The World of Cheos Sum, or "first breath" in the common tongue is a relatively safe place in comparison to the other realms. Named such for being the place wherein all of humanity originated. Long since has humanity ventured from their home into the great infinity beyond, but Cheos Sum remains a vital and important place to many cultivators. For despite their titanic might there exists a peculiarity in the place where humanity took its first step. That is the reckoners, the Gyesanja.
The Gyesanja are monsters just like any spirit beast, barring three peculiarities. One, The Gyesanja are born seemingly from nothing. No one has been able to divine exactly what process causes these creatures, but to the best of my knowledge, even the greatest of us has been unable to create one ourselves. Two, The Gyesanja grow in power extremely quickly, faster than any other creature currently known to us. Indeed, if it were not for the third peculiarity, humanity would have fallen to them long ago. The peculiarity that every Gyesanja seems to have a mission, a single obsession which they strive to complete with all their might. These range from killing a specific human, to eliminating knowledge to even such strange things like vandalizing a house. The obsession of every Gyesanja is different but they all share one commonality, upon accomplishment of their mission the Gyesanja will fade unto nothing just as they arrived.
Long have the Gyesanja been studied and many theories have been put forward about their strange existence, of why they only appear in Cheos Sum, of what their true purpose is. However, there is only one theory which holds weight with the public, the belief that the Gyesanja are the servants of gods beyond even the comprehension of the strongest among us. I myself subscribe to this theory for though there are an untold variety of Gyesanja, there are striking similarities among their missions, if not the creatures themselves. It is my belief that they are sent by the true gods to test us. Nevertheless, it is true that this theory is not wholly foolproof. There are many impressive papers disproving this theory, so there is only one thing I can truly say on this particular matter.
I have never met another who has survived an encounter with a reckoner and not believed them to be a herald of something greater.
– Record of a lesson to the imperial prince
Welcome to the world of Cheos Sum, The first breath. In this quest you will take the role of a Gyesanja, a reckoner. You are a servant of a god beyond human comprehension. You have the fortune to be given chance to prove yourself worthy to be a Jeonlyeong, a herald, by completing a task in the mortal realm given to you by your wise master. Yet there is a question to be answered is there not? Whom do you serve?
[] Yaj'elle, The Speaker – Your master is fond of humans and enjoys watching them grow. She earned her title for being the first to reach out to humans and give them the gift of cultivation so many eons ago, not that the wretches even remember her glorious name. Yet, though she more inclined towards humans then her other deific brethren, she believes they need trials to grow. Under her your task will likely be called upon to protect one of her chosen by killing the servant of another god or to serve as a trial for her chosen.
-[] What form do you take? Whatever form you choose will take on a somewhat gentle appearance. You think you are better than humans and you look down on all others save for your god and her heralds, perhaps to the point of underestimating them.
[] Lyakor, The Hateful – Your master is an entity of pure malice and rage. The greatest disasters Cheos Sum has faced were all orchestrated by this bitter god. Under him your task will likely be to destroy some key resource, treasure or town and that will surely lead to some horrible disaster. -[] What form do you take? Whatever form you choose will take on a somewhat malicious appearance. You rejoice in pain and suffering just as your master does. You have a bad habit of toying with your prey.
[] Nalka, The Glut- Your master is an entity consumed by a relentless hunger. Many treasures and souls have disappeared into his gaping maw, brought to him by his heralds. Under him your task will likely simply require collecting enough souls or treasures of suitable strength to serve as an appetizer for your master. -[] What form do you take? Whatever form you choose will take on a somewhat starved appearance. An echo of your master's endless hunger burns in your eyes. You are a glutton and view this task not only as a chance to please your master, but also to gorge yourself upon mortal flesh.
[] Undettu, The Forgotten- Your master is a seeker of knowledge with an endless unfathomable knowledge and curiosity for the multiverse in which he inhabits. Rarely does he send his heralds and servants out, but when he does it is often to procure items and tomes wrought by the strange imagination of mortals. -[] What form do you take? Whatever form you choose will take on a somewhat strange appearance mutated by self-experimentation. You hold within yourself the barest spark of your master's knowledge, but yet lack the wisdom to properly use it.
