Chapter -02 Prospect

From: Pod Record of Player Diego 'Luca' Torres

"That rat bastard!" Enzio cursed. "No good, cowardly, piece of shit!"

"We don't know what happened," Belen sighed out. Any bite she might have had at their friend's habit of jumping to conclusions was mitigated by the desolate feeling she would be experiencing at the sight of their camp.

Not that Luca could blame his sister. He was feeling pretty dismal himself.

The room itself hadn't collapsed, thankfully, but that was where the good news ended. Their stuff had been scattered all over the place, packs knocked over and their contents strewn across the room. Their extra clothes were filthy, but did not appear damaged beyond that. Not so for their tents and bed rolls, all of which had been used as chew toys or ropes for tug-of-war by either the wolves or some any other creatures that had passed through. They were shredded and would need to be replaced. As would their tools, utensils, and other miscellaneous items that had either been chewed to pieces or destroyed because large creatures did not care where they stepped.

All of that could be replaced with little cost. The adventurer lifestyle took a toll and those were common casualties in the wild.

More costly were the sealed jars of spices smashed open, their precious contents mixed with dirt and barely more than splotches in the carved room. Those would set them back a silver at least. Which brought their total cost to at least two gold, half the amount they'd made in the year since they'd begun playing God's Nature.

Once more, Luca's eyes shifted down to the shield held under his arm, its metal bent and torn from where jaws bigger than his head had sunk in and torn it from him, taking his arm with it. 

It was still usable, technically. His skill could still expand it, and it covered most of his body, but its weight was off and there was a hole at the top that made a great window for him to see through... or get an arrow through. His armour, however, was a total loss. It had been pried from his body and lay as little more than shards of metal scraps. Of their weapons, both Enzio's spear and his sword had also been ruined. The former shattered and the latter warped into a an angle that made it unusable except as a very poor boomerang.

Months of work, of saving and growing stronger, all undone in less than twenty minutes. Through no fault of their own. It was easy to understand Enzio's desire to blame Kaisar when all they had left to show for their trouble was a ruined room, a dungeon roused against them, and a pile of half eaten corpses. Including theirs.

Luca shuddered at the memory and refocused.

"What happened is that fox bastard ran for it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him, he was sketchy from the get go."

"He stayed behind," Luca argued, but there was no strength in his words. "He didn't have to."

"That was probably bullshit too! Probably just wanted us to clear the way for him."

"Maybe," Belen sighed again, pocking at a pile of soiled clothe and wrinkling her nose. Even if they hadn't been torn, it had been left in the dirt for a week and that was plenty of times for bugs to make their home.

"We can check to see if he collapsed the tunnel," Luca suggested and all three looked toward the tunnel deeper into the dungeon, the darkness looming as a gaping maw. All three of them shuddered and Luca's grip further tightened on his shield. He pushed on though. "Maybe he ran, maybe he didn't. We won't know unless we check. Even if he did, its not like I can blame him. We were trying to run too."

"We were trying to run together," Enzio pressed, gesturing around the destroyed room. "We fought as a party and should have fled as one. But we didn't. You want to think the best of him? That's fine, but don't think of him as one of us. It's clear he didn't think so."

Luca grimaced, not liking the idea that the genial and helpful fox beast-kin had been so... craven. Yet he was unable to argue. There was a distinct lack of any of the man's supplies in the destroyed room and there was no corpse in the killing pile outside. 

Had Kaisar fled first? Sure, but they'd also panicked. At least he'd moved. They'd stood frozen in shock and fear, unable to react to the shocking arrival. That's how Belen had gotten hurt, loosing her cool with the arrival of the wolves and not noticing one lunging for the coati beside her. Enzio and Luca hadn't been any better, only starting to move when she'd gone down.

He'd liked the big guy. Towering as he was he had a gentleness that made it hard to be intimidated. You could see it when he handled his beasts. He ensured that the fox got fed just a bit extra or would spend an hour just brushing her fur from the dirt it naturally accumulated in the tunnels of the dungeon. Nor was it a secret that half the reason he wanted to set up inside the dungeon itself had been because he wanted to get his snake out from the cold. Sometimes, when they were talking, Kaisar would absently reach up and scratch the snake to comfort it and he didn't even seem to realize he was doing so. 

