I Was Destined To Destroy the World But Chose to Sell Llamas Instead. (Original-Shounen Inspired.)

[I read novels]

Very nice to see Llama adventures continue.
The robots cheering on a sacrificial immolation ritual.

 

[TripleMRed]

On the world of Terra, to be a Hero was to give one's self to the protection and aid of the people. To use one's power, be it gifted, of natural talent, or earned, to protect those weaker than they are, to selflessly protect the world from all that would endanger it. As a direct result, seeing strange occurrences was not only to be expected, but an inevitability in their trade. Indeed, in their time as a Hero, Ling Moonsong was proud to say they had saved many lives, and as a consequence of their travels, had seen many strange things, particularly from the more.....eccentric peers in their line of work.

However, in all of their years as a Hero, Ling had to admit, seeing some sort of gremlin-wizard dancing after being set alight like a living bonfire was a new one. Usually when people were set on fire, they were running around screaming in pain, or simply ignored it if they were a Hero of any level of power worth something.

"What is going on here?" The Moon Rabbit asked in their confusion as they drifted down to the ground behind a group of Shellforters. The mechanical, crab-man esq monks closest to them were quick to make note of their arrival and perked up [as much as a living machine of metal plating can 'perk up'] when they saw the eight armed wheel symbol that signified an officially sanctioned Hero.

"Pleased salutations: Greetings, honorable Hero! We are celebrating the defeat of a most vile Fallen member of your great orders, as well as the heavenly blessings of being in the presence of a Miraculous One!" 'Miraculous One'? Ling didn't consider themself particularly enlightened into the many faiths of other cultures, their own beliefs being that of their people's form of ancestral worship, but even they could recognize that such a title had very special meaning to the monks of this place.

"Miraculous One?" They enquired with genuine curiosity. The nearest bot nodded, or at least the equivalent given the lack of neck for his chassis forcing him to move his entire upper body in an odd bowing motion.

"Overjoyed: Yes, honorable one. The Miraculous One was sent by the Great Maker in answer to our prayers of salvation! Truly we are blessed!" Ling nodded as they looked around, taking in the sights before them. Chanting, cheering machine-men, a stock-pile of captured bandits, and a tiny dancing wizard. In other words: They were definitely going to have to write a report on this. With a brow raising up their forehead, the Moon Rabbit took a steadying breath before pulling out a scroll and quill from their dimensional storage.

"If it is alright with you, I would like for you to start from the beginning."

---

Strictly speaking, if Han was being objective, this party was easily a 3, maybe a 4, on his personal scale for ragers. Half the guests were tied up in a corner, there was no real food much less drinks out to enjoy, and the music wasn't leaving him half deaf. That being said, having Kevin around dancing after he'd lit himself on fire was easily boosting the rating up to a 7.

"Go, Kevin, go!" Han whooped. With a graceful flourish, Kevin spun around before striking a pose, simultaneously extinguishing the flames around him. "Thata boy!" Han cheered. A smile on his face, the puppy-faced young man hopped on over to his honorary uncle.

"Uncle Han, it's been forever since I saw you! How are you?"

"Oh you know, exploring the world, brewing new and exciting concoctions, same old same old." Han admitted matter-o-factually. "How's the new job been going?"

"Oh, it's been going great!" Kevin hopped in delight, eyes wide and sparkling. "I've managed to do a lot of sales, and even made a big one for a whole town! I even made some new friends!" Kevin looked behind himself and motioned to the two strangers to come forwards. "Guys, come meet my uncle Han!"

Han leaned back as he took in the sight of the two stepping forward. The shorter one, roughly Kevin's height, was a green skinned male Goblin in merchant's clothing, a larger pack on his back. His feline like nose wiggled as he stepped forwards, a curious light in his eyes. "Hiya, the name's Toyo. You've got yourself a great nephew here, if you don't mind me sayin'."

"Don't I know it." Han chuckled before turning his attention to the larger of the trio, a tall, well dressed canine woman, bespectacled and seemingly mixed breed, stood tall and unafraid, the telltale guitar of a bard upon her back.

"I am Alyxia of Cotcher's Town." She dipped her head low in respect. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, young lady. Thank you both for looking after this little scamp." Han said with a grateful look.

"If I can ask, why are you here, uncle? It's great to see you, but why come to me now?" Han blinked as Kevin's question hung in the air.

"Ah, right!" He chuckled as he reached into his loose gi and took out a letter. "Your cousin sent me this. He said it was time to start the next step of your training." The emotions that rolled through Kevin's face were as many as they were rapid. Snapshots of surprise, worry, curiosity and finally acceptance went by so fast that most would have been unable to register it.

"It's time?" Kevin asked to be certain.

"It's time." The Wukong nodded.

"Er, time for what?" Toyo asked out loud, out of the loop for obvious reasons.

"Why, time to help this little bugger master his magic!" The silence between the four of them was only broken by the celebrating crowds around them. Were it not for them, one would be able to hear a pin drop into the mud.

".....He hasn't mastered his magic." Alyxia did not ask it, she stated in an almost serene acceptance.

"Oh trust me, you haven't seen what this little guy can really do just yet." Han uttered with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his lips.

---

It went by many names. The Collector. The Traveler. The Questing One. What it was called didn't matter, the well dressed, vaguely feline looking thing not caring for what Mortals decided to name it. As it stepped into the dark, dank, ruined halls of its master's abode, it came in expecting to hear its true name called, to inquire on its mission. As it inspected the key fragment in its hand, smirking to itself on its job well done, it stopped as it realized its master had yet to call to it. Forming its current visage into a frown, it resumed its journey into the heart of the ruined domain of its master.

"There you are, Naru!" It, Naru, had to stop its frown from deepening instinctively as the agitating scratchy sound that passed for a voice from its master's 'spymaster' reached its ears. Stepping into the main chamber-a ruined place that could once have passed for a cross between a royal court and a temple altar-it valued its professionalism too much to sneer at the sight of its......associate.

Huddled on all fours, its hunch back covered in constantly forming and unforming eyes, Watcher crouched next to the first steps up to their master's altar, its ocular organs all glaring at Naru in a rainbow of different iris colorations.

"Master has been quiet, and I haven't been able to get him to speak to me!" It warbled in its scratchy voice. That got Naru's attention enough to raise its brow. As annoying as it found Watcher, their master saw something of value in his multi-eyed spy, and so was not one to remain quiet when it came crawling back to him to make its reports.

"Sire?" Naru stated out loud. The dark, formless mass of rock where once a throne sat remained silent. Now Naru was feeling concerned. "Sire? Sire, can you hear me? I have completed my mission and have retrieved the fragment!" As if finally hearing it, the air itself began to shift around the hulking stone, shift and blend until what could pass as a voice began to form from it.

"Naru?"

"Yes Sire, I am here."

"So am I!" Watcher piped up as to not be left out.

"Sire, is something wrong?" Naru asked.

"......No. Nothing is wrong." He said after a long, drawn out moment. "It is just that I have felt something I haven't felt in a long, long time. It left me.....Nostalgic." It was a testament to their value to their lord that he would admit this much to them, where his other servants would be lucky to receive direct orders from him personally at most.

"I....See." Naru did not, but that didn't matter. If their master decided to elaborate, he would unprovoked. "I managed to accomplish my mission."

"Did you now?" There was an almost distant quality to the question, as if their master's mind wasn't entirely on the present. Naru ignored this and just pressed on. It lifted its hand to show the key fragment.

"The Shellfort fragment, as requested."

"Shellfort...." Again, his attention was elsewhere.

"That's what I wanted to report, Master! Our clean up operation was stopped by the intervention of a Hero!" Watcher cried out. "Sol was unable to complete his mission!"

