by Seth Ring
Making good progress, the group continued to climb, soon finding themselves treading on a thin layer of snow that crunched under their feet. The air began to get colder as they traveled, but it was not unbearable with the sun shining on them. As they approached the peak of the mountain, Thorn took a moment to glance behind him and was instantly stunned. The unobstructed view of the valley and the mountain range behind it was enough to take his breath away.
The top of the mountain was a wide and relatively flat area with only a few rocks on one side. Standing together, the group looked around, seeing no sign of a large bird, but Peregrine assured them that the Emperor of the Sky would be there soon.
While they waited, Thorn listened as Corvo and Velin discussed the situation in the valley and what should be done about the high priestess, Mayari. Both had noticed that the reward for the quest was listed as the Children of the Moon and, just like Thorn, they were interested in the possibility of the giant wolves joining the valley as allies of the Wolfkin. Just as they were talking about countermeasures to keep players away from the temple before Thorn returned, a huge shadow drifted over them.
Above them the monstrous figure of an adult Imperial Roc blocked the sun. With a wingspan that easily reached sixty feet across, the Emperor of the Sky completely dwarfed all of them. Reddish brown feathers covered its massive body like an impenetrable suit of armor, and each gleaming talon was as big as a sword. Approaching quickly, the Emperor of the Sky flapped its wings as it landed, sending the snow that blanketed the top of the mountain whirling.
Unable to stand against the gale, Corvo and Velin stumbled backwards. Much lighter than the others, Mina was directly sent tumbling while Peregrine began to drift as if she was part of the rushing wind. Only Thorn was able to withstand the wind completely, standing unmoving like a boulder planted on the ground. Reaching out, he stabilized Velin and Corvo, even as Akira scrambled onto his back and clutched onto his armor.
Muttering under her breath, Mina disappeared from where she had been rolling, appearing again next to Thorn. Grabbing on to Thorn’s leg with one hand, she kept the other on her witch’s hat to keep it from flying off of her head. The Emperor of the Sky flapped his wings a few more times as he settled down, and soon the gales subsided. Cocking his head sideways, he puffed up his chest and looked at Thorn from one of his deep, golden eyes. Stumbling slightly as the wind died down, Peregrine patted her chest. Muttering under her breath, she straightened her clothes and then, giving out a series of whistles and chirps, ran over to where Thorn and the others stood facing the giant bird.
The Emperor of the Sky continued to stare at Thorn, his eyes unreadable, even as Peregrine continued to talk. Uncomfortable under the Imperial Roc’s intense stare, Velin and Mina both edged behind Thorn who seemed completely unaffected. Surprisingly, Corvo was also quite relaxed under the huge bird’s gaze. Akira, who had been hanging on to Thorn’s back, peeked her head over his shoulder only to freeze when she saw the Emperor of the Sky’s eyes.
Feeling Akira shivering slightly, Thorn pulled her to his front and held her in his arms, stroking her fur to calm her down. Without breaking eye contact with the big bird, Thorn retrieved a handful of small snacks from his inventory, handing one to Akira and popping another in his mouth. Her eyes lighting up, Akira completely forgot about the Emperor of the Sky and shoved the small pastry into her mouth, holding out her paws for another.
“What a glutton.” Corvo remarked disdainfully from where he stood next to Thorn. Still, when Thorn grinned and tossed him one of the small pastries, he caught it and put it in his mouth, nearly burning himself in the process. The smell of the piping hot pastries spread through the air, lending a surreal sense to the scene. Peregrine, sniffing the air in confusion, turned around to see Thorn handing out the pastries to his party and frowned.
“Hey, take this seriously!” Annoyed, she began to berate Thorn when a deafening screech nearly knocked her over. Her mouth opening in shock, Peregrine spun around to stare at the Emperor of the Sky who had shuffled closer to Thorn. The massive bird looked down at Thorn with a narrowed gaze.
Raising his eyebrows, Thorn stared back at the Emperor of the Sky and took out another handful of the pastries. Handing one to Akira, who immediately shoved it into her other cheek, Thorn ate a few more himself. He glanced at Peregrine, who was still too shocked to speak and was standing to the side stammering incoherently.
[Hey, are those tasty? They smell tasty. What are they? How are they hot? It's pretty freezing up here but those look hot and tasty. Where did you get them? Was that a magic trick? I love magic tricks. I love tasty things even more. Can I have one? I’d like one. Though they look really small. Way too small. Do you have any that are bigger? Maybe the size of that little furry mouse thing. That would be a really good size. Are they sweet? I really like sweet things, so I hope they are sweet.]
Nothing of what he had heard from Peregrine about the Emperor of the Sky, or what he had seen with his own eyes, prepared Thorn for the high pitched, rapid voice that echoed in his head. After staring blankly at the Emperor of the Sky, Thorn blinked a few times and tossed a handful of the small pastries toward the Roc who opened his giant beak and gobbled them up.
[Wow! Those are really delicious! I have really missed the taste of sugar, you know? It’s hard to get sugar in the air. I have not had sugar forever, apart from that one time when an entire ship with bags of sugar just happened to go missing and somehow blew all the way to my nest. Do you have any more?]