And that was to say nothing to the effort he'd put into helping them. At least seventy five percent of all the digging needed to excavate the tunnels had been handled by him alone while the three of them were at university. He might not have dealt the most damage or killed the most coati, but he sill helped in combat as best as he could. An off-tank with solid utility that let Luca focus on his job while trusting his sister and friend wouldn't be left alone.

Kaisar had been good to the animals, good to the party, a hard worker, and had saved their lives more than once. It was hard to picture Martian as the sort of man who would betray them like that, even in fear. Luca remembered that large back, barely lit in the tunnel, damaged leg and hands sinking into the ceiling of the tunnel. He'd admired the older man even as he'd left him to guard their rear. Even if it was only temporary, Luca well knew how terrifying monsters could get. More so now than ever before. 

That feeling, that admiration, was hard to let go.

"Let's say he did run," Luca pointed out. "How? His leg was injured, remember? You think he could outrun those monsters?"

Enzio didn't have an answer for that, and Belen asked another relevant question.

"Let's say he did manage to get away and come back here for his stuff, what then? He just.. left? Left after all his hard work clearing this dungeon? When its perfect for his leveling? That doesn't make any sense."

"Then what? What else could have happened, Bel? Because he sure as hell ain't here and neither is his stuff."

"My money is still here," Luca said, identifying the small pouch he kept in the boot of his bag. It wasn't a lot of money, but it wouldn't have been hard to find if the beast-kin had looked. "Is yours?" They looked and their own coins were untouched, though Belen did have to half dig hers out of the dirt. "So he didn't rob us."

"What about the dungeon?" Enzio suggested. "Maybe he sold its location?"

"Then how did we get here first?" Luca asked in return. "It's not like contacting a guild is hard."

"Maybe he wasn't able to before he logged back in? They'd be on their way now." Enzio was grasping at straws and they all knew it.

"Maybe he wasn't logged out at all," Belen suggested, looking at her dagger in contemplation.

"How did he survive then?" Luca asked again.

"No, I mean what if he died but wasn't logged out by the system." Both Luca and Enzio gave the woman shared looks of befuddlement. "Well, what if he was using both filters? If he was on the Toon setting then everything would be less 'real' right? If the game didn't think it would cause him health issues, it would have let him stay. If he didn't log out after he died, then he only needed six hours to come back to life instead of thirty like us. He comes back here, thinking he'll find us, but we don't show up."

Luca wouldn't have blamed Kaisar if he did use both filters. He'd almost put the second one on himself while sorting through the... pile outside. The smell alone had been enough to convince him to never go for the 'realistic' setting instead of the 'animated' one he used.

"...What Sanctuary was he synced to, anyway?" Enzio asked and it was a fair question.

"He said he was heading to the Bone Wall so he was probably coming from the north so... Cheustille? That's the nearest one."

"I think it's a little closer than Yvron. And he's on a retirement cycle," Luca suggested. "If he stayed in game this entire time, that's what? Four, five days he could have been waiting here?"

"Then where is he?"

That was the million Real question, wasn't it? Where was the Martian? Had he fled, leaving them to die? Or were they thinking the worst of a man who'd done his best by them, even sacrificing his life to give them more time, fruitless as it might have been? Luca didn't know, and that sat with him. It settled in the corner of his chest with the realization they couldn't call the other Player because not a single one of them asked for his contact information.

In a way, the Guardian hoped the fox beast-kin had betrayed them in some way. It would make him feel better. Yet the more he thought on it, the more he realized that the Martian had been nothing but helpful, kind, and tolerant of their suspicion. That made him feel worse, because he realized there was a very real possibility that the man wasn't there because of the way they'd treated them.

"We can't do anything about this now," Belen eventually sighed. "If he shows up, we'll talk. And we'll know if he sold the dungeon's location soon enough. For now, lets clean up and take stock. We'll need to go to town for some stuff, but I would rather do it all in one trip so we can get back to the dungeon. We might be on a limited time window."

"Got it."

"I think I can get my spearhead on one of the shovels," Enzio muttered, eyeing the tools they'd carved with Sculpt to help removing dirt from the dungeon. 

