STATUS:
Sorry for my lack of posts lately. I've just... been struggling to get the energy to write something up. I'm trying some new meds through so hopefully that will change soon.
7 yrs ago
Current
Sorry for my lack of posts lately. I've just... been struggling to get the energy to write something up. I'm trying some new meds through so hopefully that will change soon.
For her part, once Coco had spotted the two intruders in her apartment, she calmly sighed before using an old but unused teabag as a bookmark to show her what page she was on for later and carefully put the bowl of noodles down so that she could get up without disturbing them... before she glowed and within seconds went from being dressed down and relaxed to her 'magical girl' alter ego. Without a word, her gun materialized in her hands and two rounds were fired; One for that terribly unfashionable lighter and one for the cigar that the rude dick had lit up in her apartment. The gun remained trained on Al Scarpe's head.
Rupert for his part had awoken at the arrival of 'guests' and had easily shifted into their massive combat form, the cute puppy have turned into a massive dog with a deep rumble of a growl akin to that of a bear.
"Consider this your only warning that you're not welcome here. I work for Greed, not you or the Mint. If you want to hire me for a job, you arrange that with Greed. Trespass in my apartment again and you die. Do I make myself clear? Now kindly fuck off."
Knives appeared between the fingers of the woman’s enclosed fist when Coco made her shots, seemingly about to return the hostility in kind, when Al lifted his empty hand up in a casual manner. “Hah haa! So the kitten does have claws! And I was beginning to wonder why Santa Beacon put you on the naughty list. Isn’t that right, Sonia?”
Sonia scoffed, and the knives disappeared as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
Coco noticed how Al’s shadow had its hand reach out to the lighter and grab it without Al giving the gesture even a glance, and after it was dropped back to his hand he placed it back in his pocket. He then stepped to the cigar, and lightly stomped on it, putting out the smoke.
“As irritated as you might be, I make it a habit to meet face to face with potential…business associates, if you catch my meaning. Simply calling up O’l Miser would be easier, but where’s the fun in that?” He summoned a glass filled with an unknown black liquid from the depths of his sleeve, and took a sip. “I also like to give my little gigs directly if possible, just so there’s no complications or misunderstandings. You understand, don’t you?” He asked, and flashed a cocky grin.
The expression on Coco’s face suggested that she might have recently sucked a lemon and thus wasn’t in a good mood, regardless of the people who were in her home… and ruined her carpet. Yes, the place would be free of cigar smoke and the patch on the floor when she returned but she would be stuck with it until she left. While she didn’t speak, the voice in her head did it for her… even if she would be the only one present who would hear it.
“Oh Al… I would hate to have to explain to your successor just why your career was suddenly terminated. Coco, while I see you are upset by this breach of decorum and I am willing to file a complaint with the Mint on their human resource violation on your behalf, Mr Scarpe and his magical resource personnel have so far not warranted a sudden termination of employment. If you would kindly hear out what he has to say for the benefit of future endeavors towards synergy that would be ideal. ”
A small huff escaped Coco as she put her gun away before reaching out to softly rub Rupert’s head, letting her familiar know it was okay to relax just a little before she muttered “For my sake, don’t do this again. The worst that will happen to you is that you’ll be dead after all. Now what exactly is so important that you felt the need to intrude upon my space and time?”
“Seeing you make a frowny face,” Al answered with a chuckle, before he put a fist to his mouth as he coughed a couple of times. “I’m pulling ya leg.” He pulled out a folder from the inside of his jacket, and let it float out to Coco, allowing her to take it. The inside of it included files and pictures of locations and people she had never seen before.
“I’ve got a couple of jobs for someone with your talents. Of course, any job you take will be agreed on by contract, as per your sugar daddy’s preferences,” he said with a grin. “First one is a simple job. There’s a certain organization called the Crimson Cradle hanging around town, and I’d like to learn more about these folks. Problem is, they’re a sneaky bunch, and very picky with who they let in their secret club. But since you’re a new arrival in town, maybe they’ll give you a chance. Try to join in, and report your findings back when the opportunity comes. Depending on the dirt you scoop up, there’s going to be some hefty coins to collect.”
He paused for a moment, before continuing. “Second job’s a bit more difficult, but accordingly comes with a better payout,” he said while rubbing his thumb and index finger together.
“You see those broads?” He gestured to a certain picture that had two girls in it; the girl on the left seemed to be a robot or at least a cyborg based on her metallic features, while the girl on the right was a more traditional-looking magical girl, complete with pastel colors and childish accessories. “Local corrupted answer to a certain big cheese called Penny. She’s made herself a little utopia underground, and as a result, the Mint’s business has taken a dip. She’s a thorn in my side, but rubbing her out’s not a viable option. Chick’s armed to the teeth, and likely to be replaced anyway. But little birds have told me she’s got a sweetheart. I want you to look into this…Magical Dream Princess,” he looked visibly repulsed by speaking her name out, “and if you see the opportunity…take care of her. I don’t care how, but the sooner she’s out of the picture, the better. If that doesn’t work out, make their honeymoon full of stinging bees.” He took a sip of his drink. “Any questions?”
Opening her mouth to clearly say something insulting and hurtful, Coco stopped herself before she antagonized the waste of flesh in a jacket beyond what was a healthy business relationship. The show of restraint and tact got her a pleased noise from her benefactor, making it somewhat easier to offer a smile as she explained “What information can you tell me about the Crimson Cradle, Penny and… and…” A sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes. “Magical Dream Princess. I’m going to kill her, if for no other reason than for making me say those words aloud, but I still expect payment for it.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t expect you to do anything without compensation,” Al replied. “The Crimson Cradle was founded by a foolish broker who thought they could betray the Mint and strike out on their own.” He cracked his knuckles. “Naturally, due to certain circumstances…she disappeared. However, her secret club was taken over by a new founder. We don’t know too much about her except that she’s a witch of some sort, and that her agents had taken in the ex-Sinner of Lust.” He threw a picture to Coco; it depicted a girl with a similar fashion style to herself, except she favored more red than black. “Apparently she got screwed over and got herself purified, not that it matters.” Coco noticed how Sonia’s expression tightened upon hearing Al, but then returned back to her neutral expression, glancing over at Coco.
“Can you hurry this up?” She bluntly remarked, and Al chuckled.
“Alright alright. Next up’s Penny. In addition to being the Queen of her precious Sanctuary, she’s also a cop. You see, for some damn reason, the Beacon decided to let this freak join them like the hypocrites they are. Fortunately it seems it’s not all roses for that galvanized gal based on the reports I’ve gotten. As for her abilities, what can’t she do? Three Specializations, hover boots, gauss cannon, the works. If you’re picking a fight with the Robocop, you’re in for a scrap.” He took a sip. “Lastly, the Pinkie Pie. She apparently can use some kind of reality-warping magic to summon cutesy stuff, turn stuff into cutesy stuff, and so on. Fortunately she doesn’t seem to fully control it, and overall seems to lack in the smarts department.”
He took one last sip, and noticed how his glass was empty. “That’s all. You think you can handle it?”
Some people might have taken Coco’s silence as she looked over the documentation as a moment of quiet contemplation about the information gathered and debating committing to it. The reality was that she was currently having a private discussion with her benefactor.
“Look, I’m happy to take this Crimson job. Information has value after all. I’m not so sure about this assassination. I mean stupid name aside, killing the bitch sounds like a very easy way to end up with both the local Beacon and this ‘Sanctuary’ braying for my blood.”
“A fair assessment… but one that only factors in if one executes the operation poorly. Besides, Mr Scarpe’s primary objective isn’t the termination of MDP. His primary objective is the instability and pain of ‘Penny’. To use a saying you humans are fond of using, there is more than one way to skin a feline.”
With the mental discussion sorted for now, Coco turned her attention to Al as she got to the point. “I’m happy to get some information on this Crimson Cradle group… even if it does kind of sound like some sort of cult. As for this second job. It sounds like the death of… MDP isn’t your actual goal as much as it is to exact retribution on the Sanctuary and its leader Penny for disrupting your goals. I’ll see what I can do but… this isn’t going to have quick results. From the sounds of it the assassination of MDP, if handled poorly, would simply turn her into a martyr that would bring Beacon and Sanctuary together, possibly against Ebon Mint and our shared interests.”
There was a small pause… before Coco finished “At any rate, I’ll look into it. Is that all you wish to offer me or did you have a third job tucked away somewhere?”
"As I've said, it doesn't matter as long as the Queen of Steel gets to rust from her tears. However, I want it done discreetly. Surely that won't be a problem to someone as talented as you, of course." Al then put a hand to his chin, deep in thought, until he nodded. "You know, there is one more job you could do. I've heard a rumor that Beacon's been developing a new weapon of sorts lately. I'd like you to procure something about it; maybe blueprints or a prototype, a broken piece, heck I'd even settle for just evidence of it."
That got a shrug from Coco as she answered “Corporate espionage against Beacon? Sure. Those hypocritical bitches could always use a smack to the face.”
Al flashed a pleased smile, showing his menacingly jagged teeth. “Excellent. Now then, shall we make the contract?” He summoned a golden scroll on his open palm, and let it float over to Coco. As the enchanted item unfolded, it revealed a silver quill for her to use. The words written elegantly on the parchment contained the terms of the agreement, separate ones for each job Al had offered. It also included sections that Coco could modify, such as the duration of the contract and possible resources to be requested for accomplishing the tasks.
Coco offered a smile as she accepted the contract… before rolling it up and tucking it away. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to drop off your copy of it after my master’s people are done having a look at it. If working for Greed had taught her anything, it was the value of having professionals go through a contract with a fine tooth comb before signing anything.
Greed’s approval for her screwedness was a pleasant feeling in her mind and Coco herself couldn’t help but watch Al’s face, watching it for the surprise at things having gone off script.
