The Beauty of the Garden

[Diamond Master]

As you pluck the last rose, there is a huge, rolling thunderclap.

Most of the gems come loose from the flowers and roll away. Tiny chinks appear in the dirt, and the beads roll straight for them and are swallowed up.

Laughter comes from too many directions and chases the thunder back into the atmosphere. You have the distinct feeling that the chuckling is directed at your "misfortune."

[Yerkan of Elish]

"Oh, this should be interesting."

There is, for once, a wide grin upon my face, even as I duck deeper into the shadows of the Garden.

[Great Thrash]

Thrash does not smile as he digs an enormous pit, pours a moat of magma around it, melds inside the pit, and seals off the entrance with a transparent diamond reinforced with adamant.

[Nor Dingkundar]

Nor claws at ground fervently trying to claw the jewels back up, glaring with murderous intent in the various directions Nor hears the laughter, deciding that yes, Nor will kill it. Nor will smash it so far into the dirt it may come out the other side if it survives the smashing. Nor gravity shifts himself to make around him incredibly high gravity, cratering an area around him the size of a swimming pool, then reversing the gravity, rocketing Nor after the cackling into the atmosphere.
"Crushsmashcrunchsmoosh...."

[Diamond Master]

Nor catches a glimpse of a monkey-like shape swinging through the trees.
Following after it at high velocity, he finds himself drawn toward the figure more quickly than intended. In a blur, the figure catches Nor and bounces him off the ground, catches him again, and drops him once more in whatever direction gravity is pointing.

A monkey-like face appears above Nor's, grinning madly. "Ah! Ah? There's a new fun-lover in town, is there? Hahahaha! Catch me if you can, Dull One."

The face vanishes in an inrush of air. The sound of cackling rebounds through the Gardens and fades into the distance.

[Ptah]

I wave merrily at where the Trickster disappeared.

"Hullo!"

[Diamond Master]

A flock of paper crows appears from nowhere and mobs Ptah, who finds himself holding a greasy paper bag full of roasted chinkapins.

[Nor Dingkundar]

"The Nor doesn't find this fun. The Nor will crush the rambooshka that took his shiny!" Nor propels himself from the ground via gravity and hovers for moment, searching for the monkey beast.

[Diamond Master]

He is not within physical sight, but you can sense his power in all directions. With a bit of meditation, you realize he is doing a bit of ethereal traveling, sliding between the Garden and the other Facets where gods live. This can be a tricky maneuver for those not used to the aether or phlogiston.

The flying lizards from the Lava Molt seem to have sided with you against the monkey-man. Three of them present themselves to you, ready to be ridden after the Tawny Trickster.

[Nor Dingkundar]

"Are tribe friendlings? Then come, we smash monkey thing into crunchy bits." Nor hopped on the back of the nearest lizard, making an attempt to crack the aether open and slide after the Trickster.