RuffWriter
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Chapter 330 unedited unmemed
🕑 Added 2018-04-29 20:37:42 +0000 UTC https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jngGinLpnFpdpio1Vz8ggH7kDVLgmgXqJnvDU-0mRuc/edit?usp=sharingPropping myself up on the side of the skiff, I cant help but smile at the antics taking place. Cupped gently in the palm of his hand, my teacher turns in place and holds the green stone high, locked in a bitter struggle with the greedy and ever-persistent Mama Bun. Covered in octopus ink and slime, my dog-sized bunny is adorable sight as she leaps higher and higher with each attempt, her little paws desperately scratching at Taduks robes as she tries to get a taste of whats in his hands. Landing squarely on his shoulder, Mama Bun holds on for dear life with her all her might and chomps down on my teachers voluminous robes, eyeing the stone with undisguised desire as her little nose twitches away at a mile a minute.
Back foul beast! Taduk cries, sheltering his precious discovery from the ravenous rabbit, though he does nothing to dislodge her. His hare supremacy ways, while not entirely behind him, are slowly losing to the floppy-eared charms of the bicorn rabbit. This is mine! Off with you now, shoo, shoo! As if called to action by my teachers words, Mama Bun pops her head up to shower Taduks cheek with bunny kisses, but her eyes never leave the fuzzy green stone. Mama Bun might be smarter than she lets on, having learned that bunny kisses equals treats, but unfortunately my teacher has a heart of stone. Stop that. What are you doing? he asks, leaning away from the bunnys display of affection. I am not a salt lick. Shoo! Shooooo!
Shoulders shaking with silent laughter, Guard Leader comes to Taduks rescue, skirting lightly around the skiffs other occupants and gently pries Mama Bun off to bring her away for a wash, those black bunny eyes wide with anguish and sorrow as she accepts the loss of her treat. Freed from her harassment, Taduk sits down to show me the stone, hmming and hahing as he studies it in the light. After an in-depth visual study, I nod along and offer an informed and educated opinion. The rock is covered in algae. With a non-committal grunt, Taduk continues his inspection, mind adrift in his thoughts like our skiff in the bay.
I call this his thinking mode. Hell be perfectly fine doing day to day tasks like getting dressed, bathing, and eating, but you have to keep an eye on him. Sometimes, you hand him an ink pot and he tries to drink it, or you hand him a coat and hell go lay down for bed. It usually happens when hes pondering something interesting, like when I point out a problem in his logic or he comes across a new strain of Heavenly Plant. Hell, when I handed him Yo Lings book on Runic Inscriptions, he stayed in this fugue state for the better part of a week.
Having run out of educated opinions, I offer an educated guess. Is there a Spiritual Algae? This time, Taduks grunt has a minor affirmative slant to it. Ive never heard of Spiritual Algae before. A negatory grunt, followed by a furrowing on his brow. After reviewing what little I know on the subject, I too am frowning because in all likelihood we just wasted days chasing down a worthless plant. There are always exceptions to the rule, but Spiritual Plants generally are no different from their mundane counterparts. The ability to gather Heavenly Energy isnt obvious at first glance, so a Spiritual daisy sitting in a field of mundane daisies doesnt stick out, nor will it develop any unique features or uses. Some plant strains like idamare, fox-glove, and blood needles only exist as Spiritual Plants and theyre the most valuable ones, each one possessing almost magical properties useful in a wide array of occupations.
The limiting factor to farming Spiritual Plants is the inability to propagate. Seeds from a Spiritual Plant will sprout into their mundane counterparts while a cutting of a Spiritual Plant loses the ability to cultivate Heavenly Energy, even after it sprouts roots. Taduk theorized that this was because plants, like humans, need to form a Core in order to absorb the Energy of the Heavens, and planting seeds or taking cuttings was like creating a new plant which would need to form its own core. For the aforementioned plants which are able to cultivate from the start, the conditions needed for proliferation to take place are unknown and undocumented. Taduks been studying it for years, if not decades, but hes still never seen a Spiritual Plant sprout.
