[CLASS QUEST] Shukri

[Suhuba]

This Quest is for Shukri who wants to be a Collector.

OOC
||. You may not control any NPCs or other characters; Shukri must face his trials alone.
||. Respond to the prompts given as you would any other RP.
||. Your responses may be as long or short as you feel necessary.

IC
The day was just beginning to dawn. The sun’s usual, golden light was filtering a yellowish hue across the entirety of Sauti. It was a pleasant day, warm and pleasant, perfect for being outside and exploring.

A large, scruffy, dark bird flew over the craggy mountains. These birds were vicious, territorial, and incredibly common to the land. Something about this one, however, seemed different.

The bird seemed to be tinted slightly red, strange for its species, and an odd, red dust fell from the creature’s feathers as it flew. Within its grasped talons, something seemed to be glittering, its shiny surfaces reflected in the morning light. The creature flew with a clear destination. In the distance, a group of the scruffy birds circled overhead, no doubt protecting a nest.
 

[ladyumbra]

It was done, the traveling from the old encampment to the new one was complete and Shukri couldn't be happier. It wasn't that he'd failed to enjoy being on the move just that he'd missed having free time to explore at his leisure. Today though the young man could do as he pleased and he intended to make the most of the opportunity. Up bright and early he'd slung a water flask over his shoulder made sure he had a few rocks in one of his belt pouches as sling ammunition and then the pale haired prentice had been off. Shukri couldn't recall the last time the band had used this area as a temporary camp, he didn't even have a map of it in his collection. Everything felt new and inviting, like the world was just waiting for him to come out and see what it had to offer.

As pale blue eyes looked up as the pastel coloured sky Shukri caught a glimpse of something nearly as interesting as unexplored land. Now he was used to seeing prey animals dangling from the talons of Sauti's most prolific and aggressive birds but he usually didn't see them flying off with things that shined like that. He also definitely didn't see them trailing dust unless they'd been dust bathing as some creatures were prone to do to keep bugs away and whatnot. For a brief moment Shukri imagined Takoda rolling around in dirt and mud just so bugs would leave him alone.

Chucking to himself Shukri began to follow after the bird intrigued as to what it was up to and why the dust falling from it was red. The fact that the creature itself had red tinted plumage was only mildly interesting, sports did happen after all although usually odd coloured creatures got cast out and died early on in their lives. Given how aggressive the scruffy birds were know to be though it was just a little weird that the red one hadn't been forced out of the flock.

Shukri frowned as it became apparent that the bird intending to rejoin the flock with it's prize. He really didn't like tangling with these creatures when he could avoid it. He was tempted to use his sling to try and make the bird drop whatever it had but it flew fast and he'd never been good at aiming while moving. Shukri wasn't about to cause unnecessary harm to the oddity in case he failed to scare it and ended up hitting it instead. There was nothing he could do but continue to follow and hope there'd be a good opportunity to get a look at what the creature had once it landed.  

[Suhuba]

The scruffy bird made it to its mountain home uncontested. As it passed over the nest, it dropped the glittering object from between its claws before landing. It picked through the items in the nest, all of them stolen trinkets and treasures of one variety or another, arranging them in whatever fashion its primitive brain thought best.

The other birds circling overhead cried their delight (which sounded astoundingly similar to their anger and despair) and took turns swooping in to take a look at the newest addition to their treasure trove.

The particular item that their feathered friend had brought back was a broken piece of something, quite obviously, larger. Even this very small fragment was a brilliant red with intricate, gold details. A few glittering gems were dotted here and there. The opposite side of the gently curving fragment was a smooth ivory, akin to the color of an egg.

A girl crouched nearby, a Prentice of the Ice Tribe. Her hands were stained with the same red dust that colored the bird and fell from its feathers. Her eyes were trained intently on the fragment that had just recently been deposited in the nest.  

[ladyumbra]

Shukri was amused by if not a little jealous of the hoard that the birds had gathered in their nest. He couldn't quite see what all was in there but every trinket that the feathered pest pick up and rearranged was interesting looking to the young man. If Shukri got a chance to raid that nest he'd probably be able to make off with enough to secure himself a few more luxury items in the future. Well depend on the quality and state of disrepair all of the valuables were in, still he was pretty sure that it'd be worth dealing with the sharp beaks and talons of the scruffy birds to get at some shinies.

In his peripheral vision Shukri caught sight of the ice tribe prentice girl. Before he could wonder what she was doing here his pale eyes spotted a familiar red dust on her hands. Hmm, on the one hand Shukri appeared to have an ally, but on the other he had a feeling that he was going to have to share his spoils when all was said and done. Slowly, so as not to attract unwanted attention from the birds circling overhead the blond moved to crouch beside the young girl.

"What manner of stolen treasure is so valuable that you tracked the thief into Sauti?" He whispered in greeting. Perhaps not the most polite start to a conversation but Shukri wanted answers quickly before the birds inevitably got tired of their presence. That and he truly wondered what would be worth what had surely been a long trek for the ice tribe girl.  