One had been chewed on, and another was snapped in half, but the third was undamaged. It was another thing Kaisar had done for them, Luca thought as he eyed the Sculpted wood. He didn't say anything though, and just set to the grizzly work of clearing out their resting place.

It took four days before they were ready to explore the dungeon once more, though slightly under-equipped due to lack of funds. Neither Kaisar nor a guild showed up in that time and it didn't take them long to find where he had collapsed the tunnel. The large hole proved it hadn't been particularly effective as far as blockades went, but there was no doubt that the man had at least done as he promised in that regard. 

Beyond that? They never saw nor heard of the gentle Martian again.

Editor Note: From Luca, inserted upon his request. 

We didn't stay in the area for long, only surviving another week before being killed once more by the native coati. The expanded tunnels of the dungeon, thanks to the wolves, made traversal easier but nothing could save us from the dungeon spirit. We were targeted, focused on now that it knew we were there. We died quickly to the onslaught. 

We tried again, barely lasting a day before we were swarmed by two dozen of the coati. Giving up our leveling area, we sold its location to the Derm guild, making a tidy sum. Enough to outfit ourselves with better equipment than we had lost. Even had coin to spare. We continue to play God's Nature to this day. We won some, and lost plenty. We killed and died in turn. Made some great friends and more than one bitter enemy. We've laughed a lot and cried once or twice, yet on the whole it's been fun.

The Martian beast-kin? We didn't forget, but he was just a little story we'd talk about sometimes. Our lives did not revolve around him and had barely known him for a month. Sometimes we'd bring him up, but only in passing. We'd wonder what ever happened to him and his pets. An unanswered question, that's all Kaisar was to us. An anecdote. 

So you can imagine how shocked we were to see our faces in a vid. A vid about Kaiser.

I've watched the entire show. Of course I have. For all it is surreal to see how things went, having met him, Jorry, and Cuholy so early in their story, one thing sticks out to me. Kaiser... the world he saw, that he sees, is completely different than what I see. What I saw. The facts are there. They line up, but something is... off. Not wrong, but not right either. It might just be my memory playing tricks, and the footage supports him not me, but I can't help but feel some things don't line up just right.

Since I can't give specifics, I'll just give my impression. To us, he was kind. He was helpful. He was open and honest. Kaiser might have been a Beast but Kaisar, as we knew him, was a good man. A good man I remember thinking, more than once, looked a little lost. Sad. 

Empty, maybe.

I think that is why we never connected the dots. The man we'd known for a month was so different from the Beast we heard about that connecting the two was impossible. 

After all, the gentle Martian could not be that monster.

******

From: The Pit, Part 2: Warnings

"You need to imagine it." Gaven spread his arms wide, as if to encompass the sky and the land within his reach. "All this, everything that you can see here, all ours."

"Truly, a bounty of riches, this dirt is." Awns drawled sarcastically.

As if to punctuate the mage's point, to their left a tumbleweed bounced along, blown by the wind over the rough terrain. They weren't in the most inhospitable regions, not even close, but they were closer to the Crags than not. In the throws of winter the land was dry and dead, a grey sheen of dust covering the entire area, drowning out any color the hardy vegetation might have brought. 

Their mounts cared little, being hardy creatures their six legs had carried them over much rougher terrain than this small stretch of road between the nearby town and their destination.

"Okay, this part isn't that impressive," Gaven admitted with a light laugh. "But you cannot deny how much Banukeita will prosper with an entire March under our control."

"The technical term is Patrinal."

"Patrinox or Marquis, it doesn't matter," Gaven waived off his vice guild leader's pedantry. "What does matter is that it will be ours."

"Yet is the cost worth it," Awns argued, pulling up closer to the guild leader. "We are investing enormously. Manpower. Materials. And time. All for a piece of land Leidon never owned and would have sold away for the right price. Land, need I remind you, that puts us between Leidon, Calderine, and the Bank's new city. Our reward is more work, to act as their shield."

"I know that," Gaven sighed, ignoring the twitch at being reminded of how close they were to the Bank's 'city.' "I knew that when I accepted this quest. But you do not understand, Awns. This land, this Patrinal, it is just the beginning. For everything."