Now why does this matter? Because algae, or that nasty film which forms on water, isnt all one plant, but billions of tiny, microscopic plants all clumped together. The rock in Taduks hand may be covered in algae, but only one speck in there is actually cultivating the Energy of the Heavens, while the rest is just your everyday fish food. My teachers probably busy searching for the actual Spiritual Plant, so I leave him to it. Turning my attention to the octopus, I say, Teacher, do you still need the octopus? It seems cruel to let it suffocate, and Ping Ping likes her meals fresh. She doesnt seem too interested in the octopus, having already gone back to swimming around the skiff, but lets be honest: one extra snack wont ruin her figure.
When it becomes apparent Taduk isnt listening, I reach over and lift the octopus out of the boat, dropping it into the water while keeping my guard up in case it attacks. Limp and senseless, the brown and white spotted creature is unpleasant to the eye, with a bulbous, with a smooth and featureless egg-shaped head and two bulging eyes closed in sleep. Eight tentacles covered in protruding suction cups emanate from the head, all writhing and twitching as it slowly sinks into the water and curl up around the butt of my pole-arm.
Eh-Mi-Tu-Fuo. Mumbling his mantra, the monk speaks out loud for all to hear. Stay your hand junior brother. This one would plead for mercy on the creatures behalf.
My lip curls in disdain. Mercy? This damn thing took us on a wild goose chase for days, so Im not sure mercy is on the menu. If Ping Ping doesnt want to eat it, I will. Fried tentacles and octopus balls sound really good right about now.
Such ignorance, such sin.
Hate to say it, but I agree with fatty. Speaking around his pipe, Guan Suo puffs away as he lounges in the skiff. Clever beast there, itd be a shame to end like this.
Been chatting with the monk, have we? Raising an eyebrow at the lazing half-red-panda, I ask, Will you be shaving your head and going vegetarian too?
In a surprisingly good mood, Guan Suo chuckles and shakes his head. Nah. Fatty knows better than to try and recruit me. Besides, I tried a vegetarian diet for a while some years back, but it wasnt for me. A short pause tells me theres more to his story than it sounds, but he pushes past with a grin. Im a little surprised though. I figured youd be all for adding that creature to your menagerie and keep it in a tub or something. Seems like a waste just to eat it.
What do you mean?
Too lazy to answer, Guan Suo goes back to puffing at his fancy pipe and staring at the clouds. Annoyed by the abrupt dismissal, only the memory of him exploding an entire school of sharks keeps me from speaking up, instead turning my attention back to the monk. If youre so interested in keeping it alive, I ask, venting some of my ire on the monk, then why didnt you snatch it up and send it away? Not like theres nothing I can do to stop you.
It is not this ones place to interfere with the creatures Dharma.
...But pleading on its behalf is okay?
Yes, the monk nods, smiling so widely his eyes disappear. Because this one is Junior Brothers Dharma protector. Killing the creature affects your Dharma, so this one must take steps to guide you back to the proper path.
Makes sense, in a weird, twisted logic sort of way. Hes not doing this to save the octopus, hes doing it to save me. Aside from your general killing is bad spiel, is there any reason why I should spare this particular octopus?
Making his water pouring gesture, the monks smile disappears and is replaced by a thuggish glare. He has no sense of humor and a quick temper when it comes to belittling his teachings, but I see it as helping him improve his self control. Plus, I kinda enjoy pissing people off, its the consequences I hate. I have nothing against a good old-fashioned bar brawl, but why does it always have to escalate into a life or death struggle?
After a long pause, the monk sighs and answers, Intelligence correlates directly with chance for Ascension. The more intelligent the beast, the higher the possibility it will form a human body and become a Divinity. Who are you to deny it this chance for eternal salvation?
Good. Mama Bun can stay furry and sweet forever, along with all her babies. Being human sucks. Ive never heard of an octopus ancestral beast. What would it even look like? A tentacle-chined pirate springs to mind and I shudder with revulsion.
None have been observed,the monk replies with a shrug. Which is not to say none shall ever succeed.
Fair enough. So what makes you think this octopus is smarter than the average octopus? I mean, it was hanging on the side of our boat and attacked my weapon instead of waiting for me to get closer.