Gods
Yaj'elle, The Speaker – She is fond of humans and enjoys watching them grow. She earned her title for being the first to reach out to humans and give them the gift of cultivation so many eons ago, not that the wretches even remember her glorious name. Yet, though she more inclined towards humans then her other deific brethren, she believes they need trials to grow. She often comes into conflict with Lyakor. who frequently undermines her attempts to help the humans. She has a very close relationship with Timi, the goddess of honor as well as with her husband Lyakor, the jealous.
Lyakor, The Hateful – An entity of pure malice and rage. He is a jealous god and perhaps the strongest of all. He is also the oldest god besides Vetiti, The Taboo. He enjoys sowing chaos among humans and is perhaps the most involved with them besides Yaj'elle. His heralds and servants frequently interact with humans both in and outside of their home realm. His servants often come into conflict with the servants of other gods, though he himself is not on particularly bad terms with any of them besides Yaj'elle. Owing to the fact that he is Yaj'elle's husband. His true name is Lyakor, the Jealous and he loves Yaj'elle but is jealous of the attention she gives humans, believing them to be a toy she is overly obsessed with. He seeks to destroy them solely because Yaj'elle pays humanity more attention than she does Lyakor. Were she to stop interacting with humanity, Lyakor would stop interacting with them as well.
Nalka, The Glut- He is an entity consumed by an insatiable hunger. However he is far from mindless. Indeed, the cunning of him and his heralds has earned him a position as one of the foremost gods. He has amassed an impossible amount of treasures in his quest to consume all he can, which he saves for times in which his heralds yields are low. Has a working relationship with Lyakor. Has a close relationship with Undettu and, surprisingly (redacted unless this god is chosen).
Undettu, The Forgotten- Undettu is a seeker of knowledge with no compare. There is no god besides perhaps (redacted unless undettu is chosen) who knows as much as he. Though he keeps mostly to himself, he is known to trade with the other gods for knowledge and curiosities. He has a surprisingly close relationship with Nalka as he frequently trades with the greedy god for trinkets that his heralds find, in return for rare and curious specimens from Undettu's collection. His heralds and servants are often used as information brokers by the servants of other gods.
The giant crab, Kavouri, skittered home, a single claw clacking as the other carried his prize, a small clutch of pups from a she-wolf. He was strong, he was big, and he was even somewhat stealthy with his shadow powers. He had no doubt that the parents would soon find out about what he had done but that was not his concern at the moment. Instead he focused on using his shadow powers to make himself lighter, so that he can better run away.
If he could get these pups to the altar then he could call upon a herald to take them. The young pups were meant to become servants of Nalka, hollow be his gut, but if he could get them to a herald then the pups could be converted by them. Such a contribution would make him look very good to his superiors, maybe even earn him a new treasure to add to his collection.
His skittering slowed as a howl interrupted his thoughts. He would be found, this he knew. The pups he was carrying would give him away every time with their yipping after their parents drew close enough. For the barest of moments the giant crab stopped, considering the best approach forward.
He was confident in his strength, he had lived long as a servant of the great Lyakor, longer than most other servants in fact. Many other servants had been born and died since Kavori, the jealousy crab had been born from a spark of his master's emotions. He was confident he could beat one or two of the hunting wolves, even while holding their young. He knew he could not beat an entire pack, at least not while handicapped.
Quickly, his crab mind arrived at the optimal solution as he began to move forward again. Two echoes of himself made entirely of shadows manifested from his power and scuttled in different directions. He would continue running stealthily. He would be found, but probably after the pack split up to cover the trails his shadows were making. That meant less enemies. He would butcher the ones that found them and hurry to the altar. A shame that he would not be able to enjoy torturing them, but obtaining glory came first in this case.
Time ticked by as his large body scurried through the desolate landscape, it was growing rockier with stone walls rising from the ground as the land sunk lower. He was at the beginning of the great maze canyon. At its center laid the altar to Lyakor, created to claim the canyon for his master. Kavouri abandoned all pretenses of stealth and began to travel through the ravine in great leaps and bounds that crushed stones just as much as they defied his size. If they had trailed him this far then they would find him, stealthy or not.