Whatever reaction Coco wished for in the Mint broker, the man did not show it in his jovial expression. “Go ahead. No matter where it is taken, I will know when it is signed,” he simply answered, and turned away. “Well then, I’ll be heading off; I have other obligations to attend to, and so on.” He nodded to Sonia, who stepped off the wall and created a portal with a sweep of her hand. Al gave one last glance back at Coco; at that moment, as he was hunched over, he resembled less a man, and more like a fey creature of some kind. “Pleasure doing business with ya, Miss.” Then, he walked through the portal, and disappeared.
However, Sonia didn’t immediately follow.
Her eyes darted over to the portal, followed by her briskly walking over to Coco; she produced a note, and gave it to her. She gave her one last look, as if she was examining her, and then also left, closing the portal behind her.
Finally, Coco and Rupert were alone. When she read the note, she realized why Sonia seemed strange about giving it:
I have a request for you. Find Justine von Visceral, and bring her to me alive. I’ll be waiting at the roof of the local church at 2 A.M. every night. The Mint can’t get involved, so don’t let them know about this. I promise you’ll be well rewarded.
The rain was falling, the wind was blowing and despite the otherwise terrible weather Aethel continued on their personally assigned ‘quest’ to explore the world as they started to stroll between the chains of islands that connected the eastern landmass to the western one.
…To be fair, it wasn’t exactly a proper ‘quest’ per say, but in their own mind it sounded a lot grander and more noble than ‘I’m kind of bored and having a look around’.
Skipping across the water of the ocean in a carefree manner, there was a strange grace and dancer like motion to their movements as the humanoid body that they were currently wearing in the event that mortal life was nearby to witness their passing seemed inclined towards turning even the simple act of walking into a performance.
It had to be said that it took Aethel a few moments to realize that they had actually stopped skipping upon the surface of the ocean and had actually made landfall due to the rather swampy, watery nature of the region they had arrived at. The presence of trees hinted at there being land but they hadn’t dismissed the idea that one of their siblings had decided that what the ocean needed was trees that grew tall enough to anchor on the seafloor, but reached all the way to the surface to bathe in the sun… but it was the familiar lingering aura of rot and life via decay that only a swamp could generate that confirmed it for them. It wasn’t an exactly average swamp either, at least it had things the others did not… For example, overgrown remains of ancient structures, or the occasional spot where equally ancient roads had yet to be reclaimed by nature.
Had Aethel not been a God, they probably wouldn’t have noticed the little speck far above in the sky, visible only through a small opening in the canopies that covered the swamp, and they probably wouldn’t have realized that that little speck was in fact some kind of… Mechanical being. Not unlike the great Colossi that wandered the lands, just much smaller in scale, and apparently also capable of flight.
The thought of checking the machine out from much closer was interrupted, however. Naturally, Aethel knew that they were being watched. They also knew that the ones watching them were the six furry creatures hiding in a bush half-hidden behind a thick willow. Aethel knew they were furry, because a quick sideways glance revealed six pairs of triangular feline ears poking out of the bush. The ears flicked every time a fly buzzed close, and the leaves rustled whenever one of the creatures inside swatted off a spider or caterpillar.
“A-choo!” sneezed one of the creatures.
“Dumbass!” whispered another in response.
All of this was relevant information that had been picked up on… but Aethel made the appearance of having not noticed. In their strange dancing skip they continued on, passing by a tree that blocked them from sight of the various pairs of eyes for a moment. Then there was nothing; From their point of view, the skipping being should have passed the tree and kept going but they seemed to have stopped behind it for some reason.
The truth was more humorous for the deity though. They had gone past the tree, leaped upwards and over the top of the treeline and the group of watchers with what would have been an awe inspiring twirl and landed behind them… all in a matter of seconds and all stages done in complete and utter silence.
Hiding in the bush behind the interesting cat people, Aethel waited a few seconds for them to notice the lack of… well, them coming out from behind the tree before they reached out to casually flick a spider off of the shoulder of the person who had sneezed before as they softly stage whispered “Maybe someone should go investigate?”
All the children in the bush froze. They made no movement, with the exception of the sneezing one who little by little lifted her shaking tail to confirm someone was indeed behind her. The moment her tail bumped against the deity, she screamed. Then, everyone else screamed. Before long, all six children were pushing each other as they tried to untangle themselves from each other and jump out of the bush.
For their part, Aethel seemed to take a great deal of enjoyment out of watching the small band of ragamuffins freeze up as they spoke… and the girl using her tail in order to confirm what her ears had heard was just adorable. There was something to be said about a bit of terror to make life worth living after all.
Calmly standing up and walking out of the bush at their own pace in order to give the children more room to get in each other’s way or tangle themselves in the bush further, they decided to politely wait for them to get themselves…somewhat organized. Finally, after quite a bit of struggling, one of them popped out and pulled the others out as quickly as he could. Once only the deity remained in the bush , he pushed his siblings without turning his back to the deity. “Run, run! Get Carer and the Tins! I’ll be fine, Master Night Terror taught me how to defeat Aliens!” Ordered the one who’d jumped out first, assuming a combat stance despite his size being at most a quarter of Aethel’s. Brave, Aethel thought. His siblings quickly took the hint and ran off into the swamp, leaving the boy alone against the god.
For their part, Aethel didn’t chase after them. It was tempting, but their attention was currently locked on the boy who stayed. “The next two minutes are going to be really important to you. You’ve got some critical decisions to make and the first of them is to concede prior to this fight starting because I’m not going to hold back if we start. Here’s the thing… you’ve probably got about ninety seconds to concede and you’ve really got to think it through because what’s going to happen is this…” there was a slight pause in order to take a breath, Aethel’s tone being surprisingly calm and collected, as if they were merely informing the boy of something rather then what the words were about to suggest.
“I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen to you. There’s no promise for your safety, no promise for anything like that. About sixty seconds left. If you’re not going to concede, what do you want me to tell your family?”
“Waow,” The boy sighed, relaxing his stance and shaking his head. His tail imitated the motion. “When did I say I was gonna fight ya? Never! That’s when! ‘Cause Night Terror told me the best way to defeat a villain is to never fight them at all. If I fought a massive alien like ya I’d probably just get punted all the way to the golden toilet. Smart, huh?” The boy nodded with a wide smirk on his face, hands on his hips and chest puffed out.
For their part, Aethel couldn’t help but grin just a little. “Let me guess… You figured that if I actually meant you or your… friends? Siblings?” there was a brief pause before a quick shrug followed and they continued “Any actual harm, I had ample opportunity to do so before revealing myself… and why you were all struggling to get out of the bush. So you decided to prove how brave you were in their eyes by staying behind to stall me. Clever. What’s your name?”
“It wasn’t really about ya meaning any harm. Ya wouldn’t know the kinda messed up things that happen round here. For all I know ya could just be toying with me, asking me questions before ya drain me dry. Or ya could be a new kinda ghost! Or maybe a very weird looking mushroom. Huh, there weren’t any mushrooms on the ground inside the bush were there?” The boy asked and took a quick look inside the bush, emerging with a shake of his head. “Nop. None. I’m Blue Soar, anyway.”
There was a brief pause as Aethel absorbed this information… and after a moment asked “Considering that of the local threats the first one you decided to mention involved the draining of your blood… I’m guessing you’re referring to a breed of creature that changes their appearance and pretends to be other people to drink the blood of their victims. The Rattus refer to such creatures that lurk in the deserts around their homeland by the name of ‘Pretenders’.”
Having offered a reward of information in exchange for what Blue had offered already, Aethel did add “I haven’t heard about hostile, bipedal mushrooms before… but then again this is my first time visiting this part of the world. You can call me Rainbow Tree if you want.” the deity offered back, thinking of a name on the fly.
“Rats? They have names for Vamps? Ya pulling my tail, Tree? Though to be honest I haven’t seen that many rats around. Mom says it’s because they were all eaten after the Day of Ashes. Also on the mushrooms, obviously ya wouldn’t be the mushroom Tree, ya’d be one of the crazy things the mushrooms make ya see! Ya know, one time I licked one of them and dreamed I was a girl? Not just a girl, a Prime too! So ya could easily be a vision from the mushrooms.” Soar said with another self-confident nod.
“Blue, if I was yanking your tail you would know it. That being said, the Rattus do have a somewhat easier time with the bloodsuckers because they see the world a bit differently than most. Their illusions still fool the eyes but it doesn’t change how the winds of mana interact with them. But the Rattus are a people much like yourself and the others you were with before they scampered off… they were originally rats, but they’re a lot more now. There was a slight smirk as Tree added “Some of them stand taller than you on their back legs.”
The mushroom dream actually caused them to chuckle. “I’m not going to rule out the possibility that I’m some kind of dream created by fungi… but I like to think that if I am, that means you’re having a good dream. After all, a cute, brave boy deserves them.” There might have been a slight wink and a playful chuckle, before ‘Tree’ got semi serious again as they asked “You mentioned a ‘Day of Ashes’. What is that?”
“I did. Ya don’t know about it? Ya truly are an alien. D’ya come from the moon, Tree?” Soar asked and crossed his arms. “I’m not supposed to tell aliens anything to begin with…”
There was a small scoff at the suggestion. “No. But creating the tree I call my home played a part in creating the moon. Launched most of the materials it’s made out of up there. But I don’t know about this ‘Day of Ashes’ and I do enjoy hearing new stories.” Some might have considered Tree’s words to be utter insanity but… it was the simple way they said it in passing that suggested that not only was it the truth, but it was an unimportant one at that.
Soar scrunched up his face, then with a flick of his ears he turned his head to one side and chuckled. “Carer’s on the way. I’m not old so I can’t tell ya about the D.O.A. If ya wanna know just ask her.” The kid explained.
“Was this Carer old enough to be there?”
