Chapter: 4 Long Awaited Meeting

Their transport vessel zooms across the sky, moving at a moderate speed towards their destination. It is an open top flying Sycar, designed to move a couple individuals in between places. It is a civilian vessel, not equipped with much more than an internal low powered energy shield, a generator, and an internal energy cube. It is a bit like the taxis used below. Vehicles people use when they want to move around the city quickly. They pay the driver based on the length of their journey and arrive rather quickly.

Her view turns towards the other four, who are sitting patiently around her.

To her right, is the goddess of darkness. She has jet black hair, and dark tanned skin, as well as having a rather large bosom. She is wearing a black and white dress that has long cuffed sleeves. She has a large sword attached to a scabbard that hangs on her back. She opens her eyes and smiles, winking at Divi. Her glistening red eyes were always so unique, she thought.

To her left, the petite and frail frame of the death goddess sat next to her. A woman that has pale skin, jet black robes and white hair. Her pair of beautiful brown eyes is remarkable. And the goddess is skinny, nearly anorexic. Almost like she hasn’t eaten enough food. She is looking downwards, worried about everything around her. She looked anxious, to the builder, but this was normal for her.

Despite her nature, she was very shy around people, so she hung close to Divi as the aircraft rumbled along, heading towards the city hall. The frail death goddess held onto her arm tightly, fearing that she might fall off.

“This vehicle is b-b-b-umpy, couldn’t have you p-p-picked something more stable?”

“This is the same vehicle we used last time. I don’t know why you are lik—”

“Ah!” Tony, flying a little roughly, seems to tumble the aircraft a little, making her squeeze Divi’s arm harder. She sighs and has given up; the Death goddess has an incurable fear of people. The irony was not lost on her. The Divine Hammer looks at the other side of the vehicle. Instead of seeing her sister, Star breaker, she sees two other people, instead.

The retainer for her sister and the servant for the missing earth goddess. Truly not a good sign in her mind.

“I know we don’t have our great earth lady, but where the hell is my sister? The one time she needs to show up and of course she never—” She gets cut off again by her sister’s retainer, Silis.

“Also, I don’t see the envoy of the void. Great, can this get even worse...” The Divine Hammer groans, but the assistant of her sister, Silis, simply ignores her complaint and speaks with gusto.

“Your sister is collecting data samples in your realm of wild beasts. She told me to act as her voice while she was away.” Silis has golden, blonde hair. Possessing fair white, pale skin, piercing blue eyes, and a petite body, she is quite the looker. Despite looking beautiful, she looks tired.

An overworked servant, if she ever saw one. Silis wears a classy sleek business suit, hiding her modest attributes. She always tends to wear glasses, even though she probably does not need them. She returns to browsing some information on her data tablet. Which everyone in this flying vehicle has access to.

The builder shrugs and just throws her hands into the air, defeated. “How convenient that she is absent, yet again. For the third time in a row.”

“You know her better than anyone else, my lord. Getting her to follow orders is a fruitless endeavor...as I have told you multiple times before. This is the fifth time? No matter.” Ellis concludes, her interest waning in this topic for conversation. The Divine Hammer then glances at the final person sitting next to Silis. Her name is Ellis. The support unit for the ruler of Mid-Earth. Ellis seems a bit tired. Her ceaseless search for her missing master has borne no fruit.

Ellis wears clothes like those of the humans that live on Mid-Earth. A realm that also is the size of a galaxy. She lives on one of the inner planets, called Regallia, along with her colleagues.

She wears long tribal robes, decorated in floral patterns. She has dark brown skin, tanned from living in the desert. Dark black boots made to traverse harsh environments. A brown comb is placed in her dark brown hair that was given to her by her missing partner. She is a bit older than the rest here; Ellis is about 50,000 years old, slightly older than the current earth goddess.

Aging is a graceful thing for godly beings.

Once they reach the age of maturity, which is around 1,000 years old, their bodies body permanently keep the same, youthful appearance. They are not worried about aging, the builder thinks. More of the things around them that live and die.

Ellis is staring into the sky then her eyes drift towards Divi’s.

“Do not worry about me, Star of the heavenly realm. Focus more on the present agenda, for now.” She sternly looks at her but not too harshly.

“If she was here. She would tell you to do the same thing.”