Even if he had not been cursed with [Living Statue], Thorn was pretty sure that he would not have had anything to say. Completely lost for words, he got a large handful of the pastries out and tossed them to the Emperor of the Sky.
[Muahaha, I knew you had more! Mmmhm, mmhm. Delicious. Man, it sure is nice to be able to talk to someone too. You would not believe how lonely it is just flying around in the air all the time. Hey, you don’t say much, do you? Oh, silly me, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Haha, can you believe that, I’d forget my own head next if it wasn’t nailed on. I’m Ventosas, but you can call me Vento. All my friends do. Though I haven’t seen any of them in a long time so they might be gone. Hmmm. Now that I think about it, I might not have any friends any more.]
[Hello, Vento. My name is Thorn. I’d be happy to be your friend.]
[Oh? Well that is certainly kind of you. I’m always happy to make new friends, especially when they know chefs that make tasty treats. Haha, so what's going on here anyway? My cousin said that I should come over because there was a really scary guy who looked like he was going to eat her. Haha, really though who would eat an Imperial Roc?] Going silent suddenly, Vento tilted his head and looked at Thorn with his other eye. [Wait.]
[I definitely wouldn’t eat one.] Thorn held up the hand that wasn’t holding Akira.
[No? Not even a little, defenseless one? Like one that doesn’t have impenetrable feathers, lightning speed, and talons that can carve through marble like its butter?]
[Uh, no? Can’t all Imperial Rocs do that sort of thing?]
[Nah, only fully grown rocs like me. Roko is just sorta quick. And her feathers are solid, but not impenetrable. I guess her talons are pretty sharp though. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that you are not going to eat her. Speaking of eating, do you have any more of those tasty snacks?]
[Yeah, sure.] Thorn got a couple more handfuls of pastries from his inventory, tossing them to Vento who wiggled his body and chirped with delight. Taking advantage of the silence as the Imperial Roc was eating, Thorn asked a question that had been bugging him for a while.
[Vento, you mentioned that it is pretty lonely flying around all the time. Why don’t you talk to Roko? Or Peregrine?]
[Ha, Roko is a hatchling. She can barely talk. I know she looks big to you. Well, maybe not to you, but, like, to normal sized things? But she is not even fifty years old. All she talks about is how cool the halfling is, and all the food that she is eating, and how many places she has seen.]
[And Peregrine?]
[Uh. Her mind would explode. Just...boom.]
CHAPTER ELEVEN
[Pardon? I’m not following.] Frowning, Thorn scratched his head as he looked at Peregrine who was looking quite confused as to what was going on. Seeing the Titan glance over, Peregrine perked up and ran over.
“Hey, what is happening? I never knew that the Emperor of the Sky liked treats.”
[Her mind. It would blow up if I tried to talk to her. It would be like someone screaming in your ear loud enough to make you deaf, but in her head. The best case would be her getting a really nasty migraine, and the worst would be internal hemorrhages. Her mind is not strong enough to fit my voice.]
[But we are talking just fine.] Thorn held up his finger up to ask Peregrine to pause her questions as he continued talking to Vento.
[Sure, but you’re not a halfling. Or a human. Or anything else that I’ve ever seen. In fact, I seriously don’t know how you are here, because I heard from my mom that you all died out a long time ago.]
[What do you mean we died out?]
[Eh, I dunno. Mom just said that you all died. Or left. Or something. Way before my time, so I can’t help you more than that. Hey, do you have any more of those things? What are they called? And where do I get more of them? I’d take a whole cart full if you have them? Can your magic trick summon a whole cart full?]
[No, sorry. But I still have around a hundred.]
[Ooooh! Ooh! I’ll trade you, uh.] The Emperor of the Sky turned his head, looking around the top of the mountain. Spotting one of the large rocks nearby he gave a cry of excitement and waddled over, picking it up with his beak. Coming back to Thorn he dropped it in front of the Titan with a loud boom.
[Take a look at this big, uh, rock. It's, um, really heavy. And this...] Looking around again, Vento did not see anything else that he could trade with Thorn. Luckily, Thorn saw his predicament and stepped forward to save him.
[Thanks, the rock is great. It’ll make a good seat. But how would you like to earn a whole pile of pastries?]
Freezing, Vento’s head swiveled around, fixing a large eye on Thorn. Standing nearby, Mina gripped her wand tightly. Unable to hear the mental exchange between Thorn and Vento, Thorn’s teammates were quite nervous every time the massive Imperial Roc moved. As for Peregrine, the halfling was still standing to the side, staring in shock at the Emperor of the Sky.
[A whole pile? How big is the pile?]
[If you help me out, I’ll give you a pile as big as me. Pastries piled up to my head.]
[Deal.]
[Don’t you need to hear…]
[Deal!] Vento interrupted Thorn abruptly. [No taking the deal back. If you take it back I’ll drop rocks on your castle. And you have to give them to me first. And they need to be hot.]
