Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 033 - Part 2

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Tik-Tak’s Request

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TheirWorld

“Che-child, if I might have just a bit more of your time?” the fox spirit asked. Her expression looked thoughtful as Guin looked up at her. “There is a ritual to help cleanse the corruption. I will speak to the malevolent spirits on the Che’s befalk one last time - but the ritual requires some materials. Would you be willing to fetch them for me?”

“Of course!” Guin answered.

“First, gather some wood; We’ll need to make a great bonfire to burn the corpses in this cave. Fire shall cleanse them all. Next, we need some [Spirits’ Tears]. I can sense some on you now, but we shall need quite a bit more. There are some that grow not far from here, on a little brook that runs through the forest. Lastly, we shall need a scale from the Dragon King.”

Guin grimaced. “A scale from the Dragon King? How should I go about getting that?”

The fox spirit sighed. “Normally, I would say to find the Dragon King’s Che-servant, but these past few years none have a appeared,” she said. “In this case, you, yourself, should go to the Dragon King and pray to his alter. Tell him that I, Reili the Che-bound Spirit Fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi, has made this request of you, and all should be fine.”

“You would be so lucky to meet the Dragon King, Guin!” Tik-Tak exclaimed.

“...Alright,” Guin said, thought uncertainty filled her. She thought of the stories of Jormund and Dawl, and wondered what they would say. “I will do as you ask. Where can I find the Dragon King?”

“He is likely in his grotto, to the Northeast,” Relili told her. “I shall mark it on your map. You shall have five says to complete this request - else it shall be too late.”

She has asked you for three things: “First, gather some wood; we need to make a great bonfire to burn the corpses in this cave. Fire shall cleanse them all. Next, we need some flowers of [Spirit’s Tears]. I can sense some on you now, but we shall need quite a bit more. There are some that grow not far from here, on a little brook that runs through the forest. Lastly, we shall need a scale from the Dragon King,” she said. “...you should go to the Dragon King’s Grotto and pray to his alter. Tell him that I, Reili the Che-Bound Spirit Fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi has made this request of you, and all should be fine.”

You have (5) Days to complete this quest.

This quest is optional. It can be skipped.>

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“Thank you,” Guin told her.

Reili shook her head. “No, Candidate. Thank you.”

“Can I go with Guin?” Tik-Tak asked his mother, but Reili could only give him a sad grin.

“I am afraid that in these forms we are bound to the locations of our bodies. Besides,” She licked his nose as he pouted, “I would like to spend what little time I have left with my idiot son.” Tik-Tak giggled and licked Guin’s nose.

Laughing, Guin put him down and stood. “I’ll be off, then!” she said, standing and giving the two spirits a wide - if fake - smile.

“Guin!” Tik-Tak called out just before she left. “Make sure to come back and play, okay?”

“I will!” she called back, and started off.

Back in the forest, Guin looked at her map again with a sigh. She had managed to save Tik-Tak’s mother, but she had not yet cleared the corruption in the woods. And here I thought I’d be done by now…

She found herself staring down at the corrupted beedants and moarbits. They were really a waste of time - and worse, she would very likely never be able to kill them any faster than she already was. Still, she dove into them and started her slaughter.

But as she neared the edge of the corruption, she stopped and looked around, sniffing at the air in her fox form. What’s going on now? She wondered. The number of creatures in the area had grown smaller and smaller, but now there were hardly any.

“Liorax,” she called.

“Yes?” the cat appeared.

“Do you sense anything?”

Liorax sniffed the air and looked around himself. “Something… smells like... Che-people,” he told her, his hackles raising. “Wait here.”

The cat launched off her shoulder and hopped around in the air. The forest was quiet and still.

“Guin! Pull back!” Liorax shouted at her, rushing back. “Back to the cave - we’re surround - hunters!”

“Tsk!” Shifting into fox form, she dashed back the way they came. “Why are they here?” she muttered, as Liorax turned into a speed buff. Did they know she was there? Could Dawl have been in on it? Leaping over beedant after beedant, she rushed through, pulling agro of every creature that saw her.

Shit! She was gathering too many creatures running like she was. Bounding off a tree, she human-formed and quickly to the life of a corrupted moarbit that was behind her. There were four or five more. Activating her [Dance] ritual, she began to weave her way through the monsters, finishing them each in turn, then moved on. She gathered a good ten before going at them again, following the flow of the steps on the ground. The ability turned out to be far more effective than she could have hoped.

Looking back at her handiwork, she glared at the corpses as they popped into treasure chests, and thought, This is what it must feel like to be a vengeful god…

If only a minor one. For now. Though she felt it was inappropriate, she grinned.

As she grabbed her treasures, however, an arrow came sweeping past her face. Guin’s combat-heightened instincts and buffed reflex scores had her shift away without much thought, but it had been a good foot off to begin with. Her eyes flashed in the direction that the arrow had come from, but there was only the rustling of leaves.

“'che-!” she shouted, backing another step in the direction of the cave. It would only take her another minute or so to reach the cavern’s mouth, but she didn’t trust her surroundings. Bugs and rabbits she could deal with. People, on the other hand, that could only mean trouble. “I’m a person, you know!” she shouted to whoever was listening - assuming the were listening. Gritting her teeth, she started walking backwards. At least the cave should be able to cover her back.

Another arrow whipped passed her face - this one was much closer to the target.

Guin turned and bolted, and she heard another good three or four loud thunks into the trees and ground around her. Whoever was shooting at her was obviously in no mood for a chat.

With the cave coming into view, however, Guin sighed a breath of relief. Flipping around with the cave mouth to her back, she made sure to refresh her [Spirit Shield] as she watched the forest.

From the bushes they came.

One, two, four, six… seven! Seven hunters clothed in hooded cloaks and dark colored furs and leathers approached her. Four held bows, two held swords, and one held a spear.

Oh, and how am I supposed to get out of this, stupid tutorial! Guin wondered, becoming less and less shocked that people didn’t do these kinds of quests in the tutorial.