Blue Soar shrugged, just in time for a figure to drop down from above the canopies of the trees. It landed with both feet on the muddy ground and skid to a halt in-between the child and Aethel. Arms that previously looked like metal wings quickly turned to humanoid ones, and it's pointy face flattened and an opaque blackish green visor slid over it. Once its transformation into a full humanoid was over, it stood upright at nearly two metres tall.
Blue Soar didn't seem scared. Instead, he had a wide smirk on his face as he turned around and walked off into the swamp with a swagger in his step. "See ya round, Tree."
The distinctively feminine metallic humanoid's visor flashed green for a split moment before settling on a rich orange hue.
"Divine creature, your presence has been reported to Astus. Will you tell me what the purpose behind talking to a lone child in the middle of the swamp is?" The robotic human asked, her voice coming from a box in her throat rather than where one would expect her mouth to be. It sounded raspy and had a constant background of static.
Had they been any other type of entity, the new arrival could have been seen as threatening or at least have gotten a surprised reaction from its appearance. In Aethel’s case, the look on their face, after they offered Blue a polite wave and a simple “Take care Blue.” before giving the newcomer their attention, was that of a child's curiosity.
“Well, aren't you an interesting one? A living creature made out of metal with a mana heart bringing you to life. You’re utterly captivating in how beautiful you truly are…” their voice trailed off for a moment… before he suddenly shook their head in order to snap out of it because the being had asked him a question.
“Oh forgive me, I just found myself lost gazing at your core. I’m sure you hear that all the time through. You can call me Rainbow Tree and I was just passing through on a quest to see what my siblings have done with this part of the world when I happened to encounter some youths. Blue seemed inclined to talk and I was happy to do so.” An explanation given, ‘Tree’ smiled as they asked “Are you Carer by any chance? Blue mentioned the name but I didn’t want to assume.”
“I am Carer, First Generation Prime Astalonian, our Cores are triple-shielded against shock, temperature and penetration. They’re masterpieces created by Astus, Chief of Industry, that serve as Central Processing Units and Black Boxes. In the future please refrain from speaking to lone children, Divine Creature Rainbow Tree. Are you taking your leave now?” Carer asked, her hand resting on the hilt of the long blade currently attached to her hip.
For the first time in what felt like eternity, the smile slowly started to fade from Aethel’s face until there was only Aethel left. While it might not have sounded like much, for someone witnessing it, it would have been as unnerving and creepy as if Aethel was disappearing and leaving a smile behind. “I’m sorry, I do believe I must have misheard you. Did you just imply that I, as a divine entity, cannot be trusted to be left alone with a child? Because that would be insanely rude. The only thing I dislike as much as rudeness are people who attempt to lie to me.”
Carer's visor flashed red. She was silent for a few seconds. "I apologise if I have offended you. Is it rude to request unknown Divines to stay away from Children? Our own Divine Patron killed hundreds, after all."
The best way to describe ‘Rainbow Tree’s body language would have been that of an angry bird who, having ruffled their feathers and finding the situation returning to calm, was smoothing them out again. The smile was back. “Very much so, but I am willing to chalk this up to a hole in your creator's teachings since he is clearly somewhat active in your life and thus I will accept your apology Carer. Out of curiosity, was this slaughter of mortals the ‘Day of Ashes’ that Blue mentioned? He didn’t go into details, but insisted you would be a better storyteller.”
Carer's hand came off the hilt of her blade and her arms began to stretch and twist and break in different places, slowly assuming the form of a pair of long wings. "Blue Soar tends to exaggerate my skills. I am merely a machine, after all. The Day of Ashes was a tragedy that took place on this land decades ago, orchestrated by Chief Astus in order to cleanse the land of a horrible taint. The project was a success, of course, but I have no more memories of it. I was confined to the Vault throughout it all."
Aethel’s head tilted slightly to the side, a small ‘hmm’ escaping them before they asked the first question that came to their mind. “And what nature of taint was this?”
"I do not have that information."
There was another ‘Hmm’ as for a few seconds the gears in Aethel’s head turned. “Fair enough then. I will have to speak with Astus himself at some point to find out that detail. Would hate for the mortals I’ve created to encounter something that needed to be so heavily purged after all. What is currently troubling your people at this time, Carer? After all, while I am sure Astus meant the best, I'm sure Blue and the rest of the organics you protect would appreciate a more… soft handed approach to problems going forward.”
"We've recently contained a Stage 4 Fungal Outbreak fifty seven kilometers northwest of this location. We estimate about three hundred and seventy nine tons of biomatter has been infected on the surface, with an unknown quantity extending underground throughout the caverns. We need more firepower in order to stage an effective extermination. Chief Astus is also always on the lookout for ways to increase birth rates among the Astalonian Homurans."
For a moment, Aethel weighed their options before at last suggesting “I think, before I make any decisions of how to proceed, I should have a look at this fungi problem you seem to be having for myself. If you want to lead the way I’m happy to fly after you.”
Carer nodded, "I will lead you to the entrance into the quarantine zone and request the Primes stationed there to let you through. I can not be your guide in the area, however." She said and took off running, then with a mighty jump propelled herself to the sky, using her wings to glide.
In what had to be a flashy, somewhat gaudy display a pair of translucent butterfly wings appeared on Aethel’s back, easily lifting them off the ground and allowing them to fly after Carer, bathing the land below in different colored lights as the sun beamed through the wings with each flap.
II
Carer landed with a long skid and a quick shift back to her humanoid form, with Aethel landing behind her almost soundlessly a split moment after. The Primes posted at either side of the double chain link gates nodded at Carer, their visors a steady blue, and placed their hands on the hilts of their weapons as soon as Carer returned the nod.
“This Divine wishes to enter the Quarantine Zone. Stabber, Cleaver, you two will allow their entry or exit at any time as long as protocols are followed at all times.” Carer commanded, her visor green. The two Primes nodded again.
“Acknowledged.” They both said at the same time, their voice boxes sounding the exact same.
The one named Stabber then nodded at Aethel, his visor suddenly changing to yellow. “Does the Divine Creature wish to enter the Quarantine Zone now?”
Gazing through the chain link gate into the Quarantine Zone, Aethel let Carer speak with her peers in silence as they focused on what they were seeing… only to snap out of it slightly as they turned to look at Stabber. “And what exactly are these protocols that are in place?”
“To go through decontamination before entering and upon leaving.” Stabber nodded his head towards a moderately sized tent beside the entrance. “To prevent any infected lifeforms from exiting.”
About a hundred meters overhead, what must have been a hundred drones whizzed past and over the Quarantine zone, dousing the area in some kind of purple powdery substance. Massive needle-like projectiles launched up from the thick, sickly swamp and shot down several of the drones, the sound of the explosions reaching Aethel several seconds after the fact.
Aethel was listening to the discussion, but it was easy to see that they were watching the fight that was happening in the air with a degree of interest… event as they pointed out “Decontaminating before going in seems like a waste of time. I mean, are you worried that I’m going to take something into the zone that will sicken the fungi?”
“We’re worried you may carry new, lethal microscopic life into the zone which the Fungal Hivemind will then inevitably assimilate into its arsenal, Divine Rainbow Tree.” Carer explained, making her way to the tent’s entrance and motioning inside. “Please, if you would. Upon entering, the entrance will seal while you’re decontaminated.”
“Very well. I am a guest in your land after all.” Aethel politely offered before walking towards and into the tent in order to get this process over with. True to Carer’s word, immediately upon entering, a flap of plastic dropped over the entrance and sealed it, then they were doused in a yellow vapour of some kind for what felt like an entire minute. It was eventually over, however, and as the vapour was finally completely sucked out of the tent through some small vents on the ground, the flap of plastic covering the entrance came off. When Aethel left the tent, the gates to the Quarantine Zone were open and the three Primes motioned for them to enter.
“The Divine Creature may now enter.” Stabber declared, both him and Cleaver closely observing the tree line a few dozen meters past the gate. Offering the two ‘guards’ a small bow of his head, Aethel said nothing as they crossed the threshold in order to see what was hidden within the infected zone.
III
It was a good three days before Aethel exited the treeline of the infected zone, clearly no worse for wear because it would take more than a fungal infection to actually cause a deity any actual issues. In a calm but thoughtful manner, they allowed themselves to undergo the process of decontamination. An idea had already, pun intended, taken root in their mind but the details needed to be worked out just a little.
It was once they had left the tent that they got to work. With a small show of flare, Aethel walked about an arm's length away from the wall of the quarantine zone, pausing every few meters in order to throw what appeared to be some kind of seeds into the air away from the wall. This would continue until at last they had done a full circuit of the wall… and then they turned around and repeated the process by going the other way. At no point did Aethel actually reveal a bag or container for the seeds they were throwing; It was as if they threw their hand out and the seeds appeared.
Once the second circuit was done, Aethel came to a stop to take a deep breath. Their eyes closed, they tilted their head upwards as they let out what would appear to the mortal eye as a rain cloud, floating up out of their mouth and spreading out, growing in size until it easily surrounded the Quarantine Zone so that it had a ring of cloud cover, but none of it drifted past the wall. Those with the ability to see mana would easily be able to spot the green that laced the cloud that Aethel was creating.
Once the cloud was at an acceptable size, it stopped coming out… and Aethel closed their mouth before bringing their hands together in a loud, thunder-like clap that caused the clouds to suddenly start raining.
For a few minutes there was no change… and then the flowers started to pop out of the ground. At first they were small things, but within seconds they started to swell in size until a massive ring of brightly colored, beautiful and pleasant smelling flowers surrounded the other wall. Then the flowers started to push themselves out of the soil, revealing that the ‘flower’ was simply the top of what appeared to be a dark bluish humanoid body with legs, arms and a pair of small red eyes and a small mouth.
While they were all a variety of sizes, shapes and colorations, the biggest of these plant characters was almost two meters tall… though while there were hundreds, if not thousands of them, few actually came close to that massive size. As the plant animals started to look around and move, spores started to leave their flowery heads, filling the air to seemingly no ill effect. Satisfied with their work, Aethel turned to Stabber and Cleaver and offered “I do believe this will help you and your feline companions out in keeping things under control.”
