POV: Leif Gormsson, the Clan Heir.
Date: Þórri 27th, 798 AD. (Alt: 8th February, 799 AD.) Location: Götaland (Ancient Sweden.)
"He seems quieter than usual?" Sigrid asks Leif, worried, but both simply watch the instillations into the physical world that create this air supercarrier.
"It has been a tiring few days. As long as we are here, he will be fine." Leif held his blómtvinnr (Twinflower)'s hand in a loving embrace. They sit upon the seats, seeing his work upon the mixed megadesign of this floating ship weapon.[1]
Rod and his Burr (Precious son) Adal come by them, sitting next to each other upon the grass, watching the great scientist God's work with a learner's eye. They see the application of the Áss (God) smith's concepts, showing he had truly perceived their work ability. They also remember there not being an extension to the (elemental farm) far away into the distance, its only meaning being that Heath had to collect some materials to then replicate. But that is not what they are correlating their focus on.
They had expected to see more emotion from Heath, but, he never changed his face, hiding his internal experience for all in the outside during his work. It was too autonomous, machine-based for others from his usually expressive self, and they wondered what had happened when he had left for Vanaheimr.
"It was due to an Ásynja (Goddess) who will not be named." Adal finally says after a moment of silence. He now knew that it was one of the more headstrong ones who had been single for a while and was seeking a new partner. He shakes his head, simply hoping that nothing too bad will come of this if he chooses to talk with 'her' again. "Has he described to you what he is making?" The furry wiseman asks them, which leads to Leif and Sigrid nodding. Explaining the concept of a drone air-carrier battleship.
"*Hah*Of course he is making that." Rod comments with obvious dread, knowing of the power described in these weapons from Heath's presentations. Explosive rounds capable of destroying bunkers hidden deep within mountains, and guns that can shoot faster than a mouse's heartbeat by MULTIPLES.
"The creation of multiple civilisations in ENDLESS has been going well for many. The deer most at it, not to earn the prize, but in seeking adulation of the only God in their eyes, it is too obvious." Adal comments, having seen live streams of users like Aella's or Elissa's, who appear rather fond of Deified governance. "And on other news, father many have told no one, but I have a sister in the forest now, newlyborn." Okay, that earned the vǫrðr and the tree God stares of reprisal for keeping that news away.
"How long ago?" Leif asks for both of them, still miffed about never having been involved. "At around dagmál's start (9 AM, normal clock.) It is standard to be formed by then." Adal continues, now letting Rod tell the name of the new furry wisewoman.
"Aussa is the name." Rod throws with glee, happy with the outcome that the name would fit either gender, and with her existing as a guardian of the forest with the newly planted Mímisbrunnr saplings, it will let her gain faster strength by absorbing the attributes of the (forest farm) en masse. After a minor daydreaming, all in attendance could hear a melody begin, from the direction of the ship's construct, inviting bygone torrents into the named 'Bǫleyðir,' translated to 'Destroyer of evil.'
It was planned out slowly, beatific lyrics playing upon multiple tongues in the sound of a choir beside Heath's voice, the air itself shimmering with euphonious quality for a cadre of different sabbatical resonances, combining multiple languages into a tone. A hymn unwound.
Everyone is teleported away with Heath's will to their rooms, yet even that was not enough to isolate them from hearing the music. The floating body that was Heath's own was nonexistent now. A gem chrysalis that reformed and pupated to different designs and patterns as to alter the currents of all needed outflows. The casting was epileptically pure, separating the different cone cell's triggering to show impossibly precise colours that would dazzle any who viewed it, some even thinking that they could smell the colours in synesthetic results.
Rod and Adal made sure to keep no existing unprotected vision upon the abstracting mennskrðrútan after that sensation, using their power in case of lingering effects like blindness or seizures. Their protection of others' eyes now interfering with the arcanomechanisms that stirred the false windows' and their simulated sun.