[Suhuba]

The Ice Tribe girl was visibly startled as the blonde man crouched beside her. Clearly, her focus had been so intently focused on the nest that she hadn’t noticed his approach, and this irritated her. They hadn’t even met yet, and already she could feel her pride hurting.

Nose scrunched, she scowled at him. ”Not that it’s any of your business…” She scoffed, brushing a strand of dark hair away from her face and leaving a streak of red dust across her forehead. ”But I found the item first. In fact, I was walking home with it… I’m not even sure what it was, exactly, when that stupid bird swooped down and knocked it right out of my hands! The part in the nest broke off from a larger piece, which rolled down into this deep ravine full of…” She raised at her hands, indicating the strangely hued powder that stained them ”…I’m not sure what.”

She sighed, biting her tongue as she realized she had given the stranger far more information than she had originally intended. She sighed loudly. ”And what are you doing here, Wind boy?”  

[ladyumbra]

Shukri was amused by the girl's attempts to claim ownership of the broken item in question, as if finding something first had ever meant that you necessarily got to keep it. It certainly hadn't prevented the bird from trying to take it from her as though she presented no reasonable threat at an attempted theft. Still whomsoever's treasure it ultimately was, was for once not the main thing on Shukri's mind. He was more curious as to the source of the ravine full of dust. landslides sometimes resulted in ravines filled with rubble and chalky grey and purple dust but he'd never seen anything like what had stained the ice tribe girl or bird before. There were places in Sauti that were mysteries even to him and Shukri knew that he would have to investigate this ravine later.

"I live here for now," the prentice admitted easily in response to his companion's question. Technically Shukri lived in the larger general area but it was true enough and often his excuse for being anywhere. It would seem that lately it was just the young man's luck that his band settled down in places so close to prime adventuring locations. "Plus it is not everyday that I see one of those scruffy birds trailing dust as it flies so I thought I'd check it out." Curiosity lead Shukri to good things just as often as it lead him to dead ends and trouble.

"I can help you get your .. thing back if you agree to split the rest of what's in the nest with me." Shukri offered, pale blue eyes focused on the distant bauble filled nest. Surely between the two of them they could force the territorial winged fiends back long enough to recover some goods. They'd need a plan of course and teamwork but the young man was sure it could be done.  

[Suhuba]

The girl's brow furrowed as the man seemed to be amused by her... and then so vaguely made an excuse for why he should be there. She harumphed gently, flipping her hair behind her shoulder once again, her chest puffed out in pride.

She was, after all, a member of the Ice Tribe. That meant she was better than him...

Her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched up in thought once again as the man offered his assistance in exchange for half of whatever was in the nest. She glanced at the pile of shiny objects. It was hard for her, admitting her need for help from a Wind tribe man, but she had been crouched here for quite some time, with absolutely no plan of action.

But what she really wanted was to return to the ravine of red powder, to find the rest of the treasure that the piece had been broken from.

"Fine..." She murmured, eyes focused on the scruffy birds. "You can have the stuff in the nest, if after we get the shard, you come back and find the other piece of the treasure with me..."  

[ladyumbra]

"That sounds fair" Shukri replied with a grin and extended a hand to seal the deal. He was more than fine with a bit more adventure added to the day. The ice tribe girl might not be his first choice in companion but Shukri could deal with her non too subtle proud attitude if the reward was right.

"I'm Shukri, and you are?" Now seemed as good a time as any for an introduction, after all Shukri didn't want to be just yelling ' hey you' in an emergency. Although he was hoping no emergency situations came up, it wasn't as if he planned to just charge forward and climb his way up to the nest. They'd need a proper plan for retrieving the stolen goods as well as dealing with the birds, something that would end in as little of his blood spilled as possible.  

[Satin Doilee]

The girl wrinkled her nose in distaste as Shukri offered his hand. It was clear that she had settled on being unpleasant, despite the man's kind offer to assist her. Reluctantly, she accepted the proffered appendage, shaking it briefly, before releasing as though she had just involuntarily dipped her hand into a pile of sludge.

”Shukri…” She repeated the name, just as distasteful coming from her mouth as the look on her face might imply. For a moment, it seemed as though she might refuse the man the privilege of knowing her name. However, as she glanced back at the protected nest, her spiteful expression faltered… momentarily. For a moment she was frightened, vulnerable. She was, after all, still young.

Unfortunately, years of stoic prejudices quickly refroze her expression into one of savage pride. ” Edenausegboye.” She responded, proudly, despite her distaste for her own name. It was too long, too riddled with gentle reminders of humility; it meant “good favors remembered.” But of course, the stubborn girl refused to give Shukri the familiar permission of a nickname. “Eden” was what most people called her.

What a brat.

Formalities having been exchanged as easily as between a curious puppy and a vain cat, the member of the ice tribe returned her gaze to the nest. Again, that faltering expression – lost. How to gather the treasure. But, surely she couldn’t ask the wind man’s advice.

Eden inhaled sharply, face full of consternation as she examined their enemies, doing her best to conjure a plot.  