Mere moments later, Kavouri felt both his shadows get ripped apart in near unison. Immediately, he leaped far up into the sky just as a wolf burst from the shadows with poison tinged fangs that snapped shut upon empty air. Kavouri chirped with joy as he landed, crushing the giant wolf with his weight as his feet skewered the wolf. He turned, still laughing, to assess the others who had found him while his fortunate victim let out his last breath.
Slowly his chirping laughter died out as he came to face the three wolves in front of him. Three, three was a manageable number, but not when the pack leader Gladna Maika, the hungering she-wolf, the pups mother, was a part of them. She was nearly as old as Kavouri himself and a loyal servant of Nalka. Any other wolf he might be able to bribe away by offering one of the pups to sate their hunger, but just as Kavouri was able to control the inherent jealousy he had inherited from his connection with Lyakor, Gladna Maika had turned her hunger into a weapon, not a disability. She would accept no less than the pups and recompense for the trouble, likely one of Kavouri's treasures.
But Kavouri had begun this endeavor to gain treasure, not lose it and thus he raised his free claw threateningly, "I AM KAVOURI, THE HATE CRAB AND I WILL CONVERT THIS PUPS FOR MY MASTER!" He announced as he stepped away from the corpse he had been standing on. They were not servants of Lyakor or Yaj'elle so he went by his second name. They were not allowed to know his true nature.
Gladna Maika bared her fangs as her gaunt and starved figure began to creep forth, "And I am Maika," a glint of amusement flared in her single good eye as she eyed Kavouri, "and tonight, I shall eat well." The time for talking was done.
Kavouri reached down and gripped the corpse with his claw as the three wolves charged towards him. He gripped it gently enough to not cut it and dodged Maika's lunge as he threw the corpse at one of the subordinates charging him. Then he jumped up onto the canyon wall as the other wolf breathed fire upon where he had been standing.
Maika nipped at the other wolf, "Watch out for the pups, fool!" she growled at the ashamed wolf.
Kavouri turned one eye to check on the pups, all 6 were safe and sound. Well, besides the one whom Kavouri had gripped a bit too tightly in the fighting. Kavouri could feel warm, delicious blood upon his claw. The cub would likely die if it did not receive attention soon. All the more reason to reach the altar. He skittered away on the wall, knocking down boulder sized rocks since his legs had to reach deeply into the stone to support his weight.
Only Maika and the fire breathing wolf followed Kavouri deeper into the canyon, leaving the third wolf, who had given in to his hunger, to devour their dead ally. Kavouri could feel them coming close to the altar by the way the air grew heavy with a dark power that clawed at his mind. Now was the best time to fight them, both he and Maika could resist the effects of the aura but the fire wolf was faltering. It was only a matter of time before he would be forced to retreat or succumb to the malevolent aura. The pups succumbed immediately however, falling into a dreamless sleep.
Kavouri dropped down to the canyon floor. As he did so, Maika darted forward and he responded by placing the pups in front of her snarling jaws. While she was off-balance from being forced to abort her charge, Kavouri thrust his large claw at her in an attempt to snip her in twain, but only scoring a light gash across her leg when a fifth leg sprouted from her side, kicking her away from his deadly claw. Kavouri was unsurprised, Maika was known for being able to sprout multiple limbs of varying species from her body.
Nevertheless, Kavouri was pleased. He let out a chirping laugh once again as he set the pups down on the ground in front of him. The two in front of him prepared to fight, but an idea sparked in his mind. He lifted and spread his claws in challenge, "You have lost Gladna Maika. Your subordinate will succumb to the altars aura soon and you know you cannot win whilst I have hostages. I will give you a single pup if you leave now."
The fire breathing subordinate opened his mouth to protest but Maika nipped at him and he shut his worthless mouth again. She turned back to Kavouri and stared down her nose haughtily at him, "Kavouri, you cannot go further. The herald at the altar will drive us out of the canyon, take the pups AND the credit you so desperately want for dealing with us if you do.You will not go further. You must fight us if you want your prize."
