Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ender of Universes, Ripper of Throats, Consumer of Lettuce, Rightful Ruler of the Burrow, Master of All, and the Most Fluffiest Amongst Royalty looked upon all he wrought and rejoiced for it was good.
The giant golem, now in pieces, didn’t really agree, but the thoughts of lesser creatures didn’t really affect Slathor the Younger. The only opinion that mattered to him was the Provider of Headpats and Food.
He came upon the young human when he was just a small one, ready to make his mark on the world and declare himself its ruler. Alas, it was rather hard, with only the tools provided to him by cruel Mother Nature. But then he came and everything became clear to Slathor.
He would ally with the Provider of Headpats, and would, with his help, conquer the world.
And lo and behold, his genius plan actually worked. Food Provider gathered servants from all around the world, ready to obey all of his commands.
They fought many battles, against foes that would have taken great effort previously to defeat, but now with the support of his army and the training his loyal servant provided him, Slathor was ready to fight anything.
Deer thinking beyond their stations? Slathor was there to show them the error in their thinking with his powerful kicks and teeth sharp enough to tear apart armor.
Miscreants aiming to kill his servant? Slathor would slaughter them to the last. After all, if his servant died, who would provide him with his royal feed? Who would clean his burrow? Who would chase away the annoying fox playing tricks on him with his illusions?
Admittedly, the small blue human was equally good with providing headpats and feed, but she was connected to something that gave even Slathor nightmares.
Tentacles just weren’t natural…
And now he stood before the great circle, created by the servants of his servant, welcoming him to its embrace.
It would change him. Make him stronger according to his loyal servant. But Slathor was hesitant. What if he lost his luxurious fur? His powerful kick? His sharp teeth? His magnificent aura? What would he become? Would the snake laugh?
“Come on, Slathy, don’t be afraid. It’s perfectly safe!” came the reassurance from his servant, who once again butchered his proper name. But Slathor would forgive him because he was generous royalty, and he felt that his servant’s loyalty should be rewarded.
Casting one last glance at the smiling human, he bared his fangs, expressing that he would return, and calmly hopped into the middle of the ritual circle, ready to accept whatever was to come, with a calmness that was the trademark of exalted beings such as he.
Soon, he lost sight of his servants as the fog of mana engulfed him, and then even thinking got harder.
A few moments later he succumbed to the darkness, ready to face whatever happened, because Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ender of Universes, Ripper of Throats, Consumer of Lettuce, Rightful Ruler of the Burrow, Master of All, Denier of Fear and the Most Fluffiest Amongst Royalty was ready to face anything no matter what happened.
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She was a Great One, older than the universe, older than some concepts. She did great things, small things, and even medium things. She wandered all over the universe, mostly doing whatever she felt like, but sometimes she felt like sleeping, instead of curling up in a distant corner like her compatriots, she much preferred to sleep in odd places.
In the core of a star, hidden in the sand falling in an hourglass, driving whoever measured time with it to madness, a solitary tree on the top of the mountain, grass on the lawn of an emperor, rocks tumbling through silent space, wind caressing empty planets and so much more.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
And this time, she had a great idea. What if she slept in the shadows of a world?
Thus, she did so, found a random world, and nestled deep into the shadows, enjoying the calming cold and soon she was asleep.
However, when she woke, nothing was the same.
She was in an extremely small container, and when she tried to strain against the barrier, she found that unless she brought forth her full power, whatever contained her wouldn’t budge.
Instead, still half-asleep, she cast her senses out of her cage and took in the world.
Apparently, while she slept the eons away, somebody found her body and managed to lock it away in an egg. An egg that would soon become somebody’s familiar if she read the currents of Fate right.
She grinned and ceased straining against the shell of the egg. Being somebody’s familiar sounded like an excellent distraction from the eons of boredom.
So she settled down and began waiting.
Not much time later - she didn’t really count - she felt the first tendril of mana seeping into the egg, looking for purchase. With another grin, she extended a minuscule sliver of her own mana and grabbed the searching tendril.
Nobody heard it, felt it, or sensed it, but the moment the mana and her own power touched, she intoned one sentence in a language nobody remembered, or ever spoke.
“I accept your deal!”
The connection was forged, and she escaped the shell that had tried to imprison her, taking up a form that the locals wouldn’t count as dangerous and beheld her new ‘master’.
She was perfect.
Thus, Puffball, now named by her new ‘master’, jumped into the lap of said ‘master’ and began purring.
‘I really should do this more often…’ she mused as she gave in to the blissful feeling of her fur being gently combed.
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Looking up at the bored human that Puffball called master, she had an idea. Interfering with humans was usually frowned upon. Not because somebody would punish them, but because humans were annoyingly innovative, and if one of the weirder ones got a whiff of her and her kind’s existence they would do everything to reach them and ask for power.
She didn’t mind. She loved watching them fumble around with phenomenal cosmic power for a few minutes before exploding. They always made the funniest sounds. But her… brethren didn’t like it, and whether she liked it or not, they had the power to annoy her. And she hated that.
But, if she was careful, then she could help her ‘master’ and annoy everybody! A win-win…
So, acting as the felines on this planet, she managed to get her ‘owner’ to follow her. Arriving at a spot where even those annoying fey stopped watching them, she quickly looked around with her senses and before anybody could spot her little mischief, she slashed forward and opened a door to a place where she knew her ‘master’ would receive the training she needed.
Plus, it would annoy those assholes. So once again, a win-win situation.
Puffball, first of her name, so loved when things came together.
She didn’t really know who locked her away, but if she found them, she would thank them first, and only then would she erase them from existence.
No matter how much she enjoyed the current situation, messing with somebody’s nap just wasn’t done!
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They were many. They had many eyes and they watched.
They watched the Mistress. They watched the nest. They watched the stone and wood forest where the nest was.
They saw many things. They didn’t understand them, but the Mistress was patient and taught them many things. In turn, they protected the Mistress and made sure that the nest was clean from anybody who dared to invade it.
They accompanied the Mistress when she went for a walk; they were there when the Mistress talked with the other two-legs. They didn’t care for the other two-legs, but they still watched. Mistress must be safe.
Sometimes, stupid two-legs tried to harm the Mistress. However, the Mistress was smart, and they saw that the two-legs were eliminated. They learned.
Then they started asking questions.
The beings the Mistress was talking to weren’t called two-legs, but humans. They were actually ravens. The humans all had names. Mistress had a name. They asked if they had a name.
Mistress asked if they wanted a name?
They didn’t know. Mistress was patient and told them that she would give them a name when they asked for it.
They accepted the gift. They continued to watch.
They learned the language to better protect the nest and Mistress. Mistress rewarded them with tasty morsels. Much better than the others in the sky that inhabited the stone and wood forest. A city. They were in a city.
They learned. Mistress taught them language, letters, and numbers. They watched and read and their Mistress wrote it all down. They were proud.
Still, they watched and made sure that Mistress was safe.
Another human, the one smelling of the wind and shadows often visited. They watched him but didn’t follow. Mistress trusted that one. They didn’t. But Mistress ordered and they obeyed.
They made their own nest. They showed it to Mistress. Mistress was happy and gave them many twigs. Mistress was kind.
They watched from the nest and protected it.
Many humans came, and many wanted what they protected. But they saw everything, and they spoke to Mistress.
Mistress always rewarded them. They were content.
Still, they always watched, ready to protect the nest and Mistress.