《Munyenye Bbiri: Foundations》 Chapter 1: Soft And Warm. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Chapter 2: Beyond The Door Viola and her Spirit: ¡°Wait what!?!¡± [USER 1: Hey Viola and¡­Viola? Disregard the threatening message the system just sent. Apparently, Custom Sentencing is frequently used to deal with people who twist our words to commit horrific and unethical things in our names. Just wait a moment. We¡¯ll be right with you.] Viola: ¡°Oh thank god.¡± Spirit:¡± Yes, thank them¡± Viola: ¡°¡®Them¡¯? You know who they are?¡± Spirit:¡± Couldn¡¯t you tell them they were gods?¡± Viola:¡± No? I was busy experiencing my last day¡± ¡±Oh yeah, sorry about that ¡± the Spirit spoke in a remorseful tone. An awkward moment passed as the two were unsure of how to continue. Eventually, Viola spoke up, attempting to change the mood with a question:¡± They''re actually gods? Aren''t they more likely aliens that took my brain or something¡± The Spirit answered with a task:¡± Try to look at yourself¡± Viola tries to shrug but feels a distinct lack of a body and fails to do so Spirit:¡± You just tried to shrug didn¡¯t you?¡± Viola:¡± N-no. And before you say this is proof let me point out that-¡± Spirit:¡± Just fail to look at yourself already!¡± Viola turned to glare in the general direction that she assumed her spirit was in¡­ then, eventually, did as her spirit asked. Nothing. No dangly brain stem or sci-fi equivalent. ¡±but that can¡¯t.¡± Viola stuttered in disbelief ¡±I know,¡± She exclaimed, an idea coming to her ¡°Maybe if I move my head around quickly I will displace some of the liquid I¡¯m in or make some kind of sound,¡±. ¡±It won¡¯t work.¡±Her Spirit interrupted ¡± I already tried that the second I gained awareness¡± Ignoring her Spirit, Viola spun round as fast as she could for what she counted was 10 seconds, but¡­ Nothing. No *woosh*, no bubbles, no sign she was hovering either. No hum of some kind of futuristic anti-gravity keeping her flying No sound. Then it hit her ¡°Why was there no sound¡± The only thing she could even¡­do was see the message from the so-called, Judgment System ... .Computer¡­Thing. glowing in white text in this darkroom hovering in the periphery of her vision. Spirit:¡± Ok stop thinking about things. If you keep doing that you might break something like we? Me? I. Like I did.¡± Viola:¡± Ok, Ok¡­ Fuck. God is real¡­..Wait which one?¡± Spirit:¡± Well, I saw a Japanese Guy and an African Woman.¡± Viola: ¡° The Japanese Guy must be that Japanese God that is often in anime seeing as he recognised my bluff and the African Woman....I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t take religious studies.¡± Spirit:¡± I know. We¡¯re the same person, remember.¡± Viola:¡± Yeah, About that¡­ Seeing that we might be sent off to a different world or earth. How Should we deal with the whole name problem?¡± Spirit:¡± We both want to remember Earth through our name¡­.¡± Viola and her Spirit: ¡°So we should split it!¡± Viola: ¡°But how?¡± Spirit:¡± Why not with a bet?¡± ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A few moments before, on the other side of the judgement chamber, A collection of various gods and goddesses were in a heated discussion over the fate of the soul and her spirit, on one end an assorted collection of black-skinned deities, some sporting animalistic features argued with the famous Japanese god of warriors. Hachiman:¡± Look Yemoja, I came here as a favour to most of you. What you have planned is dangerous! Most of the humans I send to my Universes tend to massively affect the flow of things! Some of my Universes are flourishing but most are missing minor or even key Gods thanks to the humans from the Milky Way part of this universe. I Highly recommend destroying her and her Spirit to be safe¡± The beautiful motherly Goddess, who Suggested that currently argued upon plan, looked to Hachiman with a reassuring gaze and spoke. Yemoja: ¡°Hachiman, trust us. We¡¯re Omni Level Gods just like you. Just because we¡¯ve been gone for a while doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing¡± Hachiman, still far from convinced, continued:¡± But that''s exactly the problem! You¡¯ve neglected your assigned continents for so long that Christianity and Islam have basically replaced you all! Most of your mortals don¡¯t even know who you are, let alone what you do.¡± A rather volatile-looking lion-headed god then countered Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Apedemak: ¡°That''s not true, Egyptian Mythos is still well know- ¡± But Hachiman cut him off:¡± You all know that a single Mythos can¡¯t support a Continent¡¯s worth of gods!¡± Hachiman sighed, a bit of exhaustion in his voice:¡± Why are you even doing this? Why not just stay in one of your diverse array of universes? Why come back to the first one we all made? I thought you hated the rules tied to it. The lack of a Magic System? No custom Races, the ¡®one sentience per planet with life¡¯ rule, the multitude of other rules each one of you hated? What changed? ¡± A moment passed while the gods and goddess thought of a suitable answer. Soon, a wise god Dressed in green and yellow stepped up to speak. Orunla:¡± We grew up. Realised that they are not just any mortals. They are the first ones we made, they are our first children and we need to take responsibility for them.¡± Hachiman looked away, finally realising that that playback didn¡¯t just show them Viola¡¯s final moments, but a horrific moment in the lives of most of their ¡®first children¡¯. ¡±You''re all lucky I¡¯m friends with most of you¡­¡± Hachiman spoke while standing to the side, allowing the gods and goddesses to have their way. A small Humanoid spider god landed on Hachiman¡¯s shoulder Anansi:¡± I knew I was your best friend¡± ¡±You''re absolutely not included, Anansi,¡± Hachiman growled while brushing the spider god off his shoulder. At that moment Hachiman felt a sharp drop in his strength as a large portion of the gods sprinted off to the forge of creation. ¡±Hey wait, no!¡± Hachiman shouted but it was too late, the door to the forge was shut tight. Yemoja:¡± Ah, don¡¯t worry about them. They are only going to make a few seeds¡± Two basic human forms comparable to stickmen suddenly appear next to the 2 forms Hachiman:¡± The rest of you, get your ¡®Children¡¯ Out of there. I¡¯ll go guarantee that it¡¯s only a few seeds,¡± With a wave of his hands, two stickmen-like bodies appeared before Hachiman¡¯s feet. ¡°Use these dummies to talk to those two in the meanwhile¡± Hachiman said as he proceeded to forge the Leaving a select few gods alone to greet their mortals. ¡±Ok we can do this. They have questions and we¡¯ll answer ... the ones we¡¯re allowed to, then apologise for being gone then we sell them on going to one of our newest worlds. They have fun in two badass custom bodies made by us and then they come back to us as demi-gods and help us fix our fuck up¡± Bunzi, the rainbow coloured Half serpent goddess stress ranted, a few of her pearly scales falling and regrowing as she roamed around the room. ¡°You don¡¯t sound very confident, Bunzi,¡± Apedemak commented, sarcasm clear in his voice. ¡±Can you blame him? It¡¯s not one of our best plans¡± Anansi the trickster spider jeered Not understanding the worry, Bastet the cat-headed goddess asked: ¡°We¡¯re sending them to an unstable world with magic and tons of violence, Who wouldn¡¯t like that?¡± ¡°Probably, a lot of violence.¡± Orunla reminded ¡°The way we set things up there, the mortals and gods might be more martial or they might figure out a different way to live life.¡± Bastet seethed at the boring possibility ¡°Guys!¡± Yemoja interrupted ¡°If we¡¯re doing this, we should do this with confidence¡± The gods and goddesses nodded at that and eventually got ready to meet their long-forgotten charges. Yemoja took a slow breath then opened the soul chamber of the Judgment room: ¡°Welcome my children and-¡± Viola:¡± FUCK!¡± Her Spirit:¡± I win! I knew it would be the African god! I get to be Viola! Isn''t that right? KABILITI?¡± Kabiliti & Viola¡¯s perspective: 7 goddesses and gods stared at us all with slightly different expressions, our lack of bodies granting us the ability to see everyone''s face. Some were shocked and surprised. Others were indignant and two, the Cat woman and the palm-sized spider person, were smiling But we simply continued casually mock bickering. ¡±GOD! Was I always this annoying?!?¡± The newly renamed Soul, Kabiliti, teased. ¡±Good thing we never had a sibling¡± the spirit and new Viola added Kabiliti:¡± Ha! Yeah, we would have driven them up the wall¡± The gods suddenly felt their formless consciousnesses turn to them and, in an unnatural harmony that spooked the gods, apologised. Kabiliti & Viola: ¡°Sorry our gods and goddesses.¡± ¡°Such coordination,¡± Orunla spoke in quiet amazement Yemoja: ¡°Um, yes. Welcome to¡­ah...umm¡± Seeing Yemoja struggle to get her words out, Bastet spoke out¡°Limbo. You''re in Limbo.¡± Yemoja: ¡°Yes, thank you Bastet. You''re in limbo and we want to resurrect you.¡± At that colourful confetti burst from the ceiling along with a party horn. ¡°To be clear, what we¡¯re offering is rebirth with a power-up rather than a true resurrection¡± Orunla corrected. After flicking Orunla, the spider god continued ¡±So here''s the thing: we clearly messed up and Neglected the mortals on this world, your world, for WAY too long.¡± Apedemak:¡± We just kinda hated the restrictions placed on this universe.¡± Bastet: ¡°No magic, no fantastical but impractical life, a set amount of sentient life per planet, solar system, and galaxy¡± Bunzi:¡± Limited amount of time we can use to get mortals to learn of us, the limited amount of power we can use IN that amount of time, being forced to the level of a basic god!¡± An old goddess with a massive afro who was idly petting several snakes piped up from a chair she was sitting on Mami Wata: ¡°There was no creative freedom here. So, we left around about the time that gold guy went to Mecca¡± Kabiliti & Viola were stunned ¡°Did Africa get shafted throughout history because the earth was ¡°too boring¡± for the continent¡¯s gods?¡± they thought ¡±Was all the unrest, war, exploitation, and suffering caused by the divine equivalent of rage quitting? " Did we ultimately die in a protest for such a childish reason?!?¡± Mami Wata snapped their fingers and suddenly Kabiliti & Viola felt a sudden weight on them as they collapsed. ¡±Why did things get so heavy? Why am I on the ground?¡± Kabiliti & Viola both asked but they soon quickly put together what happened. ¡°I got a body again!¡± Kabiliti exclaimed as she quickly jumped to her feet Viola:¡± Help! I have a body and I don¡¯t know how to move it!¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Oh come on you have my memories, or did you forget how to-¡± Kabiliti turned around to see a 3D stickman lying face first on the ground flailing around, its limbs clipping into itself like a physics video game. ¡°What the hell?¡± Kabiliti softly said as she continued to watch the panicking stickman. Viola:¡± Of course I do! But I¡¯ve only been sentient for about an hour tops and I spent all that time flying!¡± Orunla: ¡°Well, Technically you¡¯ve only been sentient for zero hours seeing as you are both in a place outside of your original universe¡¯s time¡± ¡°Scholer!¡± Bastet said derisively. Orunla: ¡°As for the whole ¡°moving¡± thing¡± Orunla turned to Kabiliti Orunla: ¡°Grab, or I guess boop her hand¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Boop?¡± Kabiliti looked at her hand and saw a similar stickman-like hand nub as the two her currently panicking ¡®stick spirit¡¯ had. Kabiliti: ¡°Oh¡­Boop.¡± Kabiliti did as she was instructed and ¡®booped¡¯ Viola and she felt a flash of memories The struggles of standing, the pride of walking, the cockyness of trying to run¡­and the sharp pain of falling into a coffee table head first. All of it flashed through, not only her mind but also her body. Both Kabiliti & Viola quickly grabbed their heads in pain. Kabiliti & Viola: ¡°Ow! My head, why did we run head first into it?¡± Viola slowly stood up not noticing her sudden mobility Viola: ¡°Why did that memory physically hurt?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Uh..Viola¡­Your standing¡± Viola looked down, seeing both her stickman legs and them letting her stand. Viola¡± Oh? Oh! I¡¯m standing!¡± Orunla:¡±You synced up¡± Apedemak: ¡°One of our¡­ underlings made an ability similar to what you just did. But her version required the mortal to stay linked for two planetary days¡± Orunla: ¡°Your faster version of the ability must be born from your.. Unique situation.¡± Yemoja: ¡±For now, that doesn¡¯t matter. Come with us, Your proper bodies are waiting for you in the forge¡± A doorway melted open on the wall opposite the Kabiliti & Viola The gods. The gods then walked through it into a new room leaving the twins behind. As they left the room¡¯s decorations and colour started to fade Viola:¡± You thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yeah. We¡¯re going to get dragged into something big.¡± Viola:¡±...And we¡¯re not going to learn much till we¡¯re into too deep¡± Kabiliti:¡± You think we should go along with it?¡± Viola:¡± I¡¯m fairly sure saying ¡®no¡¯ would mean the Japanese god gets to destroy us¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yeah¡­¡± Both Kabiliti & Viola begrudgingly followed the 7 gods, understanding that this offer could not be denied. Chapter 3: The Forge of Creation Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Chapter 4: Amaze Me If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Chapter 5: Another Failure If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 6: Flash-bang Stolen novel; please report. Chapter 7: A New Everpresent Friend If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chapter 8: New Bodies ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ User Name: ¡°Kabiliti¡± Level: 0 Race: [Un-named] Race Type: Adaptive. Type Description: ¡°You are designed to change with any situation and environment. Modify your body, Master it. and soon you will be able to change more than your body¡± Body Attributes: Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Magic Attributes: Control: 2 Capacity: 2 Power: 2 Skills & Perks: Seed of Godhood: ¡°You have been granted the Seed of Godhood, and with it, Gained the envy of the heavens. Evolve and grow your seed and you may ascend to godhood.¡± +1 to all Attributes, Gained ¡°the Magic of creation¡± (level Max: 3), Skill is hidden from all but the most powerful beings. More benefits unlock as the level increases. Alloy Body: ¡°Forged by powers beyond the gods. You have been blessed with a body that can take the properties of any metallic alloy you absorb.¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Lithvore¡¯) More benefits unlock as the level increases. Lithvore: ¡°When you think about it, Meat and Plants are all just various minerals and compounds, so why not try Alloy and stone?¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Alloy Body¡¯) You can eat minerals and or Alloys in place of food More benefits unlock as the level increases. Life Giver(limited): ¡°Due to your race¡¯s dangerously low population (2) it is possible to reproduce Via un-natural methods¡± By expending all your mana you can breathe life into anything comprising 20% you, Viola, and/or another member of your species. (Subject can¡¯t already contain life/un-life) Soul-Twin: ¡°You were once one. Once whole, Once Alone. But, for better or worse, you have become two.¡± You can telepathically talk to your soul twin (Viola) at no cost provided they are within 1 km, Any farther will cost mana at a rate of 1 per km per minute. If both twins are touching each other their memory becomes photographic and past memories can be easily accessed Abilities:
  • The magic of creation