Awns continued to look doubtful so Gaven decided now was the time to lay out his true plans. Or at least the start of them. They were far from the halls of power and those that resided there in and could see for kilometers around. They would not be overheard.

"Let's ignore the material reward for now. Ignore that this land might be barren now, but trade is only growing and as the Patrinox I'd be able to tax it all."

"You? You'd leave me to do the actual tax work. Again."

"Ignore all that," Gaven continued with a smile, not denying the accusation. "Ignore the money. Only fools focus on money. Think bigger. What does being a Patrinal get us?""A vote on the council," Awns answered easily. Gaven was unsurprised. His lover had probably realized that before he did. "Yet it is a single vote. One of hundreds."

"But it is a vote. A Player vote. The only Player vote. Ever. It gives us a say, sure, but more importantly it gives us weight. Weight with other Players. Weight with the Natives who want to curry favor with Players. And that gets us more votes. More and more, until Banukeita has more say than any other guild in all of God's Nature."

"Natives are not dumb, Gav," Awns cautioned. "You might see that, but so do they. They will not allow Players to get to that point."

"That's what you are missing," Gaven snapped his fingers, mouth spread in a predatory smile. "That's what they're all missing. You do not understand how big God's Nature is going to get. How many Players will come as word spreads and we iron out the kinks. Kinks like a fast travel system?" Gaven shot Awns a knowing looking.

"Considering most who start God's Nature don't keep playing due to hardship? Hundreds of thousands," Awns admitted. 

"Try millions. Hundreds of millions. And where will they go? The ambitious will go to the frontiers. But the majority? Those who join after we make God's Nature easy? They will stick to settled space. It is safer. Well known. Optimized. Convenient. And Leidon, the first starting location, with its solid infrastructure and safe lands, will be their favorite destination. They will be looking for places to level and grind. For adventures that aren't too dangerous. Where they can have fun, do a bit of combat and crafting and feel good about themselves. And we will make that place. A haven for Players. Players that will outnumber Natives by at least two to one. Players with a structured growth path that outpaces everything this world has ever known. I would love to see Leidon try to control us when we are our own superpower."

Awns was quite for the rest of the ride and Gaven did not disturb him, letting him mull over the scope of the plan. He was realistic to know that while he provided the ideas and direction for the guild, it was Awns who would be the one responsible for most of the day to day work that would see them succeed. It was the mage's focus on practicality and process that would see the creation of the Player paradise Gaven envisioned. 

One that would put the Banukeita Guild at the top of this world.

The silence lasted until they reached their destination.

"This is not a valuable use of our time," Awns called out as he slid out of the saddle of his bowren, Urak. He was gentle with the bovine-like creature, even feeding it some of the berries he carried in a pouch along the saddle. "We have already spent considerable time on supplying and gathering for this expedition. A pointless digression like this eats into our resources."

"You say that now," Gaven shot his lover a grin as he slid off his own beast of burden. He was careful not to hurt it, heeding their Beast Master's warning about he limits of his skills. "But if this pans out you will be singing a different tune."

There was an unspoken agreement not to bring up the plans they had discussed before.

The pair had left their troupe a few days behind to ride ahead and to the south of their planned route for this little excursion. They were still technically within Leidonian territory, but on the absolute fringes. A nearby village, barely large enough to hold a Sanctuary, had been discovered in the westward expansion Players had led and barely integrated into Leidon's structure. They were wary of outsiders, especially ones astride monsters and bearing weapons, but they had at least pointed the way toward Gaven's target when asked.

The building stood alone upon a dusty hill, not a shrub to be seen for leagues. In fact, from Gaven's position, he could look around and see not only the small town they'd passed through, but also well into the distance. So much so that Gaven's enhanced senses could faintly make out the dust kicked up by their guild mates, the hired mercenaries, and the baggage train that followed them. A great procession of thousands of people, all bent to his purpose.

"It is precisely because there will be no change whether this pans our or not that I caution against it."

"You are the one who says I should learn more. So," Gaven gestured up the hill to its summit and the stone house upon it. "This is me. Learning."

"Learning in the manner of Croesus of Lydia, perhaps."

"I have no idea who that is," Gaven admitted as they began their ascent. They did not bother keeping their voices down. They would have been heard coming from much farther away.

