Nicolas rummaged around the grass. He knew that he needed to cross a large mass of water, though he wasn’t certain how. For the time being, he would concern himself with the basics. As he foraging, he came across a strange new bush he had never seen before. He cautiously inspected it. He had foggy memories of another person recklessly eating a strange berry and growing sick, he decided it that he would rather not. Twigs snapped as someone approached from behind. [color=violet]“Go on, try it. It’s not deadly,”[/color] spoke a silky feminine voice. The stargazer grabbed a rock that he had sharpened when he heard the twig snap. When he turned around, he lowered it to his side, “Who are you. You don’t look like the others.” A tall white-haired woman with violet eyes and an impressive physique stared back at him, and furrowed her brow. [color=violet]“Strange. It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten the berry before, yet you’re capable of intelligent speech.”[/color] She took a few steps closer, seeming to inspect him more closely. [color=violet]“You have the touch of a divine on you… which one, though?”[/color] “Divine.” he muttered to himself. He didn’t exactly know what he meant, but he responded the best that he could, “I am.” he struggled for a word for a moment until one came to him naturally, “Blessed by the stars and their keeper.” unconsciously gripping his rock harder as they approached. [color=violet]“The stars?”[/color] she glanced upward at the night sky. [color=violet]“Hmm… interesting.”[/color] Then she glanced back down at him. [color=violet]“Put that rock down,”[/color] she said gently, [color=violet]“before you hurt yourself.”[/color] “I would rather not. I know how to handle myself.” he said. “What do you want?” He paused for a brief second, “Who gave you the power of speech?” [color=violet]“I did,”[/color] she smiled. Then she came even closer, before stepping past him and reaching down to pick a berry. She threw it up into the air, and caught it in her mouth, before swallowing it. Nicolas stood silently before replying, “You are either lying, or are you.. Divine?” he said, not understanding what the term meant. It was more an accusation than a question. “Are you akin to the stars?” She shook her head. [color=violet]“Akin to the stars? Not quite,”[/color] she said, before her voice suddenly became as deep as a man’s. [color=violet]“One moment.”[/color] Then, before Nicholas’s very eyes, her form was enveloped by a bright purple light, which quickly faded. In her place stood a man, with the same skin, height, hair, and eye colour. Even the same smirk. “What?” he said, dropping his rock out of sheer shock. He didn’t even seem to notice. “How?” [color=violet]“To answer your earlier question,”[/color] the man said, as if his transformation hadn’t happened. [color=violet]“Yes, I am Divine. As to what a Divine is, it’s an immensely powerful being capable of creating, destroying, and changing life with ease. The sort of being which might have blessed you, in fact. Though, given your confusion, maybe it was the Lifeblood - It’s never been that fond of explaining things.”[/color] “Divine, lifeblood.” he muttered, “The keeper of the stars spoke to me. He told me to go.” he cut himself off. “Why are you here? Did you make those berries? Why?” he said defensively. [color=violet]“Evandra made them,”[/color] he said in a slightly wistful tone. [color=violet]“That’s the Goddess of Fire, though I suppose you don’t know what fire is yet. Anyway, she made them, and I improved them. They’re meant to give the rest of your kind the ability to think, feel, and speak as we are doing now. Though it seems you already have that without them.”[/color] He shook his head slightly. [color=violet]“Anyway, where did this ‘keeper’ tell you to go?”[/color] Nicolas looked around, only now noticing his rock on the ground. He took a deep breath and looked up towards the stars and pointed westward, “That direction, across a great body of water, to a land of rolling hills. It will be safe there.” [color=violet]“You don’t feel safe here?”[/color] he asked curiously. “There are many dangers here: hunger, snakes, others of my kin.” he said pointedly. [color=violet]“And this ‘keeper’ told you there would be fewer dangers… wherever it is you’re going? Hmm…”[/color] he stroked his chin. [color=violet]“Well, good luck with that.”[/color] “I saw it.” he said. He pointed to a now dark region of the sky, “His sign. That star grew bright before fading from the night sky.” [color=violet]“If you say so,”[/color] he shrugged. [color=violet]“Do you want some help?”[/color] “What help could you provide?” he said, suspiciously. [color=violet]“Did I not just tell you what I’m capable of?”[/color] he asked with a raised eyebrow. [color=violet]“If I wanted, I could snap my fingers and send you to your destination right now. I won’t, because that would be too easy, so it’s less a question of [i]can[/i] and more a question of [i]will.[/i]”[/color] “You have said many things. I only know that you can change your shape. But if I believed you, what might you do?” [color=violet]“Well, since you seem so fearful of what nature has to offer…”[/color] he inclined his head toward the berry bush. [color=violet]“I suppose I could make you more resistant to poisons and other vile substances. I suspect your little quest will take you to a lot of lands with food you don’t know.”[/color] “And why would you do that?” his tone softened slightly. [color=violet]“Why have I been giving blessings to the rest of your kind? Why did that ‘keeper’ up there bless you?”[/color] the God countered. [color=violet]“I would do it because I feel like it. Because I see potential in your kind, and because you, irritating as you are, seem like someone worth helping.”[/color] “Then do as you please.” he said, slowly reaching down to pick his rock back up. The God shrugged, then reached down and touched Nicholas on the forehead. Power flowed into him, and surged down into his torso, lingering in his vital organs before dissipating. [color=violet]“There, that should do it,”[/color] he said. [color=violet]“I suppose you ought to be on your way. Don’t forget to try a berry, though.”[/color] He seized another berry for himself, then turned and walked away. [color=violet]“Oh!”[/color] he said suddenly, stopping as if he forgot something. [color=violet]“My name is Cadien, by the way. Do let me know if your quest succeeds.”[/color] And without awaiting a response, he leapt off into the darkness. “My name is Nicolas.” he muttered to himself. He glanced over to the berry brush for a moment, and walked in the opposite direction. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] Nicolas is foraging for materials when Cadien appears behind him. Nicolas is suspicious of the strange women, especially as she did not look like anything he had seen before. They have a conversation about the nature of divinity, with Nicolas mentioning a keeper of the stars and Cadien bringing up Evandra. During this conversation, Cadien turned into a man, stunning Nicolas. Nicolas mentions how his goal is to cross the ocean to the land of rolly hills as it is safer, and passive aggressively accepts Cadien’s offer to help him by bolstering his immune system. [/hider] [hider=Might Summary] [u]Cadien[/u] [b]Beginning MP:[/b] 4 [b]Beginning DP:[/b] 4 -1DP to perfect Nicholas’s immune system, making him immune to all natural poisons, toxins, and diseases. [b]Ending MP:[/b] 4 [b]Ending DP:[/b] 3 [/hider] [hider=Prestige Summary] [u]Nicolas[/u] [b]Starting Prestige:[/b] 0 +3 Prestige for being in a post with at least 5000 characters [b]Ending Prestige:[/b] 3 [/hider]