A few minutes before the escape, hidden in the crowd:
???:” It's uncanny, sister! The scent is faint but it is on him”.
???:” You think he might know something?”
???:” No, I know he does. The stench of Uchawi is the only other smell coming from him and he didn’t report his encounter to the authorities. He’s hiding the encounter purposefully!”
???:” Brother. Are sure you not just mistaking the scent she had with that of the str-”
???:” Sister, with the price I paid. I trust my senses. He was in contact with her for hours. He has to know something. Trust me.”
???:”...Fine. I trust you brother. Tail them at a distance. I’ll report our findings. DO NOT act recklessly.”
???:” Understood.”
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A few minutes after the escape, in an alleyway not too far from the market:
Chuma:” Hey, umm could you please put me dow-”
Utter incensed at his attitude, Winda tossed Chuma full force into one of the walls that made the alley.
Chuma groaned in pain as he was slammed into the red clay wall
“Ow! Ok, ok, I get it ” Chuma tried placatingly at Winda. He raised his hands in a pleading gesture while continuing “I know what I did was horrible but-”
“BUT?!?” Winda challenged “But nothing! I did nothing to you, I was minding my own business AND YOU CHOSE TO EXPLOIT MY CURSE! And for what exactly?”
Despite realising it was probably a bad idea, Chuma answered her rhetorical question “Because they were hounding me?”
Winda looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and pure rage “Are you fucking kidding me?”
‘No-“ before Chuma could even finish the word. A furred albino fist rushed by the left of his head and crashed into the wall behind him creating an audible crack sound.
Winda wheeled around, her frustration growing over the situation “Why in the abyss am I in this accursed mess! It was supposed to be a day of relaxation after that horrible day of stress. But now I’ve been publicly humiliated AND I let my Hyena out all because, this pile of dung, can’t handle attention” Winda, finishing her tirade slumped up to the wall opposite Chuma and started crying as she slid to the ground and pulled her knees up to hid her face.
A pregnant pause followed, with only the occasional sob from Winda
Chuma: “Are you ok-”
“Leave.” Winda’s unstable voice interrupted.
With another pause, Chuma was unsure of how to fix the situation he caused but not willing to just leave this girl he hurt alone.
Chuma: “I’m sorry do-”
“What part of ‘Leave’ couldn’t you understand!” Winda interrupted with more force and less control than before.
Chuma: “No, clearly I fucked up and I need to-”
“You NEED to leave!” Winda warned,
It was that outburst that finally got Chuma to notice her body was changing. Her arms extended far past her robes, her hands lengthening and becoming thinner and her body growing larger and larger. Slowly her sobs softly turned into burgeoning continuous growling.
Chuma could swear she was softly repeating “Why haven’t they called out, shouldn’t they have heard me? No, they must have. They're coming, they’ll stop me, they're coming but why haven’t they called out”.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Something was terribly wrong. Chuma had only heard sketchy rumours about how Fisidamu’s ‘laughing curses’ work from pubs and bars, they were always vague and conflicting but the majority claimed they had something to do with stress and some kind of 'dire hyena'. From her behaviour yesterday Chuma could guess that she would be stressed by gaining a lot of attention but this part… this part wasn’t covered in the drunken ramblings or outlandish stories he heard. Whatever was going on was clearly bad and must have been the true reason she was upset with what he did…
Chuma, mentally:” No…No no, she clearly stated she’s pissed off about that too. But now’s not the time to self-reflect on my shitty actions. I need to help her”
Chuma: “Ummm….Madam, tell me what I can do to help!”
Her head jutted up and her rambling briefly stopped, her pupils were dilated and pitch black and tears were rolling down the sides of her face, it was clear she was fighting something…and losing.
“CAN’T YOU TELL I’M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR ROTTING CORPSE? RUN! LEAVE!! SHE’S COMING!!!”
Chuma: “No! I cause this, surely I can help”
Without Chuma’s input, a familiar Message showed up, with an addition below it.
_________________________________________________________________________
Bonus Quest Triggered:
Through someone’s clever manipulation of information and your own selfishness.