Provided you know how something works you can spend Mana to create it. Requires source materials. The mana cost is calculated based on the materials used, size, and complexity of the Item. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ User Name: ¡°Viola¡± Level: 0 Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Race: [Un-named] Race Type: Transformative. Type Description: ¡°You are designed to transform parts of your body in any way you see fit. Modify your body, Master it. and soon you will be able to transform more than your body¡± Body Attributes: Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Magic Attributes: Control: 2 Capacity: 2 Power: 2 Skills & Perks: Seed of Godhood: ¡°You have been granted the Seed of Godhood, and with it, Gained the envy of the heavens. Evolve and grow your seed and you may ascend to godhood.¡± +1 to all Attributes, Gained ¡°the Magic of creation¡± (level Max: 3), Skill is hidden from all but the most powerful beings. More benefits unlock as the level increases. Alloy Body: ¡°Forged by powers beyond the gods. You have been blessed with a body that can take the properties of any metallic alloy you absorb.¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Lithvore¡¯) More benefits unlock as the level increases. Lithvore: ¡°When you think about it, Meat and Plants are all just various minerals and compounds, so why not try Alloy and stone?¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Alloy Body¡¯) You can eat minerals and or Alloys in place of food More benefits unlock as the level increases. Life Giver(limited): ¡°Due to your race¡¯s dangerously low population (2) it is possible to reproduce Via un-natural methods¡± By expending all your mana you can breathe life into anything comprising 20% you, Kabiliti, and/or another member of your species. (Subject can¡¯t already contain life/un-life) Soul-Twin: ¡°You were once one. Once whole, Once Alone. But, for better or worse, you have become two.¡± You can telepathically talk to your soul twin (Kabiliti) at no cost provided they are within 1 km, Any farther will cost mana at a rate of 1 per km per minute. If both twins are touching each other their memory becomes photographic and past memories can be easily accessed Abilities:
  • The magic of creation
Provided you know how something works you can spend Mana to create it. Requires source materials. The mana cost is calculated based on the materials used, size, and complexity of the Item. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Before Kabiliti or Viola could finish reading their stats, let alone figure out there meanings, The Feminine synthetic voice of Fate popped in |DUE TO THE, QUITE LARGE ADVANTAGE YOU HAVE IN LIFE, YOU CAN ONLY PICK A SINGLE ABILITY EACH| And then the twins'' eyes were filled with window upon window of different ability names. Some sounded dangerous like ¡®Venomous Corruption¡¯ others like ¡°Perfect heal¡± seemed very useful and then there were ones like ¡°Party starter¡±.Out of curiosity, Viola read its description and it seems to just summon appropriate party decorations. Kabiliti: ¡°We¡¯ve got to narrow these down to useful abilities. Fate?¡± |YES?| Kabiliti: ¡°Can we search by category and, or type?¡± |NO.| Viola:¡± Why?¡± |YOU GOT TO WORK FOR SOMETHING| Kabiliti: ¡°Hmm¡­ ok, Fate. Can we pick later¡± |UPON LANDING YOU WILL BE ENCASED IN A ''SAFETY¡¯ EGG TO PREVENT YOU FROM DYING DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. WHILE IN THE EGG YOU WILL NEED TO USE ITS TENDRILS TO BOTH DEFEND YOURSELF WHILE YOUR BODY ¡®GROWS¡¯ AND FEED YOUR GROWTH BY CONSUMING THE ENVIRONMENT. YOU SHOULD ALSO USE YOUR EGG¡¯S ¡°OMINOUS ECHO¡± ABILITY TO SPOOK PEOPLE AND ANIMALS AWAY | Kabiliti: ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question¡± But fate ignored Kabiliti¡¯s interruption and continued |WHILE INSIDE THE EGG YOUR ¡®STATS¡¯ WILL BE BOOSTED 10 LEVELS BECAUSE ¡°¡±¡± GLOE¡±¡±¡± IS SHOWING YOU FAVOURITISM.| Viola:¡± Sweet!¡± Fate continued, sounding a bit annoyed this time |IN ORDER FOR YOU TO HATCH! YOU MUST BOTH HAVE A FULLY GROWN BODY AND HAVE ALREADY PICKED YOUR ABILITIES. THIS PROCESS WILL REPEAT EVERY 5 LEVELS OR WHEN YOUR SEED EVOLVES. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION?| Kabiliti: ¡°Yes. T-thank you, Fate.¡± With the new information, both twins came to the same conclusion ¡°One of us should pick an ability now, catch, then protect the other while they sort through the abilities available¡± Neither wanted to do it, but¡­ Viola:¡± I¡¯ll do it, Kabiliti.¡± Kabiliti: ¡°What? No, you don¡¯t have to, we can just-¡± Viola:¡± Nah, I want to.¡± Kabiliti: ¡°You know I know you''re lying.¡± Viola:¡± Then just interpret it as me paying back a debt or something. Just let me go first¡± |DOES THIS MEAN YOU HAVE PICKED AN ABILITY?| Kabiliti: ¡°Wait a mo-¡± Viola:¡± Yes, Scan.¡± |GRANTED. ¡®Viola¡¯ HAS GAINED ¡°SCAN¡±. I HAVE RESTRICTED ITS DESCRIPTION TILL YOU HATCH, BUT I SUSPECT YOU KNOW WHAT IT DOES | Kabiliti: ¡°Viola¡­ Are you sure you don¡¯t want to look for something better?¡± |NO TAKE BACKS.| Viola:¡± Yes, I am. This is your rebirth after all. You should be the most prepared ¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Viola¡­Th-¡± |THIS IS SWEET AND ALL BUT YOU''RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME SO I¡¯M MUTING THE BOTH OF YOU TILL YOUR BODIES ARE DONE.| 20 minutes passed in silence as both Soul Twins worked on their future bodies. Like their Stat screens, they both got to see each other''s body designs. Kabiliti aimed for her body to mimic the female running athletes she saw in the Pan African Games while making her legs have as many gadgets that could speed her up. At first, she was worried it was going to be hard but she noticed, that while she consciously didn¡¯t know the intricacies of how human bodies worked, her unconscious mind knew how it should work. So all she had to do was let her mind fill in the gaps. When Kabiliti looked over to Viola¡¯s body, she was impressed at just how gorgeous she made herself. ¡°Damn,¡± Kabiliti commented. It was clear Viola wanted to make the best first impression if we ran into humans first. So if she was going to be the pretty face¡­ Kabiliti:¡± I¡¯ll be the mean one!¡± 20 more minutes passed and thanks to her robotics and engineering knowledge Kabiliti made her body Truly adaptable. Aside from her legs, her body contained hundreds of adapters, plug points and interfaces all capable of being used to control any device she came up with. This way she is the key to anything she makes and anything she makes will only work for her. But she had to hide them¡­ then she looked over to Viola¡¯s divine body¡­giving a thumbs up and pointing back and forth from my body to hers. Kabiliti:¡± What is she- I¡¯m an Idiot. Twins! Our similarities will likely be easier to explain if we look like twins. Then we can blame our oddities on us being twins¡­ Twins are weird right?¡± With that justification sacrifices some of her hard work to look more like Viola. In the end, Viola looked like the pretty twin and Kabiliti, the tough one that loves to fight electrical devices and legos. Both looked the same, but just with drastically different life choices affecting their appearance. Both were once the same, but would find out they are drastically different. And Fate couldn¡¯t wait to watch these two grow. She knows her brother has set up a bias stage for them. But all it takes is a little nudge¡­a typo¡­ and things become more interesting. Chapter 9: Eventful Arrival This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Chapter 10: -UCKER Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 11: Bad Night This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Chapter 12: Midnight negotiation Chuma¡¯s perspective: This is a bad situation and unfortunately for me, this thief managed to break into the Landlord, Elimu¡¯s, room (which shouldn¡¯t even be possible, unless¡­). They must be here for the Mad landlord himself! They must be extremely powerful to achieve such a feat! I¡¯ve got my head stuck in a ntare¡¯s jaw, now I just need to pull it out slowly, I can get out of this¡­ I just need to be careful and get as much information as I can. Chuma: *Sigh* ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you want. But I guarantee I don¡¯t have it¡± Viola: ¡±What makes you think you don¡¯t have what I want?¡± Chuma:¡± You want pesa rig-¡± Viola: ¡±No.¡± Good, that confirms they''re not average thieves, tho I don¡¯t think anyone would piss off a world-shaper-level Mchawi just for some pesa. then¡­.No. I need to be sure. Chuma:¡± Are you here for something else then? How about you lower the knife and I help y-¡± Viola: ¡±And you call for help? Not a chance. Not until I know you''re not a threat.¡± Ok, whatever she¡¯s doing is covert. But she must know every room has privacy enchantments. No one would hear me unless¡­. Oh gods, she¡¯s after Elimu Spirit Contact. FUCK! Of all things why did it have to be the ONE THING that would also get me killed! Why does lif- Viola: ¡±Look. I just want a room to¡­stay in.¡± Wait what? Chuma:¡± Y¡­You want a room?¡± Viola: ¡±Yes. Yours was open so I¡¯m taking it.¡± I drop my hands to my sides too baffled to keep them raised anymore. Chuma:¡± You. Broke into my room, the LANDLORD¡¯S room might I add, Hold me at knifepoint. Just to ask for a room to rent?!?¡± Chuma:¡± OK I¡¯ve already been told how stupid of an idea it is, but I feel I must point out that I didn''t break in. The door was left open. That part was on you, so hand me your keys and please don¡¯t call the cops.¡± Excuse me, but what the fuck is going on with this woman?!? What in the abyss is going on? Is this some kind of drunk dream? Did I drink too much and pass out somewhere? Because I refuse to believe that I¡¯m being mugged out of an entire apartment administrator job no matter how temporary a position it may be! Rage building up from the day''s failings I¡¯m sick and tired of these goddamn trials, taking and taking without ever giving! I wheel around to face my aggressor, apparently faster than she was expecting, and scream in her face Chuma: ¡°I¡¯M THE FUCKING LAND! LORD! AND I¡¯VE HAD IT WITH TODAY''S BULLSHIT! AND NOT JUST TODAY, OH NO! MY WHOLE FUCKING LIFE HAS BEEN FILLED WITH FAILURE DOUBT AND BULLSHIT! AND IF YOU FUCKING THINK I¡¯M GOING TO BE FUCKING MUGGED OUT OF MY HOME AND JOB IN MY HOME AND JOB YOUR MIS-FUCKING-STAKEN! SO GO AHEAD AND STAB ME, BUT I¡¯M NOT GOING¡­Going.¡± Before me stands a statue-no. A woman, staring at me with determination but.. wearing my Blanket as robes and slightly shaking. Is it really that cold? No that''s not it. She''s not shaking because she¡¯s cold. I know that look She¡¯s shaking because she is afraid of taking a life. Like a boy killing his first cattle. She doesn¡¯t want to kill me. I can see it in her stance, and her movements. Despite her face. She desperately doesn¡¯t want to kill me. It¡¯s so obvious. My rage quickly fades, replaced by a bit of sympathy for some desperate enough to kill just for a place to rest. Viola: ¡±Look. I¡¯m sorry. But¡­. I don¡¯t want to kill you but I need a room for me and my sister- You can keep the room but¡­Please ¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. She¡¯s keeping her composer and maintaining her emotional mask. but¡­I just know she¡¯s moments from breaking. That she can¡¯t withstand the pressure much longer than she thinks she can. ¡°What happened to you?¡± I hesitantly ask. Her face shifts to surprise at that question. She appears¡­disarmed; Why am I using that word? It¡¯s odd for this situation as she is still very much armed but something just feels right about describing her as such. Viola: ¡°Wa- I, I¡¯m not completely sure, to be honest¡± She lowers her blade, which I see now is her arm. Viola: ¡°Look. I¡¯m sorry for your shit day man. but-¡± Chuma:¡± But, you need a room. Yeah¡­¡± She looks tired. Like something big happened or... Keeps happening and honestly. I can empathise with that level of exhaustion Chuma:*Sigh* ¡°Ancestors guide me. Look. I¡¯m really too tired to fight or be someone¡¯s first desperation kill so how about we talk about all this tomorrow¡± Viola: ¡°Wait really? But aren''t you afraid I¡¯ll kill you or something?¡± Chuma:¡± Despite my shit luck, I think you¡¯ll find I¡¯m a good judge of character¡­or I can tell when someone is WILLING to kill and you, my lady, have the killing intent of a kid being told to put down his favourite dog¡± She collapses to the ground once she hears that, she lets out a breath she probably didn¡¯t even know she was holding as her knife hand¡­HER KNIFE HAND JUST BECAME A REGULAR HAND WHAT THE SHIT!?! No, no. not tonight, that''s a ¡®tomorrow me¡¯ problem Viola: ¡°Thank you so much¡­sir?¡± Chuma:¡± Chuma Kalejaiye of the Dumuu. ¡± Viola:¡±Viola. Just Viola.¡± Clanless and without a family name? That explains so much. Better save those questions for after I sleep. Viola¡¯s perspective: I collapse to my knees, officially DONE with the longest day of my life. All things considered, this turned out well. We¡¯ve got a place to sleep for the night, we escaped capture and likely experimentation, I got a sexy body with superpowers I barely understand, and we aren¡¯t going to be raped and/or murdered due to my stupid idea to run into the first open home we saw. But that man¡­ when I scanned Chuma, a character sheet much like the one me and Sis have appeared. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ User Name: ¡°Chuma Kalejaiye of the Dumuu¡± Level: |You are not at a high enough level to view the information| Race: Binadamu Race Type: Earth aligned Type Description: |You are not at a high enough level to view the information| Body Attributes: Strength:1.7 Dexterity:0.8 Constitution:2 Magic Attributes: |You are not at a high enough level to view the information| Skills & Perks: |You are not at a high enough level to view the information| Abilities: |You are not at a high enough level to view the information| Talents: Heightened Intuition: ¡°The second level of the Intuition Talent, Heightened Intuition allows owners of the talent to subtly read the intent, drive, and overall willingness of actions provided they are emotionally charged by a strong emotion. Heightened Intuition upgrade speed is dependent on social interaction and usage. More is better. ¡± |You are not at a high enough level to view any more information| |Alert: Due to the target''s lack of awareness, information has not been obscured by the target''s subconscious. Informing the target will lead to awareness and subsequent obscuration.| ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It¡¯s clear that this ¡°Heightened Intuition¡± was the reason Chuma could tell I was bluffing and based on its description, he could probably pick up on any inconsistencies if I tried lying to him. Chuma:¡± Alright, I¡¯m going to sleep, Viola. I would get you my spare blanket¡­ but you''re currently wearing it.¡± And it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m a good liar anyway. I distinctly remember Kabiliti¡¯s more extreme Ideas failing and getting caught because of her god-awful lies. And I would rather not discover that I inherited that flaw while losing this guy¡¯s goodwill. Chuma:¡± You ok Viola?¡± Viola:¡± Yeah. Just¡­thinking¡± Chuma:¡± I know I just met you and in the worst way possible, but you should get some rest. we¡¯ll do some thinking tomorrow. Trust me,¡± Chuma let out a heavy sigh Chuma: ¡°I know from experience, that rest is best after stress .¡± As if my body wanted to prove him right, my mouth decided to share my thoughts Viola:¡± I¡¯m just debating whether I should lie to you about me and my Sister¡¯s origins because I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll turn us into your government ¡± It took a moment, but then I realised what I said I looked up to see the face of a tired man debating whether or not he should investigate the clear threat to his safety or just go to bed like he desperately wanted. It was a stressful and dead quiet moment but eventually, he reacted to my brain fart. Chuma: ¡°Viola.¡± I shoot up ramrod straight, feeling like a kid about to be told off. Viola:¡± Yes.¡± Chuma: ¡°Should I fear you?¡± Viola:¡± No.¡± Chuma: ¡°Are you going to harm me?.¡± Viola:¡± No.¡± Chuma: ¡°Do you have any plans that will affect me negatively in any way?.¡± Viola:¡± No.¡± Chuma: ¡°Good! I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Chuma starts heading towards his bedroom Bed? Bed¡­.HIS BED!! In a panic, I jump up to try and stop him from seeing Kabiliti¡¯s egg Viola:¡± Wait no don¡¯t-.¡± Chuma: ¡°Nope, I¡¯m sleeping now .¡± I start pulling him away from the door to his room Viola:¡± Please don¡¯t disturb-.¡± Chuma: ¡°And so are you.¡± With a flick from Chuma¡¯s thumb, I suddenly started to feel extremely sleepy Viola:¡± Don¡¯t¡­hurt¡­her¡­ please.