“I understand. I am worried but we can only do our best.”

“Like all beings that roam these lands, that itself is good enough. Despite us being gods. Deities. Machines that can perform miracles. We cannot do everything by ourselves. At times, we must rely on one another to unite in solidarity. And to work together to solve our problems.” The divine hammer merely nods after listening to Ellis then turns her gaze away from her. The transport zooms onward, getting closer to their destination. A large office building can be seen, on top of a floating mass of rock and steel.

This place was always busy. It always stood out in her mind as one of the most important places she could think of.

“Ah, I can see it. The great hall of government, my friends.” She remarks, smiling.

“Finally, about time!” the others all say nearly unanimously. Seems like they did not like being cooped up on a spaceship for two weeks. Nor did they even enjoy this short flight over the city towards the hall. Divi could sense some of their frustration as they neared the docking port. She coughs and clears her throat, turning towards the others.

“Look. You all know why we spend so much time, painstakingly with this show we provide for the residents. Why I spent weeks carefully planning your entire voyage, the routes, the places that the Excalibur flew over.”

Ellis looks at the younger ones, grumbling. She merely gives them a nasty look, making them become quiet. She motions towards Divi to continue speaking.

“It is a show of unity and solidarity of the six stars of the realms. As was in the time, before our birth, we must all work together to ensure the future. Create the path for those that come after us. It is necessary, no matter how much I find this task, well, mundane.” She kind of shrugs, turning back towards looking at the docking pier. Many different ships have been docked.

A dock controller drone flies outwards from the port, checking their identities.

“Identity verification will commence. Please do not move. Even you must go through this, unfortunately.” It is a patrol drone, maintained and owned by the officials that work in this government office. The builder sees it often and has spoken to this one, it has a moderate level of intelligence. It does its job properly daily, as far as she can tell.

“As we must. We always set an example for others.” Ellis remarks. The drone beeps and whizzes. A blue scanning beam engulfs the front of their aircraft, then all of them slowly.

“Divine Hammer: DNA match.”

“Divine Star OF Death: DNA match.”

“Underrealm Goddess: DNA match.”

“Anthony Simmons: DNA match.”

“Ellis: DNA match.”

“Silis: DNA match.”

The drone says monotonously and loudly. This machine was of paramount importance, after all, Divi thinks to herself.

“It is important to verify the identity of anyone entering this building, so this is merely one method.” She mutters, staring at the drone.

“I remember reading in olden times, these things used to use some kind of...ID card?” Tony knows his history well; he is well studied. This was one of his hobbies.

She remembers at length speaking of the colorful history of previous realm rulers. The lack of order and coordination they had. As well the struggles they had. She was so glad to not have to worry about nonsense like ID cards anymore.

“Correct, Tony. We no longer require such things. I have created neural brain interfaces that contain all necessary information for living. Merely one thing I have created.” The builder was finally able to show off the “builder” nickname she had acquired.

“Don’t get too cocky, I remember those first battle drones you sent to me.” Tony retorts quickly.

“Exploding into tiny, little pieces the moment we turned them on.” Silis adjusts her glasses, seemingly unable to forget the experience. The first shipment of battle-ready drones seemingly exploded the moment they fired off their energy cannons, during a test battle.

Exploding in Star breaker’s face. Literally.

She remembers quite fondly the two of them “accidentally” destroying one of the moons on her home planet from their scuffle afterwards.

“Or the first warp gate you built, which also exploded, sending chunks of it, and you, into a nearby red planet, SR9089. Imagine the bills I received in my office. Then imagine me getting yelled at by a giant blue alien man whose farm was leveled.” Tony remarks, his eyes twitching.

“O-r—r-r-r those survey drones you sent to me that were hacked by rogue demons and turned into flying missiles for fun!” The death goddess bemoans.

None of them forgot the things that caused them to have headaches and trouble.

“Ah yes. I remember other things you did.” Tony puts down his tablet on his seat, boring his eyes into his boss. He lowers his glasses, making a very annoyed expression.

“I can remember your joy riding your first official spaceship...grinding the ship on the rings of Atsurn. How the hell you didn’t murder everyone on board impresses me to this day.”