"Never mind that. The key fragment is what matters." Their master declared. "While it is unfortunate that we could not cover our tracks, the fragment is in our possession and that puts us right on schedule. As far as I am concerned, we have won here."

"Of course, my lord." Naru and Watcher both bowed deeply to the stone. "I will leave it with the others, then. I still have other tasks to accomplish for your plans to come to fruition." Naru stated.

"Go." At the command, Naru bowed deeper still before turning around and making its way outside the bounds of their master's domain to teleport out. Watcher remained behind, however, hopping in place.

"Sire, may I ask, what has you distracted? What could make you nostalgic?"

"Shellfort."

"Shellfort?"

"What happened there, whoever stopped it. In doing so, they did something that I have not felt in a long, long time." Watcher blinked its myriad eyes. before daring to ask further.

"What was it?"

"They answered the hopes and prayers of thousands......Good."

 

[TripleMRed]

Toyo was the first to admit that he wasn't the most well versed in magics. He was a merchant by trade, and while he could recite the economic policies and laws of no less than 7 different nations from heart, he was left scratching his head at what this Han had just said.

"....Kevin hasn't mastered his magic." The Goblin repeatedly slowly. "No offense, but are you sure about that?"

"Oh trust me, kid, this little guy is only working at a portion of his full capability." Han declared, pointing a thumb at Kevin. For his part, the puppy faced canid sniffed something in the air before letting out an tiny sneeze. "Just wait until you see when he's fully trained."

"I should be surprised, but to be honest I've started to come to expect this sort of thing from him." Alyxia admitted honestly as she looked at Kevin with a nonplussed look. For his part, Toyo was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Kevin had been fighting with a metaphoric handicap so far given what he'd seen the little guy was capable of. Still, Alyxia had a point and by this point he really shouldn't be surprised about any Keviness from their younger friend.

"So, he'll be stronger once he's done?" Toyo asked bluntly.

"More like he'll be more efficient." Han explained as Kevin took the opportunity for his friends distraction to begin doing a little jig for the surrounding Shellforters. The enraptured among them immediately began taking notes and recordings of what was surely some sort of sacred dance. "Faster, more efficient use of his abilities, less wasted energy, all that good stuff. Up until now, he's been doing the magical equivalent of working a muscle. What my job will be is like teaching a martial artist the best way to use said muscles through proper technique."

"I've heard of this." Alyxia butted in. "It's a popular method among hedge mages who don't subscribe to following the normal mystical education systems like a magic school or Hero Training Academy."

"So wait, you're saying our little guy is the equivalent of a home-schooler?" Toyo asked. Han snapped his fingers and pointed at the Goblin with a smile.

"Sure, let's go with that!" Toyo whistled. Alyxia might have resigned herself to going along with the madness that was Kevin without a second thought, but Toyo wasn't about to let the sense of awe and wonder leave him just yet.

"Well then, when do we start?" Toyo almost jumped at how suddenly Kevin popped back into the conversation, now standing next to the Goblin as if he had always been there and hadn't just spent the last couple of minutes breaking the minds of robo-monks through break-dancing. Han just smiled at his ward.

"Let's enjoy the party first, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

"You mean, 'cross' that bridge." Alyxia corrected.

"No, it was the first thing I said the first time." Han confirmed. Toyo had to raise an eyebrow at that. Yup, this was Kevin's uncle alright.

---

"-nd that is how the Miraculous One saved us all!" The mechanical crab-man finished proclaiming. Ling just nodded as they finished scribbling down the information provided before glancing in the direction of this 'Miraculous One'. It was not their place to judge others on their physical appearance. Indeed, Ling's slight build often had them misjudged by others, friend and foe alike. Still, they couldn't help but wonder: Could that tiny wizard gremlin creature really have beaten Sol on their own?

As they watched from the sidelines, they observed the short creature chattering excitedly with a vaguely familiar Wukong that Ling just couldn't quite place where they had seen them before. Wukong Brewmasters were not uncommon, after all. To their surprise, whatever they were chatting about led to the small wizardy one to briefly glow before a Llama appeared in a puff of light. They considered heading over to personally ask them the details of what had happened, but decided to send their report off first. With a double tap of their quill to the corner of their scroll, the report disappeared as it was sent to their superior.

They considered stepping forward and introducing themself to the two odd Heroes, but ultimately decided they would await for their response before proceeding further. If their superior knew who this was, then they would know if they were already registered or if they were still in need of doing so. It took some of the fun out of discovering for themself, but they were nothing if not by the book. Besides, what was the worst response their boss could have over some mysterious Hero level individuals?

---

Councilor Nyro let out a relaxed sigh. Today was a good day. All of the paperwork was already dealt with, reports were coming in that showed no major problems, and he had no meetings the rest of the day. The unicorn male laid back in his office chair as he stared out of the window behind his desk, taking in the view of the mountain range outside of the Heroes Guild's headquarters.

"What a beautiful sight." He murmured to himself, a soft smile on his muzzle as he swirled his cup of tea in one of his hands. "My doctor was right, reducing stress does wonders for the blood pressure. Nothing can ruin a moment like this." No sooner did he say that did he wince and suck in a sharp breath. "I should not have said that." Indeed, not a moment later did those words leave his lips that the info-scroll to one of his top agents began to glow with a new report. Sighing and silently cursing himself for tempting fate, Nyro turned his chair to his desk and set his tea aside a reasonable distance away, making sure to swallow his current mouthful quickly before he opened the scroll and got to reading.

"Ah, Ling. Always good to receive one of your reports." He said, allowing himself a moment of ease. Ling Moonsong had always been a reliable one: Polite, formal, by the book, all the traits and qualities that Nyro appreciated in those that reported directly to him, if for no other reason than a lack of quirkiness that made some of his subordinate's reports.....interesting to read. And not in the fun kind of way.

"Let's see here." The Unicorn hummed as he read the report and found himself intrigued. Who would attack Shellfort, and with a Fallen Hero like Sol at that? There was something there he would have to tell Ling to look into before they left the fortress monastery, as he didn't like that one bit. What he found particularly surprising, however, was that by the time Ling had gotten there, the issue had been resolved: An unknown mage type Hero had succeeded in defeating Sol and saving the Fort.

"Well well, seems like we'll be sending a medal of heroism over. I'm sure whoever they are will appreciate-" Nyro stopped as he got to the part of the report describing the individual. "No," Black, furless skin. "No no," Covered in bandage like attire and a poncho like cloak. "No no no," Green eyes and a puppy like face. "No no no, don't tell me-" And right before the report had been sent, they had summoned a Llama through etheric, golden colored magic. He had made sure not to be drinking anything specifically to avoid choking on his drink, and yet as his blood pressure skyrocketed and his teeth grit, Nyro suddenly found himself coughing on his own spit. "God. Damn. It." He managed to hiss. That crystal horned bastard! He said the little bugger wouldn't be in the Hero buisness! What sort of game was he playing at!?

Taking his scroll-link to Ling, he began to write with deliberate, forced care.

'Hero Moonsong, thank you for your report. The individual you have found is of some interest to us and we would appreciate diligent reports on their status at regular intervals. Pay attention to the following instructions with exceptional care: One. Introduce yourself-'

 

[TripleMRed]

Toyo wasn't exactly what you would call a 'party animal'. Indeed, his laid back nature often had him sticking to a corner in most festive gathering's he'd been to much of his life. He was the boring one even at family gatherings, when he still went to them. That being said, even he couldn't help but let loose and have some fun as he joined with Kevin in yet another circular dance as Alyxia played on her guitar and Han laughed as he brewed a sweet smelling concoction in a small scale brewing pot he kept with him.

The Goblin wasn't unfamiliar with drink, but the scent coming from the pot smelled too sugary to be alcohol. If he didn't know any better, it almost smelled like hot chocolate.