¡± losing consciousness I collapse on the floor, the last thing I hear being a scream of surprise and horror. I hope we''re not screwed tomorrow. But that''s not my problem right now. Right now I got to count these sheep; there are just sooooooo many of them. Chapter 13: Morning Chat The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Chapter 14: Questions Kabiliti¡¯s perspective: Before I got a chance to stop her, Viola immediately started burying Chuma in an onslaught of questions that ranged from the important, Viola:¡± How does magic work and what do the values on the ¡®Attributes¡¯ part of our information mean¡­¡± To the trivial. Viola:¡± Why is the bathroom magical, who made it magical¡­¡± She just kept going, and asking! Through her vision, I could see Chuma constantly trying to get a word in edgewise but failing, until he simply gave up and covered Viola¡¯s mouth. A move that reminded her that she needed to stop talking for any of the questions she asked, to be answered ¡°Ok,¡± Chuma slowly started ¡°I caught about every 6th or 7th question and from those alone I can confidently say. I am not a library. or an elder, martial trainer, or even a proper Uchawi user, (granted I know some spells). BUT nowhere near enough to where you could teach you anything.¡± Chuma, knowing that Viola would ask about those things, then went on to explain what he did know: We, people, are called ¡°Godformed¡± but most just use the term ¡°human¡±, when we asked why Chuma simply said ¡°Ask a priest or priestess, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll arrive in town eventually¡± but suspect it has something to do with the lazy bums back home. Magic is called Uchawi, it¡¯s omnipresent and many different creatures can use it in different ways. However, for us humans to use magic, deals must be made with these creatures. With the cost being some kind of curse. Chuma:¡±..and trust me when I say this; be very careful when making a deal. The ones most willing to make deals tend to know more than you.¡± Libraries not only exist in this world but are quite common and thanks to the fall of some old empire he knows next to nothing about. Apparently, their destruction led to the idea that ¡°knowledge should be spread so it may never be destroyed¡± There is apparently a City library in the city centre that is currently empty but is expecting its first delivery of books to arrive in a few weeks. Chuma recommended that if we get the chance we should go there to get the answers we want. But for now, he gave us some advice: Chuma ¡°Do NOT strengthen your heart under any circumstances. ¡± After expositing what he could, Chuma went to go clothes shopping for us, to both our chagrin Viola:¡± You sure you know what to buy?¡± ¡°Of course¡± Chuma responded dismissively ¡° I just have to ask for female hide pants, dress cloth and some female undergar-¡± At that moment, Chuma seemed to realise Viola¡¯s impending follow-up question of ¡°What size?¡± so he tried to recover with a question of his own ¡°You don¡¯t need underwear do you?¡± Chuma asked and instantly regretted asking. His face went pale and I could swear I could hear someone else laughing but where? Chuma started stammering, trying to figure out a way to fix his faux without making things worse but lucky for him, Viola raised her hand to shut him up and threw him a bone. Viola:¡± Just go, man. I understand what you mean and yes, for now, we don¡¯t need underwear.¡± Chuma quickly nodded and shut the door behind him as he left. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Viola:¡± Kabiliti?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yeah,¡± Viola:¡± I know this is a stupid use of your powers and body but, can you-¡± Kabiliti:¡± Way ahead of you sis. We got the same size so I can spend a bit of myself to make us some underwear¡± I could feel Viola¡¯s recoil when I told her it would cost a bit of myself just to make us bras and panties but I think maintaining our dignity in comfort is worth my remaining hand( but I won¡¯t tell her that) Viola:¡± Kabiliti?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yeah,¡± Viola:¡± I need to be alone for a while¡± Before I could reply I felt our connection get severed. It HURT, a quick but severe pain, like pulling a muscle but 100 times worse. ¡°Fuck¡± is what I wanted to shout as I rubbed my head, but I had no mouth to scream. Just an egg. But the muffled ¡°Shit!¡± that came from beyond the bedroom door demonstrated that the pain is not one way. Why did she do that? What could she possibly be doing that I can¡¯t be present for? I guess it shouldn¡¯t matter. I should trust her not to do something stupid. I would like to say she would do what I would but¡­I¡¯m not so sure. Ah, listen to yourself Kabiliti! She¡¯s basically your twin sister, so trust her! *sigh* I might as well look over those 3 Skills I found, ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Noticeably Less Vincible Body: ¡°First rank of the ¡®indestructible body¡¯ Skill. NLVB allows the user to reduce any and all incoming damage to their body by half for as long as they wish. While in this state the user will be unable to breathe or see. The best Defence means no offence¡±
  • Perk can be improved through use or by an enchanted contract of sufficient level
  • Rank 1/5
  • Possible synergy detected. with existing Soul
Hands Of A Crafter: ¡°First rank of the ¡®Hands of Creation¡¯ Perk. HOAC speeds up the creation of any non-biological object, reducing the time and effort required to make it by half. Provided the user knows an enchantment, Items can be enchanted by the user at the cost of said enchantment¡¯s enchantment time and resource requirement. Make your life better by making things faster, or better.
  • Perk can be improved by synergising with 3 or more skills, abilities or perks per rank
  • Rank 1/3
  • Possible synergy detected. with existing ability (Magic of creation)
Unique Spawn: ¡°First rank of the ¡®Boundless Spawn¡¯ Race Perk. All members of your race are born with one positive oddity and one negative oddity, they can also receive a blessing from those willing. Let them become one in a million, only a million more till that stops mattering.
  • The Perk can be improved through the achievements of members of your race.
  • This Perk does not apply retroactively but proceeding ranks do apply retroactively to those born after this rank was gained.
  • Can only be chosen gained by firstborn and their heirs
  • Perk can only be seen by your Race heirs and Firstborn
  • This perk is a Race Perk and thus can only be gained through a world-changing achievement. If you see this and don¡¯t pick it. The option will be locked from you and your next heir. You have been warned.
  • Warning, multiple hidden aspects of this skill are present and due to the nature of the perk appear randomly within individuals of your race.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Of all the skills I was willing to scroll through, those 3 stood out, mainly because they were glowing when I was scrolling. The first too seemed useful, especially the ¡°Hands Of A Crafter¡± one but the third one reminded me of the fact that we are the first of an entire species¡­ or¡­ an offshoot of humanity? Not quite sure, but seeing as we don¡¯t ¡°give birth¡± (thank god) and just infuse stuff with life, I¡¯m willing to bet creating more of us will become a more practical decision the longer we live here and I would rather be in a group of quirky badasses than a one-man army and deal with all the problems that come with that. Oooh but that crafting one, No! It¡¯s better to plan for the future. A happy little 8-bit jingle played as I mentally selected the Unique Spawn Perk. |Excellent choice| a little girl said. My body in my egg spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. But the room was empty. Kabiliti: ¡°Who''s there?¡± No response. Not if they could hear me if they were there. I suddenly¡­felt something. Like a warm, comforting hand grasping my brain. It felt¡­nice, it felt like it wanted me to grasp back. No, no it NEEDED me to grasp back. There was desperation in that hand! It¡¯s Viola! The second I realised it was her I tried grasping back and, as if all that was needed was a thought, we reconnected Viola, telepathically: ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO!?!¡± Chapter 15: Economic Escape This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Chapter 16: Brief Release A few minutes before the escape, hidden in the crowd: ???:¡± It''s uncanny, sister! The scent is faint but it is on him¡±. ???:¡± You think he might know something?¡± ???:¡± No, I know he does. The stench of Uchawi is the only other smell coming from him and he didn¡¯t report his encounter to the authorities. He¡¯s hiding the encounter purposefully!¡± ???:¡± Brother. Are sure you not just mistaking the scent she had with that of the str-¡± ???:¡± Sister, with the price I paid. I trust my senses. He was in contact with her for hours. He has to know something. Trust me.¡± ???:¡±...Fine. I trust you brother. Tail them at a distance. I¡¯ll report our findings. DO NOT act recklessly.¡± ???:¡± Understood.¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few minutes after the escape, in an alleyway not too far from the market: Chuma:¡± Hey, umm could you please put me dow-¡± Utter incensed at his attitude, Winda tossed Chuma full force into one of the walls that made the alley. Chuma groaned in pain as he was slammed into the red clay wall ¡°Ow! Ok, ok, I get it ¡± Chuma tried placatingly at Winda. He raised his hands in a pleading gesture while continuing ¡°I know what I did was horrible but-¡± ¡°BUT?!?¡± Winda challenged ¡°But nothing! I did nothing to you, I was minding my own business AND YOU CHOSE TO EXPLOIT MY CURSE! And for what exactly?¡± Despite realising it was probably a bad idea, Chuma answered her rhetorical question ¡°Because they were hounding me?¡± Winda looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and pure rage ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?¡± ¡®No-¡° before Chuma could even finish the word. A furred albino fist rushed by the left of his head and crashed into the wall behind him creating an audible crack sound. Winda wheeled around, her frustration growing over the situation ¡°Why in the abyss am I in this accursed mess! It was supposed to be a day of relaxation after that horrible day of stress. But now I¡¯ve been publicly humiliated AND I let my Hyena out all because, this pile of dung, can¡¯t handle attention¡± Winda, finishing her tirade slumped up to the wall opposite Chuma and started crying as she slid to the ground and pulled her knees up to hid her face. A pregnant pause followed, with only the occasional sob from Winda Chuma: ¡°Are you ok-¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Winda¡¯s unstable voice interrupted. With another pause, Chuma was unsure of how to fix the situation he caused but not willing to just leave this girl he hurt alone. Chuma: ¡°I¡¯m sorry do-¡± ¡°What part of ¡®Leave¡¯ couldn¡¯t you understand!¡± Winda interrupted with more force and less control than before. Chuma: ¡°No, clearly I fucked up and I need to-¡± ¡°You NEED to leave!¡± Winda warned, It was that outburst that finally got Chuma to notice her body was changing. Her arms extended far past her robes, her hands lengthening and becoming thinner and her body growing larger and larger. Slowly her sobs softly turned into burgeoning continuous growling. Chuma could swear she was softly repeating ¡°Why haven¡¯t they called out, shouldn¡¯t they have heard me? No, they must have. They''re coming, they¡¯ll stop me, they''re coming but why haven¡¯t they called out¡±. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Something was terribly wrong. Chuma had only heard sketchy rumours about how Fisidamu¡¯s ¡®laughing curses¡¯ work from pubs and bars, they were always vague and conflicting but the majority claimed they had something to do with stress and some kind of ''dire hyena''. From her behaviour yesterday Chuma could guess that she would be stressed by gaining a lot of attention but this part¡­ this part wasn¡¯t covered in the drunken ramblings or outlandish stories he heard. Whatever was going on was clearly bad and must have been the true reason she was upset with what he did¡­ Chuma, mentally:¡± No¡­No no, she clearly stated she¡¯s pissed off about that too. But now¡¯s not the time to self-reflect on my shitty actions. I need to help her¡± Chuma: ¡°Ummm¡­.Madam, tell me what I can do to help!¡± Her head jutted up and her rambling briefly stopped, her pupils were dilated and pitch black and tears were rolling down the sides of her face, it was clear she was fighting something¡­and losing. ¡°CAN¡¯T YOU TELL I¡¯M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR ROTTING CORPSE? RUN! LEAVE!! SHE¡¯S COMING!!!¡± Chuma: ¡°No! I cause this, surely I can help¡± Without Chuma¡¯s input, a familiar Message showed up, with an addition below it. _________________________________________________________________________ Bonus Quest Triggered: Through someone¡¯s clever manipulation of information and your own selfishness. Winda has been given a similar ¡¯fate quest¡¯. She has the same goal as you but with different rewards. But you have let her curse free and the gods demand you suffer the consequences. Goal: You are being hunted. You are the only target. Escape Winda¡¯s curse until she regains control. Rewards: You don¡¯t die, among other things. _________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Winda? Who¡¯s Winda?¡±Chuma asked nobody in particular and received a bone-chilling answer as soon as he mentally removed the quest box. Before him stood a 3 metre tall barely humanoid Hyena standing like a human with a hunch. It¡¯s? Her muzzle salivating and dripping with saliva, a hungry look in its eyes and a grin spreading ear to ear. ¡°I would be Winda¡± she answered in a deep feminine voice that commanded way more control and decorum than that of the original Winda ¡°Well.. to be precise I¡¯m more like the other Winda and I¡¯ve been stuck in her for YEARS!¡± as she exclaims, she extends her arms displaying their horrifyingly inhuman length that has to be a metre long at least.¡°Beast mother above, it¡¯s good to be back!¡±. ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Chuma comments while realising just how impossible a task he has. ¡°Now, now language¡± the Cursed version of Winda chides ¡°Unlike my host, I don¡¯t like swearing, though I have sworn before I swear I¡¯ll never swear again¡± She tried to joke while holding one of her palms to her chest Chuma just continues to stare while looking for a way out. Curse Winda:¡± Ah¡­ tough crowd, not even Winda laughed.¡± Chuma: ¡°Wait, she''s still here?¡± Curse Winda:¡± Of course, I was in there too¡± The monster tapped the side of her head with her paw ¡°She¡¯s probably seeing all the things I plan to do to that old bitch, ?technically not a swear dear?. You see my delectable meal. She wasn''t pushed over the edge by your terrible actions or the public humiliation it was because she-¡± Without any warning, Curse Winda slammed her face into the wall behind Chuma. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Chuma whispered, confused by the being''s actions ¡°What the he- heck is the problem? He''s a donkey¡¯s donkey, remember? Don¡¯t tell me you care what he thinks of you¡± Curse Winda complained while rubbing her wounded snout Chuma: ¡°Did you just call me a Asses ass?¡± Curse Winda: ¡°No, she did and despite that, she still wants to protect you and likely-¡± She slams her head into the wall again. Slowly the fear and worry Chuma had before started to leave, as the monster seemed to lack any control of its body Chuma: ¡°I thought you were going to¡­ you know kill and eat me ¡± Curse Winda: ¡°I was but this bundle of social failure is protecting, and I quote your rotten ass! NO, THAT DOESN¡¯T COUNT, IT WAS A QUOTE. YES YOU DID!¡± Chuma: ¡°I¡¯m very confused¡± ¡°NOT YOU, YOU DAM-DARN ¡®MISTAKE OF A HILL TO DIE ON¡¯. YES YOU! I SWEAR - OH GO FUCK YOURSELF! Happy?¡± On a hunch, Chuma decided to scan her but as soon as he did his vision was obscured by flashing lights and a prompt. _________________________________________________________________________ Bonus Quest cleared: A heavy price was paid. And Winda must carry it. The Matriarch is the only other who knows. Not that it matters. Rewards: You live, undeservedly. _________________________________________________________________________ ¡°WHAT!¡± the monster screeched Chuma willed the message to disappear only to see the monster whaling and complaining ¡°HOW DID I FAIL!?! I ONLY HAD A COUPLE MINUTES TO KILL HIM?!? YEARS OF BEING STUCK IN THAT DISAPPOINTMENT AND I GET ONLY MOMENTS TO FINALLY FREE MYSELF!¡± Chuma tried to quietly move away before she remembered he was there but just as he was about to turn and run she looked at him ¡°You.¡± Curse Winda spoke with venom in her throat ¡°IF I¡¯M GOING BACK THEN I¡¯M CHANGING ONE THING ABOUT HER FATE BEFORE I DO¡± She lunged at Chuma, her massive jaw open and ready to crush his head. Chuma closed his eyes ready for death. There was a *swing* sound, a crack noise, and a thump as Chuma opened his eyes not to see his disappointed ancestors but non-curse Winda. On top of him. Staring at him. Kissing him. As steam surrounded the both of them. Chuma, mentally: ¡°What in the abyss is going on?!?¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ???:¡± What did I fucking say-¡± ???:¡±The kid was going to die!¡± Interlude 1: Ivory Tower Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Chapter 17: The Girl Winda¡¯s perspective: Well, this is awkward, it¡¯s been a couple minutes since¡­the incident and I¡¯ve just been following Chuma as the quest told me too¡­silently¡­.awkwardly¡­fuck the Beast was right, I am a disappointment. At this rate he¡¯ll think I have a crush on him and I¡¯m following him for ¡°creepy stalker¡± purposes, then he¡¯ll call the guard then I¡¯ll fail the quest the- Chuma: ¡°Hey um¡­ I know I¡¯ve done more than just ruin your day, but¡­ Is there any reason you''re following me?¡± Ok Winda, just be calm and explain your fate quest. No need to remind him of the kiss. Focus on the quest. Winda: ¡°I just wanted to explain what just happened¡± Chuma stopped and turned to me quizzically ¡°The kiss?¡± Winda:¡± Yes-WAIT NO!¡± Chuma:¡± Oh, good¡± Winda:¡± Yeah, talking about that would be weird, especially because you publicly humiliated me, forced my hyena out, and didn¡¯t leave when I told you to and I just rambled that out loud didn¡¯t I¡± Though we weren¡¯t on a busy street, what few eyes that were around were staring directly at us. Chuma:¡± Yeah¡­you did.¡± Oh beast mother, curse my mouth. Chuma:¡± Honestly I deserve this after what I did¡± Oh beast mother, curse HIS mouth! My left hand collided with my face as I came to a mortifying conclusion ¡°My fate has just been tied with someone as socially inept as me.¡± Chuma:¡± Hey I¡¯m not usually that bad.¡± I grab the buffoon by the shoulders ¡°Stop. Talking. We¡¯re in public.¡± Chuma:¡± I mean you''re making it worse by making it seem like we have something to hide.¡± I look up and around, and as if on cue, everyone around us quickly looks away. Chuma:¡±You are a 2 metre tall albino Fisidamu woman.¡± I think the lack of context we¡¯re giving for the words they hear is worse, but I do naturally attract attention. We could just find another allay- Gods above, now that I think about it that would make the misunderstanding exponentially worse. Winda:¡± Ok look, I need to find Viola and help her ¡®Free her sister from her Egg¡¯ and I know you can help. ¡± Chuma:¡± Wait so you have the same Fate Quest?¡± Yes oh, Beast mother he finally gets it. On second thought, Why didn¡¯t I just say that? Not important. Winda:¡± Yes, I¡¯m fairly sure.¡± Chuma:¡± Oh thank the gods. Follow me, we first need to go to my house for something important.¡± He turned around and continued walking, his empty back reminding me his missing something very important. Winda:¡± It¡¯s your glaive isn¡¯t it.¡± He paused for a short moment, then continued walking. ¡±That too¡± Chuma: authoritatively proclaimed. And he''s a delinquent. Metres away, on top of an empty construction site: ???: ¡°Sister, Should we follow them?¡± ???:¡± No. Your interference has likely put them on high guard. We can¡¯t afford to be spotted¡± ???: ¡°Then what of their tails? Whatever they¡¯ve been talking about has been getting them quite a lot of attention¡± ???:¡± Of what kind?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ???:¡± The noble and underworld kind.¡± ???:¡± Then we kill the underworld and capture the noble. I¡¯m sure Semere could use their minds¡± ???:¡± Then let''s make a game of it¡± ???:¡± Fine, you hunt left, I¡¯ll hunt right. ¡± Back on the street, Winda¡¯s perspective: We¡¯ve been walking for some time now. In complete silence. Awkwardly I want to talk to him but honestly, I can¡¯t trust either him or me to not say something stupid. We entered the main roads a while ago and while no one was hounding him. People Are looking at us¡­or me? No, it¡¯s both of us, that porter just walked into a wall while looking at the both of us. Thank Ishaji, I''ve learned to hide my Takardar Hali. I¡¯ve been trying to think back on what happened in the alley (Aside from the last bit); the Beast took control, and like before I got forced into her mental chamber. The first time it was pure nothingness with only a viewport for me to see her first rampage. The second time¡­ the second time the room looked like a child lived in it despite me being 15 years old. This time. This time was chilling. The room was immaculate and high class, like the administration centres father used to work in. On one of the walls was a Painting of Jjaja omukazi clawed and so full of darts and daggers that it might as well be a painting of an Ingungumbane. This progression showed that she was clearly growing, and resented Jjaja for stopping her nighttime rampage. Next was that prompt I, or rather my Hyena received; it was a fate quest addressed to her and claimed that if she ate Chuma, as sadistically as she could. Our ¡±Roles would be reversed¡± with the level of control being judged by how sadistic she displayed herself. That absolutely couldn¡¯t stand, so I pissed her off and critiqued every action. The second time she could control she bragged to Jjaja that I could see and hear everything she could¡­as well as made fun of my crying. She was and still is arrogant but she also has a for need validation for her acts, and when she saw Jjaja¡¯s rage at my suffering. I felt her pleasure and joy. I really don¡¯t like thinking about this. Remembering. But there''s one last thing I need to establish in my mind: How did I get out? That timer showed up starting at 2 seconds while I was distracting her. It didn¡¯t seem right. It was like some arbitrary condition was triggered like a bee returning to its hive simply because the clouds covered the sun. Now I have a fate quest of my own _________________________________________________________________________ Grasp Your Fate! Quest: Help Viola Free her sister from her ¡®Egg¡¯.These strangers Have an interesting journey ahead of them and you may join them if you help them and gain their trust. Follow Chuma to find the twins and help them free the second twin. Goal: Assist Viola the |Race Name missing| in freeing her sister by feeding her inorganic items. Generally, be helpful and assist the two in getting their bearings Failure: Fail to gain a level of trust with the twins Rewards: Your fate will remain yours. You will gain the first rank in the unique perk ¡°The Girl and the Beast¡±, ¡°Shackled¡± Punishments on failure. Your fate will become hers. You will gain the first rank in the unique perk ¡°The Beast and the Girl¡±, ¡°Freed¡± _________________________________________________________________________ With a punishment like that, I feel like there¡¯s a sword at my throat. I may not know what either perk does but the sentences ¡°Your fate will remain yours.¡± and ¡°Your fate will become hers.¡± makes it pretty clear I don¡¯t want to fail. Ok. so, the Beast is maturing quickly. Seemingly has a revenge plot, and can only be stopped by helping an unknown northerner hatch their sister-egg. I stopped walking, raised my right hand in front of my face Winda: ¡°Just to be sure¡­¡± And I bite down hard on my palm, causing me instant regret in more ways as I chuckle in pain. Chuma immediately turns around, horror in his face. I quickly hide my hand and try to reassure him ¡°Just stubbed my toe on something, it¡¯s fine.¡± Chuma lets out a large sigh of relief ¡°Gods above, I nearly died of a heart attack.¡± That was¡­kinda cathartic. But this, unfortunately, isn¡¯t, a nightmare. My bleeding hand behind my back can attest to that. Eventually, we arrived at the visual assault that was Chuma¡¯s home. ¡±Well, we¡¯re here,¡± Chuma proclaimed as we approached a violently purple one-story apartment block. Everything aside from the doors was an aggressive shade of purple. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you live here¡± I groaned The structure looked completely illogical; the only windows facing the street were just above the doors with there seeming to be only 1 per unit, the roof resembled foam and the doors¡­They were actively changing colours Chuma: ¡°I know it looks¡­visually hazardous. But the Mchawi that created the spatial apartment has a hobby in interior design and it¡¯s much better inside¡± A spatial apartment, of course, things just have to get weirder. Didn¡¯t Aunty Chatyalani claim she used to live in a spatial house where every door insulted her? Winda:¡± Alright, should I wait outside or-¡± The door suddenly grew taller, just a bit above my height while the window got pushed further up. ¡°You kind of need to come and see this for yourself¡± Chuma said as he opened the door, revealing an obsidian black woman wearing what are clearly bedsheets animatedly arguing at pitch-black eggs the same size as me. I stood just outside the open door, mouth agape and utterly perplexed at what I was looking at. ¡°I know they seem weird but from what I can tell they¡¯re not bad¡± Chuma encouraged, completely unaware of the weirdly silent argument going on behind him. I really don¡¯t want to believe him, but the quest did say to follow him. I hesitantly take a step inside. ???:¡°-what about our current situation made you think now was the time for one of your stupid projects!!!¡± The woman stared expectantly at the egg, frustration visible on her face. Then¡­then she was mortified, she grasped her mouth in a futile attempt to stop words she had already said. Something just happened and I have no idea what. Chuma looked at me and I looked at him. I shook my head ¡°No¡± but, as if wanting to break the two up from their argument at the worst possible time, he spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m Back, and I brought help.¡± The body and the lady turn to look at us. _________________________________________________________________________ Congratulations! You have found the twins _________________________________________________________________________ Her face¡­Her body.. she was gorgeous. Chapter 18: Unlucky Tokoloshe Viola¡¯s perspective: The house was silent; Chuma was in the kitchen brewing some coffee for everyone, the Giant Hyena lady was sitting on a large twin board chair that I swear wasn¡¯t here before, and Kabiliti was ¡°¡±¡±sitting¡±¡±¡± on the couch with me. Earlier, I blew up on Kabiliti for her skill choice because of what it triggered. I mentally willed the prompt to reappear by thinking ¡°Show quests¡± and like I thought. The game-like prompt appeared in my face. _________________________________________________________________________ A Happy Family Quest: Thanks to a Firstborn gaining a Race Perk, your people have all grown stronger as a result. The only problem is: that your people consist of you and the original you. Grow your population and take advantage of the fact you can reproduce asexually to speed up this process. Isn''t it great you don''t have to wait 9 months to make any progress? Goal: Have offspring of some sort. Doesn¡¯t matter how. Failure: Die/kill any of your kids. Rewards: Your Branch of humanity will have a high likelihood of not becoming extinct. Unknown. Note from quest giver: ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to give you a progress bar and Yes I did trick her. But honestly, it might be for the best. Good luck.¡± _________________________________________________________________________ I look to my left on Kabiliti, Her body inside the egg turning away in response Viola, telepathically: ¡°Kabiliti I¡¯m sorry,¡± Silence. Viola, telepathically: ¡°I thought you acted without thinking and I was wrong.¡± She still wasn¡¯t responding, and I didn¡¯t know what to say. I mean what do you say after you spend nearly an hour arguing with someone over a choice motivated by their death? ¡°So, umm. You''re Viola right?¡± the giant woman asked. She kind of looked like a Gnoll from the video games Kabiliti used to play except more humanoid. Her head was similar to a hyena, with a snout and muzzle present, but her ears were human and her overall body structure and stance were also clearly human. Honestly, you hide her head and shave off her white fur and would just think she¡¯s an extremely tall person. She was built like a twig with the potential to buff up, like an ex-bodybuilder who clearly used to be jacked but stopped going to the gym decades ago. I turned to face her ¡°Yes, yes I am. Sorry you had to walk in on our¡­ argument¡± It was clear she felt awkward around us, probably because from her perspective she just saw a lady argue with an ink-black egg with a mutilated body inside ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s no problem. Everyone has their disagreements and sometimes they can get heated. We should be the ones to apologise for not announcing our presence before we entered and giving you time to compose yourselves¡± the woman quickly corrected. Chuma then interjected with ¡°Each home is partially soundproof, they likely wouldn¡¯t have heard us¡± The woman instantly glared at him as soon as he stated that, to which Chuma turned back to the boiling kettle. ¡°I-I¡¯ll get back to the coffee¡± Chuma shrank. Chuma, what did you do to her? As for the woman, something was off about how she talked, it wasn¡¯t natural. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m Winda-¡± Winda said while outstretching her furred hand-¡°I¡¯m glad to be joining your quest fate- I mean fate quest¡± A job interview, that''s what it felt like! Did Chuma hire her to make me and sis clothes or something? Aye! talk about going overboard! It would explain why she¡¯s upset at Chuma. She probably thought it would be a simple tailor job but then she saw, use. I looked at her and sighed. Then tried calming her down¡± You don¡¯t need to worry, I may not know what reputation Firstborn have but you can trust me when I say ¡¯No one here is going to hurt you¡¯ ¡± Winda looked at me a bit confused. ¡°Was¡­that a possibility?¡± she asked. Now I was confused, wasn¡¯t that why she was worried? Viola:¡± No. It wasn¡¯t. I just thought you were scared of us and I was trying to calm you down¡± Winda:¡± Why would I fear the person a quest is telling me to help?¡± Wait, she said quest again. Could it be that she is somehow related to my quest? No, that doesn¡¯t make sense and I¡¯m not exactly sure how that would even work seeing as were both women. It has to be something else. Viola:¡± Winda, before you mentioned a quest, and if I¡¯m involved I doubt you''re here to give me clothes¡± Winda¡± Why would I give you clothes?¡± We both turned to look at Chuma who looked like a kid fearing a beating The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I may have gotten a little sidetracked while looking for your clothes and encountered Winda then completely forgot to find and buy you some clothing¡± Chuma informed, his tone hinting that what happened was much more than a ¡®side track¡¯. Before I could question him further, Winda hopped in with her own account of past events Winda: ¡±You found me minding my own business, publicly humiliated me to escape some merchants then let loose my hyena. It was MUCH more than an encounter¡± I stared at Chuma, shocked, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kabiliti had joined me in my disbelief. ¡°Chuma! What the hell man?!? We just asked for clothes!¡± I exclaimed ¡°Ok, I know it sounds bad¡± Chuma started defensively, his tone betraying him ¡°But¡­. I¡­screwed up?¡± In just that moment something appeared on his back then disappeared as quick as it appeared. ¡°You saw that right?¡± Kabiliti asked me through our link. It looked like a grey, 3 eyed gremlin. ¡°Yes,¡± I responded back, ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Kabiliti, telepathically:¡± Don¡¯t know, but I have an Idea.¡± I tried to ask Kabiliti what she had planned but as soon as she heard ¡°What-¡± she acted. As Chuma was visibly communicating ¡°I¡¯m screwed¡± with his face, a sharp black tendril shot out from Kabiliti¡¯s egg, missing Chuma¡¯s neck by a centimetre, making a squelch sound as it audibly penetrated, something organic, and connected to the wall behind him which was, rather impressively, only dented. Chuma collapsed and fainted, seemingly out of shock ¡±Beast Mother above! I wanted you to fail him, not kill him!¡± Winda protested in a panic on her face as she quickly stepped up to try to protect Chuma. ¡°Pain, PAIN! I surrender!