Kavouri's stomach tightened as he used it to growl, "You will not follow me. If you do, the herald will kill you and I will still receive a reward. It will be less, this is true. Which is why I am willing to trade."
Maika bared her fangs as she glared at him, "I have escaped heralds before coward."
Kavouri did not back down, "If you go back with nothing to show for it, your masters will punish you. You have lost not only the pups, but your underlings as well." He gestured to her companion who was struggling to stay standing under the mental assault of the altar, "Trade with me and save yourself from punishment," he urged her.
She seemed to pause in thought as she eyed the sleeping pups underneath Kavouri. A long while passed, before her hackles finally fell, "Two pups and we have a deal." She said.
Kavouri paused for a moment before chirping in affirmation. He picked up two pups, one of them was the dying one, and walked halfway between them before setting the two sleeping pups down. Maika walked forward and gazed down at the two pups silently. Then she looked up at Kavouri and the four pups standing behind him. Their eyes met and as Kavouri starred in her eyes he could feel the great ocean of hunger that burned just beneath the thin veneer of her flesh.
There would be no peace here. No bargaining. Only Death.
He surged forward, his crabs legs scuttling as fast as he could go, but he was not fast enough. With a deceptive gentleness she gripped the dying pup with her jaws and in two bites, the pup was gone. He could feel it now. Her aura was a difficult thing, not near so heavy as the altar's gentle shredding of the mind. No, it was a thousand thousand jaws gnawing and nibbling at the mind and the body. It was a voice thick with desperation, pleading to eat. It was famine. It was hunger.
It was the barest speck of the might of Nalka. The speck of hunger from which she had been borne. And after she ate the pup, her hunger, and her power only grew greater.
In response Kavouri dug deep inside himself, seeking the spark that had birthed him.
Ah, why couldn't she be here?
The voice entered his mind. This was the difference between them and their servants. They could call upon the power that resided at the root of their beings.
Oh, my sweet Yaj'elle, where are you?
Their subordinates called them high servants. Not that the heralds or their masters officially recognized the title. The Fire breathing fool fled the battle, drawing Maika's attention. Space seemed to bend and suddenly Maika's jaws was wrapped around his throat. Good, that bought him a little bit of time to draw out more of his power.
No, surely she isn't with those pests.
The memory he was borne from was becoming clearer now. Kavouri could feel his form warping, his flesh being replaced by shadow.
What is so interesting about them?
His aura released from his body. It was a cloying, sweet and sucking thing. Eating at the energy in the air. Drawing it in. holding it tight.
Why them? Why not me?
Kavouri quickly moved forward to get away from pups behind him, his trance faltering momentarily as he willingly let something go. But he had to, lest it be destroyed by what came next.
Why?
He charged towards Gladna Maika, claws raised as his aura began to transform. She looked up from her meal, jaws and eyes glowing red.
Why? Why? Why?
His aura was turning violent, no longer was it cloyingly sweet. Instead it grew hotter as greed, anger, and rage began to rise as Maika charged to meet him.
Why? Why? Why? Why?whywhywhy? WHY!?
Jealousy was always close to rage.
Kavouri's mind bled away as he and Maika clashed in the canyon. Their physical forms clashed as shadowy claws tore off a seemingly endless amount of grotesque limbs. Claws, hands, and fangs scored deep gouges into chitinous shell only for it to be regrown from liquid shadow. Yet, the true spectacle was in the clashing aura. The thousand maws of ravenous hunger chewed at a thousand jealous hands that tore them apart with greedy rage. The voice, dying of hunger was met with a whisper of unrestrained anger and hunger and…
Slowly something else crept in as Kavouri dug deeper into his power than he ever had before. A memory he did not know he had.
Please. Please don't leave me…I can't…I…don't
I don't know what I'd do without you…
Fear welled up in Kavouri. It threatened to drive him mad. It fueled him. His aura ballooned several times larger than it had ever been.
The canyon itself shook as Kavouri's very soul screamed.
Far away, a head raised in attention. Interest sparking in its myriad eyes.
