Before the Celebration of Color, plot update. Parallel to the current story thread.
***
They had prayed this day wouldn't come. They had begged and pleaded with Odd, with the Universe, but... What kind of Gods would let this happen? How cruel could fate be?
The Gods were dead to them.
They could only believe in one "God," to which they had no faith, and who had chosen to answer their prayers with an eye-watering stench of smoke and a barbaric laugh, breaking through Necrum.
The smell of sulfur, the sound of wood creaking and cracking under the pressure of his embers...
He was no god. But he might as well be.
"You can't run forever, Your Highness!"
He looked at them with eyes that were not quite mudokon-like, and a smile that showed two razor-sharp teeth. His voice was smooth and thick as syrup, rumbling through them in a similar way to his fires burning up the trees.
They could only run so far before the amulet around their neck pulled them right back toward him, and he was getting too close. Too damn close.
"Come here, you little brat!" The bastard snarled, grinning like a maniac as he continued to advance on them.
Ahlu tripped while trying to evade a large, flaming branch that had fallen from its home, nearly landing on them. The heel of their boot caught on a rock and forced their ankle to twist a little too much. They hissed at the pain but turned to crawl backward. They tried to kick a large boulder they'd landed beside, sending it towards him... But he simply side-stepped it and laughed. Ahlu had enough time to force themselves to their feet and pushed past the pain to jump, grabbing the branch of a tree that was barely touched with flame.
But before they could pull themselves up, they cried out, being grabbed by the much taller figure. They growled, punching at his back after they were flung over his shoulder, being carried off.
"VIRABSHIVA!" They snarled, "Put me down, you motherfuc—!"
"Now now, Princess!" Virab laughed, sauntering over to them slowly, "Is that any way to greet your doting husband?"
"HEY! Remember where we said 'til death do us part'!? You technically died, so I'm not your damn wife anymore!" Ahlu sneered, still trying to squirm out of his hold.
They could only remain curled over his shoulder as he walked.
He chuckled at their dismay, "Oh dear... Poor baby. Did my words get lost along the way? Maybe it's because you're all grown up now..." He stroked their back gently, "...but I don't think you've changed a bit."
"I am going to rip your fucking head clean off your shoulders if you so much as think about using Mar'qo!" They raged, kicking at his torso, to no avail.
Virab cackled, but it settled into an odd purr, "Well aren't you feisty today? It seems you have some fight left in you..."
"...what are you doing!?" They shouted, "Let go of me this instant or—"
He cut them off with a laugh, "Or what, my love? What will you do when I knock you flat onto your ass again? Or is there something else you want to say?"
They gritted their teeth in anger, "Shut up. I won't let you get near my son, understand!? He's not yours, and you can't use him for your sick little immortality tricks!"
"Immortality... Oh, how precious. How sweet. You've grown attached to the child. Well... That's understandable, considering he's been in your care since birth. And the anniversary of his birth is soon, is it not? You knew this day would come. But now, the little prince is to follow in my footsteps or become a part of me. He needs to know who his father really is. So... Let him see his real father, shall we?"
"No." Ahlu hissed, "He may have your blood, but he is not your son! You didn't raise him! I got to choose his father, and he's a better father to Mar'qo than you could ever hope to be!"
"Yes... Yes, he is. A good parent. And perhaps he isn't mine. Not yet. No... Soon. The boy has a name. A life that has no meaning outside of what he's meant to do for me." Virab hummed, "'Mar'qo.' 'To War.' What a brilliant name choice, Ahlu, really... Works very well with his fate."
"You can take your fate and shove it up your ass!" Ahlu spat, then hissed in pain, being pulled down from his shoulder, and shoved against a rocky wall. He held them there with one arm around their waist.
They growled and continued, "He doesn't need you. I won't let you near him! I will seal your ass back in that portal and—"
"My beloved wife," he sighed, taking a moment to stroke their hair, "Why do you think I'm here?" He smiled at the look of horror on Ahlu's face, "I am here to give you the chance to change your mind. To reconsider your choice... You could be more than this, whatever it is you're doing now... You could ascend to be more than what this world wants to offer you, Ahlu! You know he and I could give you that!"