¡± a harsh and high-pitched voice protested behind Winda. A pebble appeared above and slightly to the left of where the tendril hit the wall and fell to the ground at which point a small pale grey pot-bellied creature appeared. It had a wide head and a mouth to match, its ears were as long as an elf''s but were asymmetrically crooked, and it had 2 empty eye sockets leaking a black ichor from the inner corner of each eye. A prominent and large hole directly above the nose and eyes was a present of its forehead from which smoke bellowed. It wore a tattered cloth that seemed to be studded with precious gems, around its waist and had a gaudy golden ornament hanging by a diamond ring pierced into its overgrown belly button. Its body was covered in white hairs and its arms were long enough that its hands could grab its feet while standing upright. Despite being the size of a child, its features were closer to that of a small-nosed goblin. If there was ever a creature that deserves the title of ¡°Gremlin-King¡±, this would be that creature. It turned to look at me, small blue flames appearing in its eyes ¡°You, Viola, please tell egg-sister; no kill Mampara!¡± it pleaded in its horrid voice Viola:¡± Ugh, what the hell is that thing?¡± I felt a distinct emotion of disgust from my telepathic link with Kabiliti, which I sympathised with as a green ooze started bubbling out of the creature¡¯s stab wound Winda:¡±Is that a Tokoloshe?¡± ¡°A what?¡± I asked while trying to think of a way to defend myself without touching it Winda:¡±I think that''s a Tokoloshe. A monstrous spirit that causes misfortune, tragedy and¡­ other bad stuff?¡± Viola:¡± What was doing doing on Chuma¡¯s back?¡± ¡°Mampara¡¯s pain is growing! Please, let Mampara go!¡± the Tokoloshe begged. Winda:¡± I guess you should ask it, tho. It sounds dumber than in the stories¡± ¡°Mampara is not dumb! Mampara is smart Tokoloshe! Smarter than even Master! Mampara trick master, Mampara better than master, Mampara-¡± With a bit of movement made by Kabiliti¡¯s tendril the Tokoloshe was reminded of its situation ¡°Augh! Me get it. Not time for Mampara¡¯s glory be shown.¡± ¡°What were you doing on Chuma¡¯s back,¡± I demanded, to which Mampara responded. ¡°Living Mampara¡¯s life; free and entertained¡± Winda:¡± Free?¡± Viola:¡± Entertained?¡± Mampara:¡± Yes! Master say, when Master could still breathe, Master say Chuma have great future. Make many people, might even ascend to be a small god.¡± Kabiliti, telepathically ¡°Did it just say '' might become a god?¡¯ ¡± Mampara continued:¡± Master want me to go to Chuma when he second smallest human and trick him into special Spirit Contract so she gains Chuma¡¯s fate at the cost of her sleep and MY, MAMPARA¡¯S, life! Mampara no like that, So Mampara change contract so master die, me eat and get to sell Chuma fate and Chuma get master¡¯s Uchawi, because me find irony at time and funny.¡± Winda: ¡°Wait, what happened to your nail?¡± I was confused by that question so looked at Winda quizzically And reading my face, answered my unspoken question ¡°Tokoloshe are brought to life with a red hot nail. That nail is supposed to stick out of its middlemost hole¡± The Tokoloshe looked at us, annoyed and explained ¡°Master use last of power to push nail far in brain while die slowly. It hard think or talk now, so me spend most time, trick Chuma into say stupid things."The gremlin started letting out a revolting laugh as it thought about its ¡®entertainment¡¯ ¡±Funniest shit ever seen happen when you do that, One time. Get slapped by first crush when ask to court, Me ruin and Chuma cry for DAYS after!¡± Mampara bellowed ¡°Best thing, Crush Man also love Chuma!¡±. Winda looked at him with pure rage¡± So you''re the reason he was such an asses ass!?!¡± Mampara slowly regained his composure ¡°No¡­Ah no¡­Mampara¡­ Mampara only makes Chuma say worse words he thinks to say. Contained in reason. Mampara can¡¯t make Chuma call everyone sex worker, trust Mampara, he try. Mampara get rich and fat on Chuma suffering. Tastier than anything Master tell Mampara to harvest¡± So, not only was this thing likely bringing general bad luck and misfortune to Chuma, but it also ruined Chuma¡¯s social ability and derived pleasure from his suffering! But why did it reveal itself at all? Was it gloating? Viola ¡°Why reveal yourself then?¡± Mampara stopped in its revelry and looked at us with an insulting level of disgust ¡°You!, egg statue and beast. You 3 keep giving Chuma fortune, Mampara can only stop so much of it. Chuma even get entire Fate quest. That don¡¯tnt be possible!¡± Viola: ¡°Fate Quest?¡± Winda:¡± Yes, Fate Quest. Didn¡¯t Chuma tell you?¡± Viola: ¡°No.¡± Winda looked at the vile creature, contempt in her gaze ¡±I guess we know why.¡± She then turned to face me¡± A Fate quest is the most coveted form of quest the gods can give. It promises the chance to become legendary in some way. All the best stories involve tales of fate quests and have continuous rewards, some of which are legendary in their own right. Like the man who gained immortality-¡± Winda Grasped my hands-¡± Chuma and I have been tasked with helping you and your sister, first with the egg situation then. Likely other things as the quest proceeds. At first, I thought Chuma was undeserving of such a quest but even I can tell that he needs this¡± ¡°Mampara think this disgustingly sweet, but can egg let Mampara go back to-¡± The second tendril shot out from Kebiliti, piercing Mampara¡¯s opposite shoulder Mampara screamed in pain as I lightly moved Winda to the side and approached Mampara ¡°What makes you think that anyone here would let you go after all of that?¡± This creature made me furious. The Idea of systemically ruining someone¡¯s life from childhood all the way up to their early adulthood. Just. For. A. LAUGH. To cut them off from the mere possibility of love to Literally steal their future and watch them suffer for the rest of their life? And this¡­thing, is arrogant enough to think we, I, would let it go?!? Viola, telepathically: ¡°Kabiliti. I know we are hiding, but-¡± Kabiliti, telepathically:¡± I know, you and Winda go get the appropriate authorities. We can¡¯t let IT, escape.¡± I didn¡¯t need to look at my sister to know she had the same look of hatred and disgust. At this moment Mampara¡¯s face went from pure joy at showing off its crimes to one of fear. Good Viola:¡± You''re lucky we won¡¯t kill you, Winda, do you know someone who can deal with this monster?¡± In a deeper tone, she answered ¡°Yes.¡± Viola:¡± Good, please get them while-¡± Before I could finish my sentence she commanded in a bestial snarl ¡°Beast, Devor.¡± I turned to see a 3-metre female were-hyena, hunched over, mouth dripping in hunger, fangs as sharp as daggers, and a smile that inspired nothing but fear, and eyes that displayed an endless hunger. In a voice 10 years more mature than the Winda and FAR too sophisticated for its monstrous form, she spoke ¡°As you wish, madam¡± She looked to me, and smiled as pleasantly as she physically could, then turned to the Tokoloshe¡± My, what awful luck you have Mampara¡±. With one swift bite. Mampara was no more. Chapter 19:The Beast The Cracking of bone, squelch of flesh, and her absent-minded smile. I tried to throw up but only ended up dry heaving as she continued. I just ate, but I just knew my body wouldn¡¯t let anything out. I was grabbing my knees, mortified at what I saw. I looked back up to¡­the beast. She had just opened her bloody maw to remove a large nail red hot the size of an index finger ¡°Spicy, but unwanted,¡± she remarked as she flicked the nail into the kitchen sink. She then swallowed her foul meal and licked up the blood on her lips, leaving nothing but bloody stains on her pure white fur. She turned to look back at us, a salivating grin on her face. In a panic, I took up a stance that could charitably be called ¡°battle ready¡± and morphed both my hands into angular short thrusting blades. Behind me, I could subconsciously feel the presence of my Sister¡¯s tendrils, sharp and hardened. We would fight for our new lives, all three of our lives. The Beast then closed her eyes and raised its paw-like hands to cover its face as she exhaled a stream of strangely odourless steam in front of us. Once her hands moved away from her face she spoke in her authoritative voice ¡°I wish to broker a deal with you both.¡± Thinking back on Mampara¡¯s story I spat ¡°How stupid do you think we are? Something as monstrous as you can¡¯t have anything good planned for us¡± I noticed her hands clench at my accusation, but she answered my assertion with the calm I¡¯ve only seen on service workers¡°I only killed Mampara because it was the fastest way to end the curse.¡± she grabbed a chair that I swear couldn¡¯t fit her moments ago ¡°Miss Viola, I will be frank. I am smarter than Winda, stronger than Winda, more knowledgeable than Winda, I am simply better than Winda and with your help I can be free of her¡±. I paused at that, Kabiliti, telepathically:¡± You can¡¯t be considering her offer, what if she demands to eat people?¡± I responded to the beast ¡°Depends on what you want.¡± She grinned, and in an almost demonic tone, answered ¡°INDEPENDENCE.¡± I tensed up and raised my blade hands, ready to stab. In my periphery, I noticed Kabiliti¡¯s tendrils start inching closer and I felt a single tendril wrap around my waist. A look of annoyance briefly crossed her face and she dropped a bit of composer ¡°Does such a thing as my freedom terrify you so? All I wish is to be my OWN person, NOT a curse.¡± I can partially sympathise, but I¡¯m not stupid enough to let loose a monster just because I somewhat feel bad for it. Getting a sense of what I¡¯m doing Kabiliti sends over a sensation of trust. ¡°Even if we said yes and agreed to help you. We don¡¯t know how either one of us could free you¡± Beast: ¡°Oh you can, and I know it.¡± She grinned unnaturally wide. Then, holding her low jaw quizzically added ¡°Tho I suppose, with the Tokoloshe¡¯s interference and Winda¡¯s General incompetence, no one would have taught you two Firstborn how to properly use your Takardar Halis¡± Or what? She then clapped her hands and leaned in forward, trying and failing to make herself look less threatening. Beast:¡± Let me show you my worth by teaching you how to use your Takardar Hali. After, you can judge whether to keep me or Winda¡± The offer was tempting. She quickly picked up on how poorly we understand this world despite meeting us only moments ago and offered us information that, based on how she spoke of it, is both vital and common. As if she knew our car wouldn¡¯t start because we hadn¡¯t been told to turn the keys. I mentally spoke to Kabiliti ¡°I say we take her offer.¡± She agreed, responding ¡°If she wanted or needed us dead, she would have attacked by now. If she could force us to free her, she would have. Her freedom seems to genuinely require our willing consent¡­somehow. Take the offer, but be careful.¡± I refocused my attention on the Beast in front of me¡± Fine, We will accept your offer. But if you try anything, the deal is off and we will side with Winda¡± Beast:¡± Well that''s more than Winda¡¯s family has been willing to do; First, Think hard about yourself. What makes you, you.¡± I did so and my character sheet popped up. But it looked a bit different ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ User Name: ¡°Viola¡± Level: 1 Race: [Un-named] Race Type: Transformative. Type Description: ¡°You are designed to transform parts of your body in any way you see fit. Modify your body, Master it. and soon you will be able to transform more than your body¡± Body Attributes: Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Magic Attributes: Control: 2 Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Capacity: 2 Power: 2 Skills & Perks: Seed of Godhood: ¡°You have been granted the Seed of Godhood, and with it, Gained the envy of the heavens. Evolve and grow your seed and you may ascend to godhood.¡± +1 to all Attributes, Gained ¡°the Magic of creation¡± (level Max: 3), Skill is hidden from all but the most powerful beings. More benefits unlock as the level increases. Alloy Body: ¡°Forged by powers beyond the gods. You have been blessed with a body that can take the properties of any metallic alloy you absorb.¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Lithvore¡¯) More benefits unlock as the level increases. Lithvore: ¡°When you think about it, Meat and Plants are all just various minerals and compounds, so why not try Alloy and stone?¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Alloy Body¡¯) You can eat minerals and or Alloys in place of food More benefits unlock as the level increases. Life Giver(limited): ¡°Due to your race¡¯s dangerously low population (2) it is possible to reproduce Via un-natural methods¡± By expending all your mana you can breathe life into anything comprising 20% you, Kabiliti, and/or another member of your species. (Subject can¡¯t already contain life/un-life) Soul-Twin: ¡°You were once one. Once whole, Once Alone. But, for better or worse, you have become two.¡± You can telepathically talk to your soul twin (Kabiliti) at no cost provided they are within 1 km, Any farther will cost mana at a rate of 1 per km per minute. If both twins are touching each other their memory becomes photographic and past memories can be easily accessed Abilities:
  • The magic of creation
Provided you know how something works you can spend Mana to create it. Requires source materials. The mana cost is calculated based on the materials used, size, and complexity of the Item. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The stats were the same, but the apprentice. Instead of the boring and plain box from before, the sides and edges were made of a black and white triangle marble pattern, with 3d obsidian statues of my silhouette on either side styled like East African batiks. Both statues appeared rather relaxed, the left was holding up the screen with a finger while curling a dumbbell with one hand while the right was simply leaning on the border, head supporting the top and fervently reading a waist-high pile of marble books. The bottom border was some kind of odd mix of sci-fi light slits embedded into the marble while the top was a simple red clay roof with 5 evenly spaced empty rectangular clits The background was still that boring paper plain white though. ¡°You should be seeing a box displaying information about you, as much information as you are aware of anyway. Its appearance reflects how you view yourself and can change as you do. That is your Takardar Halis¡± the beast continued in an instructional tone I tried looking around it and to my surprise, it only snapped to face me when I willed it to, but when I didn¡¯t it maintained its place in space as well as its orientation. Beast: ¡°Winda did that too when her mother taught her of this¡± I snapped to look at her and she almost looked¡­sad? Guilty? But upon noticing my attention she reverted removed her mournful expression and continued ¡°Now try thinking about if you have any tasks to do while your Takardar Halis and of any tasks you want to be done¡± I did so and the sheet grew a bit taller to accommodate a ¡°Core¡± tab and a ¡°Tasks¡± tab that was greyed out. ¡°Wait, so this system works on awareness of its functions?¡± I blurted out The Beast simply let out a short humanlike chuckle and answered ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m glad you''re smart enough to figure it out on your own. It took a whole year for Winda to come to that realisation. I think I¡¯ll enjoy working for you¡±. I paused and glared at her ¡°I didn¡¯t say ¡®you got the job¡¯ ¡± I corrected, but she simply composed herself and retorted ¡°But you need the best and, of the two of us, I¡¯M the best,¡± she declared while pointing to her chest. She started ranting ¡°I originally thought Chuma was a fool but considering what he''s been able to achieve while being forced to pick the worst options he reasonably would? Now that you¡¯ve freed him I want to see what he can do. But Winda? Winda is a failure, a parasite and even she knows it.¡±. Her eyes were full of a deep-seated hatred of her other half ¡°Her mind drifts like a fly, only focusing on worthless things. she has the charisma of a skittish Impala with a guile of a panicking Tembo.¡± She closed her eyes and took a deep breath ¡°She is as useful as rotten wood to you. You are a clever woman and I just know we¡¯ll get along perfectly.¡± there was a hint of desperation in her voice. I opened the Tasks tab As I did so the 2 statues turned to look at information that showed up ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Current tasks: [None present] Given tasks:
  • Go get clothing [tied to Fate quest]
    • Assigned to: ¡°Chuman¡±
    • Agreed upon conditions: ¡°acquire 2 sets of female attire¡±
    • Rewards: Possible Progress in Fate Quest
Quests: [Superseded by Fate Quest] Your Fate Quest is active. You only get one Current Fate Quest Objectives.