_
Kavouri awoke in the dark for the first time in centuries.
Immediately he surmised that he was being held by a herald. He had gained the ability to see in darkness both mundane and magical centuries ago. Only a herald would be able to defy that. To change that.
"It catches on quickly. This becomes easier." A voice whispered from the darkness as an uncountable multitude of eyes opened.
Kavouri clacked his claws nervously, "What happened? What about the pups, what about Gladna Maika?"
A long moment passed wherein the eyes regarded him silently, "Both are dead. Consumed. By you." It said flatly.
Kavouri froze in shock, "I-I do n-not remember d-doing this," he stammered
"You did."
Kavouri lowered himself as close to the ground as he could, "I will accept any punishment."
"You will not."
Confusion sparked in Kavouri as he looked around at the infinite eyes that surrounded him, "T-then what now?"
The eyes seemed to grow closer, "You will be given the opportunity to prove yourself. Fail and you will die. Succeed and you will become a Jeonlyeong, a herald."
This time, not only did Kavouri's body freeze in shock, but his mind which had been trying to come with excuses also froze. He dared not move, fearing that this was some twisted game as punishment for his failure.
The myriad eyes closed and Kavouri was left in darkness, "You have been noticed by our great master Lyakor, great be his name, and you have been noticed by me. You will attempt to complete one of three tasks given to you. If you succeed you will be made herald."
Images flowed into Kavouri's mind. One of them showing him standing over the flaming wreckage of a small town near a great body of water. Another, him standing amidst a garden that had been torn asunder and a tree that had been cut into twain. The last was him standing over the corpse of a strange pinkish being. A human, he realized.
He looked around at the darkness confidently, "This will be easy. In your visions these creatures are far smaller than I. Destroying them will be a simple task."
A single eye opened in the darkness," All say that. Your powers limited there. Will find yourself feeble, weaker than ever. The laws of the world are different there than they are here. Only "treasures" will work." He said amusedly as the eyes closed.
Kavouri nodded, "I will succeed." He said, this time a little less assuredly.
"You will. You must. In order to help we will grant a gift. Use it wisely."
Then the darkness thrummed with a power that shook Kavouri violently. He could feel himself being torn into pieces, yet his mind was whole.
"Choose. Your mission and your gift"
What mission will you choose?
[] Destroy the town
[] Destroy the garden and the tree
[] Kill the human
What power will you take?
[] The power of earth
The power of earth will be married to your powers of shadow. Master of stone and shadow, you will be sturdy, tanking blows that you cannot avoid with your shadow form. Your advance will be relentless as an avalanche, unstoppable as an earthquake.
[] The power of shadow
Your powers of shadow will be doubled. Though you will be weaker during the day, in the night you will be terrifying. Nothing as big as you are should be able to be completely unseen, yet in the darkness of the night you will be able to ambush unsuspecting victims and turn yourself completely into shadow.
[] Power of fire
The power of fire will be married to your powers of shadow. Your visage will be terrible. A demon of shadow and flame, nothing is left alive in your wake.
A/N: Thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed that. Also yes this quest is going to be illustrated by the fantastic @Wistways who drew the above pictures for us. Updates may come out a bit more slowly than a normal quest, but we hope to have a new illustration for most if not all updates! Make sure to show her your appreciation! ❤
Kavouri was in more pain than he had ever felt in his centuries of life. The destruction of his body had been quick and relatively painless. The reconstruction was similarly so. The fine weaving of earth essence into his soul by the herald was anything but. Kavouri had developed a high tolerance of pain over his many years and brushes with death, but it simply did not matter. Every moment was agony, every second redefined his definition of pain. Kavouri had heard that others sometimes grafted new elements into their soul, but he could not imagine doing so. In a way he was thankful that the herald was doing the hard part for him. Kavouri merely had to endure the pain
Kavouri endured for what felt like years as the earth essence was brought into his soul. When the pain finally ceased Kavouri was afraid to move. Worried that the herald was merely taking a break. Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a courtyard. Each corner adorned with a monument to the great Lyakor. For a brief moment Kavouri was tempted to observe the changes that his body had undergone, but he quickly dismissed the notion. He could do that later, more importantly the herald may view it as Kavouri not trusting his work and take insult.