Ahlu shook their head.
"But you don't want it, right? Because it's 'immoral' and 'destructive' or whatever else your argument was... But I'll tell you what, my love, if you were to accept the gift of immortality, I'd make sure that you never regretted the decision!"
"Oh yeah, eternity with you. The trickster who fucked over my entire village by baring nothing more than false promises! Even when I escaped that shit, you still went after me! You bastard— don't act like you're doing me some sort of favor!"
He chuckled, "Oh dear. Are you so certain? Have you considered the possibility that I'm offering you the best thing this land could possibly have for you?" He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Ahlu hissed, "I am the only one who can protect those whom you seek to destroy..."
"Hm. We'll see about that." He purred, his hand moving to cup their cheek, "...I think I have a different plan entirely. One where we both get exactly what we want."
"The only plan that gets me what I want, is a plan where you're dead." They snarled.
He laughed again, "That's my girl! Now... Let me show you what you've been missing out on..."
Virab took their chin in his hand, forcing them to look into his eyes. "This is what you want, isn't it? I can see it in your eye. You want to be my Queen again. You want me. I can feel you want to say yes... Say it, Ahlu. Tell me how much you want this."
They looked away, clenching their fists as their face grew hotter than the fire around them. Why did he always have some effect on them? It wasn't as though they liked him. They hated him. He was an asshole, and he had no respect for the people of Mudos... or anyone but himself, rather. But something in his words, or his tone, or his touch, made them want to agree with him just a little bit. To admit that maybe... Maybe this would be the path that brought them true happiness.
"Say it, my love."
They said nothing, breathing heavily.
"Please, Ahlu? I know you want this... You've been craving it. You've never been able to resist me." He smiled wickedly, "Just imagine it. Imagine how it will be... You and I together. Forever. With our little boy... Everything else is just a small price to pay. For us... For him."
"I'd rather die." They growled.
"And that's what scares you most of all, isn't it?" His smile widened, and he reached up, running a finger down their cheek, then across their lips. "You're afraid to let yourself live, really... At least to your full potential. That's why you can't bring yourself to do it..."
"You are not going to steal him from me! No matter what it takes!" Their face was red with rage.
"No, no," He shook his head, smiling, "You're wrong, Ahlu. He belongs with me. I'm giving him a choice... I am offering both of you the chance to become immortal and free! For him to finally fulfill his destiny! I will take care of him. I promise you."
"Over my dead body." Ahlu spat.
Virab laughed and leaned in to whisper, "If I can not convince you, Princess... I won't hesitate to make that little comment a reality."
“A most peculiar thing, aren’t you? A shame I’m only able to observe at a distance, but it’s an observation I admit I look forward to contribute in.”
"Whoever you are, I do not need your contribution, nor do I want it. I have enough of my own power to not need assistance from the likes of another shaman who is too cowardly to even show their face."
“A shaman? A coward I suppose is fine in taste, not too imaginative but fine, but do not group me in with the rest of your miserable, wishwash mistake of ‘magical’ defects, if you’d be a dear.”
Paprika’s lips were barely tilted up, but it was clear that a rare fire of its own had been stoked in their eyes as they narrowed down at hearing them being grouped in with what was, to them, practically dirt. They gently tapped their cane into their free hand, the side of their mouth pulling to a sneer.
“If I’d wanted to be compared to you savages, I’d let myself in with the Slogs set off to the pound to be euthanized, thank you.”
Virab scowled at the person who approached him. The sheer audacity of this snarky little shit was enough to make him want to burn his surroundings...
Alas, he could not, being stuck where he was in a powerfully sealed circle of rocks on the ground. He could only glare at the unwanted visitor... For now. Not for much longer... Patience...
"Perhaps you should do so anyway. At least that way you'll be out of my sight." Virab hissed, his deep voice rumbling from the base of his chest, "I'd show you the true power of a so-called "defect' if I could, just to silence you..."
It was never often that Paprika was let out from their confines of both their work and their “home,” in fact it was like a rarity of a full moon in clear skies. The only times they were let out were related to business and keeping their hand throttled around any clients that didn’t pay their dues or the wriggling ratz that dare cause a stir.
