“No, but that was another question.” Morrus responded, his eyes breaking off for a moment to decide whether or not to pursue the topic of Twenty Three. “Is this Twenty Three a weird wolf creature you sent to the middle of the frozen nowhere to spy on Ekimu?”
In all honesty, Morrus was guessing that it was her based solely on the adjective young being attached. If he was wrong, he would… Blame his misinformation on Risa. Good plan.
“I’m afraid that I’m not quite as mobile as I was in my younger years, I’ve sent several of my children out into the world to keep me up to date on the going ons of the world. Though I believe that she was tasked with watching over the Black Crater, if I’m not mistaken.” He Answered, staring blankly forwards,“Though Ekimu’s travels there is news to me, boding great cause for concern.”
“Score.” Morrus murmured to Risa. If there was a purpose, it was only known to Morrus. The feeler vines he had been sending for soil had dug in and were extending through the floor to different parts of the room.
“Do you mean these wolf creatures are your children?” He cast an expression of indignation with a dash of horror. “Please do not take this incorrectly, but I am in no hurry to see the Mother.”
“Of a fashion, I gifted them the intellect, will, and form to act of their own volition and purpose.” The king replied, as one of the more curious Wolfen poked one of the vines.
Morrus’ neck tightened suddenly as the vine was poked, trying desperately to not have a visible reaction. That particular one retracted back into the ground to avoid further… Irritation.
“With such sapience-bestowing capabilities, one wonders why you view Ekimu as a concern rather than as an ally.” He looked out from under heavy wooden eyelids, his glowing gaze far less intimidating than his icy brother’s, but still threatening enough.
EDIT: ELJAY PLEASE IM GOING TO SACRIFICE GOOD GUY TO YOU ON THE LEWA MASK ALTAR WILL THAT BE ENOUGH TO FREE ME FROM THIS VILE PRISON
“Now you are being a little unfair to me, my friend. I do not view Ekimu as a concern, but rather his need to travel to the black crater. It is a place of darkness and death, and to know that he has business must surely mean that dark forces are at work. Truthfully, I have never had the honor of meeting Ekimu, but I’d prefer to think that I’d treat him as one of my kin, as I do all visitors to my realm.”
IC: Azure listens to Keya’s tale while she star gazes.
OOC: quoted this to not let it get buried.
IC: After Chook had left Domau began preparing for the next person to present his work too. However enventually his invention got some attention as a gathering of people stopped by his stand. He presented his invention for the people there at the end, they all gave a round of applause and asked a few questions before heading off.
OOC: quoted this to not let it get buried.
IC: Virky continues to search for the direction the group had went in…
IC: Reige continues to rebuild his strenght as he tries to sense the source he had felt earlier whether that tree giant was there or not he would still complete his mission.
Tarkur was also right behind the group.
“It does, actually, this edition was only published last year so it’s pretty up-to-date.” Ilza explained, as she awkwardly got about standing up from where she was sitting against the bookshelf.
Morrus took in the Beast King’s statement with an unkind eye.
“I will be blunt.” He tilted his head down to peer out from the bottom of his eyebrows, like some wicked owl. “I am the Lord of the Skies. My dominion is all of the region of jungle. When it weeps I hear its cry, and this tree you are dwelling in is weeping.”
“Why are you harming this tree?” The leaves across his body rustled slightly to build the ominous tension. Risa was probably having second thoughts about coming here.
Gladius said nothing, running his thumb across the pommel of his sword. How had he never heard of these pirate attacks in the last three years? Or these smaller towns smashed to pieces by a mad captain? More importantly, where were they now?
“Do not mistake my hospitality for a weakness of the will. The tree gives freely and in turn my children prune and tend to it. Any more and you might as well weep for a trod upon flower. Spare me your theatrics.” Sternly rebuked the king.
“My theatrics.” Morrus clicked his teeth in response. “There is a natural order to the world, your majesty, one which you either refuse to acknowledge or are deathly ignorant of - something impossible with your level of tampering.” His eyes squinted suspiciously at the Beast King.
“Spare me the pain of your power play.” Morrus swung his hand in the general direction of the wolfen who had noticed the vine. “There are better actors.”
“And I’m to believe that you are this divine arbiter? You who judge my children to be perversions of nature! You who would be the one to cast them into the fires of oblivion!? My patience with your impertinence wears thin. I am but a humble forest spirit, but I do not take kindly to threats against my children.”
“I am not the avenger.” Morrus ruffled his leaves, his neck craning forward as his eyes seem to grow brighter. “But I am this island’s shield. You think you are above the natural law, your highness? Then you so much as make one more of these twisted things and you will be swiftly sentenced.”
“You have power and respect.” Morrus lifted his head up to glare down on the Beast King, completely full of the act he was putting on. “But I hold your crown.”
“And what do you have to show for yourself with this mockery of laws and purpose? Nothing but the braggings of the power to take and destroy. A mere beast could do that! I create, and give life, what more nobler pursuit can there be?” Retorted the king, wood creaking, and leaves rustling as he leaned forward.
“Playing with life is your definition of nobility?” Morrus scoffed. “You toy with processes beyond your control to make an army, to scour the world, to learn your enemy’s habits and track their whereabouts.”
“Mere beasts have a consistent record of trying to destroy life.” Morrus snarled, his leaves alternating in layers between rustling and lying flat. “I am life.”
“Scouring the Earth?” Scoffed the king, "Creating an army? My children may have been born in this world to devour and destroy, but under my tutelage I have molded them into something better, I taught them kindness and understanding, fostering and encouraging their creativity. Life has done nothing but benefit from my compassion and wisdom. I cannot begin to understand where you get these ideas from. "
“If they were born to devour and destroy, that is their place.” Morrus glared. “You removed them from it. You bestowed them with the dangerous gift of sapience and conscience. They now hold responsibility for the actions they commit, or rather the actions you have them commit.”
“You’re upsetting a balance. Maybe that’s why Ekimu is heading out after horrors untold - nature recoils against any imbalance, and you have shifted order.” Morrus growled. “My order.”
Soon, Something far below the two of them would break this stalemate. One of Morrus’s feelers wandered about free, unknowingly sliding into its cage, where the vine was grabbed and bitten down upon by a pair of sharp jaws, severing off its end.
Morrus’ eyelid twitched as his glowing gaze shot to the spot where the wolfen had interfered with his subtle scoping, only to see the wolfen was extremely preoccupied with pretending not to listen to the conversation, and the vine was still very much beyond the room, still underground.
The Beast King would see a sudden change in Morrus’ demeanor as his mind raced to come up with a logical explanation as to why something underground had bitten his vine clean in two. The feeler loosely wrapped around the bar of the cage, and the light of realization froze his leaves in place.
A twig suddenly appeared low to the ground next to Risa and began to write into the loose soil while Morrus turned a steeled - yet somewhat scared - stare back upon the Beast King.
@rainsong
EDIT: Eljay… I can’t take any more… Please… sobbing noises
She nods. “And it only gets worse. After we picked up Hitora, we really began to see his decline. Any step out of line resulted in an execution, the smallest perceived scoff and he would challenge you to a fight. I only survived by keeping my head down, and even then his only interactions with the crew turned to yelling. Even still, the only reason there wasn’t a mutiny was that we were scared. With some exception, most were too scared or too blinded by loyalty to fight back, as we continued raiding, hoarding more, and in a select few cases, burning a town to the ground. The outskirt villages were in tatters against him. So…late one night, we stole a small raft and we escaped while he slept. I haven’t seem him since, and I honestly don’t want to. I don’t know what happened to him to make him go crazy, but I fear what might happen to us if we cross paths again.”