*ding*
Hati’s Honor: Completed
You have found yourself facing Peregrine, Avatar of Tyra, the Storm Eagle. Proud and aloof, the Storm Eagle has little interest in the affairs going on in the world below. Show the majestic lord of the sky that you are worthy of her gaze by convincing one of her stupid and greedy subjects to be your friend. Should you do so, she will allow Hati to pretend that he has the best avatar, even though hers is still better. In order to count, the subject must be able to carry you.
This quest is your third [Avatar Challenge]. As you adventure around Nova Terra, it is your responsibility as the Avatar of Hati to represent Hati in challenging other Avatars to contests of strength and feats of valor. And, occasionally, petty acts of vandalism. A challenge will be generated when you come within a certain distance of another Avatar. For a challenge to be recognized as legitimate, it must be openly announced to the Avatars involved.
Reward: Increase Hati’s Favor
Reading over the completed quest, Thorn was still not sure what had happened. Across from him, Peregrine’s mouth got even wider as her avatar challenge quest updated. Unable to speak, she lifted a trembling finger at Thorn who just shrugged.
[No problem. If you come with me I can make sure you get them tonight.]
[Okay, no problem.] Fluffing his feathers with happiness, Vento began to waddle toward the side of the mountain. Looking down toward the valley floor, he suddenly stopped and backed up awkwardly. [On second thought, I am going to wait up here. The ground is way too close down there.]
[Yeah, I guess it is. I can bring them up here, but it might take me a little longer?]
[That is fine, as long as they are hot.]
[I’ll be back with the pastries tomorrow morning, okay? But don’t worry, they’ll be hot.]
Nodding his head with excitement, Vento gave a trill and, tucking his wings in, settled himself down on the flat part of the peak to wait.
“Mind filling us in on what is going on?” Velin asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Thorn and the Emperor of the Sky.
Sharing his completed quest, Thorn gave Velin a thumbs up.
“Seriously, what just happened?” Peregrine had a confused expression on her face as she stared at the remnants of the pastry in Akira’s paws. As far as she knew, Thorn and the Emperor of the Sky had not communicated at all. Instead, Thorn had just fed the Imperial Roc some snacks and then they became friends. At the very least she had been expecting to see Thorn pantomime something but it looked more like the Emperor of the Sky had traded a large boulder for pastries.
Gesturing for the others to follow him, Thorn told Vento mentally that he would be back in the morning and began to hike back down the mountain. They made good time going downhill and soon arrived back at the citadel. Along the way Thorn filled them in on the basics of what had happened by passing them short notes. Gathering together in the throne room, Velin gave them one last overview of the plan before they split up for the night.
“We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Thorn, you’re taking care of the pastries right?” Velin snapped her notebook shut. “Good. Mina, you, Thorn, Akira, and I will be going on this quest, so make sure you are not late. Corvo, do you need anything? You’ll be in charge here by yourself.”
“What? Don’t you trust me?” Corvo winked at the Elven War Priestess and slung an arm around Peregrine’s shoulders. “Believe me, I got it covered. Plus, shorty here is gonna help out since you don’t need her.”
“Hey, get off. What do you mean I’m going to help? I’m not sticking around this crazy place.” Brushing Corvo’s hand away, the halfling scowled at him and began to walk away.
“One hundred gold a day to patrol the valley and the surrounding three hundred miles. And we’ll pay for your companion’s food.”
Her foot was just about to cross the threshold when Peregrine heard Corvo’s offer. Freezing, she considered it for a moment and then, almost without appearing to move, appeared next to the avatar of Huginn.
“All of her food? As much as she can eat?”
Corvo looked over at Thorn who gave a thumbs up.
“Yup, as much as she can eat.”
“Deal!” Peregrine reached out her small hand, slapping Corvo’s outstretched palm as if she was afraid that he was going to pull his hand back. Grinning happily, she flitted out the door, letting out a piercing whistle as she went.
Bemused, Corvo stood there with his hand still outstretched for another moment. Scratching his head, he looked between Thorn and Velin.
“Don’t worry about us. I know she seems pretty flighty, but I can vouch for her. With Peregrine keeping an eye out and me holding down the fort we’ll be in good shape until you get back. You worry about your quest, we’ll handle the valley.”
“Very well. If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
Making his way down to the fortress’s kitchen, Thorn found the head Wolfkin cook preparing the menu for the following day. Each day a large amount of fresh food was brought into Moon Wolf Citadel, much of it ending up in the fortress kitchen. In order to ensure the quality of the food the head cook liked to personally choose th
e menu for the next day. At a small table in the corner four cooks sat around a small table playing a card game as the apprentices bustled around the large kitchen under the direction of the other cooks, cleaning and prepping for the frenzied activity that would arrive in the morning.
The kitchen itself was a large semi-circular room with a large set of ovens and stoves set against the flat wall. Storage rooms and shelves of goods dominated one side of the room and racks of dishes lined the walls. A quick scan of the room revealed that there were more than sixty five apprentices currently scurrying around the kitchen at the direction of the twenty-five cooks.
A tremendous amount of food was required to feed Moon Wolf Citadel, and the majority of it came from this kitchen, going straight to the cafeteria where the guards and servants ate. The head cook, in addition to being responsible for setting the menu, was also responsible for making meals for Thorn and the other officers of Nova Luna.