As their latest dance wound down, Toyo found himself panting from the unfamiliar exertion while Kevin seemed ready for another round, the cheering crowd of mechanical crab men around them having what could only be described as a religious experience at this whole event.

"Man, I've got to work on my stamina." He huffed more to himself than anything else. "If we're going to get trained, I'm going to need it to keep up."

"Don't worry, I'll whip you into shape yet." Toyo almost jumped out of his skin at Han's sudden voice over his shoulder. He glanced to see the Wukong squatting down to eye level behind him, a big mischievous grin as he took pleasure at the Goblin's fright. "But before that, hope you like hot chocolate! It's something of a specialty of mine."

"I thought you were a brewmaster." Toyo blinked.

"Oh, I am, but nothing in the code says you have to exclusively brew liquor." Han declared as he thoughtfully scratched his scruff covered chin. "Why, I know a few in the order who deal exclusively in Tea and still get the full benefits of our magic. And one guy's almost exclusively doing coffee!" Han shrugged as he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the still brewing pot, who was now being tended to by one of the smaller metal men the monkey had somehow managed to convince to keep watch over it. "Me? I like to dabble in all kinds of things. I love my drink, but I've got a wide palette."

"I can understand that." Toyo nodded. "My family's got a family run merchant company, but most everyone sticks to working out shops and leaving the supply running to outside employees. It's oddballs like me who want to be wandering around."

"You good at your work?" Han asked as he moved from scratching his chin to his cheek, a genuine curiosity in his eyes.

"I mean, by traveling merchant standards, I can count the number of times I've failed to sell on two hands with over a decade of doing the job." Toyo shrugged. "So I feel like I gotta say I am, yeah."

"Then there might be hope for you yet." A smile materialized over Han's mouth as he said that. "It's harder for adults who didn't at least partially train in magic growing up to pick up and access magic of any kind, but someone who is already good at their work has an easier time doing it. You're good with a guitar but never practice bard magic? You have an easier time picking it up then if you start cold. Same applies with money magic."

"What even is 'money magic'?" Toyo asked as he looked over to Kevin. The young man was now juggling several large weapons the Shellforters gave him, to the clapping of the assembled crowds.

"If we want to be technically, it's a bit of a misnomer because it's a lot broader than just money." Han explained as he followed Toyo's gaze and a fond smile came over him at the sight of his honorary nephew. "For example, once you learn the basics, you'll be able to alter probability in the area around you." Toyo's eyes widened and his head snapped to Han.

"Wait, really?"

"Oh yeah, I'm not making it up. Merchant Mages are rare, but the one time I saw one, no joke, he altered the statistical probabilities of being hit when a bunch of bandits came after him and not one of them could land a hit no matter how hard they tried! They eventually just got fed up and left." Toyo couldn't help but laugh at that. He already knew he wasn't going to be at that level so soon, but he had to admit to himself that the new possibilities of becoming a 'Merchant Mage' did sound enticing.

Before he could ask more on that particular mystical path, however, a new voice cut through the air.

"Pardon me, I'm looking for the one who defeated the Fallen Hero, Sol?" At once, Toyo, Han, and Alyxia turned their heads to see an androgynous rabbit with white, grey eyes, and silver hair, garbed in formal clothing of black and white that looked like a cross between Eastern bureaucratic attire and combat armor. The bronze and gold pendant instantly marked them as a member of the Hero's Guild and instantly they knew what was happening: Another hero had come to respond to the attack on Shellfort, but had arrived after the battle had ended.

"Present!" With that, Kevin hopped forwards, using his powers to stop the still juggled weapons mid air before gently setting them down on the ground again. The rabbit, almost certainly a Moon Rabbit, smiled in a friendly manner as Kevin stepped forward.

"I see Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, though I don't think you're registered." They declared, clearly not surprised or resistant to the tiny puppy faced mage's claim. "I'm Ling Moonsong, it is an honor to meet you sir-?"

"I'm Kevin!" He proclaimed in as friendly a tone as ever. "Nice to meet you too, Ling!"

"Sir Kevin, if it's alright, would you come with me to tell me everything that happened with the Fallen Hero, perhaps show me where he is? I'd like to get your personal testimony for my report, and I'll need the criminal to make an official apprehension for the Guild."

"Yush." Kevin nodded and followed Ling away, the crowd of Shellforters following behind, chanting his accolades as they did so.

"Kevin, wai-" Alyxia began before Han clapped his hands to get her and Toyo's attention.

"Okay, how's about we get some of my precinct famous hot chocolate!" Han cheerfully declared.

"W-hot chocolate?" Alyxia blinked. "But what about Kevin?"

"Oh, he'll be just fine, he can handle a little interview with a Hero Guild worker." The Wukong stated. "Besides, he's not the only one who has something to say. Tell me, how much do you two know about Kevin?" At that, Toyo and Alyxia both blinked and glanced at one another.

"Well, he's got phenomenal cosmic powers and can kick seven kinds of bad guy ass." Toyo said. "And he chooses to spend his days wandering the lands, selling people llamas."

"He's a young man who is both very mature and yet not so all at once." Alyxia added. Han nodded as he listened to them.

"All correct. And that is all you know?"

"Well.....Yes." Han nodded again as he began to scratch his chin throughtfully.

"So......You don't know what he is, then." The two friends' eyes widned as they instantly caught on to what Han was getting at.

"....No. No we don't." Alyxia admitted. "He often mentions his grandfather and cousin, but he never elebaorates on them without us asking, which we don't often do out of respect for his privacy. At least, that's why I don't try and pry more."

"Good, good." Han nodded in approval. "Respecting his privacy is good. But there's some things you need to know if you're going to keep traveling with him, and I'm going to have to share them with you so you know what you're getting yourselves into."

"What kinds of things?" Toyo asked. Han smiled as he wandered over to his pot, opened it up and nodded as he began to take out cups and pour them full of the bubbling sweet drink within.

"Come on and gather round, my young friends. I think it's time you learned about what our little Kevin is. But first, one question." He looked them dead in the eyes, a serious look to his features.

"What is it?" Alyxia inquired, worry on her own face.

"Marshmellows or no marshmellows?"

"......"

"......"


"Marshmellows, please." Toyo declared.

 

[poyac]

Nice dialogue! Thanks for the update

 

[I read novels]

Good to see an update after a while. I've kinda forgotten if it was ever explained what Kevin is except something ominous in the beginning.

 

[TripleMRed]

Once upon a time, there was nothing.

And then, there was something.

In the endless darkness there came a being called Koa. Koa looked around in the emptiness surrounding them, stretching on for infinity, and decided this was most uncool. So, Koa used their imagination to come up with something to fill this darkness. And thus, the first rock came into being. However, because it was a big black nothing, Koa couldn't see this rock they made, so they decided they'd fix this.

And thus, the first star was made.

Koa kept on creating things, bringing them about with their infinite imagination. However, as the rock became full of green and wet things, Koa realized they were lonely. Time passed in the time before time, and no matter what Koa did with their infinite power to fill the infinite void around them, they couldn't fill the void in themself. For a time, all seemed lost to become most uncool.

Then, one day, a miracle happened.

As Koa sat on their rock of green and wet things, they saw something drifting high above them: Someone else, someone who looked much like they did.

Koa went up to see this new person, and found they were quiet and still, unmoving. Koa looked them up and over, unable to see what was wrong with them, for they were whole and intact. It was not until Koa looked inside that they saw the problem: This other person had no heart.

So, they did the logical thing and tore out their heart to share.

Koa split their heart in two, stuffing one half back into them to heal and leaving the other half to grow anew inside the other person. The second half grew and grew until finally, Koa was no longer alone, and now had their new friend: Koa.

