NationStates Jolt Archive

I shake
And stare the sun
Till my eyes burn

Bored. Again.

He was always bored. No organics had come to him with a job recently. Not since the one with the elf.

He needed a little excitement.

I shake
At the mothers
Brutal vermin

And what was more exciting than organics scuttling about looking for a reason for something all their science couldn't explain?

Well, a lot, now that he thought about it.

But hey, as the organics said: Beggars can't be choosers.

I shake
And stare
At the watery moon

But what to do? Something that wouldn't mess up something obviously.

The promise, as always, was foremost in his mind.

Nothing to upset the balance of good and evil.

Well, that left out most of the really fun things.

The moon? Nah, it would cause too much damage.

With the same desire
As the sober Philistine

Explosions. Those always got organics' attention.

But what to explode? Something small, yet large enough to be noticed.

There. A small island. No people or animals. Not that the animals or people would have bothered him, overly much. But he could always mess up something without meaning to.

Best to be careful.

Worm, the pain and blade
Turn and turn again

The island was about kilometer in diameter, a fairly worthless piece of rock all and all.

Ainulindalion located it in the spiritual plane, forming it's exact shape out of the ether. Now, what to make it out of?

Ah. Of course. Carbon.

The screw
Is a tightening Atrocity

This was almost too easy.

No. This was too easy. But it would be most entertaining in about five of the organics' minutes.

I shake
For the reeking flesh
Is as romantic as hell

He began to weave the opening, tearing open the fabric between realities.

Normally a simple task, it was not.

The opening had to be perfect, to line up the atoms completely.

It wasn't difficult, though.

The need
To have seen it all

Two atoms, in the same place.

Two atoms, at the same time.

Energy release.

A smile.

The island of reality and the island of carbon dreams merged.

Two atoms, the same place, at the same time. Repeared over and over throughout the island's structure. Trillions upon trillions of perfect matches.

The ultimate in destructive power.

The island exploded with outrageous force.

The voyeur
Of utter destruction

ooc: I can join in, right?

OOC: I suppose so. Assuming you are near the island, which happens to be in the South Atlantic.

Whatever it was... it's gone now. A whale? Vessel? Island? Yes, island. But why in the...

There was an island. That much was clear a moment ago. But as Esmerelda sailed the Zephyr, her personal transport, across the sea, the island all at once erupted into a tremendous explosion, scattering dust, rock, and ash all over the surrounding area.

That wasn't a weapons test. No weapon could do that. That's my quarry.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the Zephyr--at least, nothing aside from the fact that it was a perfectly round ten-foot disc of stone that soared several feet above sea level, parting the air at breakneck speeds. On its top, Esmerelda lay on her stomach, seafoam eyes staring blankly as the island exploded.

For nothing. He blew it up for apparently nothing. Was there anyone on this island?

Esmerelda sighed, forcing herself to her feet. She looked out toward the other island, one larger than the one that had just been destroyed. This was where Ainulindalion lived. This was where Esmerelda was charged to go.

So he just blows up islands for no good reason? Why? A signal? A shameless display of power? Boredom?

She winced as the last thought crossed her mind.

Boredom is a dangerous drug. I certainly hope he's not under its influence.

The disc sailed ever closer to Ainulindalion's island, sweeping across the sea. It would arrive within the hour.

Something was coming. Someone.

Someone powerful.

Boredom would not last long it seemed. Maybe he had gotten someone's attention more important than the organics.

Perhaps that was good. Perhaps that was bad.

But, as usual, there was nothing to do but wait.

And so Ainulindalion waited, spreading his mind outward, seeking what it was that was coming.

And so he applied a subtle mental pressure. No organic could feel it, but he sought an answer as to who and why.

There was a pressure now. Just a slight tinge.

A question.

She had felt this before. Whenever her superiors were trying to communicate with her, they had used this format. Apparently, she was dealing with an underling not unlike herself.

...but much more powerful.

She sent the reply as her Zephyr glided within moments of the island.

My name is Esmerelda, Protector of the Emerald Heights. You must be Ainulindalion, the man whom I am seeking. I do not wish you any harm, but it is imperative that we communicate. I am under orders from a Watcher.

