Chapter 31_TheirWorld

“Momma told me that story all the time!” Tik-tak exclaimed. “She said Daddy was following the Frost Wyrm! He’s doing important things!”

“Ohh! Is that so?” Liorax patted the happy little fox on the head.

“Wait,” Guin started, thinking. “What about the religions of the Mortal Realm? ‘The Lady’...” The name sounded too similar to be a coincidence. Was it all connected?

Wise gave an uncertain look. “To be honest... I am not sure,” she said. “When I first heard this story, I was convinced that The Lady was the same as the Lady of the Day—but it did not take me long to realize that this was not quite the case.”

“Then?” Guin asked.

The beautiful owl looked down. “You see me as a spirit now, but... I was human once, not long ago. I grew up in this forest, these woods. I would sit at the feet of a wise old man who lived in town with his kind wife. They were an old couple,” she said. “I would go to visit them as a girl and eat up the stories he told and the sweets she made. It was the wise man who told me the story of the Tenmath, and his wife who told me about the kind, soft Lady she loved and the flower that she bore. It was all very romantic.

“A new priest came to the village, however, and called them blasphemers. Their Lady was bright and fiery, a woman who would conquer those who did not follow her, who showed off her power with grand gestures and rules of purity and law. She knew no weakness. It was nothing like the Lady whom the old woman told me stories of.” The owl sounded sad as she told the story. “The reality is, there is no way to know the truth. The Lady that the Che worships is a mystery, even to the spirits—even to those who follow her, it seems. Is she a construct? Is she all of them combined into one? I know not. There is some semblance of similarities in the stories—though their Devil Lord Grukai is, like the Lady, unable to narrow down to a single persona.”

Much of what Wise was saying reminded her of what Pastor Jormund has said. Maybe Alta Noin knows more about these old stories that Wise speaks of?

“I understand,” Guin nodded. “I have a lot to learn...”

Wise smiled. “You do,” she said. “But you are not alone. There those around you now and those who will gather to you as you go about your journey, Candidate.”

“What exactly am I a Candidate for?” Guin asked.

Letting out a rather adorable hoot-like laugh, Wise answered, “Why, you are a Candidate to be a Tenmath, of course!” Then she added with a gleam in her eyes, “Why else would I be telling you this story?”

Guin’s mind blanked. “Ha?”

Liorax chuckled as Tik-tak looked at her with wide eyes.

“Guin... You’re gonna be a Tenmath?” Tik-Tak asked her. “Wow!”

“Uh...,” Guin looked at the little fox, whose eyes were filled with admiration. Shaking her head, she tried to deny the claim. “I-I can’t be a Candidate for a Tenmath! I’m not even Level 1!” Inwardly, she groaned. She didn’t want to have anything at all to do with the Tenmath. The Tenmath were all bright and shiny people who loved competition and tests of strength. They were the kind of people that went after titles, achievements, money, and recognition. The Tenmath were actual gamers. Guin was just a run-of-the-mill, casual player that was here to sight-see and collect shinies.

The owl looked at her with wide, shining eyes. “Understand, Candidate—for the ten years between contests, we spirit guides work tirelessly to gather Candidates like you to nurture into Tenmath; into Kings and Queens of the realms. Tell me, girl, you have no interest in this?”

“In being a queen? Absolutely none,” Guin answered flatly, at this point dropping her polite tone in favor of her feelings. “I hardly have an interest in being a Tenmath. It sounds like an awful lot of work.”

But Wise laughed and didn’t sound disappointed as she spoke, “Child, there is time yet. There are years ahead of you—years you can learn, grow, and come into your own. What desire for power you lack now may appear in the future, and if it doesn’t—who's to say that power is the only measure?”

Leveling her eyes with the owl, a creeping feeling of dread filled her heart. “..Can I stop being a Candidate?”

“There are ways,” Wise told her, her voice sounding very amused. “There are many crossroads that might make you ineligible. But that is all I shall tell you—for now.”

Guin pouted, but the system sounded off.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

<[History and Lore - The Tenmath] +500>

This quest is completed>>

Having this Fate Quest active enables you to receive special quests, meet special NPCs, and receive bonuses during spirit-related quests.

You have been marked.

Others with a Fate Quest of the same name can hunt you down for points toward their candidacy and will not receive a PK penalty.

You can see others who have the ‘Candidate’ Fate Quest. Killing a player with a different ‘Candidate’ quest than yours will only net half the points and will not receive a PK penalty.

This quest cannot be removed, refused, or skipped.>>

Guin felt like crying. It was great to have gained more [Spirit] and [Fate] points, but this Fate Quest was just about the last kind of quest that she wanted—and all she could do was nod and accept. So much for avoiding the player vs. player life. Since it seemed like at least the Dusk candidates were all spirit-based, too, she couldn’t even run to the Veil.

Sighing, she sent the window away. Liorax and Wise seemed quite amused by her reaction, while Tik-Tak looked rather confused.

“Alright,” Guin sighed and put her hands on her hips. Nothing she could do about it now, so she smiled and looked at Tik-Tak. “Now that that is done let’s see about your mother!”

The little fox’s eyes brightened, then welled up with tears. “Yiii...”

Turning to Wise, Guin asked, “It seems this little fox’s mother was killed by hunters from Bade. From the sound of it, she is on her way to becoming a dark spirit. Is there anything that we can do?”

Wise thought for a moment. “Every malevolent spirit has a reason. Go to her. If you can coax her to speak, find her reason. If you can solve the reason her heart turns dark, then surely, if only for the love of her cub, she will find the light in her heart.”

(Update) You have spoken to the Great Owl Wise, who has told you to speak to the spirit of Tik-Tak’s mother and find the reason for her anger. Should you solve it, Wise believes the spirit will be purified.

You have (6) Days to complete this quest.

This quest is optional. It can be skipped.>>

Frowning, Guin simply nodded. She had hoped that Wise’s advice would be a little less obvious than that, but it did make perfect sense.

“Well then,” she said and looked at a real-world clock. It was about dinner time. Before she logged out, Guin decided that she should check her notifications and character progress. Overall, she found the results impressive. Each battle she entered here was still netting her almost a level’s worth of points. In addition to the quests, she was gaining reputation and stats at a rapid pace, though she was starting to see a decline in acquisition.