Since Finita had already read the first layer of text, I figure I would start on the second.
Greetings, creature of divine blood reading this. My name, to you, matters not, nor of what I am. But what matters to you if you are reading this text is; you bear at least a tiny hint of divine blood to be reading this script.
This also matters: I am the last magical creature living.
Perhaps, one day, when the world is no longer full of corrupt magic users, may this one day not be the case.
Finita blinked. This was not the intro she read!
Contained within these pages are accurate depictions of the beings which used to live; The good and 'redeemable' peoples which once walked this earth alongside humans, and all other manner of monsters. These 'redeemable' beings are not inherently evil; though by the actions of their cultures they may seem so.
Contained near the back of the book are nine female attuning rituals. They have been developed by these races in case a human ever felt so uncomfortable in their own skin that they decided that they must be something else instead. Of these rituals, one of them has been altered slightly by my hand; The Kitsune Ritual gives the human the chance to gain a kitsune of the size between one tail to nine. I have left out one potent component as upon the event that the transformed kitsune has all nine tails right off the bat that they experience what the 9th tail grants first hand... giving them the caution to learn their abilities slowly... lest they let them get out of hand and hurt someone they didn't intend too.
I paused at this aloud. So the ball WAS left out on purpose!
Anywho... read on, fellow divine friend; and let us start deep in the misty bamboo forests of Asia and the Sacred foxes who dwell within...
I paused in my reading to take a bite of sushi; Finita takes a moment to pour a glass of water and I take a gulp. I then flip the page and look at the picture of a large nine-tailed fox within.
The Kitsune.
The Misty Forest of Bamboo was once the homeland of the Kitsune. Sacred foxes who's patron god is Inari, the Fox god of Rice, Sake, and Harvest, These foxes are divine creatures one step below angels... just mortal enough to have free will, but divine enough to interact with gods.
To them, all of reality is an illusion; and thus, their illusions are like reality. Remember this when dealing with them.
The Kistune are similar to Mundane foxes in the respect that they are large, furry, have muzzles, four paws and have big fluffy tails. They differ then.
Usually highly intelligent creatures, they grow and age slowly. They are born with one tail, and every hundred years, they grow a little and gain another. Eventually, these foxes get taller then humans at the shoulder and gain nine full tails.
They are strong, noble and honorable creatures; it is no doubt that the Samurai of this time, highly trained warriors of such skill and discipline that a few warriors and take down a massive army with only a handful of these warriors, were inspired by the more warrior-like of these foxes. It is also not uncommon for the foxes to be seen serving shrines or living among humans due to their ability to shape-shift, which they gain around their fifth tail. If you ever spont a being with either fox ears r a tail, it is likely it is a kitsune-- a tung of the tail will turn them back into a fox with a Poing! Though, Kistune also tend to have a vengeful nature, so crossing them, or even doing something like pulling on a tail will likely cause the Kitsune to case a rather nasty curse on you...
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 8:07 pm
As Ratchet listened, he nervously scooted a bit away from Silvia when she was describing her race. Heck all these women were dangerous probably! That didn't settle his fears at all. Though he grew concerned a bit.
"So all of that pain was intentional! Wow the Kitsune sound like a hard race to please..or even be!" he stated biting his lip nervously. So many rules with that one, what if they were angered by accident? Or what if their tails were pulled the same? Not on purpose, would they still..curse someone?
Listening to all of this he kind of didn't like how the word and phrase Humans was written out. It kind of had one of those "Oh you know the stupid beings on the planet!" tones. Whoever wrote this book had sort of an attitude that was for sure.
Why females though? Did that mean that Finita, Silvia, Celestia, the mermaid, and the five other women were chosen to do the rituals? By like fate or something? What was wrong with being ordinary? Then again, he was just a boring human who was comfortable in his skin so he probably didn't understand.
Though Finita never seemed uncomfortable? Or if she was she never showed it. "So pretty much, this is a book of rituals. Given to nine "chosen" women to become a mystical race of the past huh?" he lightly stated staring out at the tiny island in the distance. Placing a hand to his face he sighed.
"Funny, I never believe fairy tales or creatures existed until today. Well that throws the whole "science" card out the window. Does that also mean frightening beings exist as well?" he asked shuddering at the thought. This was a lot to take in.
