Winda’s perspective:
Well, this is awkward, it’s been a couple minutes since…the incident and I’ve just been following Chuma as the quest told me too…silently….awkwardly…fuck the Beast was right, I am a disappointment. At this rate he’ll think I have a crush on him and I’m following him for “creepy stalker” purposes, then he’ll call the guard then I’ll fail the quest the-
Chuma: “Hey um… I know I’ve done more than just ruin your day, but… Is there any reason you're following me?”
Ok Winda, just be calm and explain your fate quest. No need to remind him of the kiss. Focus on the quest.
Winda: “I just wanted to explain what just happened”
Chuma stopped and turned to me quizzically “The kiss?”
Winda:” Yes-WAIT NO!”
Chuma:” Oh, good”
Winda:” Yeah, talking about that would be weird, especially because you publicly humiliated me, forced my hyena out, and didn’t leave when I told you to and I just rambled that out loud didn’t I”
Though we weren’t on a busy street, what few eyes that were around were staring directly at us.
Chuma:” Yeah…you did.”
Oh beast mother, curse my mouth.
Chuma:” Honestly I deserve this after what I did”
Oh beast mother, curse HIS mouth!
My left hand collided with my face as I came to a mortifying conclusion “My fate has just been tied with someone as socially inept as me.”
Chuma:” Hey I’m not usually that bad.”
I grab the buffoon by the shoulders “Stop. Talking. We’re in public.”
Chuma:” I mean you're making it worse by making it seem like we have something to hide.”
I look up and around, and as if on cue, everyone around us quickly looks away.
Chuma:”You are a 2 metre tall albino Fisidamu woman.”
I think the lack of context we’re giving for the words they hear is worse, but I do naturally attract attention. We could just find another allay- Gods above, now that I think about it that would make the misunderstanding exponentially worse.
Winda:” Ok look, I need to find Viola and help her ‘Free her sister from her Egg’ and I know you can help. ”
Chuma:” Wait so you have the same Fate Quest?”
Yes oh, Beast mother he finally gets it.
On second thought, Why didn’t I just say that?
Not important.
Winda:” Yes, I’m fairly sure.”
Chuma:” Oh thank the gods. Follow me, we first need to go to my house for something important.”
He turned around and continued walking, his empty back reminding me his missing something very important.
Winda:” It’s your glaive isn’t it.”
He paused for a short moment, then continued walking.
”That too” Chuma: authoritatively proclaimed.
And he's a delinquent.
Metres away, on top of an empty construction site:
???: “Sister, Should we follow them?”
???:” No. Your interference has likely put them on high guard. We can’t afford to be spotted”
???: “Then what of their tails? Whatever they’ve been talking about has been getting them quite a lot of attention”
???:” Of what kind?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
???:” The noble and underworld kind.”
???:” Then we kill the underworld and capture the noble. I’m sure Semere could use their minds”
???:” Then let's make a game of it”
???:” Fine, you hunt left, I’ll hunt right. ”
Back on the street, Winda’s perspective:
We’ve been walking for some time now. In complete silence. Awkwardly
I want to talk to him but honestly, I can’t trust either him or me to not say something stupid.
We entered the main roads a while ago and while no one was hounding him. People Are looking at us…or me? No, it’s both of us, that porter just walked into a wall while looking at the both of us. Thank Ishaji, I've learned to hide my Takardar Hali.
I’ve been trying to think back on what happened in the alley (Aside from the last bit); the Beast took control, and like before I got forced into her mental chamber.
The first time it was pure nothingness with only a viewport for me to see her first rampage.
The second time… the second time the room looked like a child lived in it despite me being 15 years old. This time. This time was chilling.
The room was immaculate and high class, like the administration centres father used to work in. On one of the walls was a Painting of Jjaja omukazi clawed and so full of darts and daggers that it might as well be a painting of an Ingungumbane.
This progression showed that she was clearly growing, and resented Jjaja for stopping her nighttime rampage.
Next was that prompt I, or rather my Hyena received; it was a fate quest addressed to her and claimed that if she ate Chuma, as sadistically as she could. Our ”Roles would be reversed” with the level of control being judged by how sadistic she displayed herself.