Rejoining the conversation with a snort, Guan Suo says, Pei! Gave you the runaround for days, didnt it? Makes it smarter than a certain long-eared fool, at least. His insult goes unnoticed as Taduk studies his algae-covered rock, and with a disappointed grimace, Guan Suo continues. Think on it boy. How long were we out here the first day? Four, five hours? We took a few breaks, but your bunny never lost the scent, and still we found nothing. Next day, same thing. A few days later, your bunny gives up for the first time after three hours, throwing her little tantrum with her snorts and thumps. Today, we learned that means the octopus was hiding on the boat. It figured the best place to hide was close to danger and slipped past a horde of quins and the Divine Turtle unnoticed to do it. If that isnt crafty, I dont know what is.
Which explains why Mama Bun lost the trail so quickly today. With no quins hanging around the skiff, the octopus only had to avoid Ping Pings notice in order to get to safety, but that also spelled its downfall. Without their cute antics to distract me, I was able to spot the octopus slithering away from my approach. With both the monk and Guan Suo clamoring to spare the octopuss life, I dont really have a good reason to just feed it to Ping Ping or slaughter it in cold blood, and we are kinda robbing it of its Spiritual Algae rock. With the monks help, we rig up a net for the octopus and leave it dangling in the water, keeping it safe from Ping Ping until it regains consciousness. Dipping the helmet with Demon Ichor goo into the water does nothing, and after another hour of sitting around, I climb back into the skiff and we head back to shore.
Stupid droplet, come home! How am I supposed to feed you if you run away all the time?
Theres still plenty of time before the conference begins, so maybe Im finally tired enough to take a short nap. The monks not the only one with a short temper and Im pretty grouchy when Im short on sleep, not to mention my foul mood due to Blobbys disappearance. Id love for the meeting to go smoothly and without incident, but the whole event seems tailor-made to stimulate conflict. Instead of letting each province present their gifts one at a time, they decided to have all three provinces present their gifts together, but separated by age groups. To make matters worse, Im the sole northern representative in the under twenty-five age group. Ive no one to blame but myself for being so spectacular, since no one else in the Northern Province were instructed to bring a gift in their summons. Its a little backwards if you ask me; Ive earned the privilege to give the Legate a gift while other people dont even qualify to meet him face to face.
Woo.
Once back on shore, Guard Leader brings Mama Bun and Blackjack away while I lead Taduk back to his yurt where he can study his rock in relative safety. Defying the natural laws of physics, the monk easily lifts a massive metal cauldron with one hand and places it atop his head, the lidded, water-filled container keeping the octopus safe from roosequins and other predators. I wouldve let it sink to the sea floor but the monk was adamant I not let it come to harm before it wakes. In the end, he places the cauldron outside Taduks yurt and remains visible while sitting beside it. I cant wrap my mind around the monks logic. He wont let an unconscious octopus come to harm but thinks I should give up the war effort and go back to his monastery, doing nothing while tens of millions of Defiled slaughter their way across the Empire. Honestly, his whole religion feels a little selfish. Isolate yourself so you can improve yourself and leave this world and everything in it behind. Its not entirely fair or accurate, but thats how it feels at times, like he doesnt care about anything besides escaping this hell-hole of a world.
Dont get me wrong, Nirvana sounds nice and all, but Im not quite ready to give up on this life, not yet. I might never see the change I so desire, but hopefully my actions will get the ball rolling. My schools and soup-kitchens were a good first step, but this public meeting with the Legate is the perfect opportunity to share my vision of equality and education for all with the Empire at large. It might turn me into a laughing stock but I dont care and more importantly, Akanai approves.
Yuzhen, not so much, but luckily, my crush on her ended a long time ago. Her father was a dreamer, a man who envisioned a better future for all, so why doesnt she share those same dreams?
Rain my boy. Interrupting my musings, Taduk glances around his yurt and blinks in confusion. When did we get off the skiff? Wheres the creature? Eyes wide in panic, he leaps to his feet and grabs my shoulder, panting as he asks, Is it dead? You didnt free it, did you?
No Teacher. Thank you Guan Suo and monk. Its outside in a cauldron.
