Words soon started appearing on Bud's skin, fading as he read them:
[Story Requirement has been met, along with a completion of 50%. Story can now be told around the Campfire, as long as the subject of the Story isn't around, as well as reduced ER.
Owner has achieved the Hint (The Big Man has realised and sent a creature that dwells in the cold and refuses to go anywhere lukewarm). The creature sent doesn't seem all that evil and will return each night, listening to the Owner's stories. If the Owner fails to tell a story, then the creature will be dissatisfied.
For going above and beyond (Taking an unexpected ending), the Owner has received 1 random Upgrade (NOTE: Owner will find out what when Night next falls).]
After reading the words, a slight chuckle escaped from his lips. Then, he moved to the Campfire, flopping onto his back next to him. It really did comfort him after a whole night of freezing. He almost slept next to it, until he realised something: He wasn't tired. Quickly, he stopped thinking about the reason. He needed a drink. And, looking into his personal savings that are always on him, he had nothing. Sighing, he looked into the city, knowing there would be jobs in there.
However, he hesitated, unsure if he should go in. Porea must've spread the news about him being here. Even now, he could see more people than before, more well-toned. Bud guessed those were guards and made the decision to not enter right now. So he walked closer to the town, not close enough to enter, just closer. Instantly, one of the people he suspected were guards came over.
"You not meant to enter," a man growled. He had an Olypi accentBud moved away, unwilling to deal with this person. The man said some more warnings before heading back, obviously keeping an eye on him. Bud didn't try to go back inside that way again, instead opting to walk around the town.
Everywhere he went, they blocked his entry. It was unfortunate, but Bud couldn't do anything. He would most certainly not enter the plains surrounding the town in all directions for dozens of kilometres.
For the entire day and night, he walked, looking for a way in, until he could sleep next to the fire. It was definitely more comfortable than sleeping with this blankets, like those guards still watching him. But seeing how they shivered, gathering close for body warmth made Bud think.
After thinking, Bud decided to help them. Walking close to them, Bud spoke, surprising one dozing guard, "You guys seem really cold. Do you want to come with me?"
The man who first warned him off, being the least coldest, replied for everyone's sake, "We can't sleep out there!" Bud shrugged, walking back to the Campfire. Even without looking, he could tell they were enviously looking at the fire.
He lay next to the fire, yawning. Almost dozing off completely, one of the people walked up, shivering from head to toe. It was getting really cold, much colder than normal, the man thought. "Can I rest here?" he asked, standing a bit away. Bud rolled over, seeing the guy who stopped him the first time. Bud nodded, rolling back over. He, too, noticed it was getting colder.
While the guard came closer, Bud's eyes were attracted to far in the distance, a cover of snow blocking a dark figure approaching. A few other guards joined, awkwardly sitting down around the Campfire.
The snowstorm stopped a distance away, observing. Bud sighed.
"Come here already," he said, waving her over. The guards startled out of their comforted leanings, looking around. They soon noticed the approaching white cloud.
"Story," the wind said, making them all shiver. The woman stood only a little distance away, her figure still inhuman. Audible gulps came from the guards.
"Of course," Bud said, a guitar appearing into his hands. The guards rubbed their eyes.
"What... Happen?" one asked, looking between the two.
I strummed the guitar, and a look came upon the guards' eyes. "Please, imagine... A cold mountaintop, with a starving man, cursed by the Gods to never eat again. What did he do to earn this curse?"
Although it wasn't meant as a question, one guard raised a hand, not waiting to be called upon. "Uh... Hit on wife?"
"Not quite," Bud said, strumming the guitar again. He could feel the creatures eyes narrow on it. "The King of the Gods had a beautiful daughter, one who made every man fall in love with her. There was a line of suitors, across the kingdom, for her hand in marriage. She rejected every one of them.
"She spent her entire life in a castle, locked up in her room. She only had books and stories to accompany her, only told from one of her maids. Her father, a greedy man, took the presents she received for himself. This went on for years, and the man only became more and more rich and greedy. One day, he made a statement, meant to entice more men into giving his daughter more gifts.
"'My daughter is more beautiful than the Gods!' he said, atop his castle. The Gods ignored his claim, knowing it could not be so. And yet..."
Bud took a breath, glancing over the small handful of guards plus a creature, and lowered his voice.
"It seemed to work. More people came to see, and shared the knowledge that she was, in fact, more beautiful than any of the Gods. Some worshippers even took a pilgrimage to see even just a glimpse of her, spending their money on expensive gift to please her father.
"The God's noticed the change, and found why people stopped caring for them. The father. He kept spreading word of his daughter's beauty, feasting upon the gifts. They could not stand for this.
"To punish the girl was easy. To make her hideous, into a monster no one could look at. The father? Even easier."
The woman took a step closer, her eyes boring holes into mine as she listened.
"'You may never eat again,' they said, ripping his stomach out. 'You may never have what another gives you, nor will you feel warm and safe again.' And so, he was exiled by the Gods to the tallest mountain. Any that came within a certain distance was struck by lightning, eviscerated. If food came within that distance, it was ripped away, or burned to ashes. And... Over time, his hunger made him mad. Can you imagine? Never eating for decades, or centuries, or... Longer. He came to look at the bodies as food, the smell making his stomach growl. They, too, were turned into ash, so he could not sink his teeth into it. He became a monster."
A final strum signalled the end of the story, and Bud could feel his arm itch as lines grew. The guards were shivering, yet staring at either the fire or him.
A guard spoke up. "What... Happened... Daughter?"
