ORIGIN

The past few weeks had been, really, spent finding a home of his own, establishing his own little corner in the Chambers. It was a rather bare-bones (no pun intended) assortment of objects ranging from sloppily skinned rats to a rather crispy bunch of plants he had carried from Eridanus. One of the perks of living in a graveyard was the complete absence of flora, it seemed. Or any life at all, aside from dumbass rats. Fucking rats. Beneath the thickest piling of leaves were the freshly forged, shiny talons he had picked up from Glory. Further under them were a couple of trinkets and interesting pieces. A single iron-stained feather lay clutched in the talons, quill hidden among the leathery folds of the arm guard. There was a thin, gold band that could easily be pierced through the cartilage of the ear. Teeth had been pressed into the edges, giving the earring an interesting appearance. Next to them was a smooth, but distinct statuette of a hallowed caller with a single eye atop its head. They were gifts for later.

But, of course, that was not where Eythan was today.

Today, the hybrid was on a quest for something to do. He'd been counting the minutes until time struck thirty sleeps and a full cycle had passed. His brother was coming soon, any day now. Should he be on time, it would be only four more days. Four miserable days of waiting. As fortune would have it, though, Eythan had been blessed with the particular knowledge of some strange robed beast called the Collector. Only after whining to Giggle that he had little to do, of course. So, as he scuffed his bored claws against the rock, he moped around the central pool of Canis. Flaring out his wings, he called out, "ay! Collector?"

Like his life's work was done, the spotted hybrid rocked back onto his haunches, waiting for the mysterious being to manifest out of thin air.

The voice--smooth, confident, well-spoken--came from behind Eythan immediately, as if its owner had already been there.

Had always been there.

"Ahhh, a summons. And from such a beautiful creature, too. How capable you look; how... smooth." The tall figure stood motionless, horns arching high. Crimson pinpricks drifted over Eythan's wings, his spots, his talons, from beneath the hood; the rich voice continued. "How, pray tell, may I be of service..?"

From behind the center crease of the dark robes a single hand--furred with iron gray, tipped with long black claws--curled out to clutch the fabric closer against its wearer.

@Eythan

Very similarly to a housecat leaping away from a cucumber, Eythan threw himself into the air and spun abruptly toward the creature suddenly there. This was, of course, not without a quick "ah FUCK!" and a indignant chirp. The spotted hybrid's hackles bristled, but seeing the hood, he tried his best to relax a little. His best, being a little bit of a less tense stance. He didn't like those eyes, searching and appraising him. They were too damn small, too thin. Unsettling.

Regardless, it was time to talk. "I was told you have, uh, quests. Or missions, or something. I'm lookin' for shit to do, I guess." Wings tucking closer to his sides, he remarked, "let's talk business. About things to do. Shit to collect."

The Collector listened, ever-polite, and tilted his head just a little as Eythan finished. He showed no distaste at the swearing, or at Eythan's businesslike demeanor.

Instead he appeared to grow thoughtful. Clawed hands drummed on rough fabric, and a sound quite like a "hmmm" escaped from beneath the hood. Those crimson pinpricks regarded the hybrid, consideringly.

"Well," he drawled at last, "it would hardly be fair for me to simply send you on your way without more... information. What is it that you most desire?"

@Eythan

Eythan found his eyes unintentionally trailing to the crooked hand of the Collector, and he tightened his beak in discomfort. Unintentionally, his ears flickered back. He still listened, intently, but there was an unsettling air to the creature. It was a fair judgement, right? There's a natural instinct to be scared of what one doesn't understand. Well, here it was. The thing he didn't understand.

And, intelligently, he began with snark, "I want what every other 'bound fuckin' wants: power, fame, wealth." Raising his head, he cackled dryly, dismissing the notion. "I actually don't know what I want. I kind of just recently got my shit together. I'm just down to fuck with whatever, y'know," he clarified unhelpfully, sincerely. The gryphon truly hadn't really thought about anything for himself recently, but blah blah blah moving forward, right? Not dwelling on the past like his father did? OH. "I most desire to be a better person. For my--- uh, father's friend and my brother. But, I don't want to cheat at it." Suddenly, he realized he was here for a journey of self-discovery or some shit. Like backpacking in the Himalayas, but there were no backpacks nor Himalayas. Eythan would simply be off venturing the caves for some miscellaneous object this weird thing wanted, right? Yeah.

Red points regarded Eythan with thoughtful silence. Still, the other showed no reaction at his uncouth nature; instead he remained silent.

At long last, he spoke.

