The world has expanded, a strip of land from the central cube in all cardinal directions, each different in their composition;
To the North: A hilly land of grass with a sandstone obelisk.
To the East: A cratered land of silver gray reminiscent of the moon, with a particularly large and dusty crater.
To the South: A stretch of road lined with streetlights, twisted and molten in strange ways with growths of bismuth protruding from the ground and objects. A statue stands at its center.
To the West: A set of train tracks with three double-decker cars on them.
But there's more, connected to the grass hills and the craterlands is a quarter circle of land, covered in web and stonework with a large silken cocoon in it.
Those who have paid attention would know that there are two more stretches of land missing… (Then again, the Knight doesn't seem to have a corresponding area for her.)
The train track and the eldritch street grew simultaneously with the silken bow; This is the reason the two newling humans are greeted as they come ashore, while the enormous not-quite-spider creature arrives without a welcoming party. Which all things considered might be for the best.
They're all just on dry land when the other two arrive. Which of course means two more bows come first;
One made of crystalline formations that jut out of a black stone ground, in various colors with a single one aglow, connected to the moonscape and the railroad.
One made of white stone bricks, with runic magical circles inside, connecting to the railroad and the eldritch street.
I'll start with the simple one. Ripped from its own reality a conglomeration of crystal and lightning falls from the sky. It's an enormous thing, a central ruby body crowned by a vortex of electricity in a single perfect small opalescent crystal. Numerous legs made of sapphire, emerald and various other crystals are attached to its main body.
Sadly, it's not capable of swimming, and as golden vapor rises out of the White, the perfect electrical crystal releases. Shocks of lightning cause miniature explosions, launching it towards the shore in multiple loud hops, where it lands among more material to build a new body.
It is reduced, the memories it etched in its bones still sinking behind it. But it lives, and that's all that counts.
No-one heard the explosions, however, the Crystalline arriving in a similar unnoticed fashion as the Weaver.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
However, in this case it's not because the crystal bow was missed. I mean, that happened too, but the explosions would have still been noticed.
No, this time around, there was something interesting (and louder) going on at the same moment. To be more specific, near the whitestone bow, a wizened old woman appears, but unlike everyone before her, she does not fall. At least, not after getting her bearings.
No, she focuses and flexes a non-existent muscle and levitates. But she's not done yet. In unknown territory, with unseen enemies? Start protecting yourself.
A mumbled word, a red orb appears around her, crests of ancient lineages engraved on its surface. A twist of her hand, numerous force constructs appear around her, ready to act as point defense. A perfect defense in a strange world. It-
"Who dares?"
The normally pleasant ethereal echo from below is filled with rage instead. The shielded old woman frowns and continues casting as she speaks.
"I am Valwen, who are you to snatch me from my death?" A cube of green force appears around the shield as she answers in a well-projected voice.
The surface of the White is pierced by something reminiscent of a sea serpent constructed of shattered glass with numerous enormous clawed arms jutting out of the main body. Near where the head would be the shards become smaller centered around a female figure of sculpted cracked glass, missing the upper half of her face. Her mouth is pulled into a sneer.
"You are not worthy. I will make you worthy"
The many claws reach towards the now three-layered shields. The point defense sentries open fire, scorching the surface of the glass and shattering pieces that fall back into the White. It is not enough. The claws make contact, wicked, jagged, sharp tips touching the surface.
Valwen laughs. "Prepare for your death monster. Witness the might of an-"
Valwen is interrupted as the first shield loses cohesion, the feedback sending a flare of pain through her.
"What? There is no way you can break that with pure strength"
She clenches her fist and beams of energy flare from the surface of the cube, melting the glass away where it hits.
"You have not earned this power. Of course it will not protect you"
The claws are endless and new ones press down against the surface of the cube. With a snapping sound it cracks and fades away. Valwen watches in horror as the crests of ancient lineages are erased in front of her, golden smoke rising from the surface.
"Wait. No, I surrender. I-" A shard of glass twice the size of her arm pierces through her chest as the last of her shields winks out. She coughs, but no blood comes from her mouth, instead a continuous cloud of golden vapor begins pouring forth. Her eyes are wide and her body goes slack as she becomes unmoving, impaled as she is on the claw.
The Mother of the White stops her attack and the smoke stops billowing out of Valwen. The titan turns towards the land, and lowers the claw with Valwen speared on it to the surface, before sliding her off it, leaving her body unmarred.
"Let this be a warning"
The Mother of the White sinks beneath the surface, leaving the humans to render aid to her victim. Not that there is any kind of healing they could offer her.