“The Divine Creature’s work is appreciated.” Stabber nodded, his visor blue.
“The Divine Creature’s work will ensure the outbreak is contained.” Cleaver said, his visor red.
“And if you let them wander around and do their thing in peace, it should be rather difficult for further outbreaks to get rooted.” Aethel offered, but didn’t feel inclined to explain the details of it. “Before I go wandering again, you wouldn’t happen to know where Astus is, would you?”
“That information is classified.” Explained Stabber.
Aethel looked at Stabber in their blue visor with the look of someone who knew what the outcome of this conversation was going to be, but they were still slightly inconvenienced by the fact that the other person was insisting that the steps be taken in order all the same. “I was under the impression that Astus wanted to see me at some point. He was made aware of my presence after all. At this stage I feel like it would be awfully rude to have enjoyed the hospitality of his domain without at least meeting with him personally.”
Stabber’s visor flashed yellow, “A report of the Divine Creature’s presence has been submitted to and received by the Chief. No further reports have been made. Does the Divine Creature wish for us to submit a request for an appointment with the Chief?”
“The Divine Creature would have to be really fuckin’ lucky to get one. Worth a try.” Cleaver added.
Glancing towards Cleaver, Aethel’s face was unreadable as they asked “You are suggesting that Astus wouldn’t make time to meet one of his kin?”
“The Chief is a busy Divine Creature. The Chief will make time if the Divine Creature requests an appointment and He deems it worthwhile.” Stabber explained, his visor slowly going back to blue.
For a moment, Aethel placed a hand on their hip and slowly started to tap it with their fingers in a slightly put out manner… but they shrugged as they answered “In that case, please send a message on my behalf that I was intending to move on and leave his domain, but would have liked to see him in person before going.”
Stabber’s visor flashed yellow again. “Request submitted. Orders received. Engaging R.C.M.” A split moment later, Stabber’s visor turned off entirely and his entire body seemed to twitch. When his voice box activated again, it wasn’t the smooth and calculated voice of the Twin Primes, but a rough and obnoxiously loud one.
“IF IT ISN’T ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES! CUT TO THE CHASE AND JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, SMALL MAN. I GOT A 155,000 HORSEPOWER ENGINE PROTOTYPE WAITIN’ FOR ME TO GET BACK TO WORK.”
For their part, Aethel sort of leaned back as the yelling started. Despite having a form that didn’t have visible ears, their ‘hair’ seemed to fold onto their head as if trying to protect them all the same. “I’m assuming I’m speaking with Astus. Why are you yelling?” was the first question that came to mind.
“AIN’T YELLIN’ SMALL MAN, MAYBE YOUR EARS ARE TOO WEAK? I GOT AUGMENTS HERE THAT YOU COULD PURCHASE, HAH!”
There was a deep, deep breath as Aethel took a moment to respect the fact that this was Astus’ domain and thus he was the host. A short explanation was offered quickly“I was passing through the region when I encountered some of your people. After a bit of a chat, I decided to assist them with their Fungus problem… but before I departed I wanted to check in with you, since this is your domain. I would have done so sooner, but I was exploring the depths of your infestation problem.”
“I’VE ALREADY SEEN THE PLANT THINGS YOU MADE. THEY’RE GONNA BE REAL HELPFUL, SO THANKS! NEVERMIND THAT THOUGH, YOU CALLED YOURSELF RAINBOW TREE WHEN YOU SPOKE TO CARER. YOU AETHEL? CREATOR OF THE AETHELIC FIELDS?”
There was a brief moment of confusion on Aethel’s part… before they blinked as it hit them. “Yes, I am Aethel… and I am the creator of Mana. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re talking about though because I’m not prone to naming things after myself.”
“K, SO I’M GONNA ASK YOU. NO COPYRIGHTS ON THIS MANA THING RIGHT? I’VE BEEN USIN’ IT FOR A LONG ASS TIME NOW, WOULDN’T WANNA HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RIGHT TO USE IT.”
There was a glance offered to Cleaver that summed up in a single look the sentence ‘The fuck is Copyright?’ before they turned back to Stabber and answered “I did create it with the intention that it was going to be used. Granted, using it to create a machine heart to develop metal life wasn’t something I had planned but that’s why I’m happy to let people play around with it. Wonderful things come of it after all. So yes, you may continue to use it. However, there is one question I would like to ask of you while I’ve got you here.”
“Carer mentioned that you needed to purge a number of your organic mortals due to some ‘taint’, but she didn’t know what it was. You mind filling me in?”
“AH, THAT. YEAH THEY WERE LAZY AND DUMB CAUSE I DID EVERYTHIN’ FOR THEM. SO I WIPED ALL THE TECHNOLOGY OFF THE ISLAND AND FORCED THE SURVIVORS TO LEARN STUFF PROPERLY. WHAT NOSTALGIA! SO, YOU DONE SMALL MAN?”
“It would seem so. Thank you for your hospitality Astus. Though I must confess the coincidence of how your organic mortals bare a striking resemblance to the mortal template that Homura created and started gifting to other deities to finish.”
“IT’S ALMOST LIKE I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN THEM FROM HOMURA TOO. WHAT COINCIDENCE! WE BOTH CAN CONNECT THE DOTS. YOU IMPRESS ME, RAINBOW TREE.”
“I see I have contacted you at a bad time. Thank you for taking some time out of your clearly busy day to speak with me, Astus. I’ll let you get back to playing around by yourself in your workshop.[/color]”
“AND I’LL LET YOU GET BACK TO DANCIN’ IN THE SWAMP.” And with that, Stabber’s visor turned back on and settled on a deep purple.
“Is the Divine Creature satisfied?” He asked, his voice back to normal.
There was a small sigh as Aethel answered “About as satisfied as I can be under the circumstances. I will take my leave… that being said, I do hope that whenever Astus brings the wrath of other deities down on himself that you survive it. It would be a shame to lose such a marvelous people like yourselves after all.”
The Primes nodded at Aethel and went back to standing at either side of the chain link gate.
Aethel arrives at Astalon’s southwestern area, an overgrown swamp. There, he meets a bunch of kids and he talks to a lone kid until a Prime called Carer arrives and takes over. Aethel then requests to be taken to the closest Fungal Hivemind outbreak with ends up being a Stage 4 Quarantine Zone, meant to keep a sentient-level outbreak contained. He goes into the quarantine zone on his own and when he emerges he creates a bunch of plant creatures that upon walking, spew out spores that can combat Fungal Hivemind spores. After that, Aethel requests to talk to Astus, and Astus immediately takes control of the Prime in front of Aethel and they both chat for a short while. After that is done, Aethel leaves.
3 Vigor: Create an extraordinary species of unintelligent life; plants and animals, with great power.
1 Vigor (0 Due to divine aspect): Blessing or curse.
Hummers: Created by Aethel in order to counterattack the Fungi Hivemind and its attempts to expand, the Hummers (as named by the local Astalonians) are a plant based bipedal creature with a dark blue body, a pair of legs and arms for a total of four limbs, a pair of dot like red eyes and a small mouth. The most noticeable feature of the Hummer is its flower-like ‘hat’, which grows atop of its head and is generally about as wide as the body is tall.
While the flower can take a wide number of shapes and colorations, all of them allow the Hummer to draw energy from the Sun while also serving as the exit point for the Hummer’s spores, which are released every time that the Hummer moves around (through the Hummer can expel spores in a cloud if required). These spores are completely harmless to living creatures and plantlife… with one exception.
Hummer spores are naturally toxic to the Fungal Hivemind, killing off its spores and the more ‘mundane’ fungus that it develops as it terraforms an area and outright paralyzing any organic ‘host’ that has been infected, leaving them defenseless to the elements and the Hummers themselves, who while normally content with sunlight, water and the nutrition they can get from the soil will descend and eat Fungal Hivemind biomass, regardless of whatever form it might take.
While the Hummers are unintelligent and are plant based animals, they are completely passive and friendly to all non-hivemind life. They naturally flock towards those tending to plants and are named Hummers due to the whimsical, music-like noises that they produce and their habit of bursting into dance when they hear music they like.
Those who can sense mana will also detect that the Hummer’s are a living font of Green Mana, bathing whatever aura they are in with green mana and encouraging the development and growth of healthy plantlife. Combined with their natural spores, this tends to make any area they inhabit for any length of time will be filled with healthy plantlife.
While immune to the corruptive nature of the Fungal Hivemind’s infestation, the Hummer’s are completely dependent on their spores to protect themselves from direct attack from the one entity that they are hostile to. They do not have any actual means of protecting themselves in a mundane sense beyond being made completely of plant matter (discouraging carnivores) and are prone to moving around and running away if something tries to take a bite out of them.
Raethel had always found the settlement of the Greenland Docks to be an interesting contrast to Firstbarrows. Where the latter was largely located underground with settlements made of sand colored stone on the surface (turning sand to stone had been among the first tricks their people have ever employed mana to perform after all), Greenland had provided new challenges in order to properly settle it.
While digging down was still possible, the vast presence of plant life and especially trees caused an issue that simply wasn't a concern in their homeland: Roots. They were numerous, big and often ran deep into the soil around them. While it didn't make creating barrows impossible, digging down to the layer you needed to be in order to avoid roots completely was something of a nightmare to do. While there had been some early clashes between the Followers of the Green Wind and others on the debate of moving the roots verse destroying or damaging them in order to bypass them, the truth of the matter was that both were highly time consuming and troublesome to do.
As such, the early settlers of Greenland had come up with an alternative method of dealing with their shelter problem since burrowing into the ground was so difficult to do in a timely manner; They started burrowing into the trees themselves. The idea wasn't as insane as it sounded, Raethel had discovered when he had visited the place for the first time once the settlers had gotten a bit more dug in.