"You are in luck. I can grant any wish, even one so vague as yours. Tell me... would you rather be known to all of the Caves as a hero, and a savior? Or would you rather be granted the ability to mend the wounded, in their time of need? Or perhaps, a boon of power, to better fight in the defense of the weak? Or the ability to feel what others feel, to tap into their hearts and souls and understand their emotions? Or..." and here the Collector paused, his smooth, quiet, rich voice lilting into a curious tone. "I wonder, would you wish a difficult task to truly make these caves a safer place for your brethren--but none will ever know..?"

Clawed hands fell still, gripping the robe close, and the Collector's form remained motionless as he stared down at Eythan, waiting.

@Eythan

"Oh, can you?" Eythan remarked rather boldly, adjusting his wings and flicking the tip of his tail. But, of course, he listened politely and intently. Considering the options he had been given, the spotted hybrid clicked his beak quietly. Talons danced up and down. He did not want the spotlight, the praise that came from being known to all and being a hero. Eythan Waldvogel was no hero. He could perhaps mend the wounded, provide a careful healing hand rather than a red-stained claw. The latter two offerings were intriguing, but the one to defend the weak stuck out rather distinctly to him. An image flashed briefly into his mind, mottled in red and black and nestled among the bones.

The hybrid looked up into the hollow eyes peering out from under the cloak, ears forward and stance rather resolute but still wary. The strong had been running amok in the Caves, preying upon those unable to fend for themselves properly. He had heard whispers of the Bloodberries, maniacal terrors upon their poor gembound peers. His brother could not be one to fall prey to those monsters. "I don't want to be known," Eythan began, "but I would like to make the caves safer and defend the weak."

He paused for a moment, mulling over the thought of What would Giggle do here?, and continued, "would there be a catch?" It never hurt to be careful.

The Collector glanced up sharply at the idea of a "catch," as if surprised. "A catch..? No. But there is a price, of course. My gifts are not given freely; I am a Collector, after all."

There was the glint of sharp white teeth behind the shadow of the hood, and then the black-clawed hand unfurled as if offering something to Eythan--a gesture of, it seemed, open good nature.

"You wish to be a guardian... Thus I task you with a test. Go to the tunnel that runs through the Core, where blood and bones litter the floor. There are those who claim to bring terror to the caves, there. Those who kill without mercy. Bring me something that belongs to them--I do not care what. I will collect it. A tooth from their jaws; a gem from their hoard, it matters little. And leave this behind." The other hand unfurled, and in it lay a twist of brown fur.

"Do this, and return to me, and I will grant you a spell that will allow you to survive onslaught by your foes: a magic as yet unknown to your peers." This was given in a slow and wondrous drawl, emphasizing the power of the offer.

New magic. A new spell. Something Eythan would know, before anyone else. Something that would give him the power to be a defender. "You will be a guardian. A protector. And all you have to do is that one little exchange." The claws turned, offering the swathe of brown fur toward Eythan as the Collector silently awaited his decision.

@Eythan

"Well, that's not a gift---" he began, but was cut off by the offering of a strange black hand with impossibly long and sharp claws. The hybrid distantly pondered the practicality of that outside of being spooky, but his thoughts flew back to the present as he listened intently to the task at hand. He hated that sharp-toothed smile, too. It made him want to rip that hood off and run away, somehow. But, regardless, focusing.

The test seemed completely unrelated to the goal he had been suggested, but whatever, right? Eythan was more concerned with the fact that he had just thought about the things in that tunnel and now he was being told to infiltrate their den and give them a bunch of fur. But, that spell seemed pretty cool-sounding and he had some shiny new talons in case everything went to shit. "Hmm, okay," he said a little insincerely, trodding forward and lifting his own taloned hand to take the plush piece.

'Little exchange' seemed to be very understated despite the dramatic drawl the Collector had spoken in, but the hybrid would take the piece of fur regardless.
It fumbled into his talons and he clutched it between his first and second digit.

"I'll be back, then." With that, he bid the Collector adieu with a slight nod and started toward the Chambers, preparing to take flight.

/exit unless stopped

The Collector didn't stop Eythan. He did not speak further, in fact, as the hybrid took the swatch of fur from his claws and turned away.

He simply watched him go, silent, his hand retracting into his robe and his sharp-toothed smile never fading.

An instant later he was gone, as if he had never been there, only empty rock and scattered bones remaining in his wake.

exit The Collector

Eythan

Game Master Dark

Eythan

Game Master Dark

Eythan

Game Master Dark

Eythan

Game Master Dark

Eythan

Game Master Dark