It turned the singular glowing sphere into an effect between the northern lights and a staticky 'meteor' shower that never fell from its sky. It would be even more beautiful if it was during the night. They now stay in the digiverse, waiting it out by playing the available songs or by creating their own music in the M-Creator app. . . Or gaming. Luckily, the communications between the DNA medium servers were not out, allowing for all to still talk freely.
They each wonder what the grand carrier will appear as at the end, many hypothesising both too far away in what it may hold. The Cavern's light began dimming, an eclipse that made a view of bolide shooting rays that surrounded their every angle.
(Heath edits A Thousand Years by Christina Perri)[2]
Heath chose to play an endearing song into the will of the machine, that would then later be added to their databanks. Overplayed in his home realm, it instead showed a hope in this new one, a possibility for this war machine to be a protector, for what he loves.
"♪Hearts beat fast
Thoughts of promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone;
All of my doubts, now go away, somehow♪"
A picture of the Earth, a move in closeness to the statue of Adal and Arngunn's own. There may be no face, but it is easily told that Heath sees all potential upon it equally, in kennings of gaining mementoes. It flows into the machine as a mist, embedding into its shell.
"♪One step closer. . .
I will be, every day, waiting for you
All to know, 'don't be afraid'
I would love you, for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more~♪"
It runs, a sensation that covers the entire Cavern from the epicentre of Bǫleyðir. Spreading wings of comfort into every sapient who would FEEL Heath's care for them, blanketing them in a way that best runs new and old friendships between.
"♪Time, stands, still
Beauty in all, she is
I will embrace!
I will not let any take away
What stands in front of me
Every breath. Every hour, has come to this~♪"
Bǫleyðir rises from the Cavern's soil, all features growing upon in strange accents Heath had not expected, harsh, minimalist edges turn to flowing patterns upon its *Dyḗusium surface, away from grey, making it appear a bottomless lour.
"♪One step closer. . .
I would fly, 'light the way,' here with lieu
Tall for us, be a shade
I will love you, for aᵃeons near
I'll love you for aeons more~♪"
It was no longer recognisable, the object in flight was now triangulated and smoothened, a sharpened angle with a soft personality, yet strong ferocity to any who threatened what it cared for, a personality even more 'pure' than Heath, just from this song.
"♪And all along, I believed, I would find you
Time has brought your hearts to me
I shall love you, through the fears
I'll love you through the fears!♪"
"♪One step closer. . . x2♪"
The song ends, for every step spoken of fading as a backdrop, every hurdle that was passed to reach their final goal: Moral unification. The 'night' was beautiful, slowly fading back to day as the piano and violin motifs were soon inaudible behind Heath's droning noise.
The best way one would describe the ship would be neo-futuristic. Heath's own assumptions played into the final design of the flying vessel. It can hold <= 6,500 of a people the size of the deer, but could be run on a skeleton crew of 1,000 thanks to its highly magi-creative automation systems. Its weapon designs are focused on modularity in mind, but that will be described later. Now we refocus on the people who had heard Heath singing. They could feel the machine's spirit, guiding them to come out to meet it.[3]
Leif was at the forefront, the sensation of the ships' sensors picking up all beside and by his back with emotions warranted. 'The ship grew a soul?!' Heath's expression was silly in its confusion, not expecting a little love song to make it gain that feature.
Heath disappears and just as quickly reappears with a body like the other 3 of his previous children, connecting it as a gynoidal branching 'limb' to allow for easier communication. The waves of exhaust from the compartments below blew out in a howl of gratitude and actuation, soon recalibrating herself with the controllable avatar. Heath followed the specifications of Bǫleyðir's 'appearance.' A sister for the Dollens, red, waving hair upon a heavily muscular, blocky, but still feminine body.
With a face remarkably similar to Valyria's, you could tell they were sisters. She opened her eyes, scanning her surroundings with a look that mixed innocence and curiosity. "Dad?" The new daughter asks in English, a Southern Anglican accent played upon her darker grey lips.