Some of the true giants of the forest of Greenland were massive things that alone could provide enough timber that would last the Rattus as a whole for years, but their size made actually felling them a logistical impossibility; Not only would it cause untold damage to the world around it as it fell and crushed everything unfortunate enough to be in its path, but wood trended to decay fairly quickly unless the could get to it and treat it first... and the sheer size of one of these fallen titans of timber would ensure that most of its bounty would simply go to waste if the time and effort was made to bring one down.
Instead, Raethel was proud to say that the settlers had solved two problems at once as they started burrowing into the titans and hollowing them out, extracting block after block of timber in the process while also leaving enough behind to both keep the tree stable and keeping it alive so that the rest of the wood wouldn't start to decay. This allowed the creation of rooms within the still living trees for Rattus to move into and maybe use some mana in order to strengthen the walls a bit in order to better support their house.
This development also meant that unlike in Firstbarrows, where structures tended to go downwards, in the Greenland Dock settlement their buildings went upwards as they dug out more and more of the tree. There were Rattus who spent the dark hours of the cycle resting closer to the sky then most animals dreamed possible, with those in rooms closest to the outside even going so far as to gnaw holes in order to let in air and light. Some of the wood of the tree had gone into creating barriers for the entrances and these holes to the outside so that they might be closed as needed, but Raethel had to admit that it was quite a sight to see the tree barrows at night, when the shutters were left open and one could see the lights of the Rattus within brightening the trunk.
The view from those upper windows truly was something to behold as well, as Raethel himself gazed from one out across the construction yards of the Docks themselves, as well as the forest and far out across the great salt waters for a long way. He couldn't quite see their homeland from up here, but maybe in a few more years as they went further up the tree...
The only thing that was even more impressive then the view outside of the window was the expression on the faces of his children as they, in small groups, had their turn to look out and see it for the first time. While this exact height was new to Raethel himself, he had seen similar views in prior visits to the settlement... but this was the first time his children had ever been so far above the ground. He still somewhat remembered his first time gazing out and feeling a mixture of fear and excitement... it was something else entirely to see those expressions play out on the features of his pups.
Then again, this whole trip had been a chance to witness his pups see and experience things for the first time. Sailing on open waters, the site of the tree barrows at early dark, the sight from the top of the tree barrows.. but he still remembered the captivated look in the eyes of some of his pups from both litters when they witnessed the construction yards of the docks from up close. While he could see them from here if he poked his head out and looked down, it wasn't quite the same as actually standing there... and he didn't want to encourage his children to lean out the window either.
In person the dockyards were in full swing as countless paws worked on creating ocean craft. All one needed to do was look towards the ocean in view and one could see the fruits of the dock workers labors as wooden craft sailed between Greenland and the homeland to trade with Firstbarrows... but craft were also traveling along the coast south of the docks. While it was true that the craft could only travel so far still, each week seemed to bring improvements to the designs and how they were constructed, as well as better preparing them for the rigors and trials of the salty sea.
Their crews also had a chance to grow more experienced and practiced with every journey, allowing for quite a selection of Rattus to choose from in order to build a crew to fulfill Aethel's divine mandate for Rattus kind to set foot on a far distant shore that wasn't connected to their homeland at all. While he couldn't see it from here without setting a bad example for his pups, Raethel knew that down below the frame of a new craft was slowly being put together. One that was bigger then all the rest.
Raethel shows his kids the Greenland Docks Settlement, which just so happens to showcase some of the differences between it and settlements back in their desert homeland.
There is also some foreshadowing of the next step in Rattus ambitions as far as ocean travel and exploration is concerned. The seas will belong to the Rattus in time.
Start: 4
+1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line. +1 for being main character. +1 Med length post
Divine Quest: Claim the Land of Deserts and Hidden Rivers for the Rattus (In progress) Divine Quest: Discover a new land across the sea (Plus discover the ability to sail on the ocean) (In progress) Divine Quest: Create safe passage through the Great Dragon Range so Rattus can explore the other side.
If she was being completely honest with herself, Roxanna had lost the Christmas Spirit a long time ago. Back when she had been Argol and a young boy the holiday was a magical time of the year, but after a certain point the whole thing just became more of a hassle then anything due to the friction and conflict that was generated whenever their family got together. The fact that Roxanna didn't have any family of her own in order to go and visit likely didn't help but... Christmas was just another day for her.
However, for the holiday season, Roxanna did run something of a small 'business'... through the term was used lightly because while she wasn't an ordained priestess or had a shrine she could go and visit, some traditions of Ofuda had to be maintained and one of the most important was that the kamifuda and kifuda that she kept on her stand were not for sale. They were holy items after all and to sell them would be highly questionable at best. Instead she followed the method used by the shrines themselves: The items were 'received' by those that stopped by her homemade stall at the train station and in exchange they made a donation relevant to the time and effort she had to put in to make and bless in item in question.
With people returning from holidays or coming home for the New Year, inside of the train station was generally a good place to set up shop so those trying to stay out of the cold could come and have a look. Unfortunately, the presence of people also tended to draw less welcome attention... Which was why there were innocent people running away screaming, her stall had been toppled over and somewhat broken with the displayed items scattered over the ground and Roxanna herself impaling a kifuda dedicated to Ucchusma into the chest of a rotten looking humanoid deer thing with blood (both fresh and old) caked around its maw before kicking it hard enough to send it stumbling back to give herself a bit more room.
While it was true that ofuda writings dedicated to Ucchusma were generally made with a more passive cleansing of the unclean in mind, Roxanna couldn't help but feel somewhat vindicated by her belief in it as the deer creature started to violently claw at its chest, trying to dig out the kifuda as she saw flame start to shoot out of the puncture wound. With her current foe incapacitated and distracted by a deity that she was going to be offering some prayers to later, Roxanna quickly looked around to see how the rest of the fight was going.
The two clones she had created at the start of the fight were holding their own against two more of the rotten beasts, the damn things proving rather tanky to her physical blows but at least preventing them from chasing after fleeing human targets. The fourth one of the pack was still ripping around one of the food kiosks, consuming everything that it encountered. That had been a stroke of genius on her part; These creatures weren't mindless, but their hunger was so all consuming that it was easy to think otherwise. Actually reaching in and enhancing that drive to eat towards the nearest source of meat possible had proven to be somewhat easy since was inclined to do that anyway, so instead of hunting humans it was currently content with ripping into half cooked chicken and meat products that hadn't been put on the grill or into the deep fryer yet to try and lessen its hunger enough to start thinking of hunting humans again.
'Social, we need to end this quickly.' Roxanna thought in her mind... and wasn't that surprised by the fact a different voice answered her there.
'Fire would be the most effective tool to use, but despite how tough these things are they can be physically killed by more mundane means. Just remember to collect their icy hearts afterwards. They need to be burned in a fire hot enough to melt them to finish these things off for good, otherwise they'll just return in time.' It might not have been the quick and easy answer she had wanted, but Roxanna could appreciate just having information at all. That thing about the hearts alone was worth knowing.
'Do you think I could trick two of them into fighting each other? Make them so hungry they'll try and eat each other?' She asked at the speed of thought, with a reply coming a moment later after Social needed a moment to consider the possibilities.
'If it was just two, it would be possible. But you would need to focus on keeping them locked on each other and since there are four of them... Wouldn't recommend. Heads up, the one you impaled is just about done 'healing' itself.' Social's warning proved true, as the wendigo in question had managed to dig out the blessed wood from the gaping hole it had dug into its own chest, reveling the extent of the internal burns that was preventing the wounds from healing up as it cast the kifuda aside before roar-screaming in fury and pain.
Taking a deep breath, Roxanna charged forward in order to get the offensive on this opponent before it had a chance to collect itself... or worse, try to actually heal rather then just remove the object burning it from the inside out.
The sound of rain on the glass of the covered windows was a familiar, comforting one. If she kept the curtains firmly closed, she could even pretend that it actually was rain that was touching the glass.
Shortly after her Patron had granted her this apartment Coco occasionally had looked out the windows, trying to come to some understanding of the alien landscape that existed outside of the glass. Sometimes she still did when she felt an artistic urge seize her before she tried to capture a view that so few humans might have ever had the chance to see. But not when it rained. Never when it rained. That was the time when she closed the curtains and focused her attention elsewhere. Because that noise wasn't rain and what it was proved unsettling to witness.
So she enjoyed the comfort of her easy chair, a bowl with two packets of chicken flavored noodles steaming next to her as she continued to read through the collective works of Lovecraft while Rupert napped on his own comfy chair. Part of her choice of reading material was due to a desire to read some of the classics that had formed the corner stone of human literature; She had made it about halfway through the Count of Monte Cristo before the writing style had caused her to put it down and never pick it up again, but while Lovecraft's own writings were clearly old fashioned, she found it helped capture the themes the writer was striving for.
It was also educational. Oh a lot of it was simply the paranoia of a rather close minded man in an era where his certainties were being eroded and overturned at every corner and it was doubtful any of the 'gods' or alien races he had written about actually existed, but despite its flaws it did give one a fairly solid idea of what to expect when encountering the servants of a Horror.
Still, it was nice to have a little down time to herself. Greed would normally have been keeping her busy, but right now he wanted her laying low for a while. The political situation in Penrose was delicate with the balance the power currently in flex... and he wanted to make sure he knew just how to deploy her to make sure that the change was to their favor.
With Raethel stepping down for a period of mourning and a Regency Speaker taking over, one might have expected chaos and panic to grip Firstbarrows or the now properly established Greenland Dockyard... but the truth was it didn't. Those in the know of Rattus politics didn't really see this change as anything major since there wasn't anything vital to be voted for in the foreseeable future. Those not in the know generally only care about the board strokes of what was going on anyway so the Regency likely would go unnoticed as they went about their lives.
