Rope for a Bucket - The Search

Looming and stumbling through the forest Harto became rather lost but kept to what his mind set itself to do. He needed to find someplace, not knowing quite what he was looking for as he searched on. As he took steps further past some trees he noticed the environment around him started to change from a forest into a bramble thicket. As much as he wanted to turn around and go back the way he came as he didn’t quite like the look of the whole place he continued hoping to possibly find something. As he continued through, trying to not get caught on the thickets bushes and various plants he then found himself at the edge of a clearing with a strange building in the center of it. He stood there still for a moment staring at what he recognized to be a temple as his lungs filled with air as he took in the surroundings. Harto questioned if he should risk going to this strange and unusual place that offered some familiarity to his mind but something was holding him back at first. Was it fear? Broken memories? Or was it something more than his mind could comprehend.

Harto ended up finally moving after the feeling like a creeping vine taking root through his system pushed him further. It was almost instinctual as the thoughts rung again through his shattered mind to find something. Again, he didn’t know quite what he was searching for as he approached the temple but his heart gave a harder and harder beat as he came closer and closer. Almost fearful of what could happen none the less what he could find here.

The temple itself was grand, hidden under a shadowy fog that blocked out most light. It was built of carefully carved ebony and smoothed obsidian, accented with silver. A large clearing around the brambles revealed rich mosaic in various deep, desaturated purples and soft silvery ones marking out a compass rose without its directions and a crescent moon in its center.

As Harto approached the steps, he could hear near nothing. Perhaps no pne was there? Silence broke near the doors, two voices conversing but it seemed like a superior and a lesser. "My Lady Nocturne, are you going out again?" Whoever it was seemed to have concern. "Yes Valour. I am. I have to check on the shrines and my following. But I also need you to do the same. I'd ask for assistance of Naeme and Jet, but Naeme cannot talk and Jet is not the most social type."

The doors opened as Nocturne and Valour were talking, only for them to stop and stare right at Harto. The shorter and seemingly younger one of the two flinched back. "Oh sweet shadows, is that another one of Caine's horrendous creatures? Good lords why does he do this?" Nocturned flashed him a look, to which he immediately shut his mouth and gave a slight nod before melting into shadows to take his leave. The goddess slowly placed her hand on the hilt of her sheathed blade, only giving the wendigo one chance before deciding whether or not to slay it. "Speak your purpose.", she said, her tone suddenly cold and guarded.

Harto stumbled back a bit after hearing the reaction from the younger of the two. He didn’t know who Caine was nor why they reacted the way they did. It confused him and as he tried to comprehend it in his own mine he just felt a twinge of panic before it left him. He didn’t know what he was scared about them for that second as he then heard what the other asked. ‘Speak your purpose…what is my purpose? I’m….’ Harto mumbled in his thoughts before speaking aloud with no meaning to. “I am…looking for a…purpose.” His voice trembled and crackled as he was not used to speaking, feeling as if his throat would flood with crimson blood again as he thought more. He stopped taking in his surroundings after that and looked her in the eye as his body shivered from his mind giving another twinge of panic before disappearing again. “I am lost in my meaning, I don’t know anything about where I am or what I am… can you help me find my purpose?” Harto tried to speak from what he remembered of ‘words’, something he didn’t know quite where he knew them from but he understood them as if they were always with him. His throat hurt after speaking, as if it was healing from something he knew nothing about.

Nocturne's sword remained sheathed and she stepped down a couple more steps to get a better look at the creature. Her hand flashed out from under a pitch black cloak, fingers hidden under obsidian tipped ebony talons. A light touch from a couple of these digits contacted Harto under his chin, pressing upwards to check the stitchwork at his throat. "It's not his handiwork at least...", she whispered under her breath.

The Goddess stepped around, the sound of metallic heels clicking slowly on obsidian steps echoing off in the darkened halls of the temple and the bramble thickets around them. Her fingers slid out from under Harto's chin in a delicate manner, only to trace under his arm to lift and look at what parts he was composed of. Nocturne stepped around in a slow circle, staring quietly down his back and carefully parting bits of fur where stitches were made.

Harto didn’t move as she examined him but his body shivered from where he was touched. He couldn’t see his mangled body nor understand what he looked like. A creature of strange bones stitched and barely holding together as these parts tried to heal and mend together. His dark colored fur patches soft to the touch while his own skin felt cold and bruised. The only parts that seemed to be remotely human would be found in his open chest as the body he once had was mangled and sown together. The humans head kept its eyes shut but could move a little bit save for a few flinches as it was not used to this mangled body. The skeletal head though seemed very much active as it was the one talking. He didn’t understand who she was or what she was doing.

Harto spoke again but this time a little softly as his voice strained from doing so. “ I don’t understand…his…handiwork?” He breathed in after he spoke his words, his body heaving as he done so as it let out a wheezing type noise as it trembled before it became still again.

Nocturne found it strange that this patchwork wendigo didn't seem to have a clue of whom she spoke of, but she was sure that whoever worked on his form like so was one of his followers. She stepped around back to his front and answered him simply. "Caine. He has... a knack for making things like you. You're a wendigo... A weird one, composed of many parts. Aside from that, I cannot tell you your purpose. That's more up to you to decide unless you'd rather talk to the God of Fate about it." There was a soft clashing of ebony over itself as she flicked her fingers, a soft purple glint in the darkened light. "Is there anything of yourself you can recall?", she asked. Although she had other duties, she decided to help out Harto a little. Unless an ambush happened, she wasn't exactly in too big a rush.

Harto thought for a moment, trying to recall but all he found was a strange emptiness. He couldn’t remember much other than where he woke up and where he went to. “I only remember a tag? My name its Harto…I think…” He still mulled over a bit over thoughts but at least he knew what he was now. His claws clicked together, one of his hands tapping against the skull pondering and thinking to himself before he mumbled out words. “If I oversee my own choices then… and have no purpose until I ask the god of fate, may I ask if I could be of service to you?” He asked as his jaws clicked as he was still thinking to himself. If she did allow him to assist her then he would have his own purpose, something he chose for once unlike the situation he found himself in. In the back of his mind it put him at ease that he had choices to make but he still had much to learn and time to heal over from his weakened body.

"I'm not sure if even they will reveal what is in store for you. They usually don't." Her cloak flared out with fringed ends akin to feathers. "I would appreciate as much help as I can get, but for now, you may rest here. I have matters to attend to and it may be better for you to rest while your stitchings heal over. They seem to be quite fresh. You may explore here but should I find a single scratch or tear on the tapestry, I will flay you where you stand.", Nocturne said before she descended down the steps and vanished off into the shadows.

Harto looked around the temple being gentle as he could be around everything as he walked around checking every inch of the temple out. He found it comforting for some reason, as if he seen it before somewhere but he didn’t know where. As he continued to wander through he stumbled opan open rooms seeming to be for guests of the temple. Looking at the beds made him almost drowsy as his eyes started to close and his vision started to flicker. He ended up finding himself on the bed curled up in what would look like an uncomfortable position as he then drifted off to sleep. Closing his eyes to slip back into the darkness, something that was now soothing to him.