But, for whatever reason, Flint had been feeling generous and allowed them to accompany on his business trip out to Necrum to pay his dues and woes and whatnot to an old colleague. “Take in the merriments, breathe in the musk and find revelry for the air still pumpin’ in our own lungs. Humility, that’s a given virtue,” he had said. So here they were.
“Oh, I would humor you in both regards, truly, but unfortunately I’m under contract with my life so I can’t quite do much for you there, I’m afraid,” Paprika mused to this other peculiar, but feisty Mudokon as they let themself approach him closer. They let their cane lead them on, a smirk finally pulling at their scarred lips. “My, what a beast you are. And here I thought I was going to find amusement with the dead tonight.” They then leaned forward with their weight resting on their cane. “You will indulge me, won’t you? I doubt you find much entertainment yourself these days being so confined.”
Virab grunted in frustration, glaring down at the other with an intense scowl. Did he really want to converse with this person? There were a small handful of people in Necrum, and not a single one of them had discovered him yet... Granted, it was only the last few days he'd regained enough strength to take form again. He was still surprised he hadn't been stumbled upon until now... Even if the person who discovered him was unpleasant.
Until they said he was a 'beast' that is.
He lifted his head higher in pride, folding his arms over his chest to appear more intimidating, "Perhaps you've found little to be amused by, but 'dead' is at least somewhat right. I might as well be so if I the next few days do not go my way..." He groaned, looking up to the treetops, "But you are correct. You are the first I've spoken to in a few years... And I'm sure there are even less pleasant people around than you... Luck is not always good."
Paprika inwardly had to snort as they observed the way this Mudokon lifted his head and displayed his pride, finding his attempts at intimidating barring none. Like every creature there was a way to string them along, they just had to find the right ones to pluck in their head. In this case, it was this one’s ego.
“Certainly hasn’t,” they said as they set their cane off against a large rock for a moment to fiddle with one of their robes pockets. “We’re an unlucky people, in an unlucky world. Such is the necessity to keep the order needed, even if that involves eternal solitude.” They ran their hand along their skull, briefly tracing the burn scars still scraped there as they exhaled a silent breath. “But we all must play our parts, savor the brief flutters of joy there are. Nothing much else to admit.”
Paprika then lifted their hookah out and brought it to their mouth before grabbing a lighter and snapping a flame out to ignite it. They leaned against the wall as they took in the smoke before blowing out a large cloud that billowed and circled back and forth, and—
“Oh, do pardon me, should have asked; is this a no smoking zone?” they asked then, the dryness in their voice clear and crisp. “Any hazards I dare fathom?”
Virab resisted the urge to roll his eyes at such an optimistic statement. Not something he'd expected from this person either, judging by their misery. Keeping order, allowing bad luck to pass as nothing more than the universe keeping balance. He didn't care for the notion, and even less for 'playing a part' as if he were a puppy for the universe to control. What was the damn point in existence if it wasn't for one to chose? For him to decide what he wanted and what he would take?
His discarded the thought once they spoke again, and turned to look over at them. He chuckled softly, "While it may be a hazard to set fire near the trees, that isn't something you have to worry about around me." He lifted his hand, beckoning a flame to burst from his palm and envelop the circle on the ground around him. Then he threw his hand down, causing the flames to disappear into one cloud of smoke that surrounded him. He knew he was showing off, and only wished he could have created more of a spectacle... Not the easiest thing to do when he was trapped in a circle that was only about 6 feet in diameter.
“A most peculiar thing, aren’t you? A shame I’m only able to observe at a distance, but it’s an observation I admit I look forward to contribute in.”
"Whoever you are, I do not need your contribution, nor do I want it. I have enough of my own power to not need assistance from the likes of another shaman who is too cowardly to even show their face."
“A shaman? A coward I suppose is fine in taste, not too imaginative but fine, but do not group me in with the rest of your miserable, wishwash mistake of ‘magical’ defects, if you’d be a dear.”
Paprika’s lips were barely tilted up, but it was clear that a rare fire of its own had been stoked in their eyes as they narrowed down at hearing them being grouped in with what was, to them, practically dirt. They gently tapped their cane into their free hand, the side of their mouth pulling to a sneer.
