Om I'm relaxing with Dee, sitting in the shade under a maple tree enjoying the sun in comfortable silence. We understand each other him and I, we have a rapport not needing words to convey our communication. Dee is to go to the Dawn in two days to negotiate with some beasts on where to plant the dungeon. The dungeon core has finally accumulated enough energy to establish itself into a strong dungeon. Having somehow fed well on the deaths of the battlefield, creepy but we feed on what we feed. Who am I to judge, "you sure about this?" His gaze gets distant, then he nods his confirmation. "So, you really going to leave in the mists of all this," a girl says as she approaches. I crane my head up and open my eyes. "Moroi, this is Om. Om, this is Moroi." I grunt and clasp her forearm before lying back down in the shade. "Do you know why he's leaving Paradisiam?" She asks me, I shrug not wanting to get involved. The girl is clearly a Jotnar, a descendant of whatever beast they are breeding with up there. She has the beautifully shaped narrow waist and wide hips, the long legs, the height and wide shoulders that are now associated with her tribe. According to stories and speculation around the camp fires and the long-houses, and yes even in the new city there are communal long-houses, an Ancestral beast is the epitome of virility and breeding in the world. An Awakened magical beast that becomes so powerful that it reaches the Ancient Beast stage. Ancient Beasts are a law unto themselves. Evolving in any way they so choose, almost like a human may choose to either Awaken to mana or to psionic powers, or to physical prowess. With the new strength and power some Ancient beasts choose to develop wings, some choose to enlarge themselves or further develop a magical ability or elemental affinity. Beasts said to no longer need to eat to survive sustained by ambient ether. Beasts that can still mate with any beast species producing offspring. From there, after another few hundred years or so an Ancient Beast can get the opportunity to become an Ancestral Beast. This isn't the only path to their next evolution of course, but Ancestral beasts don't have to Ascend even with their vast power. Said to be the protectors of vast territories on Gaia. Ancestral Beasts are shape shifters capable of mating with almost any creature and producing offspring that is a mixture of both parents. Said to be the originators of the beast-men races like centaurs, minotaurs or the naga just to name a few. They have spread their seeds throughout the face of Gaia and the Seven Worlds. If the dryads are the physical manifestation of Gaia's fertility, beauty and spirit the Ancestral beasts are the physical manifestation of her virility and power. I'd like to meet one, to see what it is that woman find so attractive that they can't help but bed a beast, Ancestral or not. I half listen to Dee and his friend argue politely. She's upset that he is leaving; especially that he is keeping secrets from her. He, trying to placate her and trying to hold her arms so she doesn't lash out. I snort, I wish Harold could see this. The day Dee lost his balls to a woman. I study her form a little more closely without being too obvious. Like all these half breed Jotnar she is a fair skinned beauty. Probably not a half breed though; she definitely seems more human than anything else. It's the Jotnar men that are really distinctively other. Tall, big, strong blue eyed bastards the whole lot of them. At least the lot that are a beast's descendants. I don't like how the women throw themselves at them, but I also admire their strength. Would I give up the opportunity to have children for power? Yes, absolutely I would. I study Moroi's figure under my lashes, it's a very nice figure with ample curves complementing it. These Jotnar, are they really Barbarians if they've bred the Rage out of their bloodline? They do fight like daemons possessed, but they are susceptible to heat something we hope the southerners haven't noticed in all the chaos. The main problem with the children of Ancestral Beasts is that they became a new species. Meaning they can only have offspring among themselves and other Ancestral Beasts. An Ancestral Beast mountain lion mating with a human will produce a beastman child with some mountain lion traits and abilities. But that half human child will only be able to have children with its half siblings or another Ancestral Beasts. Or the children of another mix of mountain lion Ancestral beast and human. The combinations are very specific. This implies that all the Jotnar are much closely related than seems natural. But apparently as the line passes down from half human, to 3/4 human et cetera as they interbreed the more likely fertility with humans can eventually be re-established down the line. Rumour has it that their patron is an Ancestral Yeti. I don't even know what a yeti is but judging by its offspring it must look good and be powerful. * I'm woken up, not even realizing I had fallen asleep. I stretch and moan as the sleep melts from my bones feeling groggy with restful slumber. It was a good nap. "I have to go prepare some things." A now alone Dee says, he has grown up well. This war and that girl and the training have been good for him. His star is still only starting to shine and already people among the mage killers speak of him in whispers. That stone of his and that woman with the strange circles have been teaching him some things. Scary things in combat apparently. "Why did you wait almost three years to establish your dungeon anyways?" I ask curious. It’s been a long time since I've thought of that day, the day my little brother died. It was three years ago but it feels recent. Like a fresh wound that hasn't fully scabbed over. I should go see ma soon. "Ma advised me to wait, and somehow convinced the stone that it could empower itself initially through the deaths during these battles so that when it starts building itself it can afford to diverge some priorities for the mutual benefit of it and the people." He looks thoughtful, hand on the pouch on his side where the stone lies. "The dungeon will serve as a training ground and a refuge for the tribes if things go south. It's my contribution to the people." "That makes sense I guess, and the other races have already attacked us for the ore. Imagine the cluster fuck we would be in if they knew we had a dungeon as well," I say, thinking about it. "Yea, that's why the Seers want it established in the territory of an Ancestral Beast. So that the dungeon can be under its protection." Dee looks thoughtful. "So it’s either the Dawn or this mountain Yeti of the Jotnar?" "Yea. But ma doesn't trust the Jotnar, so my first option is the Dawn." I nod; any Norseman knows to listen to Divina. We clasp forearms. "May Gaia be with you," I say as he walks away. It seems everyone is finding their own paths, their own destiny. We all have our destinies, I just need to find mine. The face of that Aaliyah woman cones to mind. I think I shouldn't have killed that one. Why did she have to tell me her name anyways? [Sigh]. Maybe my destiny isn't on the battlefield, maybe I should just become a blacksmith.