"Lydia was an ancient kingdom in Asia Minor," Awns began to lecture and Gaven let him, scanning the area. "Very wealthy, it is the first confirmed case of metal coinage we have. Croesus was its king, so wealthy that the term 'rich as Croesus' is an idiom still used in certain parts of the world today."

"What happened to him?"

The house was carved in the Leidon style, even Gaven could tell, with its columns, triangular summit, and long porches half covered and half exposed to the winter sun. It was not large, despite there being clear room for expansion, and was a single story with two rooms, maybe three. The windows were interesting in the fact that they had shutters that were designed to be opened and closed from the tops and not the sides. That was not commonly seen in Leidon houses and were almost exclusive to Player created homes.

"The story, apocryphal as it is, goes that on the eave of an important war Croesus went to the Oracle at Delphi, asking for whether he should continue. The Oracle replied that if he did so he would 'destroy a great empire.' Believing this to be that of his foes, he fought. He lost, and Lydia was destroyed by Cyrus the Great and the Persian Empire."

"So..." Gaven drawled, the smile on his face taking possible bite out of his words. "Prophesies are self fulfilling and you shouldn't read into them?"

"No," Awns sighed. "Prophecy is inherently pointless. If something is predicted, it will happen or it will not, just as it would have before the prediction was uttered. Knowing about it will simply have you looking for it. Humans are creatures that assign patterns and meaning where they do not exist."

"Gotcha," Gaven smiled and raised his hand, knocking on the stone door. "Good thing we're not here for a prophecy."

The girl who opened the door was young, possibly only in her first or second century, pretty, and had the wide eyed look of someone who was simultaneously nervous and admiring. Gaven's Knowledge, much lesser than his vice guild leader's hundreds in the stat, still gave him an explanation.

#

- Earrings in the upper left year. Likely a Player.

- Recognizes Gaven Keita and Awns Ki Geb.

- Likely followed same rumors of an Oracle.

- Likely has a prophecy Nature.

#

"Pardon us, we are looking for Dermine?" Gaven kept his smile gentle and warm. "We were told this is where they live?"

"Sorry, Teacher is out for-" The woman began, but was cut off.

"Let 'em in girl." The barking order came in from deeper in the house, wizened and reedy. "Some men can get the run around. This ain't one of them."

Gaven smiled as they were led toward the far room, a tight place with barely enough space for the pair of men to stand shoulder to shoulder as they faced a figure in a chair, half hidden by shadows owing to the lack of windows or other light sources. They were bundled in heavy blue clothe, so much that not an inch of skin was showing, and their voice was androgynous enough that their gender could not be identified either.

"Get," Dermine barked at the girl once they'd been shown in and she complied, closing the door behind her. They were left in total darkness and it was only thanks to their enchanted bracelets that let them see in the dark that prevented them from running into objects. Faint details such as expression or colour were lost however.

"You were expecting us," Gaven remarked pleasantly.

"I'd be a piss poor Prophet if I didn't expect you, wouldn't I."

"So you are a Prophet?" Awns asked, academic curiosity overcoming his distaste. "As in, it is your Job?"

"... Yes."

"Fascinating. If you do not mind me asking, is it tied to a deity? Or self actualized? Has it proven accurate in the past and to what degree? Have Players changed things?"

"... No god. Don't know. It's accurate to the degree it tells me. They've lowered odds but not disproved predictions."

"So it is probability based." Awns leaned back and Gaven could tell, even in the darkness, that he was satisfied. "It is tied with the Overmind, in all likelihood."

"If you know us, you know why we're here," the guild master of the Banukeita took the opportunity to bring them to the topic at hand. "What will it cost us?"

"You can't offer anything of worth to me boy," Dermine snorted. "No, you'll take Euphon with you, leave her in Calderine, and that will be payment enough."

"Euphon? The girl?" Gaven asked, interested. "She's a Player right."

"A foolish one, but aye, a Player. One that cannot stay here. You bring her to Calderine before you head north, and don't tell anyone about her or me. Do that and I'll answer your questions."

"Deal." Gaven did not need to see to know Awns was giving him a look at agreeing so quickly but the guild leader ignored him.

"Ask."

"Is this quest even possible? Will the centaurs let us pass? Is the capital still there? If it is, is the Fulcrum still there and is the key to the Archs still inside? What opposition will we face?"