No, no, NO! Racing out the door, Taduk runs headlong at the cauldron and kicks it over, spilling the octopus out onto the dirt and water all over the monk. Dont eat it! Taduk shrieks, falling to his knees and using his body to shield the octopus. Stifling my laughter, I watch as my hare-brained teachers cheeks take on a sheen of brilliant scarlet once realization sinks in. Thoroughly embarrassed by his panicked overreaction, Taduk uprights the cauldron and puts the octopus back in while sheepishly ignoring the soggy monks glare. Ahem. Sorry about that. My mistake. If you ever need a limb or something regrown, all you need to do is ask. Turning his petulant glare to me, Taduk hisses, Dont keep things you arent going to eat in a cauldron.
Yes Teacher, I reply, nodding as if his words were sage advice. Wont happen again Teacher.
Mussing my hair, he drags me over to the cauldron and points inside. Im going to Heal and wake it, he declares, ignoring the monks death stare. You do your Aura thing and make nice.
But I dont want an octopus pet Its slimy and gross. Okay, but how about we fill it with water first? Itll be easier to make nice if it can breathe. Dispatching the first two soldiers I see to collect water, I deliberately position myself between the monk and Taduk, worried the large, angry ascetic might loose his head. So Teacher, why am I making nice with the octopus?
Right, right. Running back inside, he emerges with his washbowl and shows it to me, the algae covered rock sitting neatly in the middle. Because of this. Glancing at the sky, he moves himself out of the way so the rock is in direct sunlight, holding it up in outstretched arms like hes presenting a gift to the Heavens.
Did he have a stroke or something? Sorry Teacher, but your student is slow and requires more explanation.
Because its Spiritual Algae!
Taduks toothy smile hits me like a hammer in the gut, so dazzling and genuine like a childs delight. I guess thats where Lin gets it from. Infected by his good cheer, I hesitate to continue in case I ruin his good mood, but curiosity wins out over caution. Um but isnt that a bad thing? One speck of Spiritual Algae is kind of well worthless.
Indeed it is my boy, Taduk replies, losing none of his good cheer, but we dont have a mere speck, we have a whole stone covered in it!
What? Thats impossible!
Thats what I thought too, but its true. Lowering the washbasin to peer at his prize, Taduk giggles and stamps his feet in delight, a behaviour not unlike Mama Buns when she gets a treat. I checked and double checked it, every last speck of algae on here has a core, but thats not all. Carefully lifting the rock aside, he points out a smooth, blank patch on the stone. See that? The octopus has been feeding on the algae and letting it grow back to form more algae. Unless the creature waits for thousands of years between each nibble, then it stands to reason that when this Spiritual Algae reproduces, it remains capable of absorbing the Energy of the Heavens! It doesnt seem like much, but there are millions of Spiritual Plants right here on this rock. If we can study how it reproduces, then we might be able to apply that to other strains of plants and cultivate an entire garden full of miraculous, life saving medicinal herbs!
Hm lots of ifs and mights there, but I dont want to ruin it for him. This is amazing and all, but why do I have to make friends with the octopus?
Blinking in confusion, it takes Taduk a moment to get his mind back on track. Isnt it obvious? We must study it and see how it nurtures the stone. In all likelihood, it brings the stone up to the surface for sunlight during the day, but its possible it also rests by a source of Heavenly Energy. Find the creatures home, and well likely find your missing droplet too.
Ah okay. Gotcha. Repressing the urge to sigh, I peer into the cauldron at my newest pet. God its ugly. What should I name it? Otto? That doesnt make sense in Common. Calamari? Maybe, but then Ill always treat him as an emergency food source. Floppy Sea Spider? Too creepy.
Ah. Ive got it.
As Taduk Heals the octopus, I reach out with my loving Aura to greet my newest friend.
Hello Sir Inks-a-lot, or Inky for short. Welcome to the family.
Rocketing out of the cauldron, it wraps its arms around my neck and tries to wrench my head off. Only Ping Pings quick reaction saves me as she stuns the octopus once again, leave me gasping in place with painfully red suction marks sprinkled across my face and neck while Taduk titters with laughter from the side.
How am I supposed to meet the Legate with a face full of hickies?
Comments
NomadicSoul
Yay Sir inks is not a happy camper.
