I looked around to find that I was suspended in the air, the creature patiently waited for me to get my bearings. I needed some time just to comprehend its existence.
Creatures of such an overbearing size and power were common in the books I read as a child but only showed up more regularly in fiction. Their existence as real beings were recorded in ancient tomes that had aged beyond relevancy.
I tried to shake from my head the fear of the creature merely being hungry and had lured me into its lair as a snack. I could tell that it was not falsifying it’s desperation but the flashes of white teeth were enough to induce a little bit of doubt.
“I must cut short your pondering, little one. My time may be limited.” It’s mouth in a strange way that I could imagine was necessary when trying to speak the human language with a mouth so large.
I think the fact that I was having daily conversations with an immortal being in the form of Sen’o allowed me to speak without nervousness. “Thank you for catching me.”
The creature snorted through its nostrils, catching my hair in a gust. “It is not worth thanking me for. After all, I was the one to ask you here.”
I looked down at the ground that was so nearly my eternal resting place. “No, it’s definitely worth thanking you for.”
“I am thankful that one with sufficient affinity with creatures was also one with a heart full enough to risk trusting me. I must explain my circumstances. I am Gutura’s guardian and an Ancient of the Hall of the Mountain Gods. It’s namesake, if you will.”
“But you need help from someone like me?”
“I have been here long enough that pride has been replaced by reason. I am trapped down here, you see. I am not down in this forsaken hole by choice.”
“What are you trapped by?”
“An array, a powerful one. Though, I could break it if I weren’t the one trapped.”
Despite the fact that my life was currently in the hands of the creature, I had to ask what was on my mind. “How do I know you’re not trapped down here for good reason?”
The creature closed its eyes and breathed in so strongly that it sent my hair fluttering towards it this time. “Is there no record of me?” It asked.
“Not that I am aware of.” The creature seemed flummoxed by the fact.
“I suppose they were thorough in their erasure of my existence. Or it has been a lot longer than I presumed.” The creature was silent a while before speaking again. “You can observe my soul.”
I knew, thanks to Master Laaka’s teachings, that a soul was the purest reflection of oneself. However… “I am unsure if I will be able to survive an encounter with your soul.” It was easy for your own being to be ripped apart upon contact with a more powerful soul.
“You practice a technique related to creatures, do you not? I will simply become your partner.”
“You weren’t joking about pride being replaced by reason.”
“In my act, I wished to at least convince you that I maintained such dignity. Unfortunately, I am desperate. An unbecoming emotion for a being such as myself.”
“There is no such thing as an unbecoming emotion. Everyone feels everything at some point.”
“And age has no bearing on wisdom it seems. Then, will you begin the process?”
I began to channel Lonely Whispers. It was my first time binding a physical creature. “Bring me close, please.” The creature brought me toward its giant mouth and I placed my hands on its snout.
I reached forward with my qi in much the same way as I had done with Losty, in a warm and hopeful hug. I was embraced quickly by the qi of the creature in front of me. I could feel the hints of an almighty soul but the amount of qi that it commanded was pitifully small.
I had no explanation for it and could only presume it was to do with the trap that held it captive. I brought its qi into my dantian. A tiny form appeared on the grass floor, a being similar to the creature outside but far smaller, and far less threatening.
“Thanks to my weakened state, this is all I am capable of. But, with this, I am yours,” it said. I shook my head.
“That’s not how it works here. You said you are my partner and I agreed.” I released the creature from the qi I had thought was comforting it but was really serving to convince the creature that it had become my pet.
The ease of the adoption into my dantian compared to the Losty I surmised was to do with the fact that it was entirely voluntary. Giving up total control meant I could not give my creatures direct orders. However, the increased transparency meant I could see them for who they really were.
The creature before me was small and weak, but it shone a bright gold from inside like it had swallowed treasure. A soul that was untainted and pure.
“I am grateful,” it said.
“Hi grateful, I’m Safi.”
The creature looked confusedly at me then laughed, it’s throat vibrated as a strange but lovely noise filled my small dantian. “That is delightful, then allow me to tell you my real name. I am Milly.”
We both opened our eyes back to our reality of being stuck in a hole. Milly snorted at me and being so close to her it sent not only my hair but my robes flying behind me. She nuzzled against my chest.
“Thank you little one, now. Please, free me.”
“How?” She floated me to the ground when I adjusted my messy hair and robe.
“Simple, take two steps to the left” I followed her instruction. “Move your right foot forward a little.” I pushed my foot forward. “No, too far, back a bit.” I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation but slid it back a little regardless. “Now, channel your qi into your foot and release it powerfully.”
“Powerful,” I repeated. “Alright.” I pushed some qi into my foot and induced a small explosion from my sole. I heard an almighty crack and felt a current of qi course through the Milly. She roared out in pain.
I jumped back as I watched her helplessly thrash until it finally ended. I approached her and saw her heavy eyelids, the muscles in her neck twitched uncontrollably.
“Little one, thank you.”
“What happened?”
“It is a backlash for forcibly breaking the array, but it was necessary.”
“Are you alright?” I asked worriedly.
“I will be.” I sat down against her cheek that was now resting on the floor.
Milly did not get long to rest, however. From the darkness, a figure appeared, floating slowly downwards. When they got close enough, I realised I recognised him.
“Grand Elder Fred?”
“Hello Safi, how unfortunate for it to be one of Mele’s.”