"The quest is possible, aye. And the Voxun spoke true, the centaurs will not attack so long as you keep within five and five ylms of Kharak Toul. The capital, Karkos Ulm, still stands at the source, ruined and lesser yet still great. It will devour you if you are not careful. The Fulcrum is destroyed, has been for centuries, but in its ruins you can find what you seek. It is a stone, no larger than your fist, of the darkest black. Monsters will be common, and the Blessed will be just as dangerous."

Gaven let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't been scared of the challenge, not really. He had simply been afraid that he would be chasing an impossible goal and spending the wealth of his guild on a fruitless endeavor.

"The greatest opposition you will face is your own folly." The prophet warned gravely. "Step not beyond Karkos Ulm, for therein lies madness, disease, or the Guillotine City. Step not beyond five and five ylms or into the waters of Kharak Toul. Step not into any Sanctuary between the sacred river and Leidon upon your return. Do this, overcome the dangers, and you shall succeed in your quest."

There was a moment of a silence as the Players waited to see if Dermine would continue, and when he didn't Gaven felt a grin grow. His time hadn't been wasted, they'd received useful advice and warnings he'd heed, and established contact with a potentially useful Player.

He'd rub it in Awns' face when they were alone.

"'Madness, disease, or the Guillotine City,'" the vice leader repeated and Gaven could imagine him running his hand under his chin in thought. "The former is the Mountains of Madness, correct? Then logically, the other two are to the north and west of the capital."

"...They are. Yet the world and it players is not ready for the Guillotine and the one who can mount the disease is not yet here. They will have their time, but we are too early."

"If you know all this, and Prophet is a Job, how was so much was lost during the Woe?"

"... The Job has high requirements. The temperament to not use it for one's own advantage is one. We can not know things, only ask questions. Our answers are never what we wish them to be or what was, only what is or might be. Délaash does not grant this insight easily, nor to only the Blessed."

"Ah, the existence of more than one Prophet invalidates the possibility of complete accuracy."

"...Yes. However..." 

Here Dermine paused, considering their words, and finally spoke a sentence with the tone of finality of someone who would not speak on the subject again.

"...Délaash is neutral in all things. Prophets are not the only ones who can ask the questions."

With that ominous declaration, the hermit ceased speaking and nothing they asked would gain another answer. Instead, they directed the Players to leave the cramped room. Outside, they found the girl waiting, a few packs at her feet and an eager look in her eye.

"So we're leaving?" Euphon asked with a lively smile.

"You do not want to say goodbye to your Teacher?" Gaven asked taken aback by the enthusiasm.

"We did already, before you arrived. Told me I was to go with the next group they talked to. Since Teacher didn't let me chase you off, that means it's you guys."

"Why do you need to get to Calderine?" Awns asked as he retraced their steps outside of the house.

"My cousin is starting there and we're meeting up with my aunt as well," the young woman admitted easily. "I've been cooped up here for waaaaaay too long. I asked her to take me with her and that's the easiest place to meet."

"And your Teacher?" Awns asked. "Where is they going?"

"...How high is your Knowledge?" Euphon asked after a moment, impressed. "Wait! Don't answer that! I shouldn't know. But yeah, there've been more people findin them than before and its only a matter of time before someone troublesome shows up so they're leaving now. Teacher didn't tell me where they were going either, so I don't know."

A shame. Having access to a diviner, even a limited one, would have been incredibly useful for the Banukeita Guild's prospects.

"Understandable," Awns said, hoisting himself up on the back of his bowren. Urak did not react, standing there placidly until it received direction. "Players do not have the same bias against monsters as Blessed but there would still be plenty who would want to kill one with a Job. It would be worth more than a few levels."

Gaven paused, one foot in the stirrups of his own mount as he looked toward his vice guild leader.

"Dermine was a monster?" He would admit that the idea of returning to kill the creature did cross his mind at the revelation. He'd been stuck in the early two hundreds for a long time and finding anything that could increase his level would be incredible. He shook off the temptation. It wasn't worth alienating a potential prophet in the making, not when there would be plenty of opportunity to increase it during this quest. "I thought monsters couldn't get Jobs?"