Koa and Koa danced and played and made merry in their garden, but as they did, the second Koa realized that as fun as it was, they wanted to do what Koa one had done and create things. However, in splitting themself in half, Koa realized it was much harder to use their imagination to make things a reality.

They realized in order to continue their infinite fun, they would need tools.

Koa and Koa used their share power to make their new tools. For Koa, a great and most cool instrument was made, for them to pluck harmonies that would weave the chords of creation. Koa, meanwhile, now had a great and mighty brush, to paint the chords and make them solid.

And so together, Koa and Koa painted and sang new things into being: New rocks of green and wet things, sometimes making them white and cold or tan and hot to shake it up, and new suns to make these rocks warm and nice to be at. When they got hungry, they painted big spheres of dairy to dine on, the left overs orbiting their creations and becoming the moons.

After a time, Koa and Koa stood back and appreciated their works, and they were in agreement: It was most good.

However, something was missing, and they were quick to realize what this was: The rocks, no matter the variation, were without people of their own, nobody to play in the waters or sleep under the shade, nobody to warm themselves under the suns or to nibble on the moons. This could not stand, however they knew they would need help to make peoples to fill the sky. They would need people of their own.

So, Koa became Koasith, and Koa became Koathatch, and together they made their children: The Koarrigan. Their children, in turn, made their own children form their own bodies: The Koakoa.

And so the Koakoa went and made all the animals and all the peoples amidst all the stars.

Koasith and Koathatch and their Koarrigan children looked upon all that existed and they agreed: It was cool. Satisfied with their work, they told their Koakoa that they would now go into a deep and long sleep, and leave them to tend to their Creation. As they left, they gave them one, and only one order: Be Good and Excellent to One Another.

---​

"And that is the story of what our dear friend Kevin is." Alyxia and Toyo were silent as they stared at Han. For his part, the monkey man just sipped his mug of hot chocolate like what he had said wasn't anything important.

"That can't be right, right?" Toyo uttered. "Our little Kevin is, what, an actual Demigod?"

"That's the official story, anyway." Han shrugged. "You know how creation myths are, they tend to be either allegorical or dramatizations of how things actually happened." The Wukong then looked the two in the eye each, expression suddenly serious. "But in the simplest, bluntest of terms, yes, the closest way we can describe our little Kevin is a Godling, a member of a race who all share divine qualities."

"It all makes too much sense." Alyxia murmured. "Even if the story itself isn't what actually happened, him being of divine blood-a Godling-.....It all tracks."

"Hold on, aren't Llamas Godlings too?" Toyo piped up.

"They are the descendants the Great Vicguna, yes." Han noted. "Though, they're hardly a problem given their way of life. Closer to God-Beastlings than a normal species of Godlings."

"Wait, hold on, hold on." Toyo piped up. "I have so many questions. Why is Kevin here? Why's he the only one of his kind? Why haven't we heard of these here Koakoa before?" He narrowed his eyes. "What's going on with him?" At that, Han's face fell, a look of sadness over his face.

"That part of the story, I'm afraid, I'm not at liberty to say. That is up to Kevin to tell you, when he feels comfortable and ready to do so. However, I can tell you this much: The Koakoa of the story are not like those of today. Something terrible happened to them, long ago, something terrible that should never have happened. And now all may very well pay the price." Alyxia opened her mouth to ask before shutting it. Han just said he couldn't go into detail and it would have to be Kevin who did so. With that, she glanced at Toyo and the pair looked over at their younger companion.

In the distance, Kevin was cheerfully talking to the Hero, Ling, as they marched towards where Sol's comatose body was being guarded. Beside him was a Llama, unusually short for its kind, and oddly handsome, roughly as tall as Kevin was as the little man conversed idly.

"It'll be up to him if and when he tells you the fate of his people as they are today," Han declared sadly, "But I must stress something to you both." The pair turned to look at Han, who was now giving them both a hard, steely look. "I need you two to promise me something. Something very important." There was something about the look in the laid back monkey's eye, something in his grave tone, that caused the two to instinctively straighten up and listen intently. "No matter what happens, no matter what you learn, I need you two to promise me. Promise me that you will be there for him, that you will still be his friends."

"We promise." Han blinked at the instant response. The complete lack of hesitation that came from the pair and their reply was matched by their own steely, determined looks. A fond smile came over the Wukong's lips.

"You two are a good lot." He said warmly. "It will be my sincerest honor to teach you two as well as my little nephew. Now, drink up, your chocolate's are getting cold." The pair nodded before drinking their beverages. It was the best hot chocolate they'd ever tasted.

---

[Hey all. Terribly sorry for the delay, but I both was trying to find the right way to convey the Koakoa story right as well as waiting for something to be completed. That something?

https://imgbox.com/31hJf58p

Thanks to @Jen for the cover! Hope you all like the cover I had made!]

 

[morethanfalse]

I've known Kevin for only 17 minutes but if anything would happen to him I'd kill every single one of you and then myself.

Click to shrink...

I had the opposite reaction. I though he's a chump w/ no backbone that if not for the kindess of Mortimore would have been cheated of what he's selling

Nevermind he's a shit at sales. The first thing he did was bombared his victim w/ a word vomit about some pitch noone cares besides him. He sold cause its a good deal

 

[TripleMRed]

Entry 01

I have been within this reality for some time now, and while I do miss my home, the state it's been left in since the Devastation has yet to subside, even thousands of years later. Better I am here to make meaningful help and change compared to what limited capabilities I can offer back home.

I have already sent an in depth analysis compiled from notes from my team's experiences in this universe to our leaders back home, so I will only spare a quick summation of what we have found in this reality: This is, in my opinion, one of the most peculiar universes we have ever discovered to date. While we require more in depth tools and scientific teams that cannot be spared to research this universe further, we have found that the moons of this universe are made of cheese.

Cheese.

We had to pool our collective Aetherwork powers, my team and I, to confirm this wasn't some dream realm of a mad, sleeping god. It is not. The implications that this universe is somehow naturally occurring with such an odd feature as this is something I'm sure dimensional researchers would love to learn about once things settle down back home.

The next major point of interest is the inhabitants of this reality. Most species here are, in terms of power, Godlings, Mortal beings with power and abilities far beyond the realms of Mortal life for most universes as to be demigods either through natural process or through training and flourishing their power. Uncommon, but not unheard of, and not the first encounter we've had with such a universe. But I digress.

Having said all of this, I have been spending most of my time here on a world the locals call 'Terra', a distant backwater compared to the rest of the dominant civilizations in this reality. For the best, I say, the typical problems with a universe of Godlings plague these stars: Fighting for dominance, power, control, superiority. Compared to all that, Terra is unique in several regards. While worlds teeming with many different races are not uncommon, especially in my home universe, this world is distinct as being seemingly the only one of its kind in this one, the other worlds rarely having more than one, a maximum count of three, distinct naturally occurring species having been found.

This world also has most of its Mortals start out at a level of power most conventional universes do with theirs, 'weak' by the standards of its home universe, but with a distinct potential to grow exponentially in power as a form of self-improving Godling species'.

There are two organizations created to regulate, train, and oversee these developing Godlings who choose to increase their powers. The starting organization is 'The Adventurer's Guild', a name so common I find in my travels as to be painfully droll to my ears. Despite their lackluster name, the Guild is where most developing Godlings start out, choosing from a number of different 'paths' to which hone and develop their abilities down specific mystical routes of capabilities. The Bards, for example, can create mystical effects by playing music, their instruments becoming conduits from which they affect the world. Brewmasters, meanwhile, create enchanted brews of both impeccable taste and heartening abilities to imbue their drinkers with incredible power for short duration.