Where did he fit into all of this though? Ratchet probably was just a dumb human being dragged along for the ride huh? Though it did sound like humans and the other beings used to walk together. What did that mean? Did they marry and live normal lives? So many questions were not filling his mind, though half or more of the answers would probably never be answered.
One mental note, don't make the chocolate maker angry. Or pull her tail, which was going to be hard because he had to do check ups of all the women! It was one of his assignments given by Finita after all. The last thing Ratchet wanted, was to be cursed.
I had been staying with the Kitsune for a while, learning their culture and ways when I had went out for a trip to get a new toy for one of the younger foxes...
When I returned I found the Sacred Bamboo Forest on fire... and all of the Kitsune dead. Even the tiny three tails that I had been trying to please...
As I read this my voice seemed to crack, as I squeezed my glowing eyes as a tear dripped down my cheek. I took a deep breath and flipped the page.
Minotaur
My voice seemed to change as I said the word, getting much deeper and more gruff; My words even had a slight accent that sounded similar to an Irish accent. It also sounded more masculine then it should have.
I was sailing the waters of the Mediterranean when I came across a large, grassy isle with incredibly large shiny buildings which were visible even from the horizon. When I landed, I found I hand landed on the Isle of Minotaurs.
At this Finita perked up and stared, listening with incredible rapt attention. It wasn't clear if this was just interest or something more.
They were very large beings. Tall, muscular, averaging from 12 to 18 feet tall, with the tail, horns, hooves of bovines. As I walked among them, I found that while they often wore heavy plate armor, it was often styled quite well; some of the flourishes and designs applied to their armors rivals the work of the best tailors I had ever seen! Their work with metal is suburb and unrivaled.
Their island was like a maze. While I got lost for a long while, the locals were friendly and welcoming, even to a creature like myself which they had never seen before. I even lived with one for a time; even though he had the face of a bull I couldn't help but think of him to be quite handsome.
While living with the Minotaurs, I found that they have no skill for magic. Not that they would use magic anyway. They loved working with metals to build things, making these things called 'machines' out of fine little cogs or other parts. My roommate happened to make a toy tortoise that moved it's head and legs inside it's shell just like the real thing. This inability to cast magic was, however, equaled out by their immense strength; they can lift and carry a ton easily without training. If they trained, which they usually are, they can lift up to three or four for the strongest.
Though they are naturally a warrior race of physical might, I found that upon day to day life they are infact usually quite peaceful. Though, you threaten their family or their closest friends... let us just say their protective instincts for their loved ones is very strong.
It is hard to imagine anything that can out match the strength of one of these beings; save for certain nasty species of Fae, such as trolls or ogres.
Upon my stay with the Minotaurs I got to meet the perhaps most interesting Minotaur there; the King. He was a tall Bull of Minos with a sort of golden brown fur and blue eyes; wielded a large dead blow mallet as his weapon and wore of all things medium armor. He was a master smith, but he protected his home and ruled his people like none other. He also was slightly divine, I realized upon looking at him, though he was less divine by right but more like... divine by defiance. I couldn't quite ask where the divinity of this bull came from.... I wasn't sure if they knew or if it was too rude of me to ask. He was also the only one to utalize any 'magic' like abilities at all, though it was not surprising the magic he controlled allowed him to manipulate metal without a forge. I even earned a light suit of armor myself... I still wear it even now, as it is supremely light and feels more comfortable then any clothes I have yet to come across.
.... I grew very attached to my Minos friends there... at least up until a great flood came of strangely freezing water came and crashed into the island, wiping them all out... The last thing I saw before being washed away into the sea was my closest friend freezing before my eyes as he tried to shield me from the wave...
I stopped and sniffed, squeezing my eyes again as more tears dripped down my cheeks. I started to drink more water.
Finita's eyes had gone huge and a big sad frown was on her face... she looked heartrendingly sad and yet still adorable at the same time...
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:49 pm
Cecelia's face grew grimmer as she listened. It was a history of how the races died. And why this Kitsune made the book. She assumed it was from the first story. She began fiddling with her hair and puzzling over the stories. She had first assumed that maybe humans have hunted them all down. But in the Minotaurs case it was nature. Or so it seemed. Nature or a power that was hard to wrap the head around. "What happened to all the others?" she asked softly.