"-Welcome to the world, kid!" Heath hugged her by flying up to be her head height in a sudden burst, as she was the same size as the rest of her siblings. Heath gave a kiss to her forehead, passively transferring her new knowledge on her sister and 2 brothers and their current friends in this Cavern. "You were a lucky chance." He keeps her in his arms for a moment longer before he tries to let go, but her huglock was stronger than even Valyria's own when she was first reformed.
'I am making damn cute monsters, eh?' "*He heᵉh*" Heath laughs before tapping her shoulder in asking her to let go, she obliges, though with strong reluctance. She soon finds the other family in the Cavern, walking up to her with awe at the birthing of a new child.
"Faðirbróðir (Uncle) Leif?" She leans down, still taller than a maðr (Norse person) by multiple heads. She was met with a quick high hug from both sides by Leif and Sigrid, who welcomed her with wide open arms. The others also came around, Valyria, Sterling and Goldie meeting their sister ship with a familial groupie. It was a nice time, E X C E P T, FOR, THE TURRET, ROUND, SHOT INTO THE CEILING! Overexcitement had led to that sudden burst. So, Heath's jaw clicked while his eyes lulled over from the near-collapse before fixing it all back up, with added structural reinforcements.
But like the time with Valyria, only a minor punishment was given to Rhoyna, named after the same source as where Valyria came from, once dead rival empires in Essos. Heath now hopes the usage of both names will instead inspire sisterly bonds with deep connections for a shared love of stories.
The punishment was for her to help manage Dance Dance Revolution! Because why not? Heath did need the help on this, specifically with trackable animation forms and how to easier visualise the dance moves with contrasting art styles. Valyria and Sterling had also wanted to help, but they were told that it was only for him and Rhoyna to do. She was getting rather frustrated having to figure out what dance moves or songs to install per generated level, but by the end of it, when they had reached the next day, it was finished.
Somehow completing thousands of hyperactive songs in less than half the time expected. They released it onto the Internet, and it was a quick success for many. The easy-to-understand mechanics, while also helping develop hand-body coordination, showed as a fun training exercise their ever-expanding repertoire.
"Alright, all done, Rhoyna, completed!" He patted her back while both stared off into the midday sky. The view being rather splendid with so few clouds. They are keeping up this small break of silence from the chaotic game they had made while gainsaying a pleasant afternoon now. Leif was always in the background, watching the nice new view of his 2nd niece, just watching the horizon. With him now going back to training his gunmanship against a few flying Drone golem discus targets they would carry around the air in random arcs.
His shot was gaining in accuracy greatly, the skeets' breaking within the octopodal limbs being replenished through a quick flyback and new carry. Sigrid was simply watching him, hand on her cheek while holding herself against the table, eyes lovestruck as she always is.
The final *BANG* was heard, the 'portal shotgun' now removed from the adaptable hilt and stored away. In total, he had shot 213 skeets out of 250, an accuracy rating of 85.2%! He raises his arm, his lover wrapping her own through his and holding each other's hands while walking off back to their shared two-story apartment room. Now trying out their Uni-pods to see to their chosen two-God Pantheon civilisation they have been making. An aquatic world that would have had no chance at ascension if not for their combined guiding hands.
They made a species develop iron keratinoid skin upon their scythe-like clawed front limbs, in a denser configuration than the Scaly-foot gastropod they had seen from Heath's aquatic species lessons, using their 1st pair of 'arms' as living pickaxes to pick at open magnesium deposits.
It took much trial and error to slowly aid this species that appeared similar to a Sea Emperor Leviathan but with an arachnid-eyed configuration upon their heads and a more traditional jaw structure. As they would carry the deposit upon their hardened 2nd pair of amphibian webbed hands, they created a large enough pile of concentrated magnesium through multiple insulated tunnels for a slower burn to then be fired using the hot smog of a hydrothermal vent! They were able to manage enough of a source now to slowly manage metalworking.