“But...I had to see if the ship can grind on meta—”

“I’m going to stop you right there, that sounds highly inappropriate. In multiple ways.” Tony furiously adjusts his glasses again and sighs, relaxing. The builder looks mildly flustered then slumps, finally defeated. Defeated by her friends, she laughs at her misfortune.

Tony continues speaking again.

“We merely dealt with your accidents in the same manner we deal with everything else. As a group. And as your friends. You’ve improved a lot over the last decade or so, so that is something you can be proud of.” Tony gets up and puts a hand on her shoulder, consoling her.

“When trouble brews, we will tackle it together. Again.”

“I sure hope. I sure hope so, Tony.” She sighs.

After waiting for a couple minutes, the drone has finished processing their data. Tony walks back to his pilot’s seat and maneuvers the aircraft, following the drone towards their parking spot.

Luckily for them, they are the guests of honor. They get to park the closest. They all exit the floating vehicle and hop on the walkway next to them. The divine hammer leads the way, followed by the frail, scared lady of death. She nearly stumbles over but the lady in behind her, the brown skinned woman, catches her.

“Be careful, wouldn’t want to see you hurt before the ‘fun’ begins, my lady.” The woman in the black and white dress remarks. She has also been one sworn to her duty, one who is observant and diligent.

Some called her the knight of the dark realm, ensuring the safety and security of the people of her land. The knight of the Underrealm has always seemed so...devoted. Perhaps even to a fault.

“T-t-thank you, lady knight.”

“No need to call me knight, I am hardly one, after all. I think that title is, ironically, more fitting for the one standing in front of you.” She helps her to her feet and the two follow the builder.

Behind her, Sillis walks swiftly besides Anothony, discussing politics along the way.

“And it is a mess. An ugly, ugly mess. The merchants are threatening to rebel against the nobles. Star System #09PIL already has been bombarded by orbital weapons...the locals are caught in the crossfire.” Sillis sighs. The Star realm operates differently than the heavenly realm. The oldest living people there have the most ownership over star systems and planets, and are also known as the nobles.

The noble faction behaves like a typical faction borne from aristocracy; they forcibly divide the upper class, that has more noble blood, from the lower class that has less. Merchants are independent traders that have formed a galactic wide organization that empowers the lower class with economic trade and job opportunities not afforded to them due to their birth. Silis is frustratedly reminded of these injustices daily but incapable of stopping them by herself.

She desperately needs the strength of her steward, her leader. Star breaker. But she is hardly anywhere to be found in the realm. Tony puts a hand on her shoulder, sympathizing with her.

“It’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. And we don’t have much time to wait.”

“We can only rely on help from the builder, the other gods are frantically searching for our missing frien—” Silis starts, but Tony motions her to stop.

“Don’t forget who is walking behind us, you know?” Ellis heard their mummering. She looks rather crestfallen but gives off a shrug.

“It’s fine, carry on.” She walks faster, briskly passing the two of them, before Tony can respond back.

“Ugh. She’s not gonna let that go for a while. But, anyway, yes, you are correct. As much as I would like to pretend it’s all sunshine and rainbows, we are on the verge of a crisis. On multiple fronts.” Tony’s expression returns to the serious one he had earlier in the day.

“Yes, one that will spill into every realm. We must stay unified to overcome this.” Tony hears a voice, from the top of the stairs the two are approaching. “Hurry up, you two can talk aplenty once we get inside!” The divine hammer yells firmly. Time is of the essence, she thinks. The two move up the stairs.

In front of the group, large black doors stand in front of them. They move towards them and they automatically open as they cross into the interior of the great hall. Large drones float around, managing data. Smaller drones are flying around busily, tasked with important tasks that need carrying out. The receptionist, at the front desk, waves and walks towards them. She is wearing a prime, proper suit and has grey hair. She smiles wearily.

“Ah, you all have arrived right on time. Shall I escort you to the conference room?”

“That won’t be necessary, Jessica. Tony will speak with you about our arrangements; I will guide the rest to our council room.”

Jessica is an old human, in her sixties. The older lady has brown skin and a neat short bob of hair, pulled back in a bun. She has been a great asset for years. It is getting close to her retirement, though.

This job is quite stressful, even as just a receptionist in the middle of the city.

The builder grabs Jessica’s hands gently and directs her towards her subordinate. The rest of them follow her as she slowly walks past the desk and down a large hallway, to the right of entrance.