I finished my water and Finita sniffed and looked back at her food.
Sirens
My voice had smoothly changed to one Cecelia would recognize-- it was the musical voice of the siren woman who visited her in her ritual!
I woke to find myself lying at the bottom of the sea. Startled, I jumped and looked around, only to find myself with a long glorious finned tail and scales.
Turns out I had been found floating above Cantoa, the city of the Sirens. They had an.... interesting way of helping me out-- while I was unconscious one of them had kissed me... as they found me not to be that appetizing. Thus, they had turned me temporarily into a siren. It apparently is a magical ability they shared with the mermaids.
They were curious as to what I was doing floating in the water all by myself, so I told them of the fate of the Isle of Minotaurs. The girls who had found me immediately looked saddened-- they had loved to play for the minotaurs, watching the big creatures dancing in their armor.
Looking about, I found myself in a city that had seemed to be grown partially out of coral. There were buildings, homes and shops, all kinds of things, the structures reinforced with wood or stone... while also being covered in barnacles.
They decided to bring me to the Queen of Sirens. She resided in a massive palace grown completely out out of coral, in all different colors. They brought me in and we found a beautiful siren upon her throne, with long golden hair and blue scales, singing for her subjects; while I had heard beautiful music from the others, none of them could match the perfection that was her voice. It gave me the irresistible urge to sing and dance along with the other sirens, who had what looked like... mermen accompanying them? No, they looked too rough to be mermen from what I had heard of... I think they were sailors, transformed by the sirens kiss and brought here to be mates... the sirens didn't seem to be in much hurry to eat them anytime soon. They certainly had... interesting taste in men.
When her song was done I respectfully swam forward and introduced myself, and I reported what happened to the Isle of Minotaurs. She looked at me, her brow furrowed with worry. Then she offered me a place to stay in the city, saying that 'if you were a friend of theirs you are a friend of ours.' I thanked her, and I was escorted to a small coral house in which I lived for a while.
Getting to know the sirens, I found they were active and playful beings. They loved to sing for sailors and others beings of the surface, sometimes bringing them down to mate with. They made strong ties with each other, which they showed with their songs.
I found myself singing tales for the little siren girls who swam about, too young to accompany their mothers to the surface. A thankful mother made me a harp to play to accompany my songs. I still carry it and sing for the little human children, though I no longer bear the gift of the sirens song.
It was months later when one day I awoke to an awful racket; I swam outside to find a massive red wall of water a distance away from the city. Before it was the queen herself, shielding the city from the red wall with nothing more then her voice! It was manifesting as a solid, hard wall of water a foot thick that this red water couldn't get through. The other sirens were swimming about in a panic with their mates, looking for children to rescue as they fled.
As I packed my things and made a swim for the opposite side of the city, I heard one of the sirens crying out three terrifying words; "The Red Tide."
I swam. I swam hard. But I couldn't help but glance back to see the queen stop, reeling back and choking, blood coming from her mouth right before she was quickly overwhelmed by the Red waters as it rushed towards her, and the city, in one great surge. And all I could smell was the stench of magic at that time.
I swam for my life.
After what felt like days, I eventually hauled myself onto a shore. Coughing water out of my lungs, I looked back at the sea to find that I had reached the white sands of this beach in the nick of time; the water lapping against the sand was as red as blood. From the beach to the horizon, it looked like the sea was filled with blood.
I took a deep breath and started drinking more water to soothe my parched throat. I was not just reading the words; I was reliving the memories of this traveler as if they were my own. What horror, what pain she had gone through!
Finita listened to all of this quietly, ears drooped.
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:09 am
Ratchet had fallen silent as he listened to the Minotaur race and their demise. So those large bulls were really people of peace? That was something he had never thought of. Most of the time they were depicted as evil monsters roaming labyrinths and killing foolish adventurers that crossed their path. He noticed how sad Finita had gotten and in all honesty that broke his heart too.
The Sirens, it seemed, also surprised him. Though he didn't like the part of them eating men. Why? Wouldn't they want someone to hold and love for the rest of their life? It was very fascinating that they lived in a city or coral. Glancing over to Cecelia he noticed her eyes were focused when Silvia spoke of the race she had become.
