Legend of the thunder lord
A request for someone special :3
Kelith, the town at the feet of the sacred mountain... They finally arrived at the destination they were supposed to be, a few months ago... we could have been there faster, thought Ithastus, the guardian wolf spirit of Yuuril, the traveling tauren shaman. It was a mismatched pair: a guardian with a shaman, garbed in cheap traveler clothing, not clashing too much with his gray fur while missing the tip of his right horn. Yuuril was a little slow for his taste; yes, he could be brave, loyal and courageous, but he could also so stubborn and foolish at times, making the trip longer than it should be. He had a quest to fill and yet he wanted to pass time in each villages, listening to the tales of the bards and minstrels; sometime, Ithastus thought that Yuuril was nothing more than an oversized child, making his presence necessary. But other times, he was surprised of the deepness of the thought that Yuuril could muster, making him wonder how he could believe the tales of the bards with such ease.
The town itself wasn't as interesting as the other towns; peasant couldn't strive here due to the climate, making the population a mix between professional like merchant and wanderers, may they be adventurer or law breakers. There was little to none law enforcement in the city, for not many people wandered in these land and the higher authorities didn't care much about them anyway.
«Yuuril, maybe we shouldn't stay in this town; it doesn't look... safe»
«Ithastus, you're always a tad too negative; this town is just bustling with all sorts of activities, that's all.»
«Activities that could have you killed»
«Now, don't be ridiculous; it's not like people in this town would take another person life for the sole pleasure of it»
He was a guardian spirit, but he couldn't intervene in the material word; the only way he could do it was by the bias of Yuuril, by talking to him. But doing so always brought some problems; people found it weird to see a tauren speak to himself, and today wasn't an exception to the rule. Maybe it was a good thing; nobody would want to face a deranged tauren, after all.
He could see the mountain at the end of the city; they only needed to gather some supplies before leaving, but it seemed like Yuuril had another idea; he watched him walk toward the tavern, wondering if he should even try to reason him or if he should wait for Yuuril to exit, after a few hours. But again, there was no point in waiting for him outside, he thought, following him inside the damp building.
A soft smell of rancid meat, urine and blood was in the air, greeting the customers; he considered himself lucky that he was a spirit and didn't need food or he would have been sick very fast. Yuuril was there, sitting at one of the dirty table; how could he do this was out his comprehension, but sometime there no need to delve deeper in some subjects. What could have interested him so much that he would have decided to stay in such a filthy hostel?
When he heard a song, he realised that it was once again a bard that was attracting the attention of Yuuril; maybe he should a find a way to make him deaf, so he would stop being attracted to them. But this one wasn't that bad, though; he could sing in a decent way and wasn't begging for money in a covered way. But he was a bland singer, knowing only about recent myths and stories that were always popular with the crowds; these songs were the same he heard in the other taverns, the only difference was that the crowd was different. Or was it really? Drunkards and adventurers from one place aren't that different from drunkards and adventurers from another place, in his eyes.
«Yuuril, you already hear these songs several times before; we should get a move on and get to the mountain»
Yuuril didn't respond to him, but did get up, a disappointed look pointing on his face; it was evident that he was enjoying the show, even though it wasn't a new thing. He waited for him and was surprised to see him take a gold piece out of his pouch and toss it at the feet of the bard.
«Why did you toss that gold coin? We might have needed it later»
«Singing does not fill one stomach; this little piece could help him sing more tomorrow»
They both left the establishment, heading for the general store; he hoped that it was a quick run, something that wouldn't slow them down even more. And he wasn't disappointed; buying items wasn't a thrill for Yuuril; he did as a necessity, but he never spended more time then needed in these stores, much to the pleasure of Ithastus. He wasn't the incarnation of patience, after all.
The mountain was the next destination; one could think that the access would be guarded, but the appearance was otherwise; seems like the death toll of the peak was enough to let adventurers venture freely on it. Frozen to death, devoured by beast, fallen in pits, died of hunger, succumbed to cannibalism... so many fates awaited the unprepared.
«You know Yuuril, you still can turn back now; there is no shame in changing your mind, after all...»
Yuuril didn't answer him, focusing his attention on the road ahead; he was close to his goal and didn't want to give in to weakness. The path leading toward the summit wasn't clear itself; there was no signs, indication nor vegetation that could be used as some sort of visual clue to advance toward the summit without walking into a death trap. The soil was sterile, cold and covered with rock; some rumours proclaimed that these rocks were worth more than they looked, but to gather them wasn't their quest, nor a real challenge... But if these were worth something, then why wasn't there any adventurer here, gathering them? Rumors like these could only help the local businesses, he supposed, following Yuuril footsteps.