There are dozens of such Paths, each with their own unique and distinct power sets, with Adventurer parties banding together to cover each other's weaknesses in their journeys. Adventurers' have the important task of keeping 'Monsters', entities borne of Terra's magical leylines going awry to create semi-sentient masses of hostile elemental power. Low level monsters are the most common of such beasts, and the main task of Adventurer's is to keep their numbers culled and controlled. If Monsters survive too long, they can metamorphose into Divine Beasts, at which point they are too powerful for even the strongest Adventurer group to handle.

This is where the Heroes come in. On another level of power from the strongest of Adventurers, and indeed recruited from those Adventurers who breach through a set ceiling for Adventuring operations, Heroes are full on demigods, beings imbued with the divine spark that sets apart Godlings from normal Mortals. As such, with their incredible power, Heroes are ranked and judged based on the 'Level' of power they currently reside within, the highest levels of which blur the line between a Godling from an actual, proper divinity.

Natural disasters, Divine Beasts, and on rare occasions hostile invasions from foreign entities and powers are what Heroes are expected to deal with. A heft responsibility, not all Heroes can take the pressure and it is not unheard of for mental breaks to occur, which is often grounds for retirement and power restrictions to be placed upon them to avoid them accidentally destroying the very lands and peoples they are meant to protect. Some rare instances occur, however, of Heroes 'falling', becoming part of the menagerie of threats their kind are expected to deal with in order to protect their world against devastation.

There is an ranking system in place that separates the different tiers of Adventurers and Heroes of their capabilities, but that is for another time. I am due for a regular update meeting with my team soon so I will have to end my notes here for now. I will leave on this note, however, that for all its dangers, this Terra is a world of beauty and wonder. In fact, I am hoping to convince my sister to allow me to take my nephew here for his training. Even with the perils, it is still in a better, safer state than back home for young Gamil.

 

[TripleMRed]

(Hey all, feels right to come forward. So, as of last month, I had been planning on testing out a new update schedule for my stories. Namely, one month I focus on updating one story, then I switch to the other story in the next month. I bring this up because October was supposed to be Kevin's month on the new time slot. However, something happened.

I live in Florida, and so Milton's put the kibosh on my plans for this month.

The good news: Me and my family are all fine and safe, and our house survived intact. Power and internet came back in short order, so we're good on that front.

The not so good news: The whole situation was, naturally, really stressful and led to me being unable to focus on writing as I've just been trying to keep myself distracted. We're also on a budget IRL as work's been slow due to how many people have, and are still being, affected by the hurricane.

So long and short of it is, I'm slowly getting back into the saddle, but with everything that's happened I'm not sure if I'll be able to fulfill my goal of a month of spread out Kevin updates as planned. Already we're about to pass the half-way mark with only one of what was supposed to be several updates out at all.

To try and recoup from this, I'm reconfiguring my planned update schedule to, hopefully, get the planned Kevin updates out in November instead, when things have all died down and finally gone back to normal. So I ask and thank you for your continued patience, and apologize for the continued delays to the story.)

 

[TripleMRed]

There were many kinds of Heroes in the world. Some where stead fast and dashing, the model of what Mortals pictured a 'true' Hero should be. Others were straight-laced and serious, focused on their duties with a solemnity that while appreciable often made them the least personable both in and out of the Heroic Orders. Others still were jokesters, bringing levity and life to any situation, no matter how dire.

However, in Ling's long career in the Heroic Orders, they had never quite encountered a Hero quite like.....This.

"And that is why you always triple check your Llamas for ticks, otherwise they get cranky and kicky!" This Kevin figure declared as he practically pranced beside them on their way to where the Fallen Hero Sol was being watched over.

"I see." Ling was not unfamiliar with livestock rearing. In their youth, they would occasionally spend summers on a relative's farm to learn the values of hard work. But they always had MooCoos or Chimkins, as far as they were aware, raising Llamas was unheard of on Terra. They were temperamental, unpredictable, and most important of all, too powerful for Mortal farmers to raise. They decided to ask. "So, have you been raising Llamas all your life?"

"Nope! Just finished my training and certification 8 months ago!" Kevin stated matter-o-factually Ling slowly nodded as they took that in.

"Sir Kevin, how old are you?" They asked.

"Please, just Kevin is fine!" Kevin declared with a smile. "And I'm 18, going on 19!"

.....18 years old, already this powerful, and somehow mastered Llama rearing already? No wonder Councilor Nyro wanted them to keep an eye on this odd little lad.

"It must have been difficult." Ling prodded, deciding to subtly test the waters.

"Actually, Llamas are way easier to handle than normal animals." Kevin stated. "They're like, super durable, so I don't have to worry about accidentally hurting them!"....Interesting.

"Well then, you must certainly be powerful to have such an easy time with such creatures."

"I don't know about that, I'm just Kevin." Kevin shrugged. "Learning to control my strength was the first thing I was taught to do that I can remember from training. I can handle people just fine, but animals are soooooo cute! I just wanna hug'em, but most animals are so......not tough." Kevin looked down, his massive hat obscuring his face from the angle. Ling paused as they considered what to do. This odd little creature reminded them of their younger, more gifted siblings in some ways, vacillating between youthful intellect and childish wonder.

"Yes, keeping a pet at our level of power is one thing we can't really have." Ling said, trying to sound as sympathetic as they could manage to the young man. "It just comes with the territory. Still, take heart: You are in the company of creatures that can withstand your affectionate care, so not all is lost." At hearing those words, Kevin turned his head to look back up at them with an appreciative look in his eyes.

"Your right, yeah!" He said with a smile. "Still wanna hug a Chicabow, though." Ling couldn't stop the way the edge of their lip curled up in amusement.

"Yes, those little creatures are certainly an adorable sight to behold. There's a reason they're such common pets, after all." They chuckled.

"What about you?"

"Hmm?" They found Kevin looking up at them with curiosity now.

"You asked me about me, but now it's my turn to ask about you. Them's just dialogonomics!" Kevin declared. Odd way of phrasing it aside, he wasn't actually wrong with what he had said.

"Oh, there's not much to say honestly." Ling said with a wave of their hand. "I was born to a modest family in the country sides, went on to become and Adventurer and, well, now I'm a Hero." Kevin kept staring for a second longer before blinking, clearly hoping for something more. It was adorable, to be honest, enough so to move Moonsong to speak a little further. "To be honest, I'm not very interesting." They admitted. "Nothing special, not by the standards of the Orders anyway. I'm just Ling Moonsong, Moon Rabbit Hero."

"Everyone is interesting in their own way, and everyone has something special about them." Kevin casually stated. "Even the most boring person has to be special to manage to be that boring, right?" Ling blinked at those words.

"That is.....I suppose you're right." They admitted. "I never thought about it that way." Kevin just smiled at them.

"Lots of people don't think they're important, or special, or interesting, but everyone is different. Even people who act the same have their differences, big and small, outside and inside, that's what makes each life so important to protect." He said with the same casualness as talking about the weather. Ling stopped walking as they found themselves staring at the little man with a surprised look, blinking as they tried to process what was just said. Kevin quirked his head. "What's wrong?"

To be honest, while Ling never allowed the power to completely go to their head, their care for people had been more out of duty and obligation as a Hero rather than strictly caring about them as individuals with their own lives. They didn't look down on Mortals, far from it, but they also didn't give them any sort of special attention beyond what her duties and professionalism mandated. Saving lives was the right thing to do, it was just basic morality, but for Moonsong it hadn't really gone beyond that level of commitment.

And here was this little, vertically challenged young man, powerful enough to defeat a Fallen Hero as strong as themself, and gifted enough to accomplish that as more at less than 20 years of age, and he had done it not because it was the 'right thing to do', but because......Why?

"Sir Kevin, if I may be so bold as to ask," Ling began, "Is that why you saved this place from destruction?" They looked Kevin in the eye. "Did you save them.....Just because they were in danger? Were you promised a reward?" Kevin looked genuinely confused at the questions, even quirking his head again.