"They can, though it is really rare, limited to those who live amongst the Blessed for a long time," Awns explained. "As for what type of creature they were, I could not say." 

He sent a questioning look at Euphon who shrugged with a helpless smile. 

"Be that as it may, if the populace learned of monsters with Jobs, particularly one as potent as a Prophet, they're would be calls for another Katarizo. A purge," Anws added at the blank looks he received. "A systematic cleansing of society of the 'dirty.' The last one was some four centuries ago. It is an interesting phenomenon in a society with limited options for permanent punishment and the reason I know monsters could hold Jobs. Do you wish to ride with me or Gaven until we reach the guild?"

"Definitely you," Euphon nodded, slinging her bags behind Gaven's before hopping lightly to sit behind the mage. Then as if realizing her words could be considered insulting, she looked at Gaven. "No offense, but I'll probably have the opportunity to ride with you later so I should take this chance while I have it."

"None taken."

Gaven gave a smug smile at Awns as they started their path back toward their guild and the mage gave put upon look of acknowledgment. They'd gained actionable intel and an in with a Player with a very useful Nature. 

This had been a productive use of their time after all.

******

From: 'The Beast' Season 2 Spoiler Free Live discussion room 004

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>[Moderator] To remind everyone, not only is this a Spoiler Free room, but it is also a Category 2 one. That means no personal insults or overt sexual references. If you want to engage in those, please move to a Category 4 room. Do not make me come back in here. 

PS: Also, please, please have some self preservation. If not for yourself, then for the rest of us.

>Oooooh, they're in troooobleeee~

>I only caught the end of that. WTF was that all about?

>Well, I understand half of it. After all (Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Chocolate Bunny!!) some people are just horny. The hate? That I don't get at all. I like Cuholy. She's cute.

>A hare.

>She's a hare.

>Don't call her a bunny.

>Yes Jack? This one right here. He said the B word.

>I love how easy it is to tell who's played God's Nature from someone whose just watching the show.

>I'll answer the question, instead of just feeling smug: you should look it up. We can't give the details here, as it is major spoilers. Be careful if you do look into it, it is heavily tied into... everything. If you want a non-spoiler: Jack has a positive reputation in the community. Cuholy is more... controversial. It wouldn't be wrong to call her hated or reviled. The exact reason is a spoiler but if the show keeps going it will be very clear why. (Also, you should really not use the B word. Jack isn't the easiest Beast to attract the attention of but she's the second worst one so it isn't worth the risk.)

>I'll let the story tell me.

>Speaking of, while I appreciate the increase in action this season, I can't help but worry that they're stretching it out. Like, don't get me wrong, I like a slow build up as the next girl but if they're only going to be one season per season then we'll be here for decades.

>That's what season originally meant, back when vids were attached to limited channels. They'd get one 'seasonal' slot and they might not get another. Now-a-days its more along the lines of the number of produced episodes than any actual restrains.

>Thank you, Mr. Obvious. I do agree, though. It doesn't feel as long because of the Pods, but this is years we're talking about. Not all of the shit he got up to will be interesting. I don't care about all this travel, and if I am forced to watch him grind levels I'll blow my brains out. If I wanted that I'd have tones of streams to choose from.

>I trust Helen. She hasn't gone wrong yet.

>I guess. I'll hold my judgement till we get to the- Whoops. Almost attracted mod mommy again.

>You caught yourself, so it's fine. I know what you were going to say anyway. Yeah, I'm only sticking around till then. I want to see how he did it. I'll make my judgement after that.

>Well, I am having fun. I really like how Kaiser is surrounding himself with creatures he embodies. Like, the snake comparisons are obvious but I think 'Cunning like a Fox' also fits. It tickles my funny bone.

>He is... hungry like a wolf.

>One could also say he is... Mad as a March Hare Puts on sunglasses

>What are sunglasses?

>Ancient tools used to keep the sun out of peoples eyes so they wouldn't be blinded. You see them sometimes in God's Nature on children in Oro. Sometimes they come back for fashion reasons.

>Wouldn't that get in the way?

>This was before they had nanocells so they couldn't filter light automatically.

>Also they did not have Hoods so there was nothing to get in the way of.

>This digression has made me profoundly sad. I am going back to my hole with my retro crime vids.