[ladyumbra]

This girl was about as pleasant as Faiza when she had a toothache and just as likely to bite him Shukri mused. After meeting so many other strange tribes and befriending their members it was a bit frustrating that ..Edena was keeping their respective tribal politics alive and well. Politics was Shukri least favourite part of anything involving other people, sure sometimes he could use it to weasel secrets out of people or to apply leverage for a good trade but mostly it just made life difficult.

It was with a small bit of stung pride that Shukri decided he was going to take charge here. That and the fact that his companion didn't seem very confident about whatever her own ideas were for dealing with the birds. "I helped slay the legendary beast you know, I think we can handle this.. if you follow my lead."

Ok so maybe he had helped less than those with proper weapons and he had gotten hurt in the process but he'd still been there and been the first to strike the ancient yet powerful beast. Shukri felt a bit of boasting might instill confidence in the ice tribe girl and also perhaps a little respect.

The pale haired young man gave Edena an appraising gaze before he spoke again. "Tell me what you can do, what you're good at and I'll tell you the plan."  

[Satin Doilee]

Eden was listening to Shukri, attentive and in need of his assistance, in spite of herself. As he mentioned his part in slaying the Legendary Beast, her face betrayed her once more; a flicker of respect was it? Just briefly. Or perhaps awe. Just a moment, before her stoicism returned, pushed forth by the fact that he could very well be lying. There was no proof that he had assisted in the slaying of the legendary beast, but still…

”Okay…” She murmured in response.

As he asked her to present her skills, she could feel her cheeks burning. Her expression became even more resentful, he having caused this obtrusive feeling of shame, although unknowingly. ”I’m a mage.” She responded, although her pride was wavering. “Aspiring to be a mage” would be more accurate. Or even, “just recently became a Prentice, so really almost completely lacking in any skills, I’m so sorry…” Still, she had some basic training in ice magic.

With obvious effort, to prove her point, the girl conjured and caused a small shard of ice to fall from the air between them, a pile of slush by the time it hit the ground.  

[ladyumbra]

Well now wasn't that convenient, Shukri lacked magic talent himself and.. ok so maybe The ice tribe girl wasn't exactly impressive. Shukri supposed limited magical skills was better than nothing. They might both be young and neither particularly suited to battle but that was fine, Shukri now had a plan.

"We're going to climb as close as we can before they spot us" he explained, pointing to the area he felt they could reasonably get to before the birds innate territoriality kicked in." Then we'll use my sling and your magic to attack them. You don't have to project the magic far," Shukri assured Edena. "You just gather up that" he pointed at the slush by their feet " and try to hit their wings, they'll fly poorly with wet feathers."

Most birds were not suited to flying while soaked which meant these ones would either be easier to hit with rocks from his sling or they'd retreat to a nearby cliff edge to try and preen themselves dry and that'd give himself and Edena time to raid the nest. Or at least that was what Shukri was hoping would happen, he didn't make a habit of purposefully trying to soak scruffy birds with the remains of ice magic. Still the young Prentice felt this was a good plan.  

[Satin Doilee]

"Okay." Eden murmured in response as Shukri finished explaining his plan. He seemed confident. More confident than she had felt the entire time she'd been sitting here... such a long time, before he had come along. The veneer of pride and prejudice was beginning to crumble. She needed him... as loathe as she was to admit it.

Quietly, the girl began to crawl foreward, ducking easily from rocky crevice to rocky crevice. Growing up in the land, this part was relatively easy for her; moving silently and undetectably through the rocks. The frightening part was when she had, as Shukri had explained, gotten as close to them as she could without being spotted. Now it was time to use that brilliant magic of hers.

With brow furrowed in determination, Eden produced a large glob of slushy ice directly above the bird closest to the nest. It fell, drenching its large wings... and successfully inciting an uproar.  

[ladyumbra]

Shukri had been pleased when they'd safely made it to the ledge he'd felt was the boundary between being perceived as a threat by the scruffy birds. He'd even grinned as Edenausegboye nailed one of the flock's sentries with slush. There was no time to celebrate properly or do more than murmur an appreciative " good shot" before he was angling himself so he could use his sling to hurl chunks of rock in the direction of the flock. Shukri was careful to try and not aim at any of the bird's heads, he was willing to minorly hurt the creatures if he had to but he wasn't here to kill, not yet anyways.  

[Satin Doilee]

Eden exhaled audibly at Shukri's murmured compliment. Beads of sweat were already beginning to drench her face, but now that the flock had been sent into an uproar, there was no time to sit and rest. The Wind Tribe member had already pulled out his sling, and various birds were beginning to scatter, displeased with the spontaneous assault.

Eden continued to drop lumps of slush into the flock, succesfully dousing many of the scruffy birds. They flopped and hobbled, trying to lift their heavy wings. She glanced at Shukri... now seemed as good a time as any, right?

Darting forward, the woman ran towards the untended nest. She grabbed the largest armful she could, making sure that the glittering shard was within her grasp, before sliding down the mountain. She ducked beneath an overhang, where she finally let the load of trinkets gently onto the ground, laid out so that they could pick through them.