Each of these races seemed vicious at some points, but kind and loving at other points. A tide of red? Unless it was magical as the book stated that could have been the work of Humans. They were callous with things and who knows what it could have been. Looking down his hid his eyes, Ratchet was unsure what to think, though it wasn't right how the races were just slaughtered the way they were.
Sure if he had been living at the time, Ratchet probably would have been terrified by them all actually. Yet he had no desire to hurt them, nor the power to really do so if he wanted to. This whole science experiment was starting to appear more magical than it started. Looking up he noticed Finita, she looked like someone had run her over with a large truck.
Reaching out he touched her large hand and smiled at her. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked with concern in his voice. "What happened to these races is very heart wrenching. Though honestly eye opening really." he said glancing away from them all for a moment.
Silvia was obviously just getting stared because there were nine races right? Three had only been described, but if the pattern stayed true, each one would have been wiped out completely. Looking back at Finita his eyes sparkled with seriousness, but also tender kindness. "We will have to make it so nothing like this ever happens again! We are scientists after all, right before our eyes these races are coming back. I'll do all I can to make sure you all continue on. Y-Yeah I'm still a little scared, but having your whole exhistance wiped out to the point where you can't breed more and continue from the wreckage..is wrong." he stated standing up.
Ratchet then began to clean the empty plates and cartons off of the table to dispose of. As he gathered the remains of the crab he smiled softly at Cecelia. Slowly walking over to the woman he reached out and cautiously pat her on the head. "It's alright, you're safe here..no one will hurt you. No red tide will find you either. I'll make sure you get to live on in peace and safety." he stated gathering the bits of empty containers around her, hoping she wasn't going to hiss at him.
Well she had eaten her fill so she probably wouldn't. "I'm sorry everyone. The whole day ever since watching you all change I've been uncooperative and distant. Though learning the little I've learned from the traveler in this book, it's made me realize something. Maybe all of this...was fate. There's a reason why you all were chosen. As a scientist I'll do what I can to aid you, and as a friend I will always be here for you. I'm..just a Human but I hope..you'll at least let me help somehow. I want to.." he said looking away blushing shyly.
Finita nodded and smiled at him. It was times like this when he was the strong one. They all seemed to die of natural disasters... but it seems the effects of destructive magic follows this poor traveler wherever she goes... Icy water in the Mediterranean? Kistune being snuffed out by mundane fire? The waters smelling of magic as an entire city is wiped out at an unnaturally fast rate from Red Tide? Someone was obviously trying to kill all of these creatures off... But who? Why? That is worse then the holocaust.... and yet these poor creatures ever even once got a sympathetic story or a tale of how they died... except in this book... We are indebted to this traveler and story teller.... Indebted to no end... If only for the stories of how these people truly were...
She pondered this before looking back at me. She saw blood start to drip from my nose again as I was still drinking water, though this time the flow was more slow. She yanked the book off the table and slammed it shut, holding it away from me as if it might hurt me.
And that is enough for now. Can't have my most accurate translator dying because they read too much! Damn, what is this language?
The cover had changed; It now bore the mark of a fox darting between some bamboo plants, it's hind legs and tail turned into a swirl like that of wind. She took this in with a pair of furrowed eyebrows, before she stowed the book away and looked back to me.
I'm beginning to realize such a possibility as well. Finita said. Are we meant to do something as these races? She mused aloud.
Now that the book was no longer infront of me, I looked drowsy and I was swaying back and forth where I sat. She caught me, and started feeding me the last bits of sushi I hadn't gotten to before I conked out.
I wish I knew more about neurology... I need to see if these nosebleeds mean she's dying... But even if I could do an MRI scan I couldn't makes heads or tails of the results...
I blinked lazily in the light of the room, glancing around almost drunkenly at the world around me; though it was more along the lines of a massive migraine I was trying to think through. I stopped when my glowing eyes fell on Ratchet. My eyebrows furrowed at him, before a wry smile crossed my lips. Then, without warning, the glow of my eyes faded and I slumped downward into Finita's arms, out like a light.
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:59 pm
Ratchet suddenly grew concerned for Silvia. He too had noticed her nose bleeding and was about to rush to her side when Finita caught her. The book now safely tucked away he noticed how drunk she looked. Something didn't set right in his heart.
