Submission (#6918) Approved
User
Prompt
Submitted
1 March 2024, 11:37:43 PST (2 months ago)
Processed
14 March 2024, 18:15:33 PDT (2 months ago) by wintry-chan
Comments
Resonance Quest Act 3- Adventurer - Oasis
1 Ahza AP please
1 Ahza AP please
Content
RQ-SU-1 - Oasis
In the days following Fu’s rescue of the lost kittom by the Oasis, Fu had become something of a sensation among the caravan. Much to her chagrin, many nin had visited her and Loki in their carriage to hear the story, with Loki growing more and more irritated as his reading time was interrupted. The two kittoms found themselves looking forward to reaching the next leg of their journey, but gradually became more at ease in the desert.
Members of the caravan had fashioned Fu some desert attire, with her thicker garments serving little purpose in the searing heat. A soft, veiled cap adorned her head, covering her white ears while loose fabrics flowed out across her back. It was much cooler and provided great relief for the snow-loving kittom.
In the long Ahzan days, the sun would beat down upon the caravan which trundled along between towering mounds of sand. Trillions of golden grains intersparsed with bleached bones while curled clouds drifted lazily in the azure sky. Gentle breezes blew dusty drifts the dunes as the distant call of birds echoed accross the land.
Within the confines of the carriage, the curtains did little to prevent the piercing sunbeams as the two kittoms lounged in cooler corners.
Fu and Loki found themselves speaking little and sleeping often for a few days, until the caravan reached a town for resupply. They were still some days from Bejali, but the caravan needed water and so the caravan master once again elected to camp.
It was there that the kittoms ventured out into a small desert outpost, built with mud walls and narrow windows. There was a store, a small tavern, sleeping quarters, some offices, much like many trading posts that Loki had passed through on his travels to Strynhalde, but this was new to the frosty Fu. She wandered with purpose into the settlement, hugging the shaded corners and eyeing her surroundings from beneath the burlap of her new cap.
To Fu’s surprise, she passed a corner and beheld what she first thought to be a mirror, perhaps. A pair of blue eyes pierced the shadow, bordered by long, white hair tipped with gold. Blue horns and an ice-like crown twinkled in errant rays of desert sun cutting between the buildings as lidded eyes regarded her with cold indifference. The Elnin stepped forward with purposefully as light revealed dappled stripes of blue upon purest white.
“You look lost, little snowflake.” Spoke the Elnin. His voice dripped with the same tone as Fu’s, taking her aback for a moment as her own eyelids twitched and took in the sight of this stranger. “Maybe” Rebuffed Fu. “But I’m just passing through. Taking in the sights.” Fu’s reply wavered for a moment before regaining her composure, she did not expect to see another icy Elnin so far from home.
The elnin chuckled dryly before hardening his gaze a little. “Little ones from the snow should probably learn a little more about the desert before travelling it. Call me Shinzo”. His voice was firm, but carried a sense of concern for Fu as he tossed his head aside, gesturing for her to follow. “Fu” answered the kittom, turning her head briefly towards the caravan to remember her way. “Loki will be fine a little while” she mused.
Moving in concert, the two moved in silence as they passed through the town before Shinzo broke the silence. “So why are you out here, little snowflake? You don’t seem as lost as I thought” He questioned. Fu paused for a moment and shifted her gaze back towards the caravan and then back to her frosted compatriot. “I’m helping a friend with something.” Fu’s words struck a chord with Shinzo, who smiled a little before quickly resuming his demeanour.
“Good intentions only get you so far, kid. If you want to get far, learn more about your surroundings. I’m actually helping to fetch some water for the town. Come lend a paw. You might learn something.” Shinzo’s words came across more like instructions and led Fu to cock an ear in surprise. She could, however, see that despite the harsh nature of this Elnin’s behaviour, there were good intentions underneath.
Fu nodded silently and adjusted her cap as the two Elnin ventured beyond the bounds of the outpost. The sun beamed down as their white fur gleamed like pack ice in a golden sea. The elder nin peered back and noticed Fu’s blue stripes, with the two of them feeling a sense of kinship. Neither of them, however, spoke a word as they regarded one another, padding softly across the hot, loose sand towards the oasis.
“Not too warm for you I hope, Snowflake?” Asked Shinzo, cutting through the sound of gentle winds and paws on sand. Fu narrowed her eyes and turned towards him. “My name is Fu.” She retorted sharply. “And I’m fine. Would hate for you to melt either.
Shinzo was unaccustomed to being spoken to so by a youngster, but he couldn’t help but admire the white kittom’s spirit, lifting an eyelid in surprise and shifting his gaze towards her. “Good.” He uttered. “Always good to have spirit.”
