(Quest) Bone Fishing - Printable Version

The hooded figure listened closely to all that everyone said. He looked at them individually, too, as they spoke.

To Glory, he gave an appraising and appreciative look, indicated not through hidden facial features but rather a deep and respectful incline of his head. To Skeena, he also listened closely, giving a nod--and then glancing briefly at Glory, as if wondering which of their stories were correct. He looked, too, toward the distant and mostly-hidden Giggle, his scarlet eyes unblinking.

When Thothaga spoke he looked last to her, listening intently.

His voice came smoother, softer, as if the rasp from his long imprisonment was fading.

"Then I thank all of you. Though it... does present a problem," he added. His tone was apologetic, and his horns swayed as he gently, dismissively shook his head. "Allow me to explain. I create--and collect--objects of great magic. In ages past, those who served the caves through tasks I presented, were rewarded with these items. Alas..." and here the Collector turned, gesturing with a splayed set of long claws at the carvings behind him, "there were those who would take my gifts all for themselves. They bound me with my own magic, in death--within my own creation."

The creature's voice was mournful. He lifted his palm, clawed hands splayed. Within it sat the small many-sided blue stone, still softly-glowing. "I would offer this in gratitude as a reward for at last setting me free. Perhaps you can decide among you who is to take this gift. Though it is hardly fair to reward only one of you... Hmm." He seemed to think, for a moment, and then his horns again swayed as he nodded to himself. "For the rest of you, I will offer another quest. A small thing, really. It will come with great prizes of its own. But first I must ask you to decide who will be rewarded this bauble. It holds great power," he added, his tone taking on a note of warning.

"This stone must not be wrongly-used. It has the chance to rewrite fate itself... for better, or for worse. Who among you would claim this reward?"

As Skeena spoke about all of them helping together, Glory realized with a burning feeling that she was right - perhaps he had carried the gem, but they had all helped to get it from Polaris to Canis. He dipped his head back in acknowledgement to the creature's appreciation and turned to Skeena. "Yes...you're right. I'm sorry, I should not be claiming the one title."

But as the creature began to speak again, Glory listened intently. He had to admit, the thought of powerful objects certainly sent a thrill through him, but not out of a desire to possess them, but simply out of wonder of what they were and what they could do. What was so powerful that their maker and collector had to be sealed away?

As for the gem, while Glory had indeed wanted to unravel its mystery, he personally had no interest in keeping it for himself. What would he use it for? He did not have the kind of deep magic that let him understand this kind of thing. He had fire and steel - physical, destructive, and strong. But there was one among them who had shown great affinity for the gem.

He turned back to Thothaga. "I have no desire to possess the stone but you, spider, I know that you have some strange attachment to it...I do not understand, but if you wish to have it I would have no objections."

The Collector watched and listened from beneath his hood as the others spoke. When Glory and then Skeena both declined the stone, the Collector seemed to pause and stare for a long moment, and then inclined his head with respect.

"This is very noble of you..." he declared. And then, to Thothaga, he stepped forth. His clawed hand reached out of his robes, and the fingers unfurled to reveal the small, blue die lying on the palm. Up close, it was clearer that the entire limb was covered in dark and grizzled gray fur, the black claws long and pointed.

"It shall not imprison any again. Those that knew how to work that magic have been dead for-..." and here, the Collector looked around as if studying his surroundings, before finishing--"a very long time."

He looked back to the blue-black spider as he handed the blue stone to Thothaga. "In their place are new creatures--fantastic and strange. I have never seen anything like you--or you," he added, first to Thothaga and then Skeena. Then he stepped back, the stone now with Thothaga, the hand slipping back into his robes.

"As for your quest... there is the stone of another, languishing. It must be retrieved; the one who holds it knows nothing of it. It is orange. I have seen, through my magics, the one who holds it: a creature on four limbs, jet black, somewhere around the size of most of you. It will not give the stone up willingly. Find it, and take it, and bring it here--by force, if necessary. It is very important to all of your survival. I will reward you all well."

With that the Collector bowed, his horned head sweeping low, crimson eyes for a moment hidden behind his deep hood.

Glory listened carefully and tried to envision the creature that the Collector described. A black creature on four limbs? He shivered. That sounded like her. The wolf. He shivered with disgust. Would he have to face her again? Was she the one in possession of this stone? But she hadn't seemed like one to harbor important gems and objects. She just seemed like one to kill.

Or, perhaps, the gem is, in fact, the gem of a creature she'd killed. Then it would make sense for her to be in possession of it. But Glory didn't want to get ahead of himself. There were probably a lot of black four-legged creatures in the caves. He turned to the others, hoping that it really was someone else. "Do any of you know of such a creature? There is someone I know, black with four legs, but she is neither a friend nor someone that would be the type to have a stone as important as this. I dearly hope we do not have to go to her." He hoped, he really hoped that the others knew of a different lead to take.