Listening quietly to his bosses muses Ratchet placed a hand to his chin and pondered as well. Someone wanted all the races dead, but why? Who? Ratchet never really got a clear view of the book but Finita seemed worried about something.
Funny, she had become so much like a Minotaur now that he thought about it. She was a rather protective person even when she was Human. She honestly didn't scare him as much as the other two women did. Maybe it was because he trusted her more?
As he looked up from his pondering, Ratchet caught the eyes of Silvia. Her brows furrowed, she was staring at him. The Human tried to look away but he couldn't and the more he stared the more he could feel his heart begin to race with nervousness. Why..was she smiling at him like that? Gulping a bit he watched at the woman passed out. Looking at his watch he noticed how late it was.
"Finita, I think we should all retire. After all it's almost 2am." he stated with a yawn. "Don't worry I'll clean up the dishes and put the cart away. Question is, where to put Miss Silvia? I don't know if her room is done yet?" he wondered out loud.
Looking down to Cecelia he smiled kindly. "Do you need a hand back into the water? I could carry you if you wanted me to." he asked shyly. Ratchet was even more reluctant around her now that he knew a bit more about her race. Though the glowing eyes of Silvia were still on his mind.
Had he..done or said something wrong? Ratchet began to wonder, he hadn't tried pulling her tails or anything. He had gone out to get her a ball and food..unless the rice ball he ate had shown her displeasure? Though she offered it to him? Oh well, it was probably nothing to worry about. He would help the Siren out if she needed, and most of the empty food cartons had been tucked away on the cart ready to be disposed of, so there wasn't much left to do.
The Minotauress looked down at the unconscious fox woman.
I doubt it. It took them long enough to do her ritual... her room is going to have another forest of bamboo in it, and it's going to be bigger. Besides, I think it's a better idea if she was sharing a room with someone else tonight... in case something came up and she got a worse nosebleed or something.
She sighed and took a couple clean prices of tissue and stuck them up Silvia's nose to stem the bleeding.
I would take her into my room with me but I don't know how good I am at going through mazes-- I don't know if it's instinct or something they taught... If I'm in my bedroom and something happens, I don't know if I can get her out in time to help her.
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 3:39 pm
"Hmmm....." he thought. "Why not my room? There's no maze, plus it's got an extra bed. I honestly don't mind. No doubt if she stayed here, the Siren would keep her up all night with her songs. I kind of picture Cecelia's race to be somewhat nocturnal." he stated.
His room was the only choice it seemed. Why did that bring a sudden chill down his back? Oh well it was just for one night right? Her room would be done probably during more of the rituals tomorrow.
More rituals...come to think of it that one woman that shouted at Cecelia hadn't had her turn yet, and more possibly would show up afterwards. Smiling he gave his boss a nod.
"Just toss her, not literally, into the spare bed in my room and I'll make sure to check on her. Any easy way I can contact you without wandering your room's maze?" he asked wiping off the table.
Finita nodded and stood, picking up the unconscious woman in her arms easily. She held up the pendent and sighed upon looking at it, before putting it back on and she shrunk back to 8 feet tall.
She paused and then realized that Silvia was wearing her old lab coat. She reached into a pocket and pulled out her own cell phone.
Call me. That should be easy enough; I'll have it set on full volume.
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:26 pm
Ratchet frowned a bit, maybe it hurt when Finita shrunk some? Giving her a nod he continued to clean up the mess when he was handed her cell phone. "Alright I will. Maybe some rest will help her out." he smiled. "Also you need some too, you look bushed." he stated with concern.
Gathering all the food scraps he began to push the cart out of the room, stopping to turn for a moment. Looking at Finita, Cecelia, and Silvia, he smiled.
"Good night you two!" Ratchet stated then turned to wheel the cart out. Why did all of this make him so uneasy? Oh well no use in thinking about it all right now. Making his way to the elevator, he pushed a button and waited.
The upper level of the lab had been dark and quiet. Finally dumping the last of the empty containers away, he safely returned the cart, locked up, and headed back down to his room. The living quarters were dark now, and still. It was almost eerie as he made it to his room and quietly opened the door. Entering the dark room he quietly locked it then took off his coat and his shirt.