So he began to move around in his search for the herald, noting in the back of his mind that his body felt much heavier and more solid than it once had. Yet upon his observation he found the altar and its surroundings to be empty. The barren, cracked stone of the courtyard mirrored the wasteland that was the canyon. Yet something about that struck Kavouri as strange. It did not take long for him to realize that the courtyard of the altar should not be cracked so. Was that not an affront to the great Lyakor?
He looked more closely upon the cracks in the ground and found that liquid shadow seemed to flow like water through the fractured stone. Kavouri only had a moment to do a double take before a dozen eyes smaller than ants stared back at him, "Why stay?" it intoned lazily.
Kavouri paused for a moment to think, "I do not know how to get to the human world." He half-stated, half-asked.
"We send you when you feel ready." The herald whispered back.
Kavouri almost demanded to be sent immediately before he paused. If the herald had believed him to be ready he would have likely sent him already. As he was thinking Kavouri noticed the eyes begin to close one by one, sensing his approaching dismissal Kavouri rushed to speak, "What do I need to do?"
"Prepare." It almost yawned as its last eye closed.
Then Kavouri felt the altar begin to awaken. It only then struck him that he hadn't felt the gnawing weight of the Altars aura upon his mind. The aura had only begun to reappear, yet so close to the center Kavouri already felt his mind beginning to succumb to the over powering aura. Immediately he began to flee as quickly as he could, cursing at the new heaviness of his body as he tried to take great leaps from the growing aura. As he ran Kavouri noted that when he leapt from the ground he actually… could feel his strength begin to weaken. It did not help that earth essence he had taken into his being made him more solid and lessened the effect from his shadow form. He felt lighter sure, but not near as much as he used to. Curious he tried to run sideways like he hadn't since he had gained his shadow powers and was surprised to find himself slowly gaining even more strength as he felt energy rush from the earth into his body.
Momentarily shocked at the change Kavouri almost forgot about the cloud of aura racing behind him. Instead he was focused on the changes that had been made to his body. His normally completely black body now glowed faintly green in places, the flesh beneath giving off a strange green light. Curious Kavouri used his mind to look through his body and found that his body now contained two different kinds of energy. One was dark and almost fluid, the shadow energy that had been with him as long as he could remember. The other felt gritty and hard, yet the earth energy felt just as natural as the shadow energy in his body. The fluid and the solid striking a strange harmony as they coursed throughout him.
Kavouri felt the aura of the altar begin to fade way as its expansion slowed down. So he took a moment to appreciate how natural the earth energy felt in his body as he ran when a thought struck him. Curious he weaved the earth energy in the pattern he did for his shadow form…
And immediately went tumbling as his body began to petrify. He quickly undid the ability and felt the petrification begin to become undone. Shaken out of his experimentation by the accident Kavouri did note that he seemed completely unharmed by his tumble. However that was his most immediate concern at the moment. He could experiment later, for now he needed to figure out how to prepare for his mission. He definitely should go back to his home to grab his treasures, the herald had specifically mentioned that only his treasures powers would work in the human world after all.
With a new goal in mind Kavouri turned and headed in his best guess of where his home was.
_
Thankfully, the journey home was relatively uneventful. He did pause for a moment to eat a newly born bull servant on his way home. He ended up wishing he had toyed with it some more however since its flesh was far too tight and corded with muscle to be truly enjoyable. However he had returned home not long afterwards.
His home was a small dead-end cave deep within the earth. He felt at home within the absolute darkness that pervaded the caves and was also pleased to find out that the new earth aspected part of him liked being so far beneath the surface as well.
It was pleasing to be back inside of his cave. It was a fairly simple home, a stretch of clear ground to sleep on in his shell, a small hole he had dug out to put food to snack on later and another hole he had dug and covered up to keep his treasures in. His homes used to be far fancier and indeed some of the other high servants had very fancy homes, demanding their lesser to wait on them hand and foot. Kavouri used to live that way however he was glad he had snapped out of it.