For the first time since he had awoken all those years ago before his two gods, Raethel was free of the duty of leading his people. The loss of his mate was a heavy burden to bare still but... for the first time he could actually spend some time at home, being a proper father to his children. That wasn't to say that he didn't try to spend times with his offspring when he could, but in the balancing act of family and leading their people he had to admit that things tended to slant towards the latter at times.
As hurt as he was through, Raethel knew he wasn't the only one that was hurting from the recent loss. The pups of his second litter had only just recently grown thick enough fur that their skin would be covered and protected from the light of the sky and were so... lost. Confused by the fact that their mother wasn't around anymore. They weren't sad, but that was only because they didn't truly understand what had happened... but they felt the absence of their mother all the same.
Their first litter was older and did understand the situation. While Raethel might have spent the first half of the sky cycle quietly mourning by himself, the rest of his time seemed to be attempting to weigh giving his children the space they needed to process and grieve in their own way and spending time with them on a one to one basis. Occasionally a small group of them could be gathered together but it was still too early for all of them to gather together at once.
There was no real ritual or plan. They just stayed in their barrow, occasionally talking, occasionally eating something simple. Every now and then a friendly, sympathetic soul would stop by and offer some food so that they didn't have to burden themselves with preparing anything themselves. Occasionally they fell asleep. Despite everything through, the youngest still needed to be looked after and entertained... and truth be told Raethel was perfectly happy to take on that duty. While his own body had started to be worn down by the many cycles of the sky that had passed, seeing the joy and youth of the pups filled him with an energy that he hadn't felt since before his fur started to lose its color and go gray.
Personally he loved sitting down and telling the little ones stories in order to help them drift off to sleep the most. He generally tried to do so regularly even before this self imposed rest, since while he might not have been able to spend a lot of time with his children he wanted to at be present to help them sleep, but if there was one silver lining to all this it was the fact that he got to do so consistently without the threat of some bickering over trade calling him away.
After a few cycles through, Raethel decided that it might be for the best to have a change of scenery; To leave their barrow for a time in order to see some of the other areas of Firstbarrows... maybe even take a trip over to Greenland so that they could see it for themselves for the first time.
Granted he would have to check if the latest issue with the Water Steeds (formally Water Monsters) in Greenland had been resolved yet; Transporting them there had been a logistical challenge in the first place due to the fact that they didn't like the deep, salty one bit and trying to escort them via the land route was such a supply issue that it was honestly quicker and easier to figure out how to develop a wooden boat that could not only safely carry one of the big, heavy bastards, but also the food, water and mud required in order to keep them happy and healthy... on top of the standard supplies and crew.
It had been done. It had taken many cycles of the sky but it had been done. Unfortunately that hurdle was quickly followed by the fact that the plant life in Greenland didn't seem to agree with the Water Steeds. Thankfully they weren't poisonous to them or anything (apart from the plants that were poisonous) but the new diet seemed to cause more discomfort then anything else. That problem had been solved by planting some of the plants the creatures ate along the water sources where near the Greenland Docks and with some slight influence of the Followers of the Wind of Life the plants started to thrive.
Last he had heard, the issue now was the Water Steeds and most of the local wildlife didn't seem to get along. Considering what the Water Steeds were like before the ritual that made them friendly and passive to the Rattus, this wasn't completely surprising. It also answered a question about why they had started attacking Rattus in the first place but seemed to leave other species alone. The Water Steed was by their nature a highly territorial creature and proved highly aggressive to anything that entered what it deemed to belong to it... and to put it bluntly the wildlife around the River Rattus had learned long before the Rattus had shown up that they didn't want to try fighting a Water Steed.
Unfortunately, the wildlife of Greenland didn't know this lesson yet. The Followers of the Wind of Life had convened on the matter and decided to largely let nature take its course here; As they put it, a new natural order was being sorted out between the Water Steeds and the local animals and it was not their place to interfere with that... through they would heal up the wounded on both sides as possible. Not only would this ensure that the Water Steeds would be fine, the Green Wind hoped that the act of healing wounded local animals would improve relations between them and the Rattus in general... at the very least, they felt that having survivors of fights with the Water Steeds would help the local animals figure out that it wasn't a fight that was worth having a bit faster then letting the Water Steeds kill everything.
Post the death of his wife, Raethel takes some time to spend with his family. After a few days of being a good dad, he decides to organize a trip around Firstbarrows and possibly to Greenland which has developed into a proper Dockyard in the years since the settlement there was founded.
We also get to see a glimpse of the issues with transporting and introducing Hippos across the ocean into an environment where there were no Hippos formerly. Problems with the transportation itself (solved with some clever engineering to the ship designs), trying to feed the Hippos with local plants (solved by introducing plants the Hippos can eat to the region) and now nature trying to work out where Hippos are in the food chain of this new region.
The Followers of the Wind of Life (the Green Wind) felt that this was perfectly natural and largely decide that the Rattus should stay out of it beyond going in and healing injured Hippos... as well as any wounded survivors of the fights with the Hippos. This was to A) Hopefully make local animals more friendly to the Rattus and B) Hoping that having survivors of Hippo encounter among the local animal population will make the local animals figure out that Hippos are dangerous and shouldn't be fought lightly a bit faster.
Start: 1
+1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line. +1 for being main character. +1 Med length post
Divine Quest: Claim the Land of Deserts and Hidden Rivers for the Rattus (In progress) Divine Quest: Discover a new land across the sea (Plus discover the ability to sail on the ocean) (In progress) Divine Quest: Create safe passage through the Great Dragon Range so Rattus can explore the other side.
Coco appears younger then she is, despite the fact that she is in the body of a fifteen year old. People have mistaken her for eleven or twelve and it kind of bugs her.
Transforming, Coco looks more mature... but in truth this is something of a deception built into the outfit itself. She's as underdeveloped as she is normally, the dress just gives the impression of a more... robust woman.
Specialization: Water Coco has a deep connection with water and is a rather powerful water mage because of it.
Weapon: Coco's weapon manifests as a Barrett M82 that is proportional to her body. It does match the purple of her dress through. It doesn't have a name because people who name their guns are weird.
Power: Third Eye A true mage, Coco has a deeper understanding of magic and thus can see and 'read' it.
Perks: Enhanced Transformation Inline with the phase that triggers it 'Time is Money'.
Disguise Artifact Not everything Greed requests of his agents is, strictly speaking, legal. Being able to wear a different face while doing them is a boon.
Familiar Coco has a Tibetan Mastiff puppy named Rupert. Rupert is in fact a familiar that was granted by Greed as part of the contract; The form is literally because Tibetan Mastiffs are some of the most expensive dogs one can buy. Rupert can transform into a 'beast' mode, basically just going from a 'puppy' to a full grown Tibetan Mastiff.
Inter-dimensional Home Part of the arrangement with Greed is that Coco don't need to pay for rent as they're given a pretty good apartment that they can access just about any time... and can even invite friends over. Pets are even allowed! Just... don't ask what's happening outside the window, you won't get any context.
Money On top of everything else, working for Greed gives a direct monthly paycheck. $3000 (factoring inflation) a month when you don't have to pay for rent or bills for services like electricity or water can build up quickly over time. It's nice being the rich friend.
Incognito (Crimson Coin) In exchange for her dedication and good service, The Spirit of Greed rewarded Coco with a Crimson Coin. After much consideration, Coco decided to use it in order to better serve the Spirit of Greed's agenda by becoming... easy to forget. Difficult to notice in the first place.
Patron: Spirit of Greed
Patron Benefits: Mental Link The Spirit of Greed likes to keep in touch with their agents and a direct link to their mind is so much easier then trying to call.
Payment It would be a very strange thing if the Spirit of Greed couldn't pay their magical agents in magical coinage. While Greed is well known for being tight on their wallet, the enforces of his will are well paid for their services.
Supplier While it is true that the agents of Greed might not be the greatest of fighters, if they aren't taken out quickly they will simply outlast the opposition due to the abundance of resources coming in.
Hidden Death Greed is eternal.
Mystical Might When Coco requested some additional training in how to make use of her water magics, Greed was willing to assist despite not really having that strong a connection with water in and of itself.
Patron Drawbacks: Rival Force Socialism has long been a thorn in Capitalism's side... fighting for worker rights and getting in the way of profit.
Big Brother "You signed away your privacy when you were hired."
Alien Mind The best way to describe how Greed thinks and views the world from a human point of view is if a multinational corporation had entered a human vessel that allowed it to speak as an entity in and of itself. It doesn't view people as individuals as much as they are parts of a greater machine. The Magical Girls/Monster Girls on the payroll are merely important pieces of the machine that help ensure the rest of it runs as it should.
Vendetta The Servants of the Beacon are just as frustrating to deal with as the Spirit of Socialism. Trying to enforce their misguided morals and generally getting in the way of profit.
Fighting Style: Coco is, despite appearances, a subtle fighter. She favors a single kill shot without the target ever knowing what hit them before they hit the ground, be it via bullet or usage of her water magics. If caught up in a longer engagement, she will generally prefer fighting from a distance and avoiding being caught up in melee combat.
She is not afraid to cut her loses and bail on a fight if it means she'll live to fight another day... and most likely take another crack at the target when they're not expecting it.
Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well. STR: 3 AGI: 3 VIT: 3 MAG: 4 LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed): These start at 4. STR: 5 AGI: 12 VIT: 8 MAG: 12 LCK: 4
Personality: Coco was once a rather timid, fearful woman. Her concerns about what tomorrow might bring haunted her thoughts and plagued her dreams because there was always that worry about where tomorrows rent or the next meal would come from. When the worst happened as she got so badly sick that she lost her job, her depression threatened to consume her completely as she drowned in dread.
Meeting Greed changed Coco for the better in that Greed has not only given her a free start, but removed many of the fears that plagued her former life. Her loyalty to the Spirit of Greed is borderline zealous, despite the fact that occasionally she will be asked to do something that her old self would have been horrified at the idea of.
