Post by Koi Sakana on Apr 12, 2020 18:51:54 GMT
Quest Link - A Crabby Feast! (Library entry on Snappy Crabs)
Summary: Koi went looking for Snappy Crabs at the Rock Pools, but she didn't find any. Instead, she found a half-drowned human man (who muttered something about a "Healing Fountain") and brought him back to the guild.
Tags: Rock Pools, Snappy Crabs, Otherworlders, Seaweed
The sky was overcast on a fair spring day. It had been several days since Koi first arrived on this island, and she was slowly (very slowly) becoming acquainted with the islanders' way of life. The adjustment was rocky, and in many regards she was still unsteady on her feet.
For instance, at the Rock Pools.
Many of the Otherworlders seemed to scavenge for food here. The sonorous ocean waves crashed against the craggy shoreline, and the tide pools were teeming with life. At high tide, the area was completely submerged, but sharp rocks were exposed when the waterline was lower.
Koi thought to herself that it would be dangerous if she slipped.
It would be scary if the rough waves smashed her illusory body on the rocks.
Absentmindedly, she bent down and picked up a piece of seaweed to nibble on. It was very salty, and kind of chewy. The fish spirit had no idea what kind of seaweed it was, but at least it was something to keep herself occupied.
What was she here for again?
—Oh right, crabs. Snappy Crabs.
Koi scanned the Rock Pools looking for any trace of crab-like things.
...But she didn't see any.
Were they supposed to be hard to find?
Koi figured to herself that maybe she ought to try a little harder. Struggling to climb up a crooked rock formation, she eventually pulled herself up a sharply angled slope. The girl panted slightly, cursing herself for her weakness. She had never felt so helpless in the past.
She felt lost and confused about her situation, frankly. In the old days, she had been a proper demon-slayer, a nearly mindless shikigami in the service of a trained exorcist. Acrobatics and handling magical weapons were supposed to be her specialty. A shikigami who wasn't strong was... useless... and didn't have a reason to exist.
Koi wasn't sure if there was still any reason to her protracted existence.
Why was she here, anyways? Slowly leaking magic until she faded away?
Koi peered into a crevice between two large rocks.
All she found was a hermit crab that promptly scurried away into a hole.
—Not a snappy crab.
She sat down on an elevated rock near the steady swell of the ocean tide. The spray of ocean water was foggy and drenched her hair with salt crystals. Koi pulled up her knees to her chest.
Maybe she should wait?
One time, a huntsman had told her that patience was a hunter's virtue.
What exactly was she supposed to be waiting for, though?
The passive-ness of doing nothing felt...
...disappointing.
Koi was staring at the waves when a lump of something (?) washed up with the tide. Was it a piece of driftwood? Perhaps a crab floated up ashore?
The girl slowly pushed herself to her knees and stretched her legs.
Maybe she ought to take a look.
Koi hopped her way through the rocks. She only traveled a couple feet before she realized that it was... a person! A human man!
Also totally unconscious!
"I was hoping to get a crab..." Koi muttered under her breath.
The man groaned and coughed a few times, choking on water.
Koi stood there wordlessly and stared. Was she supposed to do something in this situation? Perhaps there was some kind of human ritual protocol that was supposed to be initiated in this particular circumstance? Unfortunately, Koi had never been trained by her Summoner on the niche matter of resuscitating almost-drowned human men.
"Hi, I'm Koi, it's nice to meet you." She decided to proceed with the typical human introduction sequence.
She received no response. The man laid limply like a dead fish.
That was odd. Koi was sure the man was still alive.
Albeit he wasn't breathing.
—Ah right, humans needed to breath. Koi almost forgot.
Koi tilted her head and looked at the man quizzically.
If the human lungs were like a sack, and if it was filled with water... then perhaps if the sack were squeezed... the water would come out? ...That made total sense, right? She pondered over the inscrutable physiology of the human body.
She clapped her hands together.
"Okay, I'll give that a try!"
Koi turned around and promptly kicked the man in the stomach. It was kind of distended, so Koi figured she should make it... un-expanded... in order to fix the problem.
The results were immediate.
The man reflexively spewed the contents of his chest. It was kind of greenish and smelly and included lots of water. Lots and lots and lots water! There was some hacking and reinvigorated coughing. The man vomited few more times before rolling around with a groan.
He opened his eyes weakly and floundered with his limbs weakly.
"Oh good, it worked."
"Heal... Healing... Fountain..." The man croaked. "Looking... For..."
Koi blinked a few times with zero comprehension.
"Are you secretly a crab who is cursed by an evil witch to take the form of an ugly human, awaiting true love's first kiss before your original crabby form is returned, by any chance?" She decided to ask a totally unrelated question instead. After all, she hadn't forgotten about her original objective.
"I need to acquire a crab for my quest."
The man's arm weakly dropped to the ground and he fell unconscious again.
Koi sighed.
She assumed that response meant "no".