What a day it had been, laying on his bed, in some pajama pants, he sighed. Those eyes the kitsune had, those glowing eyes....why did it make his very soul shudder? Speaking of the kitsune, she was probably still unconscious. Looking at the phone, Ratchet was a light sleeper. So he would check up on her probably within a few hours or so. He never slept well anyway, Ratchet had been having odd nightmares lately and those nightmares also kept him up. Stupid thing was he was becoming a night owl. He actually liked the still quietness. Though for now he felt his eyes heavy a bit as the fatigue set in and soon happily slipped into dreamland.
Finita nodded and bowed to Cecelia, still carrying the comatose fox woman in her arms.
Goodnight.
She then followed Ratchet and the cart to the elevators.
As Ratchet went to dispose of the boxes, she went to Ratchet's room, before tucking the fox woman into bed. She looked on at the sleeping woman with a smile. She would make a good friend.
Shaking her head, she left Ratchet's room before he returned, before heading down to her own room.
Stepping inside she indeed found that had been constructed as a maze. With a snort of annoyance, she wandered through it, though she found she had little trouble reaching the center; it was more time consuming then anything else. Within she found some of her personal equipment, the forge from her ritual, more materials if she ever desired to smith craft, and a large metal bed for her to sleep in just her size.
With a smile she stepped forward and approached the forge, picking up the hammer and sitting down at the anvil... she started to work.
~~~
Hours later she had designed a new set of clothes and a scale mail lab coat, she finally went to bed.
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 7:16 pm
As the night pressed on, one of Ratchet's nightmares appeared yet again. He was in a blurry field of bamboo, peaceful and tranquil. The night was calm and bright. Suddenly the scene shifted and the blurry colors of orange, yellow, and red danced around wildly among the blurred bamboo. Smoke billowed all around him and the sounds of screaming could be heard in the distance. As that vanished a pair of glowing eyes glared at him through burnt and fallen bamboo and before he knew it the glowing eyes lunged at him revealing vicious fangs.
His eyes snapped open as he sat up with a cold sweat. Panting his heart raced. That dream was always the first in an odd loop of nine dreams. All different yet the same. What could they mean? Too afraid to go to sleep he quietly got up and made sure not to wake Silvia. Donning his lab coat, Ratchet made his way to the small kitchen, in the living quarters. Brewing himself some coffee he looked at the clock. 3:30 Am glowed brightly within the darkness.
Out of his rush he had left his door open and soon the smell of maple nut coffee filled the hallways. Walking out to the balcony he stared out into the night sky. The steam from his cup swirling out into the chilly night. He was afraid of something..but what? Ratchet just didn't understand and in fact he wasn't even drinking the cup of coffee he had made! Too afraid to sleep he would try later....maybe this was all just fatigue? He hoped so, though it seemed every night he had a nightmare. It seemed too real to just be a normal dream.
As Silvia read the events recorded in the book, Cecelia grew very quiet. Her eyes closed as she listened, her expression growing troubled. The funny thing was, she could imagine these events with ease. She didn't want to, but she could. These events seemed unnatural. Nature's disasters at first glance, but suspicious on further study. Water like blood? Freezing tsunami? A forest fire that killed god-like creatures that could be called fire foxes? None of it set well for her. And the events seemed almost biblical in their descriptions. She couldn't think of anything to say. Not with all the implications of these accounts. For all the women going through this, they found a way to be more than what they were. However, the knowledge that she was probably the only siren living today made her feel really lonely. The voice the Kitsune had spoke in sent a pang through her chest. It was the woman who came to her. For some reason the spirit felt like a mother figure. But she was a spirit, and it was unnerving to hear her beautiful voice through someone else. Cecelia waved a hand at Ratchet's offer. She could get to the water by herself. She hoped that Silvia was alright, but the book had said her powers would be difficult to use. Perhaps Cecelia could find a was to heal her with her voice. She was too inexperience to do that quite yet. Cecelia was too tired and too disturbed by the book to talk, so she was relieved to see the others go. She waved and moved to push herself into the water. It was a pleasant temperature and clear enough for her to get a good view of her new home. Something she would explore later. For now she picked a spot to sleep and laid down. She fell asleep immediately, though it was a restless one.
