Rexus ~ Chapter 6!

“You speak the human language very well for someone with a flat tongue!” Jaxon complimented the ancient lady walking toward him. He smiled at her, and she bared her teeth at him in return. “You have a lovely smile!”

“A what? Showing your teeth is a sign of aggression, I was returning your threat in kind!” She snarled slightly every time she hit an ‘R’ with her words.

“I see! With humans, showing your teeth like this is a sign of friendship and being polite or courteous.” Plus, it was fully an unbreakable habit now; it would take years of conditioning for him to change his ways. “What can I help you with?”

She paused for a second, thinking through his words and pondering her own. “I need to thank you for your assistance.”

“I was not seeking a reward, thank you. I also doubt that you have anything that would interest me, as I am not overly concerned with possessions, and have no real way to transport them in any case. So, thank you, but no thank you.” As his words left his mouth, the sound of thunder rolled through the area.

The ancient female squinted at him. “I don’t think you understand. We need to reward you for your help, or we will suffer the outcome that you saved us from. Is that what you want? To have saved us only to leave us to our previous fate?”

“Obviously not… but…” Jaxon hesitated. They had nothing with them that he could see, and Jaxon would feel like feel like he taking advantage of them if he took anything. He may be considered a bad person by some, but this was not a line he felt willing to cross.

“Travel with us for a day.” The crone demanded. “Knowledge can be a burden, but it can also be a wonderful reward. You seem to be in need of both, and… possibly in need of direction? I could see that you understood the rudiments of proper speech, I could teach you more, enough not to be attacked at least. Do you have anywhere else you need to be, or is this something that interests you?”

“I am…” Jaxon had nothing else going on, no real quests, and no idea what he should be doing. Being exiled from all the human settlements really narrowed down your options for information gathering. His next words came out slower than he usually preferred, since he liked to exchange knowledge quickly. “I suppose… I can do that.”

“Then let’s get started.” She turned and barked at the others, and they got moving once more. She stared at a very young, very fluffy Wolfman, who cowered away. Satisfied that he wouldn’t run off again, she turned back to Jaxon. “What is your name?”

“Jaxon.” The Monk replied brightly, extending a hand automatically.

She looked at it, then his face, and smacked the proffered hand away. “No. Bad Jaxon! Casual touch is reserved for lovers or family members. If you must touch someone, it must inflict pain no matter any reasoning you have for doing it.”

Jaxon’s eyes went wide, and smile blazed across his face. “Really? Really? That is excellent news!”

“You are… a strange human. Never before has that been heard, understood, and gladly accepted.” The crone growled deep in her throat; perhaps that was their way of saying ‘humph’? She’s a curmudgeon! Perfect, Jaxon knew there was a reason they were getting along so famously. “Now, let’s get on to speech patterns and the proper way to hold your body. When you are speaking to someone of a higher caste, you must hunch your shoulders like this and-”

“No can do! Lose my perfect form, my high shoulders and straight back just to speak to someone?” Jaxon was aghast at this suggestion, especially when they had no one available to fix the long-term issues this caused their society.

She snarled at his interruption, causing a few of the nearby people to jump away. “Insolent little…! Don’t take the advice if you don’t want it, but at least learn what I have to teach you! Close your mouth and listen.”

This was how Jaxon passed the next full day as they trudged slowly through the forest, avoiding roads, paths, and anything that might be traveled by other humans seeking them. Jaxon slept soundly and without snoring, which was commented on favorably by the others when he woke up. Apparently the louder you snored, the lower your caste. Jaxon simply shook his head with a grunt, the snoring was actually likely due to their terrible posture and snouts. Mix the physical aspect together with the lower castes who need to hunch down extra small, and you get horrendous snoring. At least, that’s what Jaxon assumed.

As their time to part approached later that afternoon, Jaxon looked over the final gains from his travel with these surprisingly pleasant people.

Skill increase: Wolfman Language (Spoken/body) (3/10). You have learned the basics of the Wolfman language, and can now speak enough common phrases to have your intentions understood.

Not a huge increase, but Jaxon highly doubted that he would have ever been able to intuit the words and postures needed in order to get to this level of understanding. Their time together ran out just as the group was reaching a crossroads. How very fitting. The crone came over to him as Jaxon was speaking to the puppies. He was being very careful not to touch them, not matter how badly he wanted to pet them. They were at about the same level of linguistic skill as he was, which is why Jaxon had been assigned to practice with them for most of the day. The silver-furred female watched for a moment, flicked her ears in a sign of approval, and motioned him over. “I have not been fully honest with you, human.”

“Ah. Is this the sudden yet inevitable betrayal? I’m about to be attacked?” Jaxon looked around, but if the enemies were stealthy at all he already knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“No, nothing like that.” She hesitated and seemed to be casting around for words. “I did pay you for services rendered, but I was also using you as an additional guard during our travels. I knew that you wouldn’t let anything happen to the litters, no matter what your personal feelings were at the time, and I used that. My debt has grown instead of shrank, but I feel that I have something that can balance the scales.”

“I really didn’t mind-” Thunder shattered the air again. Sheesh. Why was he not allowed to help? “It’s my choice to help, game! Don’t force rewards on me!” Thunder again, this time slightly more ominous and grumbling.

“Enough of that, please!” The crone was looking around frantically. She pulled a medal out of her bag, and it flared silver as she pressed it to his hand. “This is a small token of y appreciation, and should grant you safe passage through our lands. That is not the reward, for as I told you before, knowledge is often much better.”

Item gained: Token of Appreciation (Wolfman). By wearing this token, your reputation with Wolfmen will be set to neutral. This will allow you a chance to make a case for survival when they would otherwise attack on sight. After removing this token, any positive gains will be added to your actual reputation. Re-equipping will reset your reputation to neutral, though any grievances will still be held against you.

“Now, here is the information that I truly hope will be helpful.” She took a snuffling breath through her snout before continuing. “In our lands, there is a temple. This temple is dedicated to nothing, and no one. It may even be a dungeon, but it has never been proven. If you make it to the temple, a door will be opened for you, and you will have a chance to prove yourself in combat. The further you advance, the greater the reward you will be able to gain, and I have heard of powerful specializations becoming realized within.”

“I also have a warning for you. While you are within the temple, you must only use skills related to your class, else the rewards will vary wildly. You can also only ever attempt the trial once on your own. If you fail, you fail.” She was breathing heavily at this point, and needed to sit down. “Anyone is welcome to attempt the temple, but few ever even arrive at the structure. Be safe, and take our thanks with you.”