The impetus had been that Kavouri had realized that none of the high servants who lived that way had ever made it to herald. More than that, they all invariably died sooner or later. One can only live in luxury for so long before their instincts and skills, if not their power, begins to fail them. After that it usually wasn't long before they become food for some ambitious servant or deadly rival. It was only after one of Kavouri's own rivals, a raven name Kettle, was consumed by his servants that Kavouri had realized he too would share that fate if he didn't change something. So he went back to the way he had been living before he had realized his own strength. His allies, or perhaps more accurately business partners, had informed him that he did not need to make so drastic a change, but he was happy with his decision. Life was simpler this way and look where it had got him anyways!
Not for the first time, Kavouri marveled at his luck in gaining the opportunity to become a herald. He had given up hope on that long ago yet now the opportunity was presented to him seemingly out of nowhere. However, he could marvel on his luck some other time. Just because the herald did not give him an explicit time limit did not mean there was not one. He had dealt with many heralds in his life and they often were impatient. So he grabbed his treasures and left his cave to go meet one of his old business partners.
_
Among the many planes and dimensions of existence there were, of course, a very wide variety of worlds. However, there was none so orderly and…cluttered as the planes in which the servants of Undettu made their home. Nor was there any other plane whose inhabitants Kavouri hated more, besides perhaps humans.
"No, I know nothing about how to grow wheat." A monkey asked Kavouri as the giant crab carefully tried to walk through a mess of books without impaling any.
Kavouri, not for the first time, chirped angrily, "Do I LOOK like I grow plants?" If he were anywhere else he would have tortured and eaten the monkey already. However, the followers of Undettu were best place to buy information bar none. If Kavouri killed this monkey without good reason then at best he would be forced to pay a fine, one of his treasures and kicked out of the dimension. At worst… It was impossible to run or hide from a herald of Undettu.
The worst part was that the servants of Undettu knew it too, "Who knows man. Your claws look like they would be good for digging." The monkey said as he ate a bug off of Kavouri's shell. He paused considering something before continuing, "Know how to make flour then?"
"I do not know what that is." Kavouri wanted to ask the monkey why he wanted to know, but it was never wise to ask a follower of Undettu a question one did not want an answer to. For one, they could try and charge you for it. Two, many of them would talk for HOURS if given the chance.
The monkey paused again, before turning and giving Kavouri a remarkably shit-eating grin, "Why if you're so curious, I'm trying to make cookies. You see I read about them in a book one time and they sound positively delightful. Recently I found a recipe on how to make them but I'm struggling to make the wheat or the flour. However, the absolute variety of cookies is absolutely astounding! Why one might thi-." Kavouri cursed in his head as he took the long way around a zebra with a lions head who was scribbling on an absolute mess of papers. The damn monkey could read his mind, or at least was privy to his curiosities.
Half an hour later the monkey was still chattering on about cookies, something about macadamia, and Kavouri was seriously considering eating him then and there. So when dual four winged shadows flew overhead he let out a chirp of relief.
"Joffrey, if you don't shut up, then our friend here is liable to eat you." Your partner, Azulle, said with no small amusement, "not that I'd blame him."
Joffrey blinked as he stopped his monologue, before laughing awkwardly and jumping away, somehow managing to not rustle even a page on the massive piles of books and trinkets around them.
"Thank you." Kavouri sighed, "Will there ever be a time when I make it to you unmolested?"
"Unlikely, the young ones are ever fonts of curiosity." he said as he led Kavouri through the piles of books.
Kavouri didn't like many servants, but Azulle was one of them. He had maimed, scared and even eaten several followers of Undettu before he met the relatively professional bird. He had the good sense to not badger Kavouri with endless questions and tirades, not that he didn't push it sometimes.
"So, I have come to understand that you have finally had your lucky break. You looking forward to hunting down your human?" Azelle asked as the last of the books faded away, replaced by lush green grass. The high servants of Undettu did not need mundane parchment to hold their knowledge.
"I look forward to the hunt, yes. Though I do admit my curiosity about what makes their world so special." He said as they approached Azulle's tree and its nest which held several interesting treasures.
