“Haha. We don’t seek to cut the tree down, we only wish to gather necessary resources from it. Sap, Wood, Elemental Crystals. That sort of thing.” Chuckled the Leader wolf.
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“Elemental crystals, eh? Whatcha gonna do with those?” Risa rides comfortably on Morrus’s back, taking in the sights.
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“They look pretty.” Answered one of the workers.
“Our master says that powerful tools can be crafted with them.” Said another.
Morrus glared at the trees as they got closer and closer to the Beast King’s likely very evil lair. They were getting thicker… The branches were almost knitting themselves together. Like they were hiding the whole place.
“Quite the decor.” He murmured out loud, forgetting he could be very plainly heard.
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“Oh yes, it’s very nice isn’t it.” Replied the Lead wolf, leading the two of them through what seemed to be a makeshift forge, possessing a few strange, unfinished masks. Ones that seemed more suitable for wolfen than okotans.
Morrus looked back at the masks as they passed, concerned as to the implications by them. Was he raising an army? Trying to make masks of jungle and outfit them to his canine guard? With an army of them, they might even be able to control… Him.
I’m going to chop his toes off.
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They’d soon pass through the room where the Golden Jungle Mask of Unity was once held, as the Wolfen lead them deer and deeper into the massive tree.
“You know,” Morrus whispered, his voice suddenly coming out of the back of his neck rather than the front. “I get the strange feeling they didn’t make this part.”
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Soon they would reach an enormous cavern within the tree, bathed with orangish sunlight, shining through hardened sap that sealed up any cracks in the wood. Several candles surrounded what looked to be a ginormous monument to something, or someone. But when they got closer, they’d see it for what it was. A massive figure, comprised of wood, pelts, and other plant matter, rooted to a chair made of a similar material. All manners of life seemed to slither and crawl across his body, which, despite its wild and overgrown composition, was positioned in a proud, noble fashion, with a hint of wizened thoughtfulness about it. Atop the head of this creature, sat an impressive set of antlers, much like what would be found upon a wild stag, and sat upon its face was a mask of control. This, was the Beast King.
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Morrus stared in wonder and confusion at the figure, halting his approach for a moment as he debated what to do. Alright. If we’re being all showy, I can do that.
“Off.” He grumbled at Risa. “And be ready.” His body began to groan and creak.
Risa hops off of his back, dusting off her armor.
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“Welcome Travelers,” boomed a voice from deep within the king, sounding jovial and kind,“I hope my children haven’t caused you too much trouble.”
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With a sickening twisting of wood the already quite large Morrus shattered on either side, as stepping over the shell of his former body emerged Morrus, now almost as tall as the beast king was, with vines wrapped ornately across the exposed wood, leafy vines hanging like a majestic robe wherever they could, and desperately trying to avoid the dry sensation in his mouth as small feeler vines swept across the ground around him for a good spot to draw water from. His whole appearance implied menace with a regal air.
“Hardly.” Morrus said, then clearing his throat because his voice was identical to how it had been before. “You are the Beast King? I was expecting more King and less Beast.” He directed the latter half to Risa as if critiquing the Beast King’s getup.
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He bellowed a great, hearty laugh, as though Morrus had just told him an excellent joke,“More king and less beast! I ought to write that one down.”
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Morrus was having a hard time not idling awkwardly. He glanced casually towards Risa with one eyebrow slightly elevated, hoping she would swoop in and save him fro embarrassment.
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“How might I be able to provide my services to you two fine Travelers?”
Keya nods, as she starts reminiscing. “I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Years ago, in the middle of the archipelago we call the Water Region, for one reason or another, two parents left a young daughter out near the shore. She would’ve been left to die, if not for being taken in by one kind soul and his crew: Lehres the Fair. He took her in and raised her as his own daughter, eventually making her the second in command of his ship as they raided the rich merchant towns of the water region, taking money and treasures, and doling them out to whoever was in need(including ourselves, just a little cut)” She winks. “Anyways, for years we were like that, picking up and losing crew along the way. However, one day, Lehres started to become more…harsh. Instead of just stealing from towns, he would order us to completely sack them. He would tell us to take no prisoners. You could see bloodlust in his eyes. After the harshness came a sort of fanaticism. His emotions hightened, from a cold harsh glare to a mad, maniacal joy in the work we were doing. Lehres the Fair, or rather, the Mad, began his descent. Slowly at first, but quickening with each day.”
Vinum followed, determined, but also beginning to realize just how freezing it was up here.
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“It’s always a good sign when they call you ‘the Mad’,” Vohman drawls.
“Oh, we heard of you from a friend, thought we might pop by for a visit. When she said you were by the temple I didn’t think she meant in the temple.”
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“And renovating.” Morrus drawled, narrowing his hollow gaze on the Beast King who had a vague resemblance to Makuta. Weird…
“Why are you destroying it?”
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“I’m sorry if I don’t quite understand what you mean by that.” Apologised the king,“I assume that you’re talking about young Twenty-Three though?”
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