Damn it.
Life was hard. She still hadn't found a crab.
If she brought a human back to the guild instead of a crab, would that count as partial credit? Koi hoped the receptionist would react kindly.
For instance, at the Rock Pools.
Many of the Otherworlders seemed to scavenge for food here. The sonorous ocean waves crashed against the craggy shoreline, and the tide pools were teeming with life. At high tide, the area was completely submerged, but sharp rocks were exposed when the waterline was lower.
Koi thought to herself that it would be dangerous if she slipped.
It would be scary if the rough waves smashed her illusory body on the rocks.
Absentmindedly, she bent down and picked up a piece of seaweed to nibble on. It was very salty, and kind of chewy. The fish spirit had no idea what kind of seaweed it was, but at least it was something to keep herself occupied.
What was she here for again?
—Oh right, crabs. Snappy Crabs.
Koi scanned the Rock Pools looking for any trace of crab-like things.
...But she didn't see any.
Were they supposed to be hard to find?
Koi figured to herself that maybe she ought to try a little harder. Struggling to climb up a crooked rock formation, she eventually pulled herself up a sharply angled slope. The girl panted slightly, cursing herself for her weakness. She had never felt so helpless in the past.
She felt lost and confused about her situation, frankly. In the old days, she had been a proper demon-slayer, a nearly mindless shikigami in the service of a trained exorcist. Acrobatics and handling magical weapons were supposed to be her specialty. A shikigami who wasn't strong was... useless... and didn't have a reason to exist.
Koi wasn't sure if there was still any reason to her protracted existence.
Why was she here, anyways? Slowly leaking magic until she faded away?
Koi peered into a crevice between two large rocks.
All she found was a hermit crab that promptly scurried away into a hole.
—Not a snappy crab.
She sat down on an elevated rock near the steady swell of the ocean tide. The spray of ocean water was foggy and drenched her hair with salt crystals. Koi pulled up her knees to her chest.
Maybe she should wait?
One time, a huntsman had told her that patience was a hunter's virtue.
What exactly was she supposed to be waiting for, though?
The passive-ness of doing nothing felt...
...disappointing.
+ + +
Koi was staring at the waves when a lump of something (?) washed up with the tide. Was it a piece of driftwood? Perhaps a crab floated up ashore?
The girl slowly pushed herself to her knees and stretched her legs.
Maybe she ought to take a look.
Koi hopped her way through the rocks. She only traveled a couple feet before she realized that it was... a person! A human man!
Also totally unconscious!
"I was hoping to get a crab..." Koi muttered under her breath.
The man groaned and coughed a few times, choking on water.
Koi stood there wordlessly and stared. Was she supposed to do something in this situation? Perhaps there was some kind of human ritual protocol that was supposed to be initiated in this particular circumstance? Unfortunately, Koi had never been trained by her Summoner on the niche matter of resuscitating almost-drowned human men.
"Hi, I'm Koi, it's nice to meet you." She decided to proceed with the typical human introduction sequence.
She received no response. The man laid limply like a dead fish.
That was odd. Koi was sure the man was still alive.
Albeit he wasn't breathing.
—Ah right, humans needed to breath. Koi almost forgot.
Koi tilted her head and looked at the man quizzically.
If the human lungs were like a sack, and if it was filled with water... then perhaps if the sack were squeezed... the water would come out? ...That made total sense, right? She pondered over the inscrutable physiology of the human body.
She clapped her hands together.
"Okay, I'll give that a try!"
Koi turned around and promptly kicked the man in the stomach. It was kind of distended, so Koi figured she should make it... un-expanded... in order to fix the problem.
The results were immediate.
The man reflexively spewed the contents of his chest. It was kind of greenish and smelly and included lots of water. Lots and lots and lots water! There was some hacking and reinvigorated coughing. The man vomited few more times before rolling around with a groan.
He opened his eyes weakly and floundered with his limbs weakly.
"Oh good, it worked."
"Heal... Healing... Fountain..." The man croaked. "Looking... For..."
Koi blinked a few times with zero comprehension.
"Are you secretly a crab who is cursed by an evil witch to take the form of an ugly human, awaiting true love's first kiss before your original crabby form is returned, by any chance?" She decided to ask a totally unrelated question instead. After all, she hadn't forgotten about her original objective.
"I need to acquire a crab for my quest."
The man's arm weakly dropped to the ground and he fell unconscious again.
Koi sighed.
She assumed that response meant "no".
Damn it.
Life was hard. She still hadn't found a crab.
If she brought a human back to the guild instead of a crab, would that count as partial credit? Koi hoped the receptionist would react kindly.
Summary: Koi went looking for Snappy Crabs at the Rock Pools, but she didn't find any. Instead, she found a half-drowned human man (who muttered something about a "Healing Fountain") and brought him back to the guild.
Tags: Rock Pools, Snappy Crabs, Otherworlders, Seaweed