"They were afraid. So many lives, so many dreams, would have ended if I stood by and did nothing." He explained. "It was in my power to help them, and if I did nothing, if I didn't even try, I wouldn't have just failed them: I would have been just as responsible for their dreams ending and their hopes dying as the person who wanted to hurt them." He paused as he looked to the side, a thoughtful look on his face as he sheepishly kicked a rock away. "I don't want to be a Hero, to be honest. It's why I became a Llama seller, I just want to help people in little ways that last a long time after I'm gone. But if I hear someone in trouble, or see something bad happening, I can't just ignore it, you know?" He looked back up to see Ling looking at him with a new look in their eyes. More thoughtful.

"You are a very interesting person, Sir Kevin." They said, giving him a bow with their head. "Your reasoning is more respectable than most I know." They were still getting to know this Kevin, but Moonsong found the a newfound respect for the little man that went beyond him simply being at least as powerful as themself. "I would love to discuss more topics with you, I think I would find your perspective most enlightening. But for now, I would like to focus on my duties. Let's finish dealing with this Sol, shall we?" At that, Kevin looked to them with a newfound smile and a nod. Turning around, he led them towards what seemed to be an old cage, a relic from a bygone era fished out from Shellfort's stocks of such things, in which lay the barely breathing, unmoving form of the Fallen Hero Sol.

A trio of Paladin class Shellforters moved aside to allow their 'Blessed One' to approach, Ling following close behind. As they approached, Ling looked over Sol: The dark skinned wolf eared Human had a frozen expression vaguely like a grin on his face, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling of the cage and with what almost looked dried tears along the edges of his eyes and face. He remained perfectly, perfectly still aside from his shallow, labored breathing. Ling frowned in concern as they looked at the once boisterous and dangerous Sun Fighter, this unnaturally calm disposition just plain wrong on such a lively individual. In fact, it was an image Ling had become familiar with among some of the worst assignments they had ever had to deal with.

They were looking at a completely broken man.

"What did you do to him to leave him like this?" Ling asked in astonishment at the sight. Kevin just winced as he took out his arms from the sides of his cloak and began to twiddles his fingers.

"I had to stop him, but I still had one option to do it without having to kill him.....I think I might have overdone it." As one, the Shellforter Paladins mutually sagged their metallic shoulders at the still too fresh memory of what had happened.

"Respectfully: You did." Now Ling found themself looking at the robotic crab-men with an even more confused look as even more questions than when they arrived began to appear in their psyche. There had been a mention before of an incredible mutually felt pain among everyone present, was that backlash from whatever Kevin did to stop Sol?

Just what the hell happened here?

 

[TripleMRed]

Entry 02

I am no stranger to esoterica being ranked on a scale for easy identification and cataloging. Even for myself who is one, it is difficult to comprehend the gulf in scale of the lowliest of the Magi Order to those at the top of our ranks without giving name to each magnitude of ability. This is the same across all areas where the mystic arts or divine heritage runs, as without a way to give name to such scales, we would not know who we can win against and who we should seek to escape.

This is true even here on Terra. As I noted to my colleagues back home, the locals here have an enormous potential to reach incredible heights of power if fostered and nourished by going down distinct specializations and paths. This begins with the Adventurer's Guild, where those seeking to protect their world begin their journey of ascension at scales within the realms of comprehension of normal individuals. All other factors being equal, what the Adventurer's Guild is sent to deal with is within the realms of being handled by the lower ranks of my own Order for a comparison.

The Adventurer's Guild divides its ranks between two primary categories: Experience, and level of power. Power is measured in ranks dictated by a type of metal, the more precious the more powerful. Again, as with the name, it is such a droll system that I only bring it up for the sake of posterity in my note taking. However, those who display leadership abilities earn a distinct secondary rank to go along with it. The lowest of the low in the Adventurer's Guild, the freshest and rawest of recruits to pass their Trade's training, begins at Private Copper. In comparison to normal, day to day people within the world of Terra, they are on the level of normal people, little more than specialized soldiers in military terms., and indeed their experience ranks reflect this However, as they grow in power, the scale goes further and further higher.

In simple presentation, in increasing order of power/experience:

Copper/Private-->Bronze/Corporal-->Iron/Sergeant-->Silver/Lieutenant-->Gold/Captain-->Platinum/Major-->Rhodium/Colonel.

At the rank of power of Rhodium, an Adventurer is at the entry level of the Hero's ranks of power, which they are then given the opportunity to join the Heroes ranks at the start of their ranking system. As Heroes rarely form permanent teams or groups and are often sent out on solitary missions, Experience in command and leadership is less valuable among them in comparison to the Adventurer's. As such, those Adventurers who reach a high Experience rank are also given a secondary option to remain with the Adventurer's rather than continue their ascent of power, becoming a high ranking coordinator, logistical, strategist, and all round leader within the Guild's military based command system. Both Adventurer's and Heroes make use of ID tags in the form of pocket watches made of the material they are currently ranked at.

Those that enter to become a Hero have their Rhodium rank be renamed to the starting rank among the Heroes own as a 'Turquoise', the Heroes using there name of precious gems in place of metals for their ranking system. Instead of an experience rank being attached, a 'sublevel' rank is attached, ranging from Brittle-Hardened-Perfected, which measures the increase of power within a given rank before reaching the next order of magnitude.

Hero Ranks, from lowest to highest, therefore go as:

Turquoise-->Zircon-->Topaz-->Saphire-->Ruby-->Emerald-->Diamond.

What I find the most intriguing, and somewhat alarming, is that each increase of power is exponential. Indeed, it is said that those Heros who reach the level of Perfected Diamond are unto gods themselves, though none have managed to reach this rank in centuries as of the time of my writing these entries. As such, what truly happens to those who reach this rank-whether they ascend to true godhood or otherwise-is left to the realms of legend and myth. If they truly are that powerful, I can only hope that such power is not so corrupting. I've fought gods before. I do not wish to do so here.

 

[TripleMRed]

Shellfort was in the grasp of high celebration. And why wouldn't it be? Their prayers had been answered by a Honored One sent from on high, and they all still lived to continue their work in life. Celebration was the logical thing to do right now! However, duty ultimately came first. Such was the task set before Dantioch Augustus Titus Manius the XXVth, High Pontiff of Shellfort.

<Irritably: Is everything accounted for?> He asked his brother scribes as they went about the archives. One of them scuttled forward, crab like head held as low as it could within its mounted socket.

<Regretfully: It would seem that in the chaos, sire, something has gone missing.> The Scribe declared.

<Agitated: Which artifact, out with it!> Dantioch didn't get paid monetarily for his duties, but if he did, he wouldn't earn enough, he was certain of it.

<Artifact K-71.>

<......Oh. I need to send a letter.>

---

Councilor Nyro stared at the message being sent in by Hero Moonsong. He let out a sigh as he finished. Of course. Of course that little pest would save the day and stop a Fallen Hero of Sol's caliber. Of course he would. Still, he supposed that as long as he was dealt with, all that mattered now was sending in a retrieval team to get him in to be taken back for judgement.

'Hero Moonsong, stand by until a retrieval team arrives to take away Sol. Await further instructions.' Nyro wrote back. Without further delay, he readjusted the wavelength of his info-scroll to send out a general dispatch. He had just finished writing out the missive when yet another new message came in to his attention through one of the specialty lines. "Always something." He muttered as he sent the missive before taking up the message.

It was from Shellfort, signed by the High Pontiff himself.

Nyro instantly leaned forward, reading the message carefully, eyes narrowing as he quietly read what the leader of Shellfort had to say. Shellfort was, to most people, an out of the way place run by a monastic order of mechanical monks. This was, in fact, true. What wasn't well known, however, was that it was secretly the holding place for high level artifacts that needed to be kept quietly hidden. According to Dantioch, none of the artifacts had been so much as touched, save one.