The bird landed next to his nest, "I know you do and while I would love to chat about such interesting topics; you are not the only Servant I am meeting today." The bird said as he regarded the giant crab calmly.
Kavouri was surprised, this was even more brusque than usual," I need information about my target. I am willing to pay any one of these treasures," Kavouri said as his possessions emerged from his shadow as though coming to float in water.
Azulle did not even glance at them as his eyes glinted, "You will pay two." He stated
Anger rose in Kavouri quickly, "That's outrageous! Two treasures for info on a single human?!" he said as he snapped his claws angrily.
Azulle's gaze did not waver for a moment, "Yes, two treasures for a single human. A single human whom if you kill you will get to become a herald. Valuable information for a valuable prize."
Anger overwhelmed Kavouri for a moment and he lashed out at the tree, however there was a spark of blue light and his claw bounced back, "I need those to succeed on my mission."
"I know. However this information is highly valuable right now. I would be a fool to not leverage my advantage, but do not worry, I am demanding the same price from the others." Azulle said calmly.
Kavouri stilled at that. Others. Other servants who want information about the human. Immediately Kavouri's anger calmed as the implications hit him, "I will pay your price."
Only then did Azulle look at Kavouri's treasures pooled in shadow. He let out a thoughtful chirp before he waved his wing and suddenly his nest was full of treasures of his own. Strange curiosities from a skull, a book and even a strange set of teeth, "You will give me two items for the information. Beyond that I am willing to exchange these items for your treasures."
"What do they do?" Kavouri asked.
Azulle shook his head, "I will only tell you that they are likely to be useful for your mission."
A/N: Hey there. hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks to the amazing wistways for her art! There is a two hour moratorium on this vote. Plan votes only.
Treasure in this quest grant specific abilities to the holder as well as serve as components for powerful Technique's.
Your Treasures to trade (Must choose at least two):
[] The Jaw of a Wendigo: Grants Kavouri the ability to alter his size, either shrinking to half his size or growing half his size.
[] Eye of a Witch: One time use. Will give Kavouri a vision of his death, allowing him to avoid it once.
[] The Antlers of a white stag: Allows Kavouri to automatically regenerate hp both in and outside of battle with no energy cost. When depleted will turn to dust. (Heals 5% of Kavouri's hp per round and deducts 5% of this items stamina). 45% item stamina.
[] A werewolf Fang: Grants a small bonus to combat ability.
[] The tongue of a liar: Grants a small bonus to deception rolls.
[] Jar of whispers: Allows Kavouri to whisper into the minds of others.
Azulle's Treasures (May pick one for every item of yours you choose past 2):
[] A strange Skull
[] A jar with a snake in it
[] A book bound by a chain
[] A strange metal ball
[] A cup
[] Dentures
[] A necklace
[] A set of keys
[] A Kaleidoscope
One misconception i'd like to clear is that all of the items the Azulle is offering will be useful on your quest. The effects may not be what you expect but they are all useful for you. Ex: you arent going to get bs effect like the dentures just giving you clean teeth.
Also the reason he isnt willing to tell what the items do/are for is because that information itself will give you an advantage over your competitors and azulle intends to remain unbiased. If you do not buy an item, be aware that your competitors might and whatever it does might get used against you. So there is an aspect of trading treasures for an advantage that you would not mind your competitors possibly getting a hold of.
Also feel free to ask questions to azulle. I will treat them as kavouri asking them and respond as though i am azulle.
Sorry about the lack of notice. The holiday season put a hitch in my plans in addition to the fact that i have just finished moving across the entire u.s.a while the moving process isnt quite finished as im living with my grandparents until i can get more permanent housing and a job, it does mean that im finally at a point where i can write again.
While ive been taking care of stuff ive been thinking about this quest and i came up with an idea. In addition to this quest i was thinking of running a light novel from the humans perspective. The idea would be (crab quest update > human ln update > crab quest update > human ln). I wanted to get yalls opinion on whether or not you would like to see this. It should not overly effect the pace that this quest comes out.
Im planning on getting the next chapter out by saturday at the latest. Sorry about the wait but i am happy to be back!