And a little fun fact, the power that Leif had earned in The Tournament was usable in this game too! Fully translatable between mediums, he had used it to be a God-King that would alter the growing corals and anemones into giant spanning civilian complexes.
He may not have a proper education on aquatic xenobiology, but he did the best that he could with his power. Doing as Heath had done to alter a creature as many times as needed until reaching the case in only a few 100s of their planet's years rather than the standard 100,000s from their perspective for a usual gameplay loop. A few times, Leif had accidentally made a creature that could not survive, but they were given the respect they deserved as sacrifices and given a peaceful rest. He felt the weight of their lives, even if digital.
One of the creatures he has named Fiskmǫgr (My son that is a fish) was the first successful version that had propagated and had been blessed with the gift of non-senescence, making him unable to die of old age's effects, such as weakening immunity or organ failure.
"Mother, father. What do we do next?" Fiskmǫgr asks them in hopes of being given guidance, their amphibious hands touching each other while trailing the fingers in a slow cadence. "My son, next to prove the training we gave you, you shall defeat the gálknlangr (Long monster) by the harsh reef cliffs down south." Leif gave as a directive, the silent encouragement of Sigrid in the background, also working to give Fiskmǫgr enough confidence in trying this ambush, he grabs his steel bident to set off, lastly nodding before setting a swim away.
The gálknlangr (Long monster) was a beast of great burdens, to be the 'wall' in passing for their immortal warrior to land winning blows in showing their great power. It had features of some of the scariest creatures they know of:
A hypnotic lantern that dangles upon the front of the creature, able to magically bind one's eyes to be drawn to it. A keratin-coated iron teeth that had been sharpened through chipping upon stone, swords in their own right. A metabolic melanin-altering chromatophore coating upon its skin, like an octopus, that allows it to blend into its environment. And worst of all, a venom gland that it can release into its mouth to either leave harmful trails or a deadly bite that could kill dozens in a breath. These creatures are both set as guards of this underwater realm and as a 'boss' creature.
Sigrid believed such a being would be too powerful for their child's well-being, but Leif had faith that he had the strength and gall. And there is an incentive to, for if he defeats it, he may be blessed further and turned closer to a Demi-God than to a mortal.
Few songs were heard reverberating through the water in celebration of the leaving of Fiskmǫgr, for they knew he was the best warrior of their lands. And if he himself does not have a chance? Then nobody else would. A small party of them travel through the coral-weeded forests that house the many herbivorous fish, soon reaching the desolate craggy stone cliffs that is the entrance to the sunken den. The rest leave, parting ways after crossing their 4 arms in an X formation, their own form of respect before leaving him be.
The scythe-esque arms are kept out and together as a thin shield, while the long bident is held with both hands beside him. He floats slowly through to the outcropped cave, now greeted with the gálknlangr (Long monster) he is meant to spar against that swims out to greet him.
"I am sorry, Great One. May our battle satisfy our creators." Fiskmǫgr respectfully treats the prime gálknlangr (Long monster,) who nods in measure with its elongated neck before giving all of his strength to the first sweeping bite slash!
[1] From Chapter 54: "Yes, I may base the design on 2 of the most powerful warships of my time, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the ROKS Sejong the Great. Combining the best aspects while giving extra firepower below the gunwales of the hull." He completes with a few potential diagrams, showing off hundreds of modifications and modular design initiatives that would eclipse dragons, almost reaching Deity-level in firepower. The many anti-air and automatic gun turrets splintering a view of millions within bullet-transievers through portal conveyor belts.It would be a flying calamity at the scale few could ever hope to replicate, and with its usage of all the materials previewed beforehand and the usage of celestial bronze as described in Chapter 43, it allowed for this to come true and be unaffected by its accelerated life span.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00&list=LL&index=85
[3] Similar to this commission by Adam Kop: https://www.deviantart.com/adamkop/art/Star-Wars-Imperial-Star-Destroyer-Commission-593897756