I can help you with that.”

Elsewhere Brandon watched as Maggie backed the armored car they’d borrowed into the loading dock. As it rolled to a stop, Brandon consulted the sheet of paper Reamas had given him. It had several addresses written on it, locations of banks around the capital. The plan was to hit these banks, and take a specific amount of cash from each, also specified on the paper. Brandon shook his head. Reamas’s plans often seemed insane unless you knew every part of them, and he never revealed that until after he’d pulled them off. And he always managed to pull them off, somehow. Brandon glanced at the paper again, tapping one of the banks circled in red. Reamas was off with Sean, supposedly doing something crucial. Earlier this morning, Reamas had briefed Brandon on the bank heists. “We need to hit each one of these banks at some point, the order doesn’t particularly matter.” he’d said, handing Brandon the paper. “However, there are a few that we should try to hit first. I circled those ones.” Reamas had nodded to Brandon and started walking to the car before he remembered something. “And Brandon, these are actual banks, so be careful, because the police will probably show up.” Brandon grinned and strode into the warehouse, waving to the large man reclining in a folding chair, smoking a cigar. “Kevin! Where’s your brother?” Kevin shrugged, standing up and blowing smoke out of his mouth. “Maggie’s back with the truck then?” he asked, grabbing a shotgun off the floor. Brandon nodded, heading for the rear of the massive room. He found James sitting at the round table with his feet up, cleaning his pistol casually. Brandon snapped his fingers, getting the lean man’s attention. “Grab your kit, we’ve got the truck.” James grinned, “Finally.” he grabbed a bag off the table and jogged off to the loading dock. Brandon himself walked over to one of the many containers that were strewn around the warehouse and grabbed his revolver and a submachine gun off of it, checking the load on the SMG and tucking his revolver into its holster.

Reamas rolled his eyes, following Ash with an unconcerned saunter. As he approached the others, he rolled his shoulders slightly, readying himself for an actual confrontation. He eyed the dwarf, adding him to the count. Mentally, he ran scenarios through his head, guessing at most of the others' actions. There weren’t any normal mortals in the mix, so things could get exciting really fast.

Reuben peered through his binoculars at the village and fields that stretched around it. The village wasn’t very big, only one road ran through it. Rueben had been following that road for some time, passing close to several even smaller villages. This village, however, was large enough to have an inn, and one with stables. Rueben was hoping he could barter for or steal a horse here. He shook his head in disbelief. Everything was messed up. About a week ago, he’d stumbled into some farmer’s fields with a gray haze around him. He’d been chased off by said farmer, and had been following the road ever since, staying as hidden as he could. He was in some kind of fantasy world, as he’d quickly learned when the angry farmer had suddenly appeared behind him without warning. Rueben pulled off his flack vest and backpack, tucking the vest and binoculars inside it and tucking it into a bush with his shotgun. He was pretty certain no one would find it, since it was some ways away from the muddy track. Pulling his shirt over his waistband, where he’d tucked his sidearm, he made his way down to the road and into the village. Walking to the stables, Rueben revised his plan. He would definitely be stealing a horse. Casually, he approached the boy watching the stables, moving in close and quickly incapacitating him before he could do anything. He ducked into the stables, walking down the row of horses, finally picking one out and leading it out of its stall. Pausing for a moment, he tried to remember how to saddle a horse. He’d gone riding plenty, but it had been a few years. “Need some help?” a voice called out. Rueben glanced to the door and saw a girl standing there. She looked to be a few years younger than him, and was wearing clothes similar to his own; that was to say, modern clothing, not the more traditional attire he’d seen on just about everyone else. “Sure... I hope you realize I’m stealing this horse right?” he asked, putting a hand on the knife at his belt. “Yup!” she grinned, coming into the stable. She helped him saddle the horse, then led her own horse out of its stable and saddling it. The girl swung deftly into her saddle, glacing down at him. “Well, are you just gonna stand there until someone comes in here?” Ruben rolled his eyes, mounting his own horse and expertly guiding it out of the stable. Some things you never forgot, even without practice. The girl followed, spurring her horse to a fast trot out of the village. Ruben glanced around, then set off at a full gallop, heading up the road where he’d left his stuff. She followed him, grinning. Rueben came up beside the bush and leaned over, managing to grab both his bag and the strap of his shotgun, pulling them both up onto his back. The girl glanced at him, surprise showing on her face. “So,” Rueben began casually, slowing to a walk next to her, “You got a name?” “Call me Luna.” she responded, staring at his bag curiously. “How about you?” “I’m Rueben, and I’m not from around here, if you couldn’t tell.” Luna nodded, grinning a little.

“No one home, eh?” Reamas grinned, glancing up at the sky almost lazily. Whoever that had been, they’d been powerful enough that even he could feel their presence without looking. The figure landed, and Reamas squinted, making out a young girl with raven hair. Instinctively, he reached for the handgun tucked into his waistband, but stopped before actually pulling it out. It would work better as an element of surprise, since she was a fae of some kind. Slowly, he dropped his hand back to his side, glancing at Sean and nodding once. If it came to a fight, his friend was ready. The two of them were both rather adept with their magic, growing up as they had in Columbia city, where bonding an spirit of some kind was basically a rite of passage when one came of age. Best to do it when young, or so the philosophy went, that way the human could adapt to the change and eventually master the spirit. Everyone on Reamas’s team had mastered theirs, even Brandon, who’d bonded his only a few years ago. Reamas turned his attention back to Ash, looking as relaxed as ever. “Yes, she owes us a... debt of sorts, and we’re here to collect on it.” Reamas paused for a moment, picking out a couple more things to reveal, “Perhaps it’s more of a favor than a debt. Our organization supported her in several financial ventures, and now we need some things done. Things that only one of her... status could do.”

"I think we know where we're going." Reamas said flatly, nodding to the house they were standing in front of. They needed to speak to the owner, a noble that had recently gained quite a bit of influence here in the capital, thanks in no small part to funds provided by the Animal People. She owed them, and she would be an excellent resource, especially since she would be invited to the ball. "We've some business to discuss with the owner." Reamas explained, glancing up at the doors, "Is anyone actually there right now?"

"Ash." Reamas immediately thought of the tree, which was a somewhat common namesake in Columbia City. Though he didn't think this particular Ash took her name from that. "So, do you have any particular reason why you wanted to talk to us, or are you just a generally friendly person?" Again he glanced at Sean, who seemed to see something he didn't. Reamas himself was a good bit better with people than anyone else on the team, besides maybe James. There was one thing though, Sean was adept at seeing, or rather feeling, magic within people. Understanding flashed across his face for a moment before he schooled it back to neutrality. So Ash had some skill with magic, then. Good to know.