The Zephyr at last glided to a halt along the white sandy shores of the island, and Esmerelda stepped off of it, her bare feet crackling the sand beneath them. She felt the salty shore wash over her as she picked up the Zephyr. She willed it smaller--a mere two centimeters long--before stuffing it into the front of her dress. Then, with a sigh, she began a slow walk across the beach, tasting the energies in the air, searching quietly for their source.

Show yourself. I do not wish you any harm.

Ainulindalion grinned.

Not his avatar. He, himself. His very being.

Not forgotten after all.

He observed the one who stepped onto the beach, this Esmerelda.

Her physical form was indeed beautiful, as organics judged such things, and she was rather powerful, that he could feel.

But there was some sort of limit imposed on her, one that bore a different flavor from her essence. He shook away his thoughts of it. That was her business.

But she had come to meet him. The sand underneath her feet began to rise, quickly surmounting the top of the cliff and depositing her gently to the ground.

Atop the plateau was a small grassy stretch which seemed to circle a thick forest, cut by a single path, which seemed to lead straight to the towers in the distance, high above the trees.

Words this time, like a brush of air, went forth to Esmerelda. "Welcome Esmerelda, to my home. I am indeed Ainulindalion, and while often I assume the form of a man, I am not one." He carries a tone of amusement at her choice of words, not insulted nor insulting. "Come up to the castle, and we shall speak on this matter you have come to discuss. It is not far."

Thank you. I am on my way.

Yes, thank you. I am quite aware that you are not human. Not that the detonating of the island or the floating sand or the reviving long-dead nations and transporting them to my continent gave that away, of course...

Esmerelda sighed as she paced through the woods, taking in her surroundings and the towers in the distance.

Nice place... let us hope he does not get too bored and try to blow it up, too...

Observing her surroundings carefully, ever-wary of any traps or tricks that Ainulindalion may seek to pull on her as she strolls toward the towers, Esmerelda reviewed her superior's instructions, going over the questions in her head one last time.

Ainulindalion felt Esmerelda approach, and observed her, his presence spread throughout the island.

As she drew closer to his hall, he flashed into a physical form inside the hall.

His jet black hair was slicked back, his form was draped in clothes of pure black.

The clothes were lose, but not overly so. Comfortable, but of the finest quality. A floor length cape swirled forward around his shoulders.

Or it would have been floor length, if he hadn't be floating above the floor, six inches tall.

Damn. Old habits die hard.

He ballooned in size, assuming a form of exactly the same height as Esmerelda, a lifted slightly higher by the small heel to his boots.

Flexing his leather gloved hands, he checked his sword. The elemental sword that was his by right, a part of him, who he was. Not one of the random storied swords he normally carried. No firearm either. Pointless after all.

Nothing but him right now. No trappings of his power, except the castle itself.

He seated himself, awaiting her arrival, chair level in the floor, another sitting opposite it, across a small table, before a grand fireplace.

The Great Hall glowed with internal light, echoing from the doors and crystals that adorned it.

The doors swung open, both the inner door, to the Hall, and the outer one, through the wall of living stone. He gazed out into the village, observing his people, now nearly three hundred. He knew they would examine the stranger, but would soon proceed back to whatever they had been doing before. So it had always been, and so it would be. Visitors came and went, but he and the villagers remained.

At long last, Esmerelda arrived at a clearing--the castle and the Great Hall. She looked over the castle with a coy smile, taking in its tremendous mass and incredible architecture. Recalling an old adage about compensation from her early days in The Beyond, she couldn't help but snicker a bit.

Running her long fingers through her hair, she stepped inside and immediately observed--from a distance--Ainulindalion himself.

Confident fellow--that I can already tell. Quite potent with his power, as he has more than demonstrated already. Okay, Esmerelda, Goddess and Protector of The Emerald Heights, Queen of the New Tribes of The Outset Islands...

...time to work.

She approached slowly, gracefully, calmly, taking in the mood of the room despite an obvious disinterest in her surroundings. Her eyes didn't once waver from Ainulindalion, nor did her gait sway from the perfectly straight line toward this man, this god, her quarry.

At last, she stopped before him, offering a polite kowtow.

"We meet at last, Ainulindalion," she said, her voice at once polite in its grace and frank in its quickness. "Esmerelda, Goddess and Protector of The Emerald Heights. We have much to discuss."