Escape
"You stop goddamit! Don't you know you can't escape this place is warded up the wazoo, you can't ran maggot stop ruining my day, the city Lord is here tonight, breaking your contract is much worse than you think it won't end well bastard." A perversely dressed Devilman yelled in the foyer of the arena whilst the customers were running out, a few of which had fallen to the ground and were being trampled upon.
The Devilman also directed a few of the Royal Corgi Penghou to follow him they were trying to find Shaka in the chaos of bodies. "Stop!" A man who was running was whipped by one of the guards, causing them to swarm the poor soul.
Screams echo through the main street as bodies battled each other to get to away from the danger in The Grand Arena building. Shaka legged it alongside a group of young men who were laughing while running as hard as they could to go through the doors.
Dashing passed the door Shaka made sure to check his direction, he eyes leet with a street sign directing towards the market away from the slums in the south. His figure drew the attention of a few Crusader City guards, who simply pointed and whistled at the remarkable speed Shaka was running at one even said " I wonder if he has a succubus at home haha yeah! you go man whoop whoop!"
As he came upon the market, the shops were selling their goods as usually all the people fully engrossed in their own problems, even the guards here seemed wholeheartedly undisturbed by the chaos from the arena.
Shaka slowed looking for good cover to allow him to travel through the city stealthy, being penniless meant conventional means are a no go. At the corner of his eye Shaka spots a diminutive figure(Beastmen) with long brown ears one dropped half over to just above her left eye, she was hopping along pulling a cart ladened with all types of unprocessed minerals.
Shaka took careful steps towards the girl. She tensed up as Shaka was blocking here path forward. "Little lady how about I the magnificent Shaka help you out a little you seem to be really struggle with that?"
Her head moved up and down as her eyes covered every inch of his body her gaze to innocent to be lustful still Shaka felt a bit embarrassed as he had no shoes or shirt on.
Her stammered as said " I do not have any kay, so I wont be paying....neither will aunty...i mean Madam Blanca...this is her stuff I'm bringing you better hurry out the way or she will fine you....now run along kay."
She puffed out her chest fully adamant that she had effectively dealt with Shaka the swindler. As tried to hop forward, basically knocking into Shaka.
"Look I do not need money I just want to help you for information I'm lost and just want to make my home okay now give the cart." A small scuffle between the two broke out disrupting those behind them one man in a horse drawn carriage tried to yell for some guards.
Shaka and Chelsea both at exactly the same time at the sound of the man shouting guards said "Shit not right now."
A disgruntled finger was waving in the general direction of the cart, as three city guards begun to make their way towards them.
Shaka cleverly switched up his tune " I, I, can't wait for THE GUARDS to get here maybe they can help me find my way home." Chelsea could not believe what she just heard "kay kay, I will tell you what you want to know, there is nothing Blanca does not know, if you gets us to her shop quickly she might even pay you a little something she is after all very big person."
Dust could be seen as Shaka hurriedly pushed the cart passed Vimbay General store, a sort of landmark as it had been around since the before the markets inception.
Around the corner next to the green groceries store, a small black walled shop smoke coming out of the 16 foot tall chimney. Inside a short stocky build red bearded women. She was hammering away at some red steel forming into a tool of sorts. Her trapezius muscles bulging out her back. Her draconian figure nestled close to the furnace.
"Chelsea, what took you so long i have been waiting almost an hour for you girl have you any idea how difficult it is to run a business? The gold we could lose cause of your tardiness is nothing to joke about I have a huge order to fill and no hands to help, now girl get moving. Hurry up and bring me the coal and be quick silvers a wasting."
Shaka coughed a littler to let his presence be known to the owner of the shop. She jumped up her gaze already conforming everything she needed to know. "I don't have money for an extra employee, plus with your frame you could only last a few days, so I don't wanna waste my time or my copper on the likes of you human."
Chelsea countered saying " free labour for a few days might not be the worst thing right now, he might help you finish the order at the very least, if we are lucky he will die to the flames of your furnace."
"Chelsea their is too much too do and too little time to do it in."...
Clank!
Clank!
Clank!
Shaka had moved towards one of the heated blades on an anvil and started hammering away Blanca turned to him in fury and spat a ball fire towards...
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"My Lord I'm sorry we have been unable to locate the sacrifice, the contract bonds must have been damaged in the fight as he managed to walk out the front door." The Ringmaster was sweating profusely as he delivered the news to City Lord Vikus Van Merwe.