The woman straightened up, taking another step closer. The temperature dropped immediately, making a mist appear when someone breathed out.
"That story will have to wait until tomorrow night. For now... I think it would be best if we huddled for warmth." Bud looked at the creature, who he still wasn't sure was a woman, before leaning closer to the fire. I pulled my sleeve up, looking over the lines.
[The Fire Lighter told the story of The Greedy Father. As it is an original story not experienced, the RP total is reduced. RP granted: 0.005.
The completion rate of Cold, Night Air has gone up from 50% to 60%. Reward: Warm Jacket obtained.]
Bud could feel the new tattoo appearing on his skin, somewhere near his chest. He held off on looking at it.
The woman had, at some point, left, and now everyone was much warmer. The guards were whispering to each other in a language Bud didn't know. He didn't know a lot of languages. Any more than one, really. Sometimes less.
He only stared into the fire, feeling that something was different about it tonight. It held something other than warmth, now, but... He didn't know what he felt.
One of the guards, a man with sharp features and a misshapen nose, placed some coin in front of Bud. 'Still no enter town,' he said, before they walked off.
Bud waited until they were gone before he pulled down his shirt. There it was. A new tattoo, one in the shape of a woolly jacket.
With just a thought, the jacket appeared, already wrapped around him. It was, like the name said, a warm jacket. His shivering stopped, though the cold air still hit his exposed skin.
'Haaah,' he sighed, watching as his breath rose in a puff of air. Now that he had some money, where was he going to use it? His eyes kept looking back at the town... He shook his head, and then turned to the plains on his other side. A growling noise startled him out of his thoughts, and after a quick look around, he realised the sound had come from his stomach. He was hungry. And hunger was a great motivator to do something stupid.
***
It was afternoon, and the Moaning Duck was ready for its opening day. Kael had never had a restaurant before, but the chef's she hired were supposed to be great. A restaurant on a busy street, in the middle of the day?
She'd struck gold, when the previous owner sold so low.
'Hey, boss,' one of the serving boys said. Her brow twitched in annoyance.
'Don't be so casual, kid,' she said, her voice venomous. 'What is it?'
The boy nodded, seemingly uncaring of his impertinence. 'There was a thief in the storeroom, but when we went to check, no one was there. The weirdest part-'
Kael cut him off. 'The weirdest part is how you're talking to me, and not going after them. Have the guards been called?' He shook his head, and she clicked her tongue. The kid opened his mouth.'What are you waiting for, then? Chop chop!' The boy's eyes opened wide, as he started running. Better to nip off that disobedience before anything occurred.
Kael started her thirtieth check on the preparation of the Moaning Duck's grand opening. The walls, clean. Tables, clean. Banners, up, blowing in the wind. Posters halfway across the city. She hoped the girls put those up.
When her foot stepped into the kitchen, all previous noise died. The chef's returned to whatever they had been doing, which was hopefully their jobs. Sparing a cursory glance through every surface, she stood in front of the storeroom.
There was a noise. Her frown deepened. 'Who is in there?' she asked, and the closest chef was drowning in sweat as he answered.
'Boss, there's a thief in there. Um... We've kept it closed, since there's no other way out.'
She spun around at him, almost yelling, 'You what!?'
'Well... Um... It's just that, we all thought there'd be a better chance to capture... Whatever's in there, if we kept it closed.' He couldn't look her in the eye. How pathetic.
'Open it. I have some choice words for this thief.'
'Yes, boss,' he said, before rushing off to find something. She didn't care, so she pushed on the door. It opened onto a scene of carnage.
All of the shelves were knocked over, food spilled all over the ground. Tens of thousands of Iron Drops, wasted. But her eyes popped open when she saw the cause. It was a large dog, or at least that's what it looked like in the darkness. The only light came from the kitchen. The beast howled an almost human scream. It's webby paws tried covering it's eyes, and she felt her lunch rising up her throat at how... Human it seemed. There was a snout, she thought, or perhaps a large and jutting nose, the shape of its eyes almost an oval. The brief glance she got of it was enough for her to scream.
That, however, caught it's attention. With a roar that made her sure it wasn't human, it leapt at the open door.
A hand shot out from behind her, slamming the door shut. When she whipped around to see who it was, she felt like there was something about his face, but... She didn't recognise it under the woolly jacket he wore, his hood up all the way.
There was no impact on the door. The sound of chewing sounded out again, from inside.
The man turned to her, and said, 'If I help you, I get to take some provisions.'
Kael tried to get a word out, having never met a man so rude. All she managed to do was look like a gasping fish.
'I have other stuff to do,' Bud lied, tapping his foot impatiently.
Finally, Kael's mouth decided to work. Unfortunately, it was not the words she wanted to say. 'You... You will not talk to me like that!' He leaned against the door, crossing his arms.
'What a wonderful opening day, right? A monster- Right, a Creature of Legend, in your storeroom, and you're worried about how I'm talking to you? Typical woman.' A lantern appeared in his hand, one that stole the light from the lit candles in the kitchen. It burned, but not to him. 'One minute to-'
Stomping, and armour clanking, disrupted him. He cursed, and shoved open the door, throwing himself in. There was the beast. His arm burned as he felt the words move, reminding him of their presence.
[The Fire Lighter has encountered another story - Mutt In The Dark (0.009 EP). A hungry dog, starving from weeks without food as it was forced to undergo an experiment. This is the Fire Lighters first Creature of Legend. Beware.
Story Requirements: Get rid of the mutt.
Reward: ???
Punishment: The Moaning Duck's closure
Hint: Some things exist only in darkness.]