Tahi-shei hadn't gone far in his little life, but he was three cycles old now and his body was showing it. While he still had a bit of filling out to do, he was nearly his adult height and he was firmly in the "spike" phase of antler development. They weren't good for fending anything off yet, but they'd continue to grow rapidly through the next cycle and soon would be fully formed. In his meager travels to and from Polaris, however, he'd encountered a handful of Gembound and heard a handful of stories. One in particular had caught his attention -- a creature called the Collector living in Canis, who could help a young Gembound find strange artifacts if they were willing to complete a favor or two.
He'd made this journey operating under the assumption that it was a myth, but here in the cave with the massive bone structures in the distance, he was feeling a little more like it could be true. The prospect of finding something new excited him, especially if it was going to be something that could make him stronger. Tahi-shei really wanted to jumpstart his magic -- he'd been moving at a steady rate of one spell per cycle with great effort, but creatures like his new friend Madhukar could apparently explode with a wide variety of magic in a very short amount of time, even if they didn't have all that much control.
So here he was, with a bruised ego and a desire to know more. "C-Collector?" he called, cringing at how his voice cracked. These were simple enough instructions, but he couldn't help feeling like the raven who'd given them to him was watching him and laughing. "Erm, I-- I heard there was someone here who had, uh, magic stuff? I-- I'm looking to get better with magic! Please. If you're not busy. And thank you in advance." Leave it to him to sound positively uncool and ridiculously polite, but he figured that it would be good to be polite on the off chance that there really was an ancient, ridiculously powerful bone monster watching him from the darkness.
"I am the Collector," came a crooning, silky voice. It was masculine--deep--but refined; and the being that stepped out from the shadows of a bone fortress behind the Sika was not particularly monstrous.
He was tall--horned, yes; but the black cloak hid him almost wholly from sight. Only hands--tipped in black claws, and furred dark grey--and crimson, pinprick eyes beneath the hood were visible. A fur ruff lay over the top of the cloak, around his neck, beneath the hood.
The soft clicks as he approached Tahi-shei suggested hooves, at least; and the Collector came to a halt just a couple feet away. "And just whom do I have the pleasure of addressing..?"
@Tahi-shei
Tahi-shei turned at the crooning voice, startling just a little as he took stock of the creature. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't... this. While shadowy and weird, the sound of hoof-beats and the presence of horns soothed him just a bit. The Collector seemed to be of a similar enough shape to Tahi-shei himself, but more importantly, he felt a lot better knowing this hadn't all been made up. Having something to look at and call by a name made him feel less uneasy about the whole ordeal, even if this Collector still made him a little bit... nervous.
"Oh! I'm sorry, it seems I've forgotten my manners," the deer said, dipping his head slightly to appear less threatening (not that he was very threatening anyway).
"I'm Tahi-shei Deimos, but Tahi is okay for short." He usually remembered to introduce himself before he started asking questions. But speaking of questions... Tahi struggled to hold his tongue, keeping the worst of them to himself, but he was not a quiet creature and was, in fact, a very
curious one.
This didn't strike him as the type of being that one asked many questions of, but Tahi struggled with self preservation once his initial fear was overcome.
"... Out of curiosity, what is that? It doesn't look like fur or skin," he admitted, indicating the cloak.
"Or... at least... not yours? Does it come off, or is it a part of you?" He almost asked
more questions, but settled for leaving it at that. The Collector wasn't scary, per se, but Tahi certainly didn't want to upset him.
@dark
Gah, one of the ones who gives themselves a surname. A dramatic one, no less. As if first names weren't bad enough. And this one had three? He fought a grimace, though it wouldn't have been visible beneath the hood regardless.
His voice, though, came smooth, with no trace of his disdain. The tone was approving, even. "Ahh, this? It is called clothing; it is a cloak," he explained, gently plucking at a corner of its black fabric. "Oh, but please, don't let me distract you from your purpose here. I aim to serve, of course; you wanted something, I take it..?"
@Tahi-shei
Tahi was glad for the answer, and glad for the fact that the Collector didn't seem upset by the question. His head tilted slightly to the side and he considered clothing for a moment. An extra barrier... while the cloth didn't look very thick, if someone could make clothing out of something like metal, couldn't they protect themselves against physical blows? He blinked the thoughts away and scraped for an acceptable answer to the question, lest he fall back on rambling.
"Erm... well, yes," he admitted, straightening himself up a little bit. "I've met... Gembound, who were younger than me, but had much more... well, not skill with magic," he thought, thinking about Madhukar's lack of control, "but potential, at least. I was hoping there was something you had that could help me gain skill with my magic -- fungal, that is -- or at the very least grant me an increased understanding of it." He knew that it was a vague request, but Tahi-shei had very little understanding of objects and their potential capabilities.
