>Defiant
>Descend from the Hill
{DOOM has been triggered, a path of thorns openS, but though these paths can lead to the VORPAL or FATAL, it can be risk rather than mistake.}
Gurata had already greeted the morning sky and enlightened the boarhead pigeon Jahodo a bit when he sensed it at the bottom of the hill.
Visitors, how unusual. Being a god and in his shrine no less, Gurata could of course hear and see these interlopers...
A single car, golden in colour and vaguely like a pagoda shrine. Three levels did this squat construction have. Only the main body of car was fit for mortals though. The second level was home to some sacred lionhound that was doing its best to pretend that it wasn't there, and it hadn't noticed Gurata's divine gaze.
The third level held naught but power. A desperate measure for mortals out of their depth.
He had seen such a sight before.
These were clergy of the outsider foreign deities.
The common folk called these nuns and monks the police.
Two contrasting figures stepped out from the mobile police shrine. One tall, slender, brimming with crisp freshness and female. The other short, overweight, had clearly seen better days and was male.
Both wore the odd kasaya that was queer combination of clerical robe and military suit. Indeed, such garments could no longer be called robes. The tight pants were flattering on the woman, but they just made things worse for the man, likewise for the thigh high riding boots, a stylistic remnant from a time the outsiders didn't have cars. The whimple was probably hiding any extra chin the man might have had, the flat cap with w visor looked good on both. By normal standards, as dissolute as the man was, he had the better face of the two, as the woman had less of a face and more a mass of tentacles to not even a glint of glowing eyes to make her more like her native edoliner partner.
Still, putting aside the odd pairing of dynamite body and tentacle head, even on the man the style of the police vestiments shone through. A neat black outfit with white whimple, pants and orange gloves with orange hat.
Though the man barely fit, diminishing it, the woman was unquestionably valiant.
Perhaps too valiant, her femininity was struggling against that aura of personified law.
"This us the place?" she wurbled curtly.
A sigh came from the man, and he looked glumly with tired eyes at the shrine on the hill.
"Who's the superior here?"
"You are dom! Is this the place then?"
"What are you even asking me for, you saw the brief before we set out Yvobloth"
The man sat down with difficulty on a nearby rock and digging in his kasaya-uniform, pulled out a battered pack of cigarettes with a rooster on the front.
"But dom Corato, It's proto..."
"Protocol, yes, say how many years have you been partnered with me?"
"Four dom!" Yvobloth proudly declared.
Corato's eyes went a little glassy, he lit and pulled a long drag on his cigarette.
"I must congratulate you, four years and you're still stiff as a fresh uniform"
"Thank you dom! But I must remind you that you aren't supposed to smoke on the job, I'll be filing a report to our superiors!"
"What number will that make"
Yvobloth's tentacles wriggled to make room for the number, but Corato held a hand out.
"Don't answer that, you have to understand at this point this kind of stuff is why you got saddled with me"
"I do dom, but someone once said 'there's no compromise in justice!' I hold those words to heart"
Corato held his hand to his face.
"You know, even when that man was alive, he wasn't as much as a stickler for rules as you, last I remember, it's what got him done in"
"I believe he lives still dom, and will be moved by my earnest devotion to the letter!"
"All four years of it"
Corato extinguished the cigarette on the stone he sat on, and ponderously he rose.
"Right, the god isn't coming to us, so we must go to the god"
"Wait, god? I thought this was an unregistered spirit case"
Yvobloth briskly followed Corato, confused.
"Ever read the myth of twelve hills?"
"This hill is one of those?"
"I swear, even edoliners have a god like Lume-Nir-Uzugh with his beak plastered everywhere and they don't connect him as one of those twelve"
"But we don't have..."
"Yeah, don't have all twelve. Who knows what they're all up to, but this guy, he's been staying put up here, I don't blame him..."
"Which is he?"
"The Great Boar God of War, Gurn-Nir-Ataccos. It's must be some idiot bookkeeper's blessing they sent me here. Unregistered spirit? You're kidding me. Hopefully the venerable is still whole, or you and me are done for"
"Should I release the guardian?"
There wasn't in fact protocol on how to deal with deities, after all, it was for the gods to deal with gods. Ironically only a fallen god could be barely dealt with by the most heroic of mortals, Gurata even had a few of those in his otherworld. Really, he was quite surprised by this Corato knowing of him.
"If you want to kill Madochi, go ahead. Even if this god has waned, he'd be a snack"
"W-what do we do?"
"Do, we talk and hope. See why he's up and about again, may he spare us our lives in spite of our rudeness"
"My Lord finds you agreeable, you have some sense of how to carry yourself in the presence of the divine, surely you knew my Lord would hear all"
Yvobloth tensed and remained so, Corato momentarily reached for something at his waist that wasn't there, a ghost of a bodily response from a time long ago, he relaxed shortly afterwards, and bowed to Jahodo.
"We apologize for intruding on the sacred shrine of the Venerable of War, but by the Pantheon of the Stars, we must seek out his intention"
Jahodo relayed Gurata's DEFIANT will.
