24th Zi'da 718
There he stood, overlooking the waving tall grass of the plains. The sun was setting on the first healthy trial he'd had since overstepping, casting its last few amber lights across the empty Zi'da sky. What the mage was about to do would change him fundamentally, physically and mentally. With such a powerful force overriding his mind, who was to say that the person he knew himself to be wouldn't cease to exist? How could he know that this wouldn't kill him? How much of him could the beast rip away before he wasn't Fridgar anymore, before he was something else entirely? That was why he spent the whole day with Bellator and the whole evening just watching the wild, it could very well be his last chance to see it.
As the sun set, the cold grip of Zi'da embraced his blood-caked form. In one hand, he carried a gore-spattered Terrendyte Broad Axe, still dripping the rich crimson of his foe's lost life force. In his other hand was the head of his kill, the creature dull enough to attack him on such an important day; a stekir. He didn't so much as shiver in the cold night, his resolve the stuff of legends. With an exhale, Fridgar lowered to one knee and laid his weapon and trophy on the ground. From his pelt, he drew the necessary totem and channeled his ether into it. Just a trill later, the totem burst with strands of flesh, chips of bone and sheets of skin, forming his own body before him. The totemic Lothar grinned. "So, it's time, then?" It asked through a toothy smile.
Fridgar nodded once before dropping to sit on the cold, damp grass. "What do I have to do?" he asked plainly without quarrel. The totemic lothar knelt before him and leaned forward. It made sure to hold eye contact with the face it shared, asserting their bond. "Return to the corner of your mind, the one that you tucked that cage away." Fridgar complied. Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and straightened his back. There, he took deep, slow breaths and cleared his mind of all the clutter. Slowly, the world around him broke away and left nothing but an empty black in its stead. He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled, then looked about the dark world he'd created. Nothing.
Then, a ray of light shone in the distance, highlighting the thick iron bars of the cage. He shivered just seeing it again, but pressed into his palms and rose to his feet regardless. Carefully, quietly, he approached. One careful, calculated footstep after another. The contents of the cage were hidden to him by a thick, inky black that no light seemed able to pierce. The beast had always been a vicious one, forceful and aggressive. Many times, it had tried to drag him into that cage, all of which he fought off with tooth and claw. Now he walked toward it with the intent to embrace the animal within.
Still nothing. No sign of movement, no sound of breathing, let alone growling and snarling. "...Now what?" He asked into the void. "Now unlock the cage." His own voice whispered back from the darkness, loud and warm in his ear. Fridgar shifted his weight to take a step forward, but hesitated for a trill, then stole himself to approach the chain and padlock.The door of the cage was simple, standing perhaps ten feet tall and half as broad. The door was locked with a thick chain wrapped around the bars of the door and main body of the cage, nothing to bind them but a heavy padlock as big as his fist.
He took the lock into his hand and inspected it. The body was a bright chrome, lined with brass markings that he didn't understand or even recognize. With a heavy sigh, he stole himself again and pulled lightly on the lock. All it took was that much force to snap loudly, then shatter and fade to dust. The chain held in place for as long as it took the lock to completely disappear, then it fell to the floor with a heavy thud and the loud clash of metal links. Something stirred. The sound of growling and shifting emanated from the cage. Fridgar took a step or two back and held his ground, his whole body tense. Silence fell again, a pause? Then, the door of the cage very slowly drifted open.
Then, a thick, large, clawed paw mate entirely of white, vicious wisps stepped on the black floor of his meditative void. Its form stood out in the darkness of his mind, but was somehow completely concealed by the suffocating blackness of the cage until it stepped further from the shadows. Its head became revealed to him, made of the same vicious white wisps as its paw, a bear with jet black eyes; a grizzly bear no less. The more it revealed itself, the more he came to recognize it before it stood before him, eye level. This was it, the grizzly bear he'd slain to take his first totem. "...You released me?" it asked, its voice deep and calm, almost soothing. Somehow, it felt akin to a parent now, or perhaps his guardian?
"I did." Fridgar spoke as he watched the animal, his heart racing despite his composure. The beast sat, then nodded. "...Then you know what we must do." it spoke with a heavy air of absolute. "And if I've changed my mind?" The lothar began to shake, his breathing turned ragged. Somehow, this entity both scared him and brought him comfort. "...You cannot." it spoke simply. "...You let me out, it is already done." Then his shaking stopped. His brow furrowed in confusion as he stared at the beast. Then, it broke apart and flew at him faster than his eyes could register. The Entity seized him and quickly wrapped his whole form in its light. Pain overcame him in the sea of white. A deep, powerful pain that wracked his whole form, his very core, his soul. He shut his eyes and growled, then roared in anguish. "...Do not fight me." The entity's voice sounded in his ears... And he obeyed.
The pain ceased. When he opened his eyes, he saw through the eyes of the entity. His form, his soul was gone. "...We are one now, Fridgar." He spoke. "...I am Alpha. Stay with me and we will dominate all other living things. This, I promise."
Fridgar opened his eyes in the waking world, face to face with his... Lothar totem, the form he currently wore. Why? There were so many stronger forms, more comfortable forms. Why did he subject himself to this weak body? "Well?" His totem asked before being dismissed, falling into its natural state on the floor. Fridgar collected and stowed it before unfurling into a massive willow redbear. His flesh moved like fluid, very quickly taking such a different shape. As he turned to stand on all fours, his body shifted again into the solghannon, a powerful reptile from the west which dragged its belly across the floor and bit through plate armor like bread. He took a couple steps forward before his form shifted again to an enormous black panther, which moved with such swiftness and skill; the llewnos. And, with the roar of a lurker of the plains, he declared himself the unrivaled alpha.