The city lords thick greasy fingers, moved slowly to grab the ringmaster by the neck. Pulling the ring masters whole body closer and whispering in his ear, " I want that sacrifice found it been a long time since someone survived the first round."
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Chelsea moved her ear out of the way as she saw the fireball moving towards Shaka. She didn't even have a chance to yell out to him. The fireball moved swiftly hitting the giant furnace next to the anvil. "I see you have some talent young man who taught you to forge boy your I tell by your cadence you have been this for a long time." A wicked smile had drawn itself on Blanca's face, her teeth each a different mineral, nostrils flaring with smoke almost as if to eat him.
Shaka pointed to a picture above her workshop on the wall. "The saint taught you that's not possible, he has been dead for over ten thousand years, you must be crazy or something."
Shaka thought in a slight worry could he have spent ten thousand in The realm of the fest, he shook his head In denial it didn't feel that long. "I'm serious I found his legacy in a cave in Lumeria."
"So your from a lower realm, how did you make it here, it should be possible without..." Her hand moved towards his bare chest, a slight thin layer of mana covered her hand, she used it to make signs. With two of fingers pulled out a black plate from Shaka's heart.
Her whole body started shaking as she read it, she was also muttering to herself. "Shaka I think we should have a talk upstairs."
Shaka followed the draconian Blanca upstairs, the room was simple with a round table and four chairs, a book shelf in the corner and a specialist blacksmithing tool. Blanca signaled him to take a seat. She pulled out two cub from above the bookshelf, poured some wine she drank her slowly as she tossed over the plate
Shaka grabbed the plate and looked at the Sanskrit writing on the plate, it phased into a language he understood
Name: Shaka
Rank : F
Ancestry: Creator
Class: Destroyer
Job : Legendary constructor
<Omitted>: 1
Exp:99.9%
Champion of Lord of life, his chosen son.
Inheritor of Lord Gu, The First Heretic.
The information on plate meant little to Shaka or was just a different way to understand The same old stats, however when he read the last two lines he saw knew this plate was special. It was his first solid clue that his experiences are part and parcel of this world system, he had been doubting it for a while now since he was still not in his body, thou his spirit had solidified upon arriving in Crusader City.
Blanca said "If you said you were a champion early I would have been more than willing to help."
Shaka nearly choke on his wine as he asked "Really is that true? Can you really help me understand what is happening to me?"
Blanca took another sip before saying "Yes those of us in the higher realm are born of God's and demigods, higher life forms and all manner of Celestials we all have the spark that might allows to ascend to the heavens one day, what is your goal?"
"To return to Lumeria, to be with my family, to build a home for them." Shaka voice cracking as the deeply emotional heartfelt words left his mouth.
"Thats should not be to hard, as long you fulfil your spirit quest given to you by our Lord. Since your a creator you should be able to work here and make yourself some armors and weapons for your quest, I offer my forge however you will have to work here for awhile to pay off the materials costs you use." Blanca tried to sound as reassuring as possible by changing her voice slightly it, with a glint of gold in her eyes.
Shaka said "It can not be too long, I have to find clues from to Mount Deacon, that is where my spirit quest lies. Have you heard of them before?"
"Only in fables and bedtime stories, however the library at the root of the world tree in "ia" It is the land of High Elves, they have viciously guarded the knowledge inside. I can help you find the way but it won't easy, in fact most of us are here because we have been unable to complete our spirit quests. While I'm not sure what the most of those mean being a creator is something I myself aspire to become, which is why I'm willing to help you. Maybe I can get some clues."
Shaka took it all in I guess it something, he rubbed his eyes and spoke while looking at the roof " I guess I have no choice but accept your help Blanca, by the way do you think I can really make it back for real just be straight with me I do not want to work towards a goal that will be forever out of reach."
"I don't see why not you are in your spirit form as you pass through the gates to the lower realm, their runes will create the structures needed to survive in that realm. Thus even if you return to Lumeria you should be fully intact if that's what you mean. If you want to stay thou you need a complete spirit which is only achievable if you finish your quest."
Blanca grabbed her beard slowly messing with the braid on it, a habit she developed many years ago when she was an adventure it had been a long time since she felt a fire in her soul.
Downstairs Chelsea was packing away all the minerals she hard brought earlier, she listened carefully too make sure no one was in sight, then began unpack special ingots from the cart.