"You will witness it yourself! Behold, he comes!"
With practiced dignity, the god of fire and blood descended the hill. Corato, seeing beyond the surface of things was greeted with a vision of lakes of fire lancing bleeding corpses, of monstrosities gashing their teeth and wailing at their defeat. As for Yvobloth...
"I didn't expect him to look so adorable"
She blurted this, then her whole body went white as a dead squid, she put hands to her tentacles in embarrassment, then in an athletic display transitioned to a prone kowtow, a perfectly executed Hibernese dogeza.
"Forgive this lowly mortal her insolence!"
A regal dismissive snort was sole reply, Gurata continued on his way down towards Edolin.
Corato for his part, regaining his sense bowed deeply and backing to the side, called a number as he followed Gurata, he didn't forget to pull Yvobloth up.
Gurata paid little attention to the fierce arguement that sprung up on Corato's phone. He was focused on visiting Edolin once more... but as he drew closer...
It was so greatly changed, streets paved in blackness and grey. A goodly number of stores and house were unchanged save for gaudy signs or strange artefacts on the rooftops.
The gazes of the mortals weren't right either, there were few like Corato, but many were looking merely as one would an odd sight, and many did not look at all, absorbed in their phones or other matters.
By the time Gurato came to a public square, there was a sense of revulsion and disgust in him, while there where those who held spark of struggling conflict in them, many had an indolence in them more insidious than what had afflicted Gurato himself.
He could only see them as hollow shells, the true owners trapped inside lifeless flesh. It almost gave the smell of a disaster, but wasn't this just mortal weakness? A price of prosperity, he had seen before how mortal's souls could darken in deep prosperity, but reminiscent of that other strange feeling he had gotten. There was a niggling sense of something amiss beyond this tragic sight.
Some were shining bright of course, even blazing, but so many were mired in murk. Amid this tide of the unliving humans trapped in slumber, a blazing light greeted Gurata's eyes. His miko had come. Fionko, made aware through hubbub, had come.
"My Lord, do we finally take over Edolin?"
Yvobloth choked.
"I had some thoughts on something to do, but I have seen enough now, come, let us return to the shrine"
Corato, freed from his phonecall, but looking even more wrung out stoppec Fionko to give her a card with his number on it.
He stopped Yvobloth from following the pair, and so the monk and nun of the Pantheon of Stars watched the lonely back of a god and a lively shrine maiden, both sticking out like a sore thumb.
Was Edolin too colourful or pale?
Gurata knew, even if he stood in that square, declared his nature and revealed his glory, it would have little effect.
Clueless to the ruminations of her lord, Fionko cheerfully brushed Gurata when they returned and innocently inadvertently tormented Jahodo. Time slipped away as the sights of muddied souls and a few soul burning so bright they looked like they might extinguish at any moment played across his mind.
So, as you muse on these happenings, what will you do when the day dawns once more, O declined god of fire and blood?
There's three categories, STANCE, ACTION and EVENTS.
STANCE refers to the attitude your character will take towards matters of the day.
ACTION refers to a single thing your character will attempt in the day.
EVENTS are extra spice paid subscribers can toss into the story, they can make things better or worse, but sometimes they'll just be interesting or give further insight into a setting or character.
The difficulty of this Quest is AWAKE, neither cruelty or mercy is to be expected. There is no time limit as far as you are aware. To vote on a poll option, simply go to the poll and tap or click it, have a care, it's hair-trigger and can't be undone
STANCE
Joyous
It should be held in heart at all times, but should you always show it? Misery loves company, but more than just the miserable, just as there's those healed by joy, there's those burned.
Suspicious
Doubt is a powerful weapon against the unexpected and malicious, but if you second guess where you shouldn't, you can miss the trees for the forest.
Honesty
They say it's best policy, but there's a difference between lying by omission and keeping your gob shut. If nothing else, truth told at the wrong time can have the same result as a lie. Where truth is concerned destruction best have a meaning.
Reckless
Surely this would never be a good pick? Well, sometimes you gotta put your chips on the table and leap across to strangle your opponent. It's all about knowing when to charge forth.
Methodical
Never missing a step is good, but how many steps will you go like that?
ACTIONS
Contact Corato
There was something about that man, worn out as his soul was, a conversation with that mortal could prove fruitful, and surely the most basic of functions of a phone can be grasped.
Face the phone with Fionko and Jahodo
They can work together to play fetch, that's promising at least.
Check on the other Enchanted Forest
There's another one with a lake near your hill shrine. It should be fine, after all, you occasionally have a dip in the lake.
Talk with Fionko about Edolin
Her point of view will unquestionably be abnormal, but how does your miko view that city of contradictions?
Visit Brother Dragon's Shrine
Perhaps it would be better to show your face when you're more restored, but paying your respects is important. He warrants that, especially in light of what you've seen.
STANCE
ACTION
EVENT
Thanks for reading, this snowflake will melt soon! Subscribe for free to receive notifications of new posts and the ability to vote on Quest polls, subscribe paid to vote on an extra story and get to vote on events for the daily Quest!