There he stood, overlooking the waving tall grass of the plains. The sun was setting on the first healthy trial he'd had since overstepping, casting its last few amber lights across the empty Zi'da sky. What the mage was about to do would change him fundamentally, physically and mentally. With such a powerful force overriding his mind, who was to say that the person he knew himself to be wouldn't cease to exist? How could he know that this wouldn't kill him? How much of him could the beast rip away before he wasn't Fridgar anymore, before he was something else entirely? That was why he spent the whole day with Bellator and the whole evening just watching the wild, it could very well be his last chance to see it.
As the sun set, the cold grip of Zi'da embraced his blood-caked form. In one hand, he carried a gore-spattered Terrendyte Broad Axe, still dripping the rich crimson of his foe's lost life force. In his other hand was the head of his kill, the creature dull enough to attack him on such an important day; a stekir. He didn't so much as shiver in the cold night, his resolve the stuff of legends. With an exhale, Fridgar lowered to one knee and laid his weapon and trophy on the ground. From his pelt, he drew the necessary totem and channeled his ether into it. Just a trill later, the totem burst with strands of flesh, chips of bone and sheets of skin, forming his own body before him. The totemic Lothar grinned. "So, it's time, then?" It asked through a toothy smile.
Fridgar nodded once before dropping to sit on the cold, damp grass. "What do I have to do?" he asked plainly without quarrel. The totemic lothar knelt before him and leaned forward. It made sure to hold eye contact with the face it shared, asserting their bond. "Return to the corner of your mind, the one that you tucked that cage away." Fridgar complied. Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and straightened his back. There, he took deep, slow breaths and cleared his mind of all the clutter. Slowly, the world around him broke away and left nothing but an empty black in its stead. He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled, then looked about the dark world he'd created. Nothing.
Then, a ray of light shone in the distance, highlighting the thick iron bars of the cage. He shivered just seeing it again, but pressed into his palms and rose to his feet regardless. Carefully, quietly, he approached. One careful, calculated footstep after another. The contents of the cage were hidden to him by a thick, inky black that no light seemed able to pierce. The beast had always been a vicious one, forceful and aggressive. Many times, it had tried to drag him into that cage, all of which he fought off with tooth and claw. Now he walked toward it with the intent to embrace the animal within.
Still nothing. No sign of movement, no sound of breathing, let alone growling and snarling. "...Now what?" He asked into the void. "Now unlock the cage." His own voice whispered back from the darkness, loud and warm in his ear. Fridgar shifted his weight to take a step forward, but hesitated for a trill, then stole himself to approach the chain and padlock.The door of the cage was simple, standing perhaps ten feet tall and half as broad. The door was locked with a thick chain wrapped around the bars of the door and main body of the cage, nothing to bind them but a heavy padlock as big as his fist.
He took the lock into his hand and inspected it. The body was a bright chrome, lined with brass markings that he didn't understand or even recognize. With a heavy sigh, he stole himself again and pulled lightly on the lock. All it took was that much force to snap loudly, then shatter and fade to dust. The chain held in place for as long as it took the lock to completely disappear, then it fell to the floor with a heavy thud and the loud clash of metal links. Something stirred. The sound of growling and shifting emanated from the cage. Fridgar took a step or two back and held his ground, his whole body tense. Silence fell again, a pause? Then, the door of the cage very slowly drifted open.
Then, a thick, large, clawed paw mate entirely of white, vicious wisps stepped on the black floor of his meditative void. Its form stood out in the darkness of his mind, but was somehow completely concealed by the suffocating blackness of the cage until it stepped further from the shadows. Its head became revealed to him, made of the same vicious white wisps as its paw, a bear with jet black eyes; a grizzly bear no less. The more it revealed itself, the more he came to recognize it before it stood before him, eye level. This was it, the grizzly bear he'd slain to take his first totem. "...You released me?" it asked, its voice deep and calm, almost soothing. Somehow, it felt akin to a parent now, or perhaps his guardian?
"I did." Fridgar spoke as he watched the animal, his heart racing despite his composure. The beast sat, then nodded. "...Then you know what we must do." it spoke with a heavy air of absolute. "And if I've changed my mind?" The lothar began to shake, his breathing turned ragged. Somehow, this entity both scared him and brought him comfort. "...You cannot." it spoke simply. "...You let me out, it is already done." Then his shaking stopped. His brow furrowed in confusion as he stared at the beast. Then, it broke apart and flew at him faster than his eyes could register. The Entity seized him and quickly wrapped his whole form in its light. Pain overcame him in the sea of white. A deep, powerful pain that wracked his whole form, his very core, his soul. He shut his eyes and growled, then roared in anguish. "...Do not fight me." The entity's voice sounded in his ears... And he obeyed.
The pain ceased. When he opened his eyes, he saw through the eyes of the entity. His form, his soul was gone. "...We are one now, Fridgar." He spoke. "...I am Alpha. Stay with me and we will dominate all other living things. This, I promise."
Fridgar opened his eyes in the waking world, face to face with his... Lothar totem, the form he currently wore. Why? There were so many stronger forms, more comfortable forms. Why did he subject himself to this weak body? "Well?" His totem asked before being dismissed, falling into its natural state on the floor. Fridgar collected and stowed it before unfurling into a massive willow redbear. His flesh moved like fluid, very quickly taking such a different shape. As he turned to stand on all fours, his body shifted again into the solghannon, a powerful reptile from the west which dragged its belly across the floor and bit through plate armor like bread. He took a couple steps forward before his form shifted again to an enormous black panther, which moved with such swiftness and skill; the llewnos. And, with the roar of a lurker of the plains, he declared himself the unrivaled alpha.