Winda has been given a similar ’fate quest’. She has the same goal as you but with different rewards. But you have let her curse free and the gods demand you suffer the consequences.
Goal:
You are being hunted. You are the only target. Escape Winda’s curse until she regains control.
Rewards:
You don’t die, among other things.
_________________________________________________________________________
“Winda? Who’s Winda?”Chuma asked nobody in particular and received a bone-chilling answer as soon as he mentally removed the quest box.
Before him stood a 3 metre tall barely humanoid Hyena standing like a human with a hunch.
It’s? Her muzzle salivating and dripping with saliva, a hungry look in its eyes and a grin spreading ear to ear. “I would be Winda” she answered in a deep feminine voice that commanded way more control and decorum than that of the original Winda “Well.. to be precise I’m more like the other Winda and I’ve been stuck in her for YEARS!” as she exclaims, she extends her arms displaying their horrifyingly inhuman length that has to be a metre long at least.“Beast mother above, it’s good to be back!”.
“Oh fuck.” Chuma comments while realising just how impossible a task he has.
“Now, now language” the Cursed version of Winda chides “Unlike my host, I don’t like swearing, though I have sworn before I swear I’ll never swear again” She tried to joke while holding one of her palms to her chest
Chuma just continues to stare while looking for a way out.
Curse Winda:” Ah… tough crowd, not even Winda laughed.”
Chuma: “Wait, she's still here?”
Curse Winda:” Of course, I was in there too” The monster tapped the side of her head with her paw “She’s probably seeing all the things I plan to do to that old bitch, ♪technically not a swear dear♪. You see my delectable meal. She wasn't pushed over the edge by your terrible actions or the public humiliation it was because she-”
Without any warning, Curse Winda slammed her face into the wall behind Chuma.
“What the fuck?” Chuma whispered, confused by the being's actions
“What the he- heck is the problem? He's a donkey’s donkey, remember? Don’t tell me you care what he thinks of you” Curse Winda complained while rubbing her wounded snout
Chuma: “Did you just call me a Asses ass?”
Curse Winda: “No, she did and despite that, she still wants to protect you and likely-”
She slams her head into the wall again.
Slowly the fear and worry Chuma had before started to leave, as the monster seemed to lack any control of its body
Chuma: “I thought you were going to… you know kill and eat me ”
Curse Winda: “I was but this bundle of social failure is protecting, and I quote your rotten ass! NO, THAT DOESN’T COUNT, IT WAS A QUOTE. YES YOU DID!”
Chuma: “I’m very confused”
“NOT YOU, YOU DAM-DARN ‘MISTAKE OF A HILL TO DIE ON’. YES YOU! I SWEAR - OH GO FUCK YOURSELF! Happy?”
On a hunch, Chuma decided to scan her but as soon as he did his vision was obscured by flashing lights and a prompt.
_________________________________________________________________________
Bonus Quest cleared:
A heavy price was paid. And Winda must carry it.
The Matriarch is the only other who knows.
Not that it matters.
Rewards:
You live, undeservedly.
_________________________________________________________________________
“WHAT!” the monster screeched
Chuma willed the message to disappear only to see the monster whaling and complaining
“HOW DID I FAIL!?! I ONLY HAD A COUPLE MINUTES TO KILL HIM?!? YEARS OF BEING STUCK IN THAT DISAPPOINTMENT AND I GET ONLY MOMENTS TO FINALLY FREE MYSELF!”
Chuma tried to quietly move away before she remembered he was there but just as he was about to turn and run she looked at him
“You.” Curse Winda spoke with venom in her throat “IF I’M GOING BACK THEN I’M CHANGING ONE THING ABOUT HER FATE BEFORE I DO” She lunged at Chuma, her massive jaw open and ready to crush his head.
Chuma closed his eyes ready for death.
There was a *swing* sound, a crack noise, and a thump as Chuma opened his eyes not to see his disappointed ancestors but non-curse Winda.
On top of him.
Staring at him.
Kissing him.
As steam surrounded the both of them.
Chuma, mentally: “What in the abyss is going on?!?”
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???:” What did I fucking say-”
???:”The kid was going to die!”