>Awwww, don't be like that. I thought it was clever.

>I don't need no pity.

>That's a double negative, meaning you do.

>No, seriously, it was clever. You don't get a lot of old Albionian sayings these days.

>While you rebuild a fragile ego with niche taste, can someone settle something between me and my wife?

>Yes, she has seen bigger.

>Yes, the dress makes her look fat.

>No, chartreuse and pear are not the same colour.

>Hardy har har. Though the last one is pretty close to the question. So answer me this: what is Kaiser's ethnicity.

>WTS

>Oh damn, one of those.

>Mod mommy? Yes, this one here.

>I'm serious. I don't mean in like a judgement sort of way, I don't give a shit there, I mean in the literal sense; what is his coloration? Because he looks caucasian to me. Tan, sure, but he spends a massive amount of time in the sun. But my wife claims he's indian descent.

>That's crazy.

>Martian. He's said it a bunch of times.

>You both need to get your eyes checked. You're both wrong.

>Martian.

>He's Martian, but it's clear his ancestors had come from a primarily black lineage. He's paler than them as most martians become without regular exposure to earth-equivalent sunlight.

>Why is everyone so wrong? He's clearly a pacific islander.

>His name is Mediterranean and he is too.

>I think he looks central eurasian to me.

>Is everyone crazy?

>WAIT! Are we even seeing the same thing?

>Before we descend into some sort of pre-Collapse pseudo-scientific racially motivated mob that will certainly attract the mods, let's change the question. What color is his hair?

>Hare*

>No, I meant hair. Should be real obvious since he's had fur for most of the season. (Before he got the fur colour changing trait)

>Black.

>Brown.

>Black.

>Dark Brown.

>Muddy Brown.

>Blue dark enough to be mistaken for black.

>Really dark blond. You can see it at his roots.

>I... think we need to expand this. Hang on, I'm setting up a poll for some of these. I'll add other things like eyes, nose, height, and so on. See if you can get others to answer.

>Why?

>Because the inconsistency it too consistent. And this is Kaiser.

>Right, this is Kaiser.

>Fuck. It's Kaiser.

...

...

...

>With over fifteen thousand responders we have come to the unanimous conclusion that Drumroll: Kaiser is two and a half meters tall. 

>And... that's it. Hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, facial features, skin markings, lip size and shape, and even eye brow shape are all over the place.

>*Two and a half meters is eight feet and two inches for our metrically impaired.

>So all we can agree on is: 1. He's tall. 2. He's dark skinned (which can be ethnicity or environmentally caused) and 3. He has dark hair and eyes.

>And (without spoilers) we know he can change those three 'facts' with traits.

>...Fuck.

>How is this possible?

>It's Kaiser.

>The fuck does that mean!

>It means that the Beast does not like being hunted.

>That shit only makes sense if this were God's Nature! It isn't. This is footage from his pod. We saw things from his eyes. Are you telling me he doesn't even know his own features?

>Helen could have edited it? Like what she does with other Players with their privacy filters? She put details in that are 'close enough' so we aren't seeing a bunch of black outlines.

>None of her edits have been inconsistent. While they might not be their 'real' features, they are still the same ones throughout.

>I don't think an Omen could do this. Not even a Demi-God. It's too thorough. Too universal.

>'It shouldn't be possible' is what you mean. Nobody has ever been able to 'change' footage recorded on a pod, just impose images over. Even then we can tell. There's just too many details, too many phenomena for any human mind and most AIs to even attempt.

>'Human mind' Eh?

>No.

>Hear me out.

>No.

>I agree. No. Kaiser's a great Player, and I respect the hell out of him being the first Ascended, but he's just a Player. All Ascended are. We know this. We see through his eyes. That is a human person. No supernatural abilities.

>I agree. There is no way for anyone, even Kaiser, to put a perception filter over everyone watching so they not only see the wrong thing, but also different things for different people. There is magic in God's Nature, but this is reality. And reality has rules.

>Sure. All correct. I agree wholeheartedly. It is impossible for Kaiser to do something like this. It should be impossible. But...

>But?

>But let me ask you this: If Kaiser can't affect the real world... why are we still calling him Kaiser?

>...Fuck.

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