History: Coco was struggling to support herself when a bout of illness resulted in her losing her job and suddenly being buried by medical debt. As she was drowning in depression, she was visited by what would turn out to be the Spirit of Greed who offered her a contract deal. In exchange for becoming his employee, all of her debts would disappear and she would get a fresh start at life.
Greed provided all this and more... through Coco hadn't expected the 'new life' to be so literal. Still, as a magical girl her patron has taken great care of her and she intends to prove that she was worth the investment.
Incantation: "Time is money and you're a waste of both.
Additional Info:
Magical Coins:
Type: Lesser Force
Name: The Spirit of Greed (Also goes by the Spirit of Capitalism and many more names)
Personality: On the surface, the Spirit of Greed is a rather pleasant, friendly fellow. A true master of the first impression, those that encounter them often walk away feeling like they've made a friend for life... if they're really lucky, something will happen that will cause Greed to lose interest in them before the jaws of the trap snap shut. Greed's interest in humans extends only as far as their value to him, be it in furthering his goals, fleecing them for all they are worth, or occasionally as a valued employee/agent and thus the closest to true 'friendship' Greed can get.
What matters to Greed at the end of the day is the bottom line. All he cares about are positive results with the methodology and means being almost completely irrelevant. Almost being the keyword. While one of their agents can be completely successful, if it becomes clear that a more profitable outcome could have been achieved then Greed will almost certainly be inclined towards asking why that path wasn't taken. They won't punish the agent in question directly if the answer isn't good enough as long as it was a positive outcome, but the incident will be remembered as a sign that maybe that agent didn't have the drive and ambition to be a favored agent.
Failure is an interesting concept for Greed. While they understand perfectly well that it is possible to make all the right moves and still come up short, Greed sees failure as an opportunity. Namely, it gives Greed the opportunity to declare one of their agents in various degrees of debt, depending on just how big their screw up was and how much time and resources were poured into it and now lost. The first level of debt is simply the agent having to 'pay off' the debt in mana coins, which effectively means they continue to work as normal but don't get paid until the debt is cleared.
There are deeper levels of debt that can come about. It is not recommended one falls that far through, because Greed is ruthless and will get what they are owed one way or another. If a debtor dies before their debts are paid, Greed will track down the next of kin who 'inherited' the debt that is now their problem to pay off.
History: The Spirit of Greed has been around for just about as long as humanity, if not longer; Greed as a tactic is largely beneficial to the individual animal in the natural world after all. However, the Spirit has long had a soft spot for Humanity because of just how far they are willing to go in pursuit of what they want. Greed's influence throughout human history cannot be denied after all. Often working alongside the Spirit of Tyranny as the two of them often found their goals aligned, the two of them have a long standing alliance and are fairly friendly with each other... but due to their natures there remains that degree of self interest.
Recently, Greed's goals seem to have grown in their ambitions. With many of the old deities having faded away or becoming irrelevant over time, Greed has spent the last few centuries plotting and setting the stage in order to ascend to true deity status.
Resources: Greed rarely has 'normal' magical girls on their payroll... at least not for long. He does however have a rather large collection of Dark Magical Girls and Monster Girls who are more then willing to do their master's bidding in exchange for reward and payment... and Greed pays them well for their good service as he does any enforcer of his will. There are few resources both magical and mundane that are beyond the reach of those dedicated to enforcing the will of Greed upon the world.
Additional Info:
While Greed has a direct link to the minds of his agents, he will generally manifest in the world anyway as a freelance accountant operating a small business in which he is the owner and only employee. Occasionally he'll call in his agents for a face to face chat... and privately takes pleasure in watching his agents try to hype up their own achievements while throwing blame for mishaps and failures on their team mates.
Name: Roxanna (Formally Argol.) Better known as Hex Girl.
Age (Magical Girl): 14
Age (Before Magical Girl): 30
Gender: Female
Gender (Before Magical Girl): Male
Appearance:
While relatively average as far as height goes for a young teenage girl, Roxanna's hair is somewhat wild and unkempt; This isn't out of a desire not to look nice as it is that her hair outright eats brushes and refuses to be tamed by mortal means.
Transformed, Roxanna honestly looks like a slightly older version of herself with longer hair. Her dress comes across as homemade gothic, but despite its somewhat patchwork seeming nature it still looks pretty nice and can take bullets better then most high end military gear.
Specialization: Roxanna is a Psychic by nature... Respectably powerful but clearly somewhat new to the magical girl scene and thus offering room to grow in time.
Weapon: Despite looking like she would be a witch or mage, Roxanna's body in the only actual physical weapon she makes use of consistently. That being said, she's not afraid of using make shift weapons from the environment to her advantage.
Power: Duplication Speaks for itself really. Roxanna can create physical clones of herself that are just as strong as she is. While they are destroyed once they suffer actual damage, they can easily shrug off blows that would maim or kill a normal human.
Perks: Enhanced Sustenance The fight against evil is time consuming. The least that can be done is make it so you don't need as much sleep or food to function at your max.
Enhanced Outfit Roxanna was created in response to an emergency and having a champion magical girl who was primed for combat was a requirement. While their dress looks simple and homemade, the amount of punishment it can take and protect the wearer from is insane.
Big Damn Hero Roxanna protects the people and places that matter to her.
Absolute Direction Knowing where your friends or items are is amazing.
Enhanced Transformation No one has time for a 15 second transformation or some speech about how good always triumphs over evil. That monster trying to eat people needs its face punched in as quickly as possible.
Martial Training (Emergency) Argol new Karate before the transformation... and because of that Roxanna's own skills and abilities have been greatly improved.
Sorcery (Emergency) Argol... was a bit of a weeb. His interest in anime and manga lead to him taking an interest in Ofuda writing and seals... and that knowledge has been passed down to Roxanna. The difference through is that unlike Argol, Roxanna's writings actually work.
Patron: The Spirit of Socialism
Patron Benefits:
Payment The Spirit of Socialism understands that their champions do difficult work and thus pays them a fair wage for their labors.
Hidden Death You cannot kill an idea.
Supplier Those who make a reasonable case to the Spirit of Socialism that mundane resources are required for something will, with a bit of patience, receive them.
Mental Link Considering that the Spirit doesn't have a physical body, being able to directly talk to its champions and agents is a must.
Focused As an ideal, physic ability comes naturally to the Spirit... and thus it can freely help to empower those abilities in their followers.
Patron Drawbacks:
Rival Force The Spirit of Greed and its champions have long stood in opposition. The names might change, but the long war continues.
Big Brother The Spirit of Socialism means well... but it can be somewhat overbearing at times. Like a concerned mother.
Formless Currently, the Spirit of Socialism doesn't have a physical form.
Vendetta While the Spirit of Greed is by its nature an opposite and thus conflict between them was only natural, the Spirit of Tyranny's involvement isn't and instead started due to a conflict of ideals. The Spirit of Socialism actually hates Tyranny more then Greed due to Tyranny twisting it's ideals into horrific, authoritarian governments.
Fighting Style: Roxanna is something of a 'Jack of All Trades' kind of magical girl and it shows in her combat style. While she isn't the strongest, the fastest or the most magically gifted, she is able to adapt to any given combat situation as required.
However, when she physically fights her karate training does show itself in some of her movements... and if she's against one big foe or several minor ones being able to 'team up' to fight them helps a lot.
Personality: Argol was fairly easy to get along with... if a bit of a deviant. High heels, beautiful dresses (even more if they were a Lolita like attire) and concepts like ageless, doll like women were all things that tickled them the right way. Truth be told, becoming Roxanna is in many ways a dream come true for him as it's a fresh start at being something that they greatly adored.
Of course, there are hiccups when it comes to suddenly being in the body of a 14 year old girl when you were formally a 30 year old man... but unlike some in their position Roxanna is making the best of it and is actually enjoying their situation as much as they can. She is a bit disappointed that her magical girl dress isn't as elaborate as she would prefer it can't be helped.
History: Argol's 'recruitment' came about more out of desperation then because it was believed that a 30 year old man was the best candidate. One of the local Puchuu's team of magical girls had failed in their duty to stop a monster that had taken over a factory floor and was mentally enslaving its human work force in order to keep producing no matter what, abandoning all concepts of their well being and forcing them to keep working until they dropped... and which point they were eaten and replaced by new mind slaves. While the Puchuu in question never mentioned what happened to its former team, it quickly located the most suitable person it could and created a new one.
The process was hijacked through, as the Spirit of Socialism took over and claimed Argol/the newly transformed Roxanna for their own. The monster in question was an agent of one of its old enemies and it saw a chance to remove it from the board of the long war. With the Spirits support, Roxanna was able to overcome the monster and free its enslaved workforce... through she is still unsure if the magical girl team she was created to fill in for survived. The Puchuu in question disappeared after the monster was defeated at any rate.
Incantation: "I will fight the endless night to feed the demons to the flame.
Additional Info: Argol left behind a Grandmother who was... not a great person. Honestly being free of her as Roxana is just a major plus to the whole deal, but there is a small voice in the back of her mind that wonders what happened to her... even if she doesn't want to go and find out.
Magical Coins: 0
Type: Lesser Force
Name: The Spirit of Socialism
Personality: The Spirit of Socialism is a kind and caring entity that believes that everyone, regardless of race, gender or any other factor that might be used to describe or put someone into a box deserve the right to have the resources they need and the safety to thrive. While they can be a little overbearing at times, their intention is pure in that they not only want what is best for you and your community, but are hoping to inspire their champions to become paragons that help make the world a better place in their own right.
While generally a rather accepting and welcoming entity, acts of greed and abuse enrage it like nothing else for it views these as the corruption signs of its great foes in the form of the Spirits of Greed and Tyranny. While it can understand one of its agents not acting against such things in the moment if there is a good reason not to, it will not tolerate them performing such an act themselves... or leaving the actions of another unanswered if there is no reasonable cause to restrain themself.