“If I’d wanted to be compared to you savages, I’d let myself in with the Slogs set off to the pound to be euthanized, thank you.”
Virab scowled at the person who approached him. The sheer audacity of this snarky little shit was enough to make him want to burn his surroundings...
Alas, he could not, being stuck where he was in a powerfully sealed circle of rocks on the ground. He could only glare at the unwanted visitor... For now. Not for much longer... Patience...
"Perhaps you should do so anyway. At least that way you'll be out of my sight." Virab hissed, his deep voice rumbling from the base of his chest, "I'd show you the true power of a so-called "defect' if I could, just to silence you..."
It was never often that Paprika was let out from their confines of both their work and their “home,” in fact it was like a rarity of a full moon in clear skies. The only times they were let out were related to business and keeping their hand throttled around any clients that didn’t pay their dues or the wriggling ratz that dare cause a stir.
But, for whatever reason, Flint had been feeling generous and allowed them to accompany on his business trip out to Necrum to pay his dues and woes and whatnot to an old colleague. “Take in the merriments, breathe in the musk and find revelry for the air still pumpin’ in our own lungs. Humility, that’s a given virtue,” he had said. So here they were.
“Oh, I would humor you in both regards, truly, but unfortunately I’m under contract with my life so I can’t quite do much for you there, I’m afraid,” Paprika mused to this other peculiar, but feisty Mudokon as they let themself approach him closer. They let their cane lead them on, a smirk finally pulling at their scarred lips. “My, what a beast you are. And here I thought I was going to find amusement with the dead tonight.” They then leaned forward with their weight resting on their cane. “You will indulge me, won’t you? I doubt you find much entertainment yourself these days being so confined.”
Virab grunted in frustration, glaring down at the other with an intense scowl. Did he really want to converse with this person? There were a small handful of people in Necrum, and not a single one of them had discovered him yet... Granted, it was only the last few days he'd regained enough strength to take form again. He was still surprised he hadn't been stumbled upon until now... Even if the person who discovered him was unpleasant.
Until they said he was a 'beast' that is.
He lifted his head higher in pride, folding his arms over his chest to appear more intimidating, "Perhaps you've found little to be amused by, but 'dead' is at least somewhat right. I might as well be so if I the next few days do not go my way..." He groaned, looking up to the treetops, "But you are correct. You are the first I've spoken to in a few years... And I'm sure there are even less pleasant people around than you... Luck is not always good."
“A most peculiar thing, aren’t you? A shame I’m only able to observe at a distance, but it’s an observation I admit I look forward to contribute in.”
"Whoever you are, I do not need your contribution, nor do I want it. I have enough of my own power to not need assistance from the likes of another shaman who is too cowardly to even show their face."
“A shaman? A coward I suppose is fine in taste, not too imaginative but fine, but do not group me in with the rest of your miserable, wishwash mistake of ‘magical’ defects, if you’d be a dear.”
Paprika’s lips were barely tilted up, but it was clear that a rare fire of its own had been stoked in their eyes as they narrowed down at hearing them being grouped in with what was, to them, practically dirt. They gently tapped their cane into their free hand, the side of their mouth pulling to a sneer.
“If I’d wanted to be compared to you savages, I’d let myself in with the Slogs set off to the pound to be euthanized, thank you.”
Virab scowled at the person who approached him. The sheer audacity of this snarky little shit was enough to make him want to burn his surroundings...
Alas, he could not, being stuck where he was in a powerfully sealed circle of rocks on the ground. He could only glare at the unwanted visitor... For now. Not for much longer... Patience...
"Perhaps you should do so anyway. At least that way you'll be out of my sight." Virab hissed, his deep voice rumbling from the base of his chest, "I'd show you the true power of a so-called "defect' if I could, just to silence you..."
“A most peculiar thing, aren’t you? A shame I’m only able to observe at a distance, but it’s an observation I admit I look forward to contribute in.”
"Whoever you are, I do not need your contribution, nor do I want it. I have enough of my own power to not need assistance from the likes of another shaman who is too cowardly to even show their face."