He enjoyed being a spirit in this place; he could see the snow, the dying vegetation and the sharp stone and would these things couldn't affect him. It wasn't the same for his traveling companion, but he already warned him that it wasn't too late to give up and take another quest instead; maybe this obstacle would be enough to make him change his mind... or maybe not, as he watched him walk in wilderness, braving the element and the pain without caring about the consequences. Maybe he was determined, maybe he was enlighten, or maybe he was being stubborn, not willing to let his own limits put a stop to the quest; Ithastus wasn't able to know for sure even thought he was his guardian spirit.
It was getting colder as they were climbing toward the summit; he could see Yuuril shiver, even though he never thought that he could ever see a tauren starting to freeze. Small icicles were forming on his clothes and horns, forcing him to shake his head to make them fall.
He could hear the laborious breathing of his traveling partner, knowing that fatigue and hunger were tormenting him; they couldn't turn back now since the food supplies were exhausted by the days they passed climbing. Maybe a little less food could have been used, but since it was so cold, Yuuril needed more to keep himself awake and in shape. Maybe by rolling down the slopes, his protégé would be able to get down faster... but would he survive? And they were so close to the summit; there was no point in backing down now.
Although they were close, they still needed to climb the most dangerous region of the mountain, were crevasses and icy fields waited for them. He didn't care for them, but Yuuril could fall to his doom... and there was nothing he could do to change the environment; sometime he wished he had more power, like some higher spirit had.
«Be careful Yuuril; the slopes are dangerous around here. You should maybe crawl instead of walking»
«Nonsense; I will lose too much time by doing this; I would rather take a chance and let destiny decide»
Maybe it was foolish, maybe it was the right thing to do; nevertheless, the path was crossed without falling or tripping, as if a higher decided to help them... maybe one did, or maybe it was just plain luck, he couldn't know.
The summit was a rather flat, as if the place was prepared, aeons ago, for this particular ritual... or perhaps it was the ritual that created the shape of the summit. The sight was magnificent from here; even the dirty hovels were agreeable to watch.
«This is it Ithastus; I will finally be able to fulfill the quest... but what if I'm not worthy? What if my efforts were for nothing?»
Ithastus looked at him; after all, Yuuril had the right to be afraid, but after crossing the dangers of the mountain and surviving, it was to understand how he could still be afraid.
«Pull it together; you crossed more dangers then anybody would cross in their life and you survive; there is nothing that you can't do. Now go on and fulfill your goal; you worked too hard to fail now»
Yuuril smiled; Ithastus was right. The city, the mountain, the starvation, the ice, the pits... so much obstacles that he crossed to reach this destination... All he had to do now was to call the one... the one that he needed to make a pact with.
« Nameless one upon who I send my call; hear my plight. Bring me the strength I need and desire, to make one with the element you control... fill me with the same thunder that fills the skies, let me feel the power of the raging storms... hear my call!»
For a moment, nothing happened; the words felt flat, as if the deity didn't care much about the plight of a mere mortal. Then a lightning bolt struck Yuuril, making him lose conscience; it was the second part of the test, the first one being making it to the top of the mountain.
«Yuuril, I know you can hear me; I won't be able to guide you now, as the rest is up to you. You will now face it, the Nameless one, his name long forgotten, even by himself. Be careful of your answer, as they determine your fate»
Yuuril tried looking around, but all he could see was darkness; he tried moving, but it was as if he had no more body...
«Young mortal, why do you pursue this quest? Why do you seek this power? Will your life be better with it? Will you make this world a better place or will you turn it your personal playground, abusing the weak?»
Yuuril stayed silent; he only desired more power to be better and more efficient, but he never asked himself how he could put these powers to good or bad usage; he had to give an answer that wouldn't destroy him, but wouldn't make him a liar either.
«At first, I wanted more powers because I could gain more proficiency, but as I traveled the world and listened to the many tales, I realised that I could much more then fulfil my dream; good or evil, the power I seek wouldn't be only mine, but used for the others, to change the world around me»
«Interesting answer, young mortal; if you would have pursued power for power itself, the ritual would have ended right now, as there is no point in giving power to someone who doesn't even why he wants them in the first place. You have passed, but remember that even these powers will not make your life better; it the way that you use them that will determine how you will live. Now it's time for you to wake up and start your new life...»
Yuuril opened his eyes, the last sentence still resonating in his mind; a new life...
«Hey Yuuril, you have lightning pattern on your fur now; where do they come from?»
Yuuril smiled; this was indeed the start of a new life... As Yuuril Masock, the Thunder Lord.