“Most of us have been here before, yes?” She inquires. All murmur except Ellis.

“I have not been here before; it has always been Terra.” She mumbles outward, still depressed.

“We will have ample time to discuss that matter—” She starts but then Sillis interrupts her.

“I’ve always wondered. Why do people call you ‘The Builder.’ And call her, the Goddess of Underrealm.” She glances at the dark-skinned woman in white clothes, who shrugs and continues walking forward.

"Want me to tell her, Builder?” She stretches her arms upwards, yawning as they walk down the hall. There are large windows on both sides at the start, and further down, many different offices can be seen. Different departments of the government work in this place, she muses to herself.

“The reason is we just don’t have names, like you or Tony. Something or someone has made us forget. For whatever reason.” She sighs.

“Agreed. Even if I search my memory banks, from the date of my creation. I cannot remember. I am incapable of remembering anything like my name. So, instead, I simply took on a title. My actions, my deeds, were woven into a name people use for me. I build things; thus, I am the builder.”

She looks outwards towards the sky, thinking of her childhood.

Her days of youth.

Days she was rowdy, unrestrained, wild.

Part of her missed those times; many days felt the same in the present. The passage of time granted her plenty, as well as taking away other things she liked. She focuses her vision back forward.

“I don’t know. I wish I could tell you I knew, but I don’t know. It is one of the many mysteries of the universe. Our universe. Who created us? Why did they hide our names from us? Or better yet, what do they gain from hiding things from us? I, and the others who were born to manage these realms, have been painstakingly searching for answers for millennia with nothing gained from our pondering. The only things I have garnered thus far are as follows: One, we are not the first ones who were born here, as you can see with the abundance of technology on this planet. Much of it I simply repurposed or improved from things I excavated over centuries. Secondly, something or someone...has definitely created us.” She points to herself but then points to the crystal on her forehead. Sillis seems puzzled.

“Is that crystal something you were born with?”

“Yes. In fact, it is something all our collective star gods were created with. It is made from an unknown substance, and I haven’t been able to identify what it even comes from. Some kind of material that is not known in our universe. Or something else. At best, I can tell it is infused into my DNA. Tearing it out will simply make a new one appear...But anyway.” She just looks forward again, down the hallway.

“All I can say is I think about the place we live, where we exist. It exists for some reason.” She feels defeated and shrugs.

“Is it a good reason, I wonder?” Silis mouths out loud.

“Doubtful. It may look nice and pretty here on Stella, but if you dig up the ground in the right places, on the right planets...you’ll find a mountain of corpses.” The builders’ eyes narrow. The Goddess of the Under Realm merely laughs. But nods in agreement.

Not only has the builder gone excavating, so have the other gods of the star realm. They, too, have searched a plethora of abandoned ruins and found horrifying things. Broken bodies made of ancient metal. Wretched machines, shaped like humans. War machines.

They have brought back a couple, but they don’t know how to operate them. But it was clear there was a war before their time. Perhaps there may be some truth to the legend, the builder thinks. But she has been unable to find the centerpiece of the legend itself, the chaos demon god. Without it, all that fills her mind is doubt and uneasiness.

She focuses back on the current conversation, thrusting these thoughts to the back of her mind, at least for the moment.

“Overly worrying about the past won’t help our present issues. But I understand how you feel.” She looks upwards again, pondering.

“Our peace was built on something, and yet, the foundation is crumbling by the day...” She trails off, smirking. The builder merely ignores her prattling and briskly walks faster.

“I was curious, but my curiosity was too deep for my own good.” Silis looks a little crestfallen. The builder looks towards her, cheering her up.

“There was nothing wrong with your curiosity. We simply don’t have the answers you are looking for. Such is life.” She sighs.

“But for now, keep these questions in the back of your mind. We must focus on the main topic of the day, discussion of matters in the realms and our response to our problems.”

They have passed the offices and are in sight of the large hall. A circular hall built primarily for important discussions.

Often, it gets used for debates or voting on bills that are ready to be voted on.

Today, it will be used for its main purpose, Sillis thinks to herself. Tony has caught up to them finally, coming from a different hallway.

“What took all of you so long? Inside we go, snap snap.” He opens the door. The door to this hall was manual. Not automatic like the ones in front. Tony ushers all of them into their destination.