Those crimson pinprick eyes widened, their glow illuminating the rim of the black hood brightly.
"I have just the thing!" the Collector exclaimed, in a rush--and oh did he. "A crown, in fact, belonging to an ancient prince of the element of Fungi--but all my gifts, as you may know, come with a price."
A pause, as he tapped clawed fingers across his own robed arms.
"First, you will need to learn how to see through fungus. It is a good spell--a strong one. And second, I will need the body of a Greater to consecrate the Crown. You will need to bring them here quite quickly--before they decay. Kill them however you wish," he added, with a shrug. "The Crown itself will empower the weaker of your magic into strength, lending its power to yours."
The Collector again paused for a moment, scarlet eyes regarding Tahi-shei almost eagerly. Then a clawed hand slipped into the robe, and a parchment contract was withdrawn: one with scribbled writing in a foreign tongue across its surface, and an empty space at the bottom for a hoofprint.
"If you agree to these terms-... Just sign here," he crooned.
_____________
The task set for Tahi-shei requires the retrieval of a Greater Gembound corpse (killings cannot be pre-planned) and the learning of the spell Feel Around. The granting of the Crown may, like most of the Collector's rewards, may cause negative consequences for the character, including permanent ones. These will not be revealed in advance.
@Tahi-shei
Tahi was thrilled that the Collector had something in mind, and his ears pricked up. A crown, too, could very well work (although he had a vague understanding of what it was), but being owned by a prince... Well, surely a Gembound with such a title had to be powerful, right? He opened his mouth to offer something in exchange -- not that he had much, but Tahi had been thinking about offering a favor or something -- when the Collector declared that he did, in fact, have his own terms.
The deer's mouth clicked shut audibly. A greater corpse? Tahi didn't even think he was capable of killing a Lesser, much less... that. He didn't know what he meant by 'decay', but figured that quickly meant it would have to be in... this general area. Tahi frowned, thinking for a moment. What was he willing to do to get better? Was he willing to-- No, absolutely not. But... maybe if I just... found a body...? But it would have to be fresh! And-- and would I be responsible for it, if-- if someone died, and I could have maybe stepped in to save them? What kind of creature am I, if I sign this? Is this really my fate, or is my path elsewhere?
He thought back to the Olympics. It had just been fun and games, but he'd failed miserably. And he thought back to Madhukar, who'd tried to teach him to be angry. Tahi gritted his teeth. He wanted to be better. Stronger. More... powerful, like Pride. Slime Molds, like Madhukar! Tahi normally would have had a million questions for the Collector, like... who was this prince? What does this contract say? What happens if I don't do it? What do you mean by 'decay'? Can I back out? Do I have to kill someone?
Tahi-shei Deimos planted his hoof on the contract, and with that simple motion, was certain that he'd just signed his life away.
As hoof impacted parchment, there was a scent of burning in the air--and a coil of smoke, then, as the imprint of Tahi-shei's touch was seared into the scroll.
Just like that, it was whisked away: rolled up and tucked back beneath the cloak in a series of swift, smooth movements. "The contract is sealed," the Collector purred, and then swept into a low, deep bow.
"See you soon, Mr. Deimos..."
In a flash, then, he was gone; and Tahi-shei was left alone, with bones and the smell of smoke.
@Tahi-shei
A chill ran through Tahi-shei and he instinctively lifted his his hoof to see if he was being injured, in which time the contract was yanked away. Tahi felt numb as the Collector withdrew into the darkness, staring blankly out over the fields of bones. He instantly regretted his decision... but he'd already made it, and was quite sure by this point that there was no going back.
Tahi swallowed hard and tried to find the shadowy mass in the cave, but whether the Collector was actually gone or just hiding too keenly for Tahi-shei's admittedly not very developed senses, he was undetectable. The fawn stared at his hooves, feeling too cold to move. He considered his options.
Was he capable of murder? Could he really look a living, sentient creature in the eyes and take its life away? Maybe if he were attacked, or defending someone else, but... Tahi was not brave, and he didn't even know if he'd have the strength to act in extreme circumstances. What would happen to him if he tried to... well. Would he even be himself anymore? Tahi-shei was empathetic! Friendly! He wanted to join the Seven! Would they even allow murderers into their ranks?
But he just said I needed a body, right...? M-Maybe if... if someone else does something, I can find it... but I certainly can't take out a hit on someone! Is the power even worth it? Well, I signed the contract, so I can't really back out now -- no telling what happens if I don't fulfill it, right? Ugh. This was such a mistake. I never should have come here in the first place...
He sighed heavily and finally began to move, as though he'd been encased in stone before and was now breaking free. "See you... soon," he murmured in reply, and then he, too, was gone.
> exit tahi-shei