  • Help your Sister create her body
    • She appears to have lost most of what she gained and you know nothing of your surroundings so you have successfully conceived ¡°Chuma¡± to help you in exchange for freeing him from the ¡°Pointless struggle¡± curse [reward has already been given by killing the curse maker and beneficiary].
    • Chuma appears to have found help through a woman named Winda. She and her beast have assisted in rewarding Chuma. They both appear to want to join your Fate Quest, but separately. Who will you allow to join you? [Warning, the response will change their reward for this Objective. Both sisters will need to make a choice]
Race Quests.
  • Raise the population of your [Un-named] race by [Let''s say 4 for now. I¡¯ll make the first milestone stupidly easy.].
    • This quest was started by Kabiliti, One of the Founding Twins, due to her choosing the Race Perk ¡°Unique Spawn¡± and, as recently discovered, Her strong desire to leave something positive in this world.
    • This is an endless Objective that carries on after death.
    • All members of the [Un-named] race are participants but only those designated by the founders and their heirs may know of the quest¡¯s existence.
|This rule can be edited by Founders and their Heirs|
  • All rewards apply to every member of the [Un-named] race.
Population: 2/4 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The choice seemed clear. Pick the girl, not the monster. ¡°Wait!¡± Kabiliti screamed into my mind ¡°Something doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± Viola, telepathically:¡± What, she¡¯s clearly cartoonishly evil. This whole time she¡¯s been screaming ¡®Big Bad Evil Gal¡¯ vibes¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°I know, but doesn¡¯t seem a bit¡­forced to you? Like she doesn¡¯t know how else to act¡± Viola, telepathically:¡± So what, you want to give her freedom on a hunch?¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°No, I want to give her a chance.¡± A bright light started intensifying behind me and Kabiliti¡¯s tendrils started glowing a golden yellow. _________________________________________________________________________ !Alert! The Powers of a God have been used! The Price is being paid _________________________________________________________________________ I panicked, She¡¯s going to sacrifice more of herself! I looked behind myself to find Kabiliti¡¯s body radiating a golden light and her form seemingly screaming. I grabbed onto her shouting ¡°You''re not paying this price alone sister!¡± as a blinding pain struck my arm. In a short moment, I felt like a god. I was god. I knew her, our intention. _________________________________________________________________________ !Alert! The ¡±Blessing of the Twin Gods¡± has been bestowed Upon |Name Obscured by primordial| !Alert! Primordial Influence detected !Alert! The Gods are aware of the existence of two Seeds of Godhood !Alert! Primordial Influence detected !Alert! Two Seeds of Godhood have been temporarily Obscure Primordial Message: ¡°It¡¯s only been two days. What are you two doing?¡± !Personal Alert! A Primordial Ban has been placed upon you. The ban will be lifted when an unknown criteria is met. _________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Everything Hurts¡±. Chapter 20: Monsters are not Born The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. a sickening crunch to ring out as my surroundings went pitch black. Chapter 21: They are Made If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Chapter 22: Broken vessels This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Chapter 23: No longer Feared Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 24: Messy Escape The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 25: Reaction Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Chapter 26: Opportunity This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Chapter 27: Detained Kabiliti¡¯s perspective: Returning to the waking world I am immediately set upon by noise. Shouting, arguing and even someone crying. Far too muffled to make anything out but there is clearly a mob of some sort making the noise. Opening my eyes I am greeted by my reflection. I¡¯m still in the egg but¡­ ¡±It¡¯s¡­ me. My body, I have a body again!¡± I exclaimed, forgetting the commotion beyond the obsidian wall ¡°No more tendrils, no more confusing omnidirectional sight! I back classic 3 sets of 2 with one head and torso¡± And what a body I made! Much like Viola in baseline appearance, as intended, but much more practical. My arms and legs were built like a leopard while my chest supported abs that would make a gorilla proud. My modifications, specifically the numerous adapters and ports awaiting my future inventions? Cleverly hidden just below the subdermal layer of my metallic skin, with only an artistic pattern of curved lines indicating where each slot might be. Kabiliti:¡± Come to think of it, it kinda looks like I have Yombe body scars¡­but inverted¡± Viola:¡± Are you done¡± I turned to face Viola, who I only just noticed was in the egg with me, to be met with the beautiful blue flower that was my sister. Kabiliti: ¡°Wow¡± Before me floated Viola in a vibrant azure blue Samburu dress with black and orange diamond pattern beaded bracelets and sandals. She had even styled her dreadlocks by adding polished zinc cuffs at the end of each lock. I have never given anywhere near that much thought into my appearance so where did she learn how to-. Viola:¡± Kabiliti. Are you there?¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just impressed¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m going to get eyes on me for all the right reasons this time.¡± Viola proclaimed with an odd sense of determination. It¡¯s a little infectious, even I want to look impressive when I get out. Viola:¡± So what are you going to wear for the crowd outside?¡± Grabbing my chin and wrapping myself in a set of form-fitting underwear, I contemplated what dress I should wear. Mom always said first impressions matter so¡­. ¡°How about a kanga?¡± I asked ¡°Yes, and you should wear footwear too,¡± Viola responded sarcastically to my, admittedly vague, question ¡°Be more specific Kabiliti!¡± Kabiliti: ¡°OK um¡­ a blue, red and white Kanga that goes just a bit below my knees, sleeveless and exposing my back¡± ¡±Why expose your back?¡± Viola asked, puzzled by the specific requirement. Kabiliti: ¡°I¡¯m going to add mods to it.¡± Viola:¡± Your back or the dress?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yes.¡± Viola stared at me for a moment, baffled, before continuing ¡°It sounds good, I guess. What of your footwear and dreads?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just copy you and just go but change my cuffs to sodalite¡± I answered while creating the outfit on my body. My Kanga, patterned with depictions of clockwork plants and trees while my slippers. ¡°Alright.¡± Viola responded with a shrug ¡°Your abso- Wait¡± Viola paused ¡°What happened to the crowd?¡± At that, I noticed that the outside had abruptly gone quiet. In fact, they¡¯ve been quiet for a while now. Did something happen? Viola & Kabiliti: ¡°We need to get out of this egg¡± |RELEASING THE ¡®TWINS OF ALLOY¡¯| Viola & Kabiliti: ¡°The what?¡± Before either of us could ask about the name we were randomly bestowed, the egg just opened, significantly faster than before and with absolutely none of the previous fanfare. As if this was some kind of rush job. Before us was a street, with a very well-armed angry mob behind 30 or so braced shona and spear welding guards flanked by rooftop archers who had notched arrows dripping a blue glowing poison, that group was behind a completely limp Beast who, judging by her eye movements, was alive and aware and apologetic looking Chuma, both of whom were being held hostage by the guard captain directly in front of them. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Holding his hand up in the universal sign for ¡°hold¡±. Guard Captain: ¡°Good. You''re both ¡®hatched¡¯. I¡¯ve read the report, short it may be, and I know at least one of you understands what I¡¯m saying. So here is what is going to happen¡± The Guard spoke with an almost supernatural amount of authority and it felt like I couldn¡¯t interrupt or, hell, act if I wanted to. His tone also hinted at a barely disguised disgust of us, as if we were the scum of the earth. Guard Captain: ¡°You are going to surrender, be detained, be asked some questions which you will answer truthfully, then you will be properly judged for any and all crimes committed against the Gawala Kingdom and his people. Do you understand¡± Again, that feeling of authority overwhelmed me and I felt forced to answer his question before I even thought too. ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Viola and I answered in an incredibly stilted tone. Viola¡¯s ghostly voice caused the mob to quietly gasp and murmur. ¡±Quiet!¡± the Guard Captain commanded, his voice seemingly causing all creatures in the area to completely stop making noise. No¡­. Not seemingly... That is his voice. It¡¯s like a spell or a skill. Guard Captain:¡±*sigh* You are free from my command.¡± And like that, he confirmed my suspensions, as the sounds of alley dogs, cats, and other such urban night creatures returned. |Skill partially identified. Gained progress in skill procurement| Wait, can I gain his skill? Guard Captain:¡± Will you surrender.¡± This time that skill didn¡¯t activate. It seems he wants us to give up freely¡­ well with our free will at least, he does still have our friends as hostages. I slowly raised my hands and proudly declared to the crowd ¡°I surrender¡± bumping Viola¡¯s hand in the process as she was also surrendering ¡°I also surrender¡± Without another word, 2 guards approached us, rope in hand and tied both our hands while the archers stared us down just waiting for us to resist. But we didn¡¯t. We walked quietly to the captain, bound and without any resistance. Once we were within grabbing distance of the man he simply thanked us for cooperating and told the mob to disperse ¡°As I said, we will investigate these Firstborn and judge them fairly for all of their crimes¡± The mob started arguing and yelling as soon as he said that, cries calling us monsters, barbarians, scum, and villains rang out each with rather colourful suggestions for punishments and¡­ what we should do to ourselves. What did we do? Was that warehouse or the things in it really so precious and important? Before I could say a word to the mob the captain, predicting my action, grabbed both our mouths and evenly warned us ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to say, I don¡¯t need the crowd riled up any more than it already has been.¡± His quick glare at Chuma, who was also being silenced, gave us a clear hint to the source of the previous unruly behaviour of the mob. With that, the guards made a perimeter around us and marched us through town to a guard station. Most of the mob dispersed during the walk, more and more trusting the guards to handle the 4 of us the closer we got, but 2 people kept following us. A man and a woman, both clearly worried. Did they know Chuma? Maybe one, or both, of them were the magic landlord? And what are the crimes we¡¯re being charged for? The venom the people spat was far too vile for it to truly be simple property damage. It¡¯s like if we killed someone¡­wait¡­where¡¯s Winda? I tried to speak to the guard captain but he wouldn¡¯t let go of my mouth Guard Captain:¡± You¡¯ve been compliant and quiet so far, don¡¯t break your record.¡± I really didn¡¯t want to do this but¡­ Guard Captain:¡±.....¡± Guard Captain:¡±...You really think I¡¯ll let go because of a childish thing like that?¡± Aww, his palm tastes awful! It¡¯s rough and sandy! Why did I do this? Viola, telepathically: ¡°What did you do?¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°I licked his palm thinking it would make him let go.¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°Gross! Why?¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°I need to ask him where Winda is.¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°She was in the crowd and was likely the reason the crowd was¡­ angry to say the least¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°What, why would you say that¡± There was a pause as we continued walking, the mystery couple was told to leave and we were being led inside the guard house and to the cells. Viola, telepathically: ¡°I¡¯m certain I heard someone call us cannibals and, aside from the 2 of us, she¡¯s the only person who knows Beast¡¯s past.¡± ¡±Alright get in¡± the Guard Captain ordered before throwing the both of us, by the mouth, into a big cell. Hitting the wall with our sides we both fell to the ground with a groan. ¡°*groan* What the fuck, man?¡± I whined while sitting up and rubbing my side ¡°Do stupid things, earn stupid punishments¡± the Captain proclaimed as to shut the cell door. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything tho¡± Viola protested as she mirrored my actions. ¡°Sorry. Collateral damage.¡± he apologised in a tone that indicated he couldn¡¯t care less ¡°Now I¡¯m going to go wash my hands and leave you there till morning. Which is when you and I are going to discuss the rather impressive list of crimes you may have committed¡± Chuma: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, lieutenant, we didn¡¯t do most of those crimes¡± Lieutenant? Lieutenant:¡± Honestly, not a good start to a plea of innocence- ¡± Chuma: ¡°That Fisidamu woman, Winda, was manipulating the truth of the situation!¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°So she did betray us.¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°Yeah. Seems so.¡± Lieutenant:¡± Look, it¡¯s nearing midnight and it would be to your benefit that you rest while I put out your fires, some of which are literal.¡± He then pointed to me ¡°And that freaky firstborn licked my hand. So it¡¯s safe to say, with my current mood, I¡¯m rather biased against you right now. Talk about this tomorrow, Clan Leader Chuma Kalejaiye of the Dumuu¡± At that, Chuma shut up. Annoyed but cowed. Both Viola and I looked at him but it was clear he absolutely wasn¡¯t in the mood for our questions. When we looked back the Lieutenant was walking away and a set of spear-armed guards walked in. Both looked at us with derision, especially Chuma. I got up and walked over to Beast. Who was still very much awake, but also still limp. She was placed on the only bed in the cell, her size barely fitting. I sat down on the floor next to her and grabbed up to her shoulder ¡°You ok?¡± I asked softly and to my surprise, she spoke back, telepathically ¡°My¡­ Goddess... Did I¡­ Do well?¡± Chapter 28: Sprout In an instant, I got up and looked at Beast. Her eyes were shut and before I could worry she started snoring. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Viola asked from the opposite end of the cell the guard and Chuma were also looking at me. I slowly sat back down ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± Now wasn¡¯t the time to tell Viola what happened, Telepathy or not, risking Viola visibly reacting and the guard seeing might make the guard suspect something and this world clearly has some level of magic so it would be best that they don¡¯t think either of us can use magic. It¡¯s a long while till a different guard comes to replace the other. Chuman managed to get himself to sleep in an awkward position and even Viola found some comfort on the floor and dozed off. But I just can¡¯t sleep, I feel like I just woke up and going back to sleep, especially on a cold floor, just isn¡¯t very easy to do. So I open my Character sheet to pass the time. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ User Name: ¡°Kabiliti¡± Level: 1 Race: [Un-named] Race Type: Adaptive. Type Description: ¡°You are designed to change with any situation and environment. Modify your body, Master it. And soon you will be able to change more than your body¡± Body Attributes: Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Magic Attributes: Control: 2 Capacity: 2 Power: 2 Skills & Perks: Sprout of Godhood: ¡°You have been granted the Seed of Godhood, and with it, Gained the envy of the heavens. Evolve and grow your seed and you may ascend to godhood.¡± ¡°You have ascended to the lower levels of Godhood and with your ascension, the awareness of all the gods. Thanks to your preparation and completion of [0] ascension tasks you have been assigned a mythological domain and an Asili ya Kimungu. The gods have been infor- ERROR. FUNCTION BLOCKED BY ADMIN- The gods are aware of your existence.¡± +1 to all Attributes, Access to your Asili ya Kimungu. Gained ¡°the Magic of creation¡± (level Max: 3), Skill is hidden from all but the most powerful beings. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. More benefits unlock as the level increases, Seed benefits have been locked. Alloy Body: ¡°Forged by powers beyond the gods. You have been blessed with a body that can take the properties of any metallic alloy you absorb.¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Lithvore¡¯) More benefits unlock as the level increases. Lithvore: ¡°When you think about it, Meat and Plants are all just various minerals and compounds, so why not try Alloy and stone?¡± You can eat any alloy to gain its properties (Linked with ¡®Alloy Body¡¯) You can eat minerals and or Alloys in place of food More benefits unlock as the level increases. Life Giver(limited): ¡°Due to your race¡¯s dangerously low population (2) it is possible to reproduce Via un-natural methods¡± By expending all your mana you can breathe life into anything comprising 20% you, Viola, and/or another member of your species. (Subject can¡¯t already contain life/un-life) Soul-Twin: ¡°You were once one. Once whole, Once Alone. But, for better or worse, you have become two.¡± You can telepathically talk to your soul twin (Viola) at no cost provided they are within 1 km, Any farther will cost mana at a rate of 1 per km per minute. If both twins are touching each other their memory becomes photographic and past memories can be easily accessed. Abilities:
  • The magic of creation
Provided you know how something works you can spend Mana to create it. Requires source materials. The mana cost is calculated based on the materials used, size, and complexity of the Item. Curses: Elder Seal. ¡°Access to your Asili ya Kimungu and skills/powers related to them have been sealed until a fate-generated objective has been completed¡±
  • Elder Seal removal condition: ¡°Slow down and live a bit.¡±
  • Time till completion: One Mwezi
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Well, that''s not good. So there was a very good reason we got yelled at for ascending early. We can¡¯t even use our God stuff. Noticing the frown on my face, the guard watching our cell asks ¡°You need some help with your sleep.¡± Surprised by her sudden concern, I answered ¡°Y-yeah. Just too stressed to go to sleep.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get that¡± she responded ¡°I got a low-level Sleeping Uchawi. Fairly strong tho¡± Confused I ask ¡°Does everyone get that¡± Guard:¡± Get what?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Sleeping Uchawi, I know Chuma has, Sleeping Uchawi. Is it common or something¡± Guard:¡± Oh right, Firstborn. No, the kingdom just has a few powerful spirits contracted and as a benefit, they give those who work for the government some of their Uchawi. I just have a high aptitude for this kind of Uchawi. So I¡¯m a Guard Mchawi¡± ¡±Okay,¡± I say evenly before asking another question ¡°One more thing: Why are you being so kind? Don¡¯t most people think we are evil or something?¡± The guard smiled and answered ¡°Oh that''s easy. I was ordered too¡± before raising her hand and blowing a blue dust in my face. Before I could react, it all went black. Waking up, the first thing I see is the lieutenant, sitting on a chair across from me. There¡¯s a table between us and on it are several thick pieces of paper arrayed in front of me. There''s writing on the papers but I can¡¯t make sense of the angular letters, let alone the language it¡¯s in. Guard Lieutenant: ¡°Do you understand what those are?¡± I look up to answer the Lieutenant, his looking me dead in the eyes. ¡°Papers?¡± I answer groggily. Guard Lieutenant: ¡°Do you know what''s written on them?¡± Kabiliti:¡± No.¡± ¡°Ok¡± the Lieutenant smiles ¡°Tell me the sky is purple¡± I raise my eyebrow before just doing as I¡¯m told ¡°The sky is blue.¡± Wait, what? That''s not what I wanted to say. Guard Lieutenant:¡± Just so you know, Miss Kabiliti, you and your sister are the last to be interrogated and as per a Milinea old Royal decree we¡¯re going to be using specific tactics when dealing with Firstborn like you two. Step one is feeding you a rather expensive truth potion, So don¡¯t bother lying. Step two: Are there any truths that might harm you or your kind¡± What do I say? Should I say anything? How does this work? He¡¯s expecting an answer and I doubt he¡¯ll remain friendly if I resist. I look around. I¡¯m not restrained, there''s a closed door behind him and a barred window behind me. He looks calm and isn¡¯t even reacting to me looking for an escape. Am I really that trapped? No, if I and Viola are last he knows about our situation and trusts that we¡¯re not going to violently break out based on what he heard. I sigh ¡°No. And I will cooperate.¡± The Lieutenant smiles and outstretches his hand to shake mine ¡°That''s wonderful, I''m Lieutenant Akida and you¡¯ve just made my day.¡± Chapter 29: Corporation After the introduction the questions began. It was simple stuff like ¡°What is your name¡±, ¡°What is your relation with the people we captured with you¡±, and ¡°Did you harm anyone and why¡± the standard set of questions you¡¯d expect the police to ask but then he got to slightly harder questions. Lieutenant Akida:¡± In relation to your race, are there any questions that are safe for you to answer¡± I looked at him quizzically after he read the question from the set of papers he was holding ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t quite understand the question¡± The Lieutenant looked up and answered ¡°Well it says here that some gods like to keep the mystique of their creation¡¯s origin. Sometimes it¡¯s for an important reason, other times for a ¡¯Godly¡¯ reason. Regardless, ruining it for them usually ends badly for us mortals. Are there any questions about your origins that might do that?¡± That was an opportunity, based on what Gole warned me and Viola about¡­ ¡°Practically everything¡± I answered, barely holding back a smile. Our origin story is just an information hazard thanks to the way the gods of this world would view it. Lieutenant Akida raised his eyebrows in surprise and almost looked sorry for me. ¡°Well, I wish you luck Miss Firstborn. That eliminates all but one question. Are you aware of the crimes of that¡­¡± He picked up a set of notes and skimmed through them ¡°That so-called ¡®Laughing curse¡¯ woman¡± ¡°You mean Beast¡± I asked. Lieutenant Akida:¡± Beast? That''s her name? Thought it was a derogatory term.¡± Kabiliti: ¡°I think it is,¡± Lieutenant Akida:¡± Then why do you call her that, better yet, why does she let you call her that?¡± Kabiliti: ¡°I don¡¯t think she does. It¡¯s just a placeholder I think¡± ¡±A ¡®placeholder¡¯?¡± Akida sceptically asked. I nodded ¡°Ok¡± he shrugged ¡°I don¡¯t think delving into that will be important so back to the original question. Do you know of her two murders and cannibalism charges?¡± There¡¯s confirmation that Winda¡¯s no longer our friend. I nod to his question, but he strangely repeats the question. ¡°Miss Kabiliti, Do you know of her two murders and cannibalism charges? Please verbally confirm or deny this time¡± A bit confused, I answer ¡°Yes, I know those crimes but she doesn¡¯t deserve to be punished for them¡± Lieutenant Akida:¡±Oh? Why shouldn¡¯t she?¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Because it was her fault.¡± Lieutenant Akida leaned in closer, his gaze dead serious:¡± Then who¡¯s?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Her parents.¡± At that Akida paused, pulled out a pocket watch, checked the time, and then looked back at me, completely bewildered by my statement and its implications. Lieutenant Akida: ¡°By ¡®her parents¡¯ I assume you''re referring to Winda Madaki¡¯s parents, who were killed and eaten. I¡¯m I correct?¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yes, you are.¡± Lieutenant Akida:¡± The cur- I mean Miss Beast, has already confessed to killing and eating the parents of Winda Madaki.¡± Crap, they must have interrogated her first ¡°Yes, she did do that but it was due to the torture she suffered¡± Lieutenant Akida pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly not believing my claim ¡°Did she tell you this?¡± He started pacing around the room. He probably thinks someone tricked me well enough that I think she¡¯s a good person. But I do have a God card I can use. I just need to be careful how I use it. Kabiliti:¡± No.¡± Lieutenant Akida:¡± Then how and why do you-¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Through divine power, I saw her trauma and how her parents were transforming a child into a monster. Right now she is no Monster and doesn¡¯t wish to be.¡± Lieutenant Akida stared at me. Now he knows a god was involved and Beast¡¯s innocence is being backed by a god¡¯s divine actions. And if my suspicions are right, he won¡¯t challenge the actions of an unknown god. I could barely hold back my smile as he groaned out. ¡°This is above my station¡± I¡¯ve won! Lieutenant Akida: ¡°You and your group shall remain detained.¡± Crap. Lieutenant Akida: ¡°A high-ranking representative of the Royal Government will be here to assess your unique case in about a week or three, we don¡¯t really know. Her words are as good as the Nabagereka¡¯s so she should be able to properly deal with this, ''unique'' case. You shall be fed and taken care of, please follow me back to your cell¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He opened the door and led me back to the cell with two extra guards waiting outside the room. When I got back Chuma was sitting cross-legged on the floor reading from a small tower of books that weren¡¯t there before, Beast was sitting on the bed, hands chained to her legs and muzzle clamped shut with a set of Iron chains. Chuma: ¡°Your back! Good, they added a floor mat for our good behaviour and requested some books. For us to read while we wait¡± I point to Beast ¡°Why was she the only one chained and¡­crudely muzzled¡± Lieutenant Akida: ¡°She resisted.¡± ¡°She panicked when the guards took your and Viola¡¯s unconscious bodies¡± Chuma countered ¡°she tossed a man and incapacitated another¡± Akida nearly spat Chuma: ¡°Violently panicked, but she did calm down and apologised¡± ¡°You apologised, she did not.¡± Akida corrected, glaring at Beast the whole time while Beast grinned back. Kabiliti: *sigh* ¡°And you?¡± Chuma:¡± I protested and defused the situation, hence the good behaviour mat¡± I walked back into the cell while the Lieutenant shut the door and left, taking the guards with him. I sat next to Beast. Then I realised something. Kabiliti: ¡°Wait, so how did they interrogate Beast?¡± Chuma:¡± They did it while the both of you were sleeping, then returned us both just in time to see you two get fed a Potion. Then what I told you happened, happened. I think she even went as far as to call you two her ¡®goddesses¡¯ though I think she was just referring to your creator, or I guess creators.¡± So she knows we¡¯re gods. Chuma continued ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve told you yet but we¡¯re being sentenced as a group. And Beast has committed A LOT of property damage but I do count as a Noble thanks to me officially being a Dumuu clan head, mainly because I¡¯m the only Dumuu in the city, but my title should last long enough to help¡± Kabiliti:¡± And help how?¡± Chuma closed his book and put it down before explaining: ¡±It¡¯s simple, I can delay the fine when we receive it and if we get a death penalty I can turn that into a large fine.¡± Kabiliti:¡± That still sounds bad¡± Chuma: ¡°Yes, but we won¡¯t instantly become debt slaves or killed and with a fate quest, we¡¯re guaranteed to get a lot of Pesa!¡± I turned to Beast, sceptical of his confidence, but even she was nodding in agreement. Kabiliti:¡± Wow. You guys really have a lot of faith in this quest¡± Chuma:¡± Of course we do, it¡¯s a legendary type of quest that lasts decades and always creates legends! Kabiliti trust me we¡¯ll be fine.¡± At that moment Viola arrived and asked the same questions I did, but the Lieutenant just left before anyone said a word. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our stay in the cell was uneventful but we did start to learn how to read thanks to the books Chuma requested, after four hours a guard came to give us food, and drink and to unmuzzle Beast. After our first week, we could read like a four-year-old. The written word was extremely context-heavy in this part of the world, I swear every tenth word required context to tell if they meant ¡®there¡¯, ¡®their¡¯, or ¡®they¡¯re¡¯. In week two; Chuma gave up on teaching us and the guards have started a betting pool to see if we can teach ourselves to read like 5-year-olds. In week two and a half; we gave up and made 3 guards 300 coins richer, Beast has offered to teach us. Apparently, some rich kid had been asking for us for weeks now, Lieutenant Akida came in to ask us if we knew him. Chuma said he competed with him once but didn¡¯t know the guy personally. In week three, we are officially five-year-olds in terms of reading. Beast is a surprisingly good teacher. Lieutenant Akida said the representative arrived but couldn¡¯t meet with us yet, mainly because a lot of people expect us to be punished for the shit that happened to Beast. Conveniently Winda can¡¯t be found in the city. The guards gave us some more books and started a new betting pool. Oh yeah, the Garrison is back and they look like hell. Week four; A guard slipped us a language comprehension book to help us, It was in a different language. Every time the other guards see it they crack a smile and I don¡¯t blame them. Week five; language book guy struck out. Heard him yell ¡°Nooo!¡± when the guards asked Beast if we were at a 6-year-old level yet. Heard some loud drumming on what should be Friday, well Friday since we arrived. Week six; feels like we¡¯re forgetting something¡­Anyway, We¡¯re finally as good as six-year-olds and 8 guards won the bet, including the lieutenant. Week six and a Half; everyone is in a rush and stressed. Tried asking what was going on but everyone was too busy to answer any of our questions. Week six and a Half Plus a day; We¡¯re meeting the Nabagereka tomorrow, the fucking Queen herself! I couldn¡¯t sleep, No one could. Me and Viola found ourselves hypothesising reasons for the Nabagereka to want to meet us, Chuma was practically panicking, and Beast looked like she had accepted death for some reason. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chuma:¡± We¡¯re doomed, we¡¯re so dead¡± Viola: ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve been saying that for hours but you have still failed to tell us why¡± Chuma:¡± It doesn¡¯t matter why, this is HER city and if she¡¯s coming here, then it has to be to punish us for ruining it!¡± ¡°For the last time, that doesn¡¯t make sense! It has to be something more.¡± ¡±Doesn¡¯t matter, We¡¯re doomed, we¡¯re so dead¡± Chuma repeated. He¡¯d been like that for hours now. We tried asking Beast about Nabagereka but she¡¯s just been unresponsive while looking out the window. Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Wait kind of ruler is she, that this is their response¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°That ¡®Innovator¡¯ title she has must be one of vanity¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Or fear¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°Yeah. Ok let''s go over the possibilities again: She can¡¯t want our powers because theirs no way she could have heard of them¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°She can¡¯t want our offspring because we are visibly inorganic and are two women so we should appear practically¡­ ugh ¡®unfarmable¡¯ for anything¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°The guard''s report should say we are involved with God stuff so she should want to mess with us.¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°That only leaves ¡®she wants to make a deal with us¡¯ but we have nothing, at all¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°We have that fate quest¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Yes there''s no way she could have found that out. Even if she got tied to it like Winda did, she wouldn¡¯t know who we were or where we were. She specifically wants to meet us¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°And to her we should look like slightly interesting troublemakers not worth visiting, Yeah¡­¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Then what could it be?