outdistanced | turbo heaven 🌼 euphausia

Nothing quite like it, but it does make me miss the verdant flora of home. [ smiling. ] Oh, but you mentioned living in a tower, did you not? I suppose there's only so much greenery you would see there.

It's most just on the top floor, but even that isn't much.

What's it like, anyway? You haven't told me much about your home. [ ... ] Aside from the worms.

I haven't? Well... it's an isolated island, with lush jungles and beautiful beaches. The people there are all mustari, like myself.

With the third eye?

So you're used to beaches like the one here? And having all these plants around.

[ a nod. ]

Yes. Many of my people are sailors, hunters, and fishermen. And we all have a shared faith in the Dragon God.

That's... a little hard for me to imagine, honestly. Sounds a lot different from home.

...Dragon God? [ wild. ] How is it that so many of you have things like that in your worlds?

Things like what?

Like dragons, and gods, and dragon gods.

You have none of those things? Not even gods?

Some people believe in stuff like a god or some gods, but they're not, like, proven real or anything like for some of you.

Oh... so it is more like the faith of the Sanctists?

I have seen our god in the flesh, so I can certainly attest to the fact that it is real. Though... dragons are quite rare, even in my world, so I cannot blame anyone for thinking that they are mere myth.

I don't know what that is, but maybe.

They're definitely just myths in my world. [ ... ] It's interesting, though, that they're real somewhere out there. They're not even dangerous in your world? The stories in mine always said they were.

Oh, they are quite dangerous. To suffer the wrath of a dragon is a calamitous event indeed.

...Okay. Yikes?

... Oh, but it is not as if the Dragon God roams about, causing destruction!

You never struck me as the kind of person who would follow someone like that. Or... I'd hope not, anyway.

Really?

[ surprised for some reason. ]

Yeah? You don't seem like someone who'd advocate for widespread destruction or anything like that.

Oh! Yes, that is true. I would not allow that to happen.

[ brightening again. ]

...What did you think I meant?

Well...

Our god is quite wrathful, to tell the truth. Legends have it that its rage would sometimes lead it to take its anger out on the island, bringing about great disasters.

But our goal is not to spread such wrath, but to channel it, that it may be used to help people rather than harm them.

Channel wrath? How are you supposed to do something like that?

Most often... through the use of our divine relics.

While some religions look to their gods for moral guidance and salvation, we mustari aspire to take the power of the gods into our own hands, that we may use it to save ourselves.

Save yourselves. From what, the gods' wrath?

From outside threats, usually. People, monsters, humans.

Or, in the case of my brother... He possesses a relic that can affect the weather, and can ward away even thunderstorms or heatwaves.

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outdistanced - 2025-03-02 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

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