The Spirit of Socialism speaks in a human voice that is perfectly understandable to those who hear it, but if it is male or female or something else entirely is a mystery. If asked, it'll just chuckle and say 'I am what I am'.
History: The Spirit of Socialism has existed alongside humanity for a very long time. It has also gone by other names, with its current title a more recent development, but it has always strived to ensure equality, justice and resources for all no matter what it was called at the time. It honestly doesn't remember how old it is in years because measuring time was a human practice and they kept changing the systems, but its earliest recollections suggest it has been around in one form or another since primitive humanity.
Unfortunately, those were also the early days of what the Spirit refers to as 'the long war' against its rival spirits, Greed and Tyranny. While the two are not always aligned with each others interests and have at times sought to undermine each other, for the most part it has been a two against one battle for the soul of human civilizations for eons... but despite their advantages Socialism has managed to get a few victories every now and then... and despite the fact that occasionally they've been killed by their foes, they always return.
Resources: The Spirit of Socialism doesn't employ that many magical girls... or boys as the case may be at any given time. Normally the monsters they strive to combat aren't the kind to rampage through the streets openly in a manner that physically striking them down is legally possible... but the people need to be protected from harm and occasionally one of those monsters is an agent of one of their foes.
Despite not being a physical entity (well, at least not at the moment), the Spirit is highly resourceful and well connected due largely to the fact that it is a representation of the ideal of taking care of your fellow man. Not only is it good at paying its agents, but it can also pull strings to get them more mundane resources as required. That being said, its agents does need to provide a reasonable argument about why they need the resources they are asking for, due to the Spirit's dislike of greed.
Additional Info:
Name: Coco
Age (Magical Girl): 15
Age (Before Magical Girl): 23
Gender: Female
Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female
Appearance:
Coco appears younger then she is, despite the fact that she is in the body of a fifteen year old. People have mistaken her for eleven or twelve and it kind of bugs her.
Transforming, Coco looks more mature... but in truth this is something of a deception built into the outfit itself. She's as underdeveloped as she is normally, the dress just gives the impression of a more... robust woman.
Specialization: Water Coco has a deep connection with water and is a rather powerful water mage because of it.
Weapon: Coco's weapon manifests as a Barrett M82 that is proportional to her body. It does match the purple of her dress through. It doesn't have a name because people who name their guns are weird.
Power: Third Eye A true mage, Coco has a deeper understanding of magic and thus can see and 'read' it.
Perks: Enhanced Transformation Inline with the phase that triggers it 'Time is Money'.
Disguise Artifact Not everything Greed requests of his agents is, strictly speaking, legal. Being able to wear a different face while doing them is a boon.
Familiar Coco has a Tibetan Mastiff puppy named Rupert. Rupert is in fact a familiar that was granted by Greed as part of the contract; The form is literally because Tibetan Mastiffs are some of the most expensive dogs one can buy. Rupert can transform into a 'beast' mode, basically just going from a 'puppy' to a full grown Tibetan Mastiff.
Inter-dimensional Home Part of the arrangement with Greed is that Coco don't need to pay for rent as they're given a pretty good apartment that they can access just about any time... and can even invite friends over. Pets are even allowed! Just... don't ask what's happening outside the window, you won't get any context.
Money On top of everything else, working for Greed gives a direct monthly paycheck. $3000 (factoring inflation) a month when you don't have to pay for rent or bills for services like electricity or water can build up quickly over time. It's nice being the rich friend.
Incognito (Crimson Coin) In exchange for her dedication and good service, The Spirit of Greed rewarded Coco with a Crimson Coin. After much consideration, Coco decided to use it in order to better serve the Spirit of Greed's agenda by becoming... easy to forget. Difficult to notice in the first place.
Patron: Spirit of Greed
Patron Benefits: Mental Link The Spirit of Greed likes to keep in touch with their agents and a direct link to their mind is so much easier then trying to call.
Payment It would be a very strange thing if the Spirit of Greed couldn't pay their magical agents in magical coinage. While Greed is well known for being tight on their wallet, the enforces of his will are well paid for their services.
Supplier While it is true that the agents of Greed might not be the greatest of fighters, if they aren't taken out quickly they will simply outlast the opposition due to the abundance of resources coming in.
Hidden Death Greed is eternal.
Mystical Might When Coco requested some additional training in how to make use of her water magics, Greed was willing to assist despite not really having that strong a connection with water in and of itself.
Patron Drawbacks: Rival Force Socialism has long been a thorn in Capitalism's side... fighting for worker rights and getting in the way of profit.
Big Brother "You signed away your privacy when you were hired."
Alien Mind The best way to describe how Greed thinks and views the world from a human point of view is if a multinational corporation had entered a human vessel that allowed it to speak as an entity in and of itself. It doesn't view people as individuals as much as they are parts of a greater machine. The Magical Girls/Monster Girls on the payroll are merely important pieces of the machine that help ensure the rest of it runs as it should.
Vendetta The Servants of the Beacon are just as frustrating to deal with as the Spirit of Socialism. Trying to enforce their misguided morals and generally getting in the way of profit.
Fighting Style: Coco is, despite appearances, a subtle fighter. She favors a single kill shot without the target ever knowing what hit them before they hit the ground, be it via bullet or usage of her water magics. If caught up in a longer engagement, she will generally prefer fighting from a distance and avoiding being caught up in melee combat.
She is not afraid to cut her loses and bail on a fight if it means she'll live to fight another day... and most likely take another crack at the target when they're not expecting it.
Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well. STR: 3 AGI: 3 VIT: 3 MAG: 4 LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed): These start at 4. STR: 5 AGI: 14 VIT: 10 MAG: 12 LCK: 6
Personality: Coco was once a rather timid, fearful woman. Her concerns about what tomorrow might bring haunted her thoughts and plagued her dreams because there was always that worry about where tomorrows rent or the next meal would come from. When the worst happened as she got so badly sick that she lost her job, her depression threatened to consume her completely as she drowned in dread.
Meeting Greed changed Coco for the better in that Greed has not only given her a free start, but removed many of the fears that plagued her former life. Her loyalty to the Spirit of Greed is borderline zealous, despite the fact that occasionally she will be asked to do something that her old self would have been horrified at the idea of.
History: Coco was struggling to support herself when a bout of illness resulted in her losing her job and suddenly being buried by medical debt. As she was drowning in depression, she was visited by what would turn out to be the Spirit of Greed who offered her a contract deal. In exchange for becoming his employee, all of her debts would disappear and she would get a fresh start at life.
Greed provided all this and more... through Coco hadn't expected the 'new life' to be so literal. Still, as a magical girl her patron has taken great care of her and she intends to prove that she was worth the investment.
Incantation: "Time is money and you're a waste of both.
Additional Info:
Magical Coins:
Type: Lesser Force
Name: The Spirit of Greed (Also goes by the Spirit of Capitalism and many more names)
Personality: On the surface, the Spirit of Greed is a rather pleasant, friendly fellow. A true master of the first impression, those that encounter them often walk away feeling like they've made a friend for life... if they're really lucky, something will happen that will cause Greed to lose interest in them before the jaws of the trap snap shut. Greed's interest in humans extends only as far as their value to him, be it in furthering his goals, fleecing them for all they are worth, or occasionally as a valued employee/agent and thus the closest to true 'friendship' Greed can get.
What matters to Greed at the end of the day is the bottom line. All he cares about are positive results with the methodology and means being almost completely irrelevant. Almost being the keyword. While one of their agents can be completely successful, if it becomes clear that a more profitable outcome could have been achieved then Greed will almost certainly be inclined towards asking why that path wasn't taken. They won't punish the agent in question directly if the answer isn't good enough as long as it was a positive outcome, but the incident will be remembered as a sign that maybe that agent didn't have the drive and ambition to be a favored agent.
Failure is an interesting concept for Greed. While they understand perfectly well that it is possible to make all the right moves and still come up short, Greed sees failure as an opportunity. Namely, it gives Greed the opportunity to declare one of their agents in various degrees of debt, depending on just how big their screw up was and how much time and resources were poured into it and now lost. The first level of debt is simply the agent having to 'pay off' the debt in mana coins, which effectively means they continue to work as normal but don't get paid until the debt is cleared.
There are deeper levels of debt that can come about. It is not recommended one falls that far through, because Greed is ruthless and will get what they are owed one way or another. If a debtor dies before their debts are paid, Greed will track down the next of kin who 'inherited' the debt that is now their problem to pay off.
History: The Spirit of Greed has been around for just about as long as humanity, if not longer; Greed as a tactic is largely beneficial to the individual animal in the natural world after all. However, the Spirit has long had a soft spot for Humanity because of just how far they are willing to go in pursuit of what they want. Greed's influence throughout human history cannot be denied after all. Often working alongside the Spirit of Tyranny as the two of them often found their goals aligned, the two of them have a long standing alliance and are fairly friendly with each other... but due to their natures there remains that degree of self interest.
Recently, Greed's goals seem to have grown in their ambitions. With many of the old deities having faded away or becoming irrelevant over time, Greed has spent the last few centuries plotting and setting the stage in order to ascend to true deity status.
Resources: Greed rarely has 'normal' magical girls on their payroll... at least not for long. He does however have a rather large collection of Dark Magical Girls and Monster Girls who are more then willing to do their master's bidding in exchange for reward and payment... and Greed pays them well for their good service as he does any enforcer of his will. There are few resources both magical and mundane that are beyond the reach of those dedicated to enforcing the will of Greed upon the world.
Additional Info:
While Greed has a direct link to the minds of his agents, he will generally manifest in the world anyway as a freelance accountant operating a small business in which he is the owner and only employee. Occasionally he'll call in his agents for a face to face chat... and privately takes pleasure in watching his agents try to hype up their own achievements while throwing blame for mishaps and failures on their team mates.
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