Casualperv Click the
I looked around to find that I was suspended in the air, the creature patiently waited for me to get my bearings. I needed some time just to comprehend its existence.
Creatures of such an overbearing size and power were common in the books I read as a child but only showed up more regularly in fiction. Their existence as real beings were recorded in ancient tomes that had aged beyond relevancy.
I tried to shake from my head the fear of the creature merely being hungry and had lured me into its lair as a snack. I could tell that it was not falsifying it’s desperation but the flashes of white teeth were enough to induce a little bit of doubt.
“I must cut short your pondering, little one. My time may be limited.” It’s mouth in a strange way that I could imagine was necessary when trying to speak the human language with a mouth so large.
I think the fact that I was having daily conversations with an immortal being in the form of Sen’o allowed me to speak without nervousness. “Thank you for catching me.”
The creature snorted through its nostrils, catching my hair in a gust. “It is not worth thanking me for. After all, I was the one to ask you here.”
I looked down at the ground that was so nearly my eternal resting place. “No, it’s definitely worth thanking you for.”
“I am thankful that one with sufficient affinity with creatures was also one with a heart full enough to risk trusting me. I must explain my circumstances. I am Gutura’s guardian and an Ancient of the Hall of the Mountain Gods. It’s namesake, if you will.”
“But you need help from someone like me?”
“I have been here long enough that pride has been replaced by reason. I am trapped down here, you see. I am not down in this forsaken hole by choice.”
“What are you trapped by?”
“An array, a powerful one. Though, I could break it if I weren’t the one trapped.”
Despite the fact that my life was currently in the hands of the creature, I had to ask what was on my mind. “How do I know you’re not trapped down here for good reason?”
The creature closed its eyes and breathed in so strongly that it sent my hair fluttering towards it this time. “Is there no record of me?” It asked.
“Not that I am aware of.” The creature seemed flummoxed by the fact.
“I suppose they were thorough in their erasure of my existence. Or it has been a lot longer than I presumed.” The creature was silent a while before speaking again. “You can observe my soul.”
I knew, thanks to Master Laaka’s teachings, that a soul was the purest reflection of oneself. However… “I am unsure if I will be able to survive an encounter with your soul.” It was easy for your own being to be ripped apart upon contact with a more powerful soul.
“You practice a technique related to creatures, do you not? I will simply become your partner.”
“You weren’t joking about pride being replaced by reason.”
“In my act, I wished to at least convince you that I maintained such dignity. Unfortunately, I am desperate. An unbecoming emotion for a being such as myself.”
“There is no such thing as an unbecoming emotion. Everyone feels everything at some point.”
“And age has no bearing on wisdom it seems. Then, will you begin the process?”
I began to channel Lonely Whispers. It was my first time binding a physical creature. “Bring me close, please.” The creature brought me toward its giant mouth and I placed my hands on its snout.
I reached forward with my qi in much the same way as I had done with Losty, in a warm and hopeful hug. I was embraced quickly by the qi of the creature in front of me. I could feel the hints of an almighty soul but the amount of qi that it commanded was pitifully small.
I had no explanation for it and could only presume it was to do with the trap that held it captive. I brought its qi into my dantian. A tiny form appeared on the grass floor, a being similar to the creature outside but far smaller, and far less threatening.
“Thanks to my weakened state, this is all I am capable of. But, with this, I am yours,” it said. I shook my head.
“That’s not how it works here. You said you are my partner and I agreed.” I released the creature from the qi I had thought was comforting it but was really serving to convince the creature that it had become my pet.
The ease of the adoption into my dantian compared to the Losty I surmised was to do with the fact that it was entirely voluntary. Giving up total control meant I could not give my creatures direct orders. However, the increased transparency meant I could see them for who they really were.
The creature before me was small and weak, but it shone a bright gold from inside like it had swallowed treasure. A soul that was untainted and pure.
“I am grateful,” it said.
“Hi grateful, I’m Safi.”
The creature looked confusedly at me then laughed, it’s throat vibrated as a strange but lovely noise filled my small dantian. “That is delightful, then allow me to tell you my real name. I am Milly.”
We both opened our eyes back to our reality of being stuck in a hole. Milly snorted at me and being so close to her it sent not only my hair but my robes flying behind me. She nuzzled against my chest.
“Thank you little one, now. Please, free me.”
“How?” She floated me to the ground when I adjusted my messy hair and robe.
“Simple, take two steps to the left” I followed her instruction. “Move your right foot forward a little.” I pushed my foot forward. “No, too far, back a bit.” I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation but slid it back a little regardless. “Now, channel your qi into your foot and release it powerfully.”
“Powerful,” I repeated. “Alright.” I pushed some qi into my foot and induced a small explosion from my sole. I heard an almighty crack and felt a current of qi course through the Milly. She roared out in pain.
I jumped back as I watched her helplessly thrash until it finally ended. I approached her and saw her heavy eyelids, the muscles in her neck twitched uncontrollably.
“Little one, thank you.”
“What happened?”
“It is a backlash for forcibly breaking the array, but it was necessary.”
“Are you alright?” I asked worriedly.
“I will be.” I sat down against her cheek that was now resting on the floor.
Milly did not get long to rest, however. From the darkness, a figure appeared, floating slowly downwards. When they got close enough, I realised I recognised him.
“Grand Elder Fred?”
“Hello Safi, how unfortunate for it to be one of Mele’s.”
Casualperv Click the