¡° Viola, telepathically: ¡°I don¡¯t know Sis, Just doesn¡¯t make sense¡± It had been 2 hours of thinking, but we could figure it out. Why was a Royal, capital Q, Queen coming to meet us? Guess we just had to wait till tomorrow. And God was it a sleepless and stressful wait. Chapter 30:The Meeting The day had come. A set of heavily armoured soldiers we hadn¡¯t seen before came for us along with Lieutenant Akida. They were a man and woman respectively, clad in thick quilted Green and yellow armour with a chain visible underneath, they were abnormally thin and wore mirror-smooth featureless helmets, devoid of even eye or mouth slits. Both Viola and I glanced over at Chuma and Beast, hoping they would say something reassuring, but they looked completely defeated. Whoever these people were, their presence clearly symbolises something bad and seemingly unstoppable. ¡°Should we¡­ Are we being executed?¡± I asked one of the guards ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Answered Akida, ¡°Their orders are to escort you and mine are to inform you to follow them¡± Even Akida looked stressed about the situation. Viola: ¡°Can you tell us who those two are?¡± Akida just moved to quickly open our cell, Ignoring Viola¡¯s question and quickly leaving the jail room entirely. Chuma piped up ¡°No one truly knows who they are. All anyone knows is that they serve Her Majesty directly and often as her brutal and sadistic enforcers¡± Kabiliti: ¡°So likely our executors.¡± Before Chuma or Beast could answer. A loud bang rang out as one of our faceless executioners slammed one of their fists into the wall behind them and forcefully pointed to the exit, signalling us to leave. They were evidently far stronger than they appeared. All 4 of us quickly fell in line as they escorted us outside. When we finally left the guard Barracks we were greeted by a deserted street with nothing but the back of a wingless wooden grasshopper boat the size of a bus. While most of the ship was hidden by the hull, its thorax was half exposed and appeared to be enclosed in a barely visible glass canopy. 3 sets of metal legs suspended the odd ship and as we got closer small carvings could be seen on the ship. Before either I or Viola could get a closer look, the ship abruptly knelt down and hatches from both sides of the thorax opened and distended as a set of steps. The featureless enforcers walked to each staircase and signalled us to enter the odd boat. Without a word, Beast and Chuma complied. I¡¯d didn¡¯t seem like there was much of a choice so me and Viola followed. Inside were several seats arrayed in 3 rows 6 deep. Sitting down on the rearmost sets it became clear to both me and Viola that this was some kind of tourist bus and perhaps it was going to walk or jump to wherever the guards were taking us. Was it going to take the scenic route and if so, why? ¡°All passengers, for your own safety, please remain seated as we take off¡± A voiceover a tinny intercom warned. In an instant the Grasshopper launched into the air, slamming everyone into their seats in a surprisingly non-painful fashion. The chairs! They were somehow able to mitigate the G force of such a powerful launch to only mild discomfort! I NEED to figu- Viola:¡°Kabiliti look!¡± I turned to Viola, who was pointing at the glass canopy where just beyond it was a massive spinning set of helicopter blades that weren''t there before ¡°This is a helicopter! We''re in a massive bus-sized helicopter!¡± I said in surprise, my voice betraying the excitement I felt at being in such an odd vehicle. Viola: ¡°Kabiliti. NO, not right now. We need to focus on our current situation¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Chuma asked, clearly not as enraptured by this vehicle as I was. Kabiliti: ¡°Come on. You KNOW we have to ask the pilot how this works! It¡¯s a mechanical wonder!¡± Beast, who was sitting just in front of us with the two faceless guards, turned around, his face clear with unease ¡°My¡­umm¡­ dear friend. We can¡¯t even access the Pilot, not that we should even be bothering them. The passenger area is cut off entirely¡± ¡°And we should stay focused on the fact Her Majesty¡¯s most deadly are escorting us somewhere¡± Chuma added, stress leaking from his voice. Kabiliti:¡± Ok, I get it. I know we¡¯re in some kind of trouble, but when I see a mechanical mystery I just got to know how it works¡± Viola: ¡°Kabiliti. I¡¯m the same. But come on.¡± Kabiliti:¡± Yeah yeah. I got it. Maybe after.¡± I ended up sulking all the way to our destination while everyone remained stressed and I could just feel Viola¡¯s bafflement at my attitude. I fully understand we¡¯re going somewhere bad but we''re in a flying grasshopper-boat-thing. I get Beast and Chuma, this must be like this planet¡¯s equivalent of a helicopter and they must have seen these¡­ Grass-choppers fairly often, but Viola should be geeking out just as much as me! Right? We eventually reached our destination which, from our rear viewpoint, appeared to be some kind of heavily armed fort. As we started landing, Large cannons rose into our view along with the towers they stood upon and shortly followed by¡­Thick steel walls. Who makes steel walls?!? Should that be cost-prohibitive or something like that? A sudden jerk of the Grass-chopper made it clear we had landed and wherever we did land must be high up in a mountain range because clouds can''t be more than 10 meters away with how close they are. I was about to comment on the clouds when the pilot cut in over the intercom. ¡°We have arrived at Her Majesty''s Royal Ngome Inayoelea. You are free to disembark now¡± Me and Viola instantly turned to look at Beast and Chuma so we could see Just how fucked we were but they looked confused, like they didn¡¯t expect to land at all. Or maybe they thought that they just throw us out mid-air? Chuma ¡°W..Were on Her Highness¡¯s Ngome Inayoelea? Why?¡± ¡°Becaussse she wishesss to meet the two metallic Twinsss and their closessst and likely only Ailliesss¡± We turned to look at the new speaker to find a man covered in, at least 3 layers of cloth strips. He looked very uncomfortable in his wrappings as he signalled for us to follow him. Cloth man: ¡°Come and follow. My Missstressssss isss hasss been eagerly waiting for you to arrive.¡± Confused but unwilling to disappoint the powerful VIP who summoned us from Jail we followed the heavily Clothed man. The second we stepped out we were met with an honour guard of those creepy metal-headed enforcers. But, it was clearly low-key. Only 20 of them stood at attention and unlike your typical coronation or other royal event that you¡¯d see in the UK, there were distinctly no flags, decorations or other types of decorations. Only 20 creepy faceless enforcers stood abreast of the path our guide was leading us through. All of them kneeling as we walked by before stepping behind us and following. It gave the air that we were considered to be secret VIPs. Viola telepathically suggested that we are thought to be the firstborn of an unknown god and that might mean we are valuable for the information alone. And to that, I agree with her If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°The guard lieutenant did say we were above his station. They might be bringing us to a priest right now.¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°No, doesn¡¯t seem like it. Wouldn¡¯t the priest be here to meet us?¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°This guy could be the priest.¡± We both look at the cloth mummy leading us around the back of the main building of the, apparently, flying castle. Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Ok, maybe not this guy. But who else could want to meet us?¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even know what positions there could be in this kingdom aside from the basics like Priest, general, and king¡± But before we could think much more about the issue, we arrived at a set of wooden doors¡­ attached to a circular brick storehouse. Cloth man: ¡°We have Arrived. Pleassse, Viola and Kabiliti enter.¡± Viola: ¡°Why us?¡± Cloth man: ¡°My Missstressssss requiresss thisss meeting be asss quiet asss possssssssible¡± Kabiliti: ¡°Can we bring our friends?¡± Cloth man:¡± For their sssafety they mussst remain outside and under guard with me.¡± All 4 of us tensed at that. Viola: ¡°Is- are they being used as hostages?¡± The clothman chuckled at that ¡°Hahaha ah, no. We would not have let you in the Ngome Inayoelea if any of you were supposed to be a hostage. Pleassse just meet with my Missstressssss and I guarantee that you will be both freed from custody and rewarded¡± Viola and I looked to Chuma and Beast but they both nodded. Chuma: ¡°I say, just meet her. He does have a point about it being stupid to hold hostages in one of the most important places in the whole of Gawala.¡± Beast: ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯ll be freed after. Then Chuma and I can help you figure out how to live on Naiama and in Gawala and if things do go bad, I can keep Chuma safe¡± Chuma:¡± But they won¡¯t go bad¡± Viola, telepathically:¡±...I don¡¯t like this¡­but the only way out is through¡± Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°Yeah I know, and they probably know too. They¡¯re just putting on a brave face for us¡± Viola, telepathically:¡± Then let¡¯s do the same¡± We both smiled back at Chuma and Beast then stepped towards the door. Cloth man:¡± I wisssh you a productive meeting¡± And stepped through the door. The room was full of piles and piles of GOLD! And at the end of the room was a beautiful 40-year-old woman. She sat on a pile of gold bars shaped into a throne and wore a vibrant blue and gold dress. Her eyes were lined with 3 lines of gold blue and violet, her lips were painted as black as coal, and just below her High puff afro lay an intricate crown made of gold and holding a diamond half sphere shadowed by a ruby mountain with a river of topaz running down the middle. It was the Queen¡­ We were meeting the fucking queen. She snapped her fingers and the doors behind us shut and were locked. The Queen: ¡°Greetings Goddesses Kabiliti and Viola. Welcome to the kingdom of Gawala, welcome to my kingdom. I am Nabagereka, Aziza Habua¡± We were both stunned, what do we say? Do we have to say anything or would that be rude? Do we bow, or kneel? AND SHE KNOWS WE¡¯RE GODS! How? Only Beast should know that and no way in hell could- would she tell anyone, she blatantly became a devout worshiper of us¡­I think. But even if she¡¯s not, she¡¯s not stupid either. But then how? The queen, or Nabagereka, started chuckling as she noticed us panicking ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, I knew of your true nature long before you arrived. In fact, I¡¯ve been waiting a little over 25 years for your arrival. Forcefully changing my nation to be as appealing to you two as possible. It was hard and even now the work is far from done, but I think you¡¯ll at least prefer staying in my kingdom rather than leaving¡± Viola: ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± You hate slavery, do you not?¡± We both easily nod at that. Nabagereka Aziza:¡± And prefer medicine and education to be free for all?¡± Viola and Kabiliti: ¡°Yes, ideally¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± And all of this with the addition of applied civil rights for the common human, without bias or corruption¡± We look at each other and nod. I mean who would say no to any of this¡­well excluding greedy corporations from earth, who would say no? Nabagereka Aziza: ¡°Well I¡¯ve spent 24 years changing Gawala so it may meet your standard and it has not been easy or bloodless. I¡¯m sure you heard my title ¡®innovator¡¯ before, perhaps Chuma told you of it? Well my enemies and those who fear me love to warp my title to suit their needs and suspicions, but I digress. Would you like to hear my progress¡± Kabiliti:¡± Wait, wait. What do you mean you¡¯ve ¡®spent 24 years changing¡¯ your kingdom to meet our standard? Those are Ideals and Ideals not everyone would agree with off the bat.¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± ¡¯Off the bat¡¯ ?¡± Viola: ¡°And how did you know we are gods?¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± That¡­how do I say this safely? I found information about in the Abyss¡± Viola: ¡°And what''s that.¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± A massive crater and ruin in the middle of the continent and as for your sister¡¯s questions. I learned of your planned arrival on my older brother¡¯s doomed expedition to the abyss when I was 17 and ever since then I¡¯ve taken steps to make my land ideal for you, most of which were¡­drastic and extreme. So far I¡¯ve managed to make medicine and education relatively easy to access and completely free. Slavery¡­has proven difficult to completely remove. And I simply haven¡¯t been able to even improve, let alone look at, civil rights ¡± The longer she talked, the more exhausted she looked, and then she suddenly jolted up from her throne ¡°But I can guarantee you that you won¡¯t find a better nation to call your home.¡± She spoke with such certainty and desperation, it was clear she needed us and no longer cared for posturing. ¡°I¡¯ve set up 10 hektas and I offer you all this gold for the two of you provided you choose to make my kingdom your home and use this gold here.¡± Viola: ¡°You know how we reproduce.¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡± I know how firstborns reproduce and I know you, not firstborns. It¡¯s been well documented on this planet.¡± I sigh, doing my best to process all this ¡°Before we accept your deal. Answer us one more question¡± Nabagereka Aziza:¡±Of course. Ask.¡± Viola and Kabiliti:¡± Why do all this for us?¡± The Nabagereka tilted her head at us, as if confused, then widened her eyes and laughed as she answered ¡°Oh, that''s the simplest question I''ve ever been asked haha. Because my brother told me too.¡± The way she said it. There is something bad connected to that answer. Not full crazy, but I get the sense it would be best not to question her about her brother''s orders. The Nabagereka: ¡°So do you accept?¡± 10 hectares of land, a warehouse of gold, and the support of the national government. And all we have to do is spawn the first generation of our race here. I mean there''s probably something about where our race is born but honestly. It sounds like this is the best place to start. Viola, telepathically: ¡°I think we should take her deal. If not for ourselves, for our friends outside¡± Yeah, and that. Fuck, I¡¯m an idiot sometimes. Kabiliti, telepathically: ¡°I agree. It¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll get a better offer¡± I outstretch my hand ¡°We agree to your terms¡± Viola, telepathically: ¡°FUCK, SHE¡¯S ROYALTY YOU DUMBASS! DON¡¯T SHAKE HER HAND!¡± My eyes widen as I quickly try to fix my faux pas but the Nabagereka quickly grabs my hand. ¡±I do prefer when people talk and act plainly, Goddess Kabiliti and while your godly organs are revealed, we act by your rules rather than mine ¡± The Nabagereka said consolingly ¡°I mean no disrespect by asking this but, are you actually young adults, around 20?¡± We slowly nod The Nabagereka: ¡°Ah, then you will need to be educated in manners at some point. I can arrange something after you get yourselves established, perhaps a month or two from now. But I must say that I expected you two to be more¡­domineering. It seems I was stressing over nothing. Now that this is over I must quickly leave¡± That startled us Kabiliti: ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you need to see us off or something?¡± Nabagereka Aziza pulled up a hidden hatch that we hadn¡¯t noticed and then paused to explain ¡°Viola, Kabiliti. What you must understand is that this meeting never happened. If someone other than you or your friends found out we would both be in grave danger. That is also why you must use all the gold in this room to build your population. None must remain.¡± she stepped down the hatch but then paused ¡°And just for the future, I am likely the only one who knows exactly what you are and what you can do. So please be careful with your power, I¡¯m overworked as it is. The doors will open in 30 minutes¡± and then she slammed the hatch shut. And that was it. We, apparently, own 10 whole hectares of land and have gained citizenship in Gawala. A kingdom whose monarch desperately wants us to stay and prosper. But at the same time that same monarch clearly knew an obscene amount about us despite how little we have acted since arriving. For now, she is an ally, a dangerously knowledgeable ally but still an ally. Kabiliti: ¡°So do we just eat the gold or¡­¡±