That absolutely couldn’t stand, so I pissed her off and critiqued every action.
The second time she could control she bragged to Jjaja that I could see and hear everything she could…as well as made fun of my crying. She was and still is arrogant but she also has a for need validation for her acts, and when she saw Jjaja’s rage at my suffering.
I felt her pleasure and joy.
I really don’t like thinking about this. Remembering. But there's one last thing I need to establish in my mind:
How did I get out?
That timer showed up starting at 2 seconds while I was distracting her.
It didn’t seem right. It was like some arbitrary condition was triggered like a bee returning to its hive simply because the clouds covered the sun.
Now I have a fate quest of my own
_________________________________________________________________________
Grasp Your Fate!
Quest:
Help Viola Free her sister from her ‘Egg’.These strangers Have an interesting journey ahead of them and you may join them if you help them and gain their trust. Follow Chuma to find the twins and help them free the second twin.
Goal:
Assist Viola the |Race Name missing| in freeing her sister by feeding her inorganic items.
Generally, be helpful and assist the two in getting their bearings
Failure:
Fail to gain a level of trust with the twins
Rewards:
Your fate will remain yours.
You will gain the first rank in the unique perk “The Girl and the Beast”, “Shackled”
Punishments on failure.
Your fate will become hers.
You will gain the first rank in the unique perk “The Beast and the Girl”, “Freed”
_________________________________________________________________________
With a punishment like that, I feel like there’s a sword at my throat. I may not know what either perk does but the sentences “Your fate will remain yours.” and “Your fate will become hers.” makes it pretty clear I don’t want to fail.
Ok. so, the Beast is maturing quickly. Seemingly has a revenge plot, and can only be stopped by helping an unknown northerner hatch their sister-egg.
I stopped walking, raised my right hand in front of my face
Winda: “Just to be sure…”
And I bite down hard on my palm, causing me instant regret in more ways as I chuckle in pain.
Chuma immediately turns around, horror in his face. I quickly hide my hand and try to reassure him “Just stubbed my toe on something, it’s fine.”
Chuma lets out a large sigh of relief “Gods above, I nearly died of a heart attack.”
That was…kinda cathartic. But this, unfortunately, isn’t, a nightmare. My bleeding hand behind my back can attest to that.
Eventually, we arrived at the visual assault that was Chuma’s home.
”Well, we’re here,” Chuma proclaimed as we approached a violently purple one-story apartment block. Everything aside from the doors was an aggressive shade of purple.
“Please don’t tell me you live here” I groaned
The structure looked completely illogical; the only windows facing the street were just above the doors with there seeming to be only 1 per unit, the roof resembled foam and the doors…They were actively changing colours
Chuma: “I know it looks…visually hazardous. But the Mchawi that created the spatial apartment has a hobby in interior design and it’s much better inside”
A spatial apartment, of course, things just have to get weirder. Didn’t Aunty Chatyalani claim she used to live in a spatial house where every door insulted her?
Winda:” Alright, should I wait outside or-”
The door suddenly grew taller, just a bit above my height while the window got pushed further up.
“You kind of need to come and see this for yourself” Chuma said as he opened the door, revealing an obsidian black woman wearing what are clearly bedsheets animatedly arguing at pitch-black eggs the same size as me.
I stood just outside the open door, mouth agape and utterly perplexed at what I was looking at.
“I know they seem weird but from what I can tell they’re not bad” Chuma encouraged, completely unaware of the weirdly silent argument going on behind him.
I really don’t want to believe him, but the quest did say to follow him.
I hesitantly take a step inside.
???:“-what about our current situation made you think now was the time for one of your stupid projects!!!”
The woman stared expectantly at the egg, frustration visible on her face. Then…then she was mortified, she grasped her mouth in a futile attempt to stop words she had already said.
Something just happened and I have no idea what.
Chuma looked at me and I looked at him. I shook my head “No” but, as if wanting to break the two up from their argument at the worst possible time, he spoke up.
“I’m Back, and I brought help.”
The body and the lady turn to look at us.
_________________________________________________________________________
Congratulations!
You have found the twins
_________________________________________________________________________
Her face…Her body.. she was gorgeous.