Fu was likewise perplexed by Shinzo. The two were alike in so many ways and he was quite unlike so many other adults she had come across, but she saw safety in his company and the two of them had a job to do.
As the sun drifted further from it’s zenith, the two nin approached the long shadows of the nearby oasis, passing beneath the cooling shadows of tall palms. They approached a small encampment, Shinzo’s pomu slipped from his shadow and pushed out a couple of coins before passing them to a nearby nin minding the tents. The Attendant nodded and provided Fu and Shinzo with a couple of large waterskins.
Taking the waterskins, the two companions filled them from the water’s edge as the desert water burbled and flowed to fill the leathery bladders. As bubbles rose, Shinzo gestured to the far banks, where between the palms, the elder tree could be seen in the distance. The tree was a colossus, thick in it’s trunk and far different to the one Fu knew from Icy Strynhalde.
“You’re far from home, Fu. Things work a little differently in the desert, but you probably worked that out for yourself, huh” purred Shinzo. The kittom took in the awesome sight of this tree, mirrored in the oasis as the bubbles stopped rising from the waterskin. Things seemed to make a little more sense to her all of a sudden, having seen that much like Strynhalde, there was an order to things.
Though there was heat instead of cold, life found a way. In a different shape. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath of the dry desert air, moistening her eyes before they cracked gently and took in the light of day once more. Fu’s connection to her surroundings had deepened from the experience as the corner of Shinzo’s mouth crept into the makings of a smile.
“Job’s only half done. Still need to get this back to town” Shinzo interjected as Fu turned her head towards him, lilting one ear aside. “Hope you don’t get tired on me” Chimed Fu. Her words carried a touch of insolence, but this only served to amuse Shinzo, who seemed to see more and more of himself in the youngster.
He turned his back to her, pulled the waterskin onto his back and flourished his long tail in a mix of irritation at the retort and eagerness to get moving. “Try not to fall behind, snowflake.” He mumbled.
Equally irritated at the gesture, Fu pulled on the strings at the neck of her waterskin and heaved it onto her back, the leather sliding easily onto the canvas as her small legs found their footing on the loose sand, sallying forth after her unlikely guardian for the day as he watched lazily through one lazy blue eye.
The journey back was much more difficult with the extra weight, but the sun had sunk lower in the sky and was beginning to resemble that memorable night at the last oasis by the time the two nin reached the town once more. The extra water was gratefully recieved by the townsfolk who considered it a favourable gesture for visitors to retrieve water.
“See kid? Following the order of things gets you places. And that goes for a lot of places. If you’re far from home, just look closely. Figure out how things work and find your place in it. You’ll go far, Snowflake. But you got places to be. Maybe we’ll meet again someday. Take care, Fu.” With those parting words, Shinzo turned on his heels, vanishing around a nearby corner with a final flourish of the white tip of his tail. Fu thought she saw a smile as the mysterious nin dissapeared, continuing to stare with her hooded blue eyes.
“Fu? Fu! Where have you been?” A familiar voice called. Fu turned her heard amiably to see the sight of her green and gold companion bounding towards her with uncharacteristic haste. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Snapped Loki impatiently. “We have to work on this habit of yours of disappearing if we’re going to keep travelling together! Where have you been? I look up from my book after- You know it doesn’t matter how long, but you were gone!”
caught his breath as Fu paused, shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the corner where Shinzo had made his exit. “Went for water. Local custom” breathed Fu amiably.
While the prospect of Fu going on her own did little for Loki’s concerns, the thought of observing local customs did intrigue him. Loki chattered for many an hour after the two kittoms returned to the carriage as Fu did her best to answer his questions, but she soon succumbed to her exhaustion and drifted into a deep slumber.
She had many questions about Shinzo still, why they seemed so alike, was he from Strynhalde too? Whatever the case, she believed his heart was in the right place and felt better for meeting a kindred spirit so far from home. He hadn’t really said what his business was at the outpost, but it wasn’t really her place to ask, she felt.
Perhaps she would meet Shinzo again, or others on her future adventures. But having overcome her longing for home and finding a new desire to understand the workings of the world, she felt ready for the challenge at last.
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
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Characters
ELN433: Shinzo
| Reward | Amount |
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MYO-ELN711: ᛚᛟᚲᛁ
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MYO-ELN712: Fu
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| AP (Ahza) (Currencies) | 1 |
Add-Ons
These items have been removed from the submitter's inventory and will be refunded if the request is rejected or consumed if it is approved.
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SylSyl12's Bank
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