K-71.

"Godsdammit." Nyro hissed. He leaned back in his chair, beginning breathing exercises to control his blood pressure. If it had been taken as part of a whole host of stolen artifacts, there could have been an argument to be made that it was a coincidence. But for it to be the only one? Not only was it targeted, it was also a message. One he'd hoped to never live to see be given. The Unicorn male tented his fingers together, brow furrowed as he considered what to do. Nobody below Emerald Rank could know the full details, not even a Topaz as reliable and dependable as Moonsong. But all Emerald class Heroes and above were busy with other matters, and the Council were duty bound to their position so they couldn't be spared.

The Councilor's mind began to calculate the pros and cons of what was to be done.

The team he'd sent to retrieve Sol were more powerful than Moonsong, but lacked their spotless record, and if K-71 was stolen at Shellfort, than that narrowed down the possible locations for the next place to be hit significantly. Moonsong was the closest to the next potential spot containing K-71's nearest sister fragment. Could they be trusted to know just the existence of the artifact, so as to safeguard it? They didn't need to know the details. But the Council had agreed strictly on who was and who wasn't supposed to know, which made even informing Moonsong on the most basic of details a black mark on Nyro's own record.

After carefully considering the weight of what would happen if all the pieces were found, he quickly decided he could live with that.

"Alright, Moonsong, looks like you've got a new mission already." Nyro muttered. He paused as he began to draft the missive after returning the wavelength of the info-scroll back to Moonsong, a newer, deeper frown over his features as he considered where they were. And who was there with them. And the mission that he had just given them on who to keep an eye on.

Right, that little bastard.

Just as suddenly did he think of that little brat did a new idea strike his mind. He paused his writing to brush his small chin-beard. If the worst came to pass, he needed a guarantee that what was to come could be stopped. And if anything was powerful enough to handle it permanently, it was that bastard. He briefly re-weighed the ramifications to his reputation when the others found out before once again thinking of what would happen if the worst happened, and decided he could live with that too. Hey, if he was already going to be in trouble for doing what needed to be done, why not go all the way, right? Besides, it wasn't a guarantee that Guyial's little monster would be needed in the end. It was.....insurance. Yes, that was it.

Time to put that star-spawn to good use for the good of the planet.

"Hero Moonsong, pay close attention to these new orders-"

---

Ling hummed to themself as they reread their last orders carefully before eyeing Sol's barely breathing body. He certainly seemed to be quite non-threatening at the moment, whatever Kevin had done had certainly seen to that.

"Whatcha readin'?" Ling paused as they looked to Kevin, the puppy-faced creature staring up at them from beneath his massive hat with a smile.

"Oh, nothing much, just my boss telling me what to do." They said, trying to put on a casual tone they remember once having been their norm back on the farm. "You know how bosses are."

"Oh yeah, the Great Spitty One was very clear about my job after my training was done." Kevin nodded solemnly, face sympathetic to Ling's plight. Ling slowly blinked. 'Great Spitty One'? That was a new one as far as titles went that they had heard of.

"Well, when the job is important, it pays to do it well." Ling said with a nod. Kevin nodded, humming in agreement. Ling was about to put away their info-scroll when a new message arrived not two minutes after their last one. Opening it back up, Ling carefully reread it, keeping their face a professional calm even as concern welled up at what Councilor Nyro had sent them.

"More work already?" Kevin asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

"....." Ling remained quiet for a moment as they carefully reread the final portion.

'Your monitoring mission is the same. Take Kevin with you. I do not care how you manage this as long as it is done.'

Ling put away the scroll, face passive even as conflicted feelings bubbled within them. They had only just met this funny little creature but they could tell that as powerful as he was, he wasn't really a threat to anyone innocent. Still, despite their reservations, if the Councilor said it was important, they trusted his decision on the matter enough to put aside their mixed emotions to carefully turn and put on a small smile towards the small critter next to them.

"Sir Kevin," They began, "Your job is to sell many Llamas, yes?"

"Yush!" Kevin nodded in affirmation.

"And you were coming to Shellfort in the first place to make a big sale?"

"Also Yush!" Kevin declared before a small frown came over his face. "But I don't think I can sell these people anything, they don't look like they're the kind to want or need the benefits of Llamas. I mean, I'll still try, but I'm not expecting much, you know?" Both more and less observant than Ling expected; they were sure if he just asked, these devotees would buy every Llama he had on the spot. But his reasoning gave them the excuse they needed to formulate and act on their idea to get him to come along.

"A shame. But I think I know of a place that you can make a big sale to." Moonsong said simply. Kevin blinked.

"Really?" He asked excitedly.

"Oh yes, I've got a job to run in a big port city, one with lots of fancy people in it." Ling said. "There's towns along the way and the people in the city who I'm sure would love their own Llamas, especially ones as high quality as yours!" Ling felt their stomach weigh down as Kevin's eyes brightened at their manipulation. What they said was true, but the ulterior motive soured the whole thing for them. "I'd be happy to take you there, if you'd like to come with me."

"Oh, absotutly!" Kevin squealed, hopping and floating in the air in excitement. "What's the name of this place?" Ling smiled as Kevin floated by them, having forgotten to respect gravity's hard work.

"It's called Steelport, the Happiest Port on the Continent."

 

[TripleMRed]

Entry 03.

'Monster' is a term used by countless people across countless worlds across countless realities. What it means, exactly, changes from place to place and context to context. In some, it is a generic term for anything 'not natural' to a given world's ecosystem. In others, it is the official terminology for a specific kind of sapient peoples, if often with an undertone of negativity. Here on Terra, however, 'Monster' has a very specific meaning.

A Monster is any naturally occurring instance of an aggressive, self-sustaining mystical life form formed from the ebbing and flowing of Terra's magical leylines. While what a specific monster is varies from instance to instance-some are whole magical phenomena that attain some level of low animal cunning while others are in fact ordinary animals that have been mutated from a mystical surge-in the end the thing that unified the Monsters of Terra is that they are dangerous for Mortals below a certain level of power to be around. In some cases, this is due to the creatures actively being a threat, hunting people that catch their attention, while others are dangerous as a direct result of their very existence being lethal to be near by due to being made of volatile elemental material.

Regardless of the specific 'why', Monsters often have to be hunted down and destroyed or captured when discovered to avoid loss of life if allowed to remain in the wild. As such, the Adventurer's Guild and Heroes were, at least in the official record, founded to keep Monster populations in check.

Similar to their hunters, Monsters are graded with a ranking system, though theirs is far more straight forward and simple. The weakest and most common level of Monster is the Category 3, which is where most Monsters begin their life cycle. Handled by low level Adventurers, these Monsters are often dangerous due to numbers rather than raw power. Category 2, meanwhile, is categorized by a notable increase in power on an individual level that is also marked by increased intelligence. These Monsters have managed to, for any number of reasons, survive long enough to adapt and grow. Just as how their origin and reason for danger varies, so to does the method in which they acquire their power. The most common is simply finding and feeding from Mana rich active Leyline spots, which more often than not are located in inhabited areas due to the infrastructure created to make use of these locations.

The threat level for Monsters rises exponentially, however, if they managed to reach Category 1 Status. Category 1 Monsters are characterized by a massive increase in power and intellect, often as a result of feeding off of other, similarly powerful beings, whether fellow Cat 2 Monsters or even the very Adventurer's sent out to hunt them down. While the latter is thankfully rare due to the training and coordination of experienced Adventurer teams, savvy Monsters more often than now make a habit of hunting down their own kind to increase their power, with their intelligence allowing them to recognize that stealth is their best option for long term survival against their Adventurer foes. This not-so-coincidentally directly coincides with them learning to minimize or mask their power signatures, allowing them to blend in and hide amongst the background mystical readings in the wild without drawing attention.

The most dangerous Monster breeds, however, are those that against all odds manage to break the ceiling for Category 1 and enter the rare but highly feared Category 0. Cat-0 Monsters are those who have managed to acquire enough power and intelligence to become fully sapient and begin apotheosis into a Divine Beast. At this stage, they are unable to hide their power signatures any longer, and have gone beyond what even the most powerful of Adventurer's can fight. Heroes are sent in to deal with such creatures, for if not stopped quickly and if allowed to finish their transformation, the Monster ascends to become a Divine Beast.

In the simplest, most blunt of terms, a Divine Beast is a god, a divine being that has transcended mortal limits to immortality and a realm of power most cannot grasp. While the actual level of capability for these newborn divinities range wildly, for no two gods are at the same exact level of power, these newborn deities can no longer be simply slain. While this is not to say it is impossible to kill a god, much less one of Mortal origin, the nature of the Divine Beasts as borne from the magic of Terra itself intrinsically links them to it and its nature. To destroy one is to risk irrecoverable damage to the world of Terra itself, with potentially dire and long lasting consequences as a result.

Divine Beasts can only be stopped by mid level Heroes or higher, as they are the only ones with the Metaphysical Weight needed to actually battle one into submission without being swept aside by their newfound divine power. At the time of writing, the last known Divine Beast to successfully ascend was some few hundred years ago before my arrival to this world. This creature, code named 'Gaia', is said to be the most powerful Divine Beast in all of known Terra History, to the point where it is said that she conquered and become the Queen of All Monsters, if folk-lore is to be believed.

Despite my best efforts, I could not find more than folk-lore and hear-say on Gaia, as the leadership of the Hero Order stubbornly refuse to reveal any concrete information to an 'outsider' such as myself or my colleagues. However, I often find that such legends have some kernel of truth to them if one digs deep enough, and from what little I could find that was consistently repeated among the far-flung legends of the world is two recurring factors: This 'Queen of All Monsters' willingly left to her own domain of her own free will, and that she chose her own name to call herself: Inanna, or as some ancient stories say, 'Ishtar'.

 

[TripleMRed]

Even in time of great celebration, worry could find its way into the hearts of those who thought themselves prepared. Such was the state Dantioch found himself in, the High Pontiff marching on his multitude of legs towards the out doors. The early morning rays had given way to a cloudy, but bright day, a sight whose beauty was only amplified by the revelry of his kind outside. But even such a sight could not completely deal with the anxious flickering in his core. Indeed, the leader of Shellfort stood there as he took in the sights, his optics observing his brethren as they danced and made merry in the morning light. How he wished to join them, how-

"Excuse me." A scratchy voice piped up from below his sight lines. The High Pontiff looked down to see the one who had saved them all. The tiny wizard hat wearing creature was looking up at him with a friendly smile, an action that made him curse not having facial features to return the gesture in kind. "Hi, I'm Kevin!" Repositioning himself to look at his people's savior properly, Dantioch bowed as low as he could manage.

"Reverently: It is an honor to meet you, sir Kevin. I am the humble leader of our enclave, High Pontiff Dantioch." Remaining lowered, he dared to look at the creature in the eye. "Awed: How may I serve?" Kevin opened his mouth to reply before closing it again, a thoughtful frown on his face now as he gave a lot of thought to his next words.

"I sell Llamas." The Honored One explained suddenly, delving into his power to puff one of the very creatures he spoke of into existence beside him. It was a clashing green and beige with orange stripes on its wool, and casually chewing away on its cud as if it didn't just get summoned into reality a split second ago. "And I was coming here to try and sell you all Llamas, but, well-" The small creature motioned towards the sky and then towards the crowd of captured bandits who were only now undergoing an official processing as another Hero-a Moon Rabbit by the looks of them-oversaw the process. "You seem kinda really busy right now." Dantiochs optics opened and shut in a facsimile of a blink as he stared at the tiny creature that had saved them all. What? Kevin, for his part, shuffled in place under the gaze. "So I was wondering if it would be alright for me to come back later to give you guys a sale or-"

"Respectfully: Honored One, it would be our privilege to be bestowed with your Llamas." Dantioch stated earnestly. "Noted: You are most wise in your observations, we will take some time to get everything back into order here, you are correct." Dantioch paused as he calculated what the appropriate course of action in such a scenario would be when it came to him. "Query: Would an IOU be acceptable until such a time as we can safely gain your Llamas?" Kevin blinked as he considered that.

"I think that could work!" He cheerfully stated with a hop into the air. "I'm sure by the time I'm finished with a new run, I can come back and drown you in all the Llamas you could ever want!" To be honest, Dantioch wasn't entirely certain as to what purpose Llamas could serve here at their fortress-monastery, but if the Honored One wished to sell them, so they would be sold.

At the right time, of course. It would help no one to get that done now. Taking out a square piece of parchment and a writing implement seemingly from no-where, The Kevin wrote down something before handing it to Dantioch. Taking the small item, Dantioch saw written on it it in surprisingly well done cursive writing: 'IOU One [1] Llama Purchasing Experience.' Next to the writing was a smiley face and a doodle of a dog barking complete with a 'wan' sound effect over it.

"Happily: We shall await your return with the promised Llamas with great anticipation." Dantioch stated with as much excitement as his vocal processors could muster. He didn't know what they would do with Llamas, but he was sure they could figure something out for them before the return of The Kevin. "Curiously: Pray tell, Sir Kevin, where are you going now, so that we may pray for the success of your future endeavors?"

"Oh, we're going to a city called Steelport!" The Kevin cheerfully declared. All at once, Dantioch stopped as he considered that. Steelport. The only location other than Shellfort that he knew contained another fragment. Was this coincidence or providence? Well, their prayers had literally been answered so it stood to reason there was something driving this Honored One forward.

"Honored One," Dantioch spoke low now, forgoing his kind's normal speaking patters to get to the point quickly. "I have a confession: During the attack, an artifact of ancient and unknown power was stolen from us. A Key fragment." Kevin was clearly surprised by this sudden turn of events, but tellingly leaned forward with a look of concentration as he carefully listened to what Dantioch had to say. "It was the only thing stolen from us worth anything. The place you head to now holds another fragment. I admit, I do not know what it unlocks or why there are those who would be after such a thing, but I do know that there is a reason whatever it unlocks was kept shut. Please, if you can, see if you can prevent the other fragment from being stolen as well."

A conflicted look came over Kevin's features as Dantiochs words sunk in. The High Pontiff could not say what internal conflict was driving this look, nor was it his place to ask the Honored One for such privy details. Eventually, however, The Kevin nodded somberly.

"I'll do my best." He said.

"That is all any of us can ask of you." Dantioch said before clasping his hands together and bowing deeper than he'd ever bowed before. "May the Great Maker bless your path, and may we meet again under better tidings one day, Honored One." Kevin returned the gesture, bowing deeper than even Antioch, an act which left the High Pontiff aghast to be so blessed.

"Thank you. The best to you and yours too." The tiny creature replied in return. The two ceased their bows and turned to go back to their respective business. Kevin stood there, face furrowed as he considered those words before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He got into the Llama business to avoid playing Hero if he didn't need to get involved. But now he was, and that meant he had a responsibility to keep going down this path.

Cousin had been right, he should have gone into gardening. Nothing bad ever happens when you run a garden.

Still, no time to lament the loss of peaceful times now. There was work to be done. Putting on the most cheerful face he could muster, Kevin walked over to where his friends and Uncle Han were sharing a drink of hot chocolate, soon being met by Ling who walked beside him.

"Sir Kevin, I've finished assisting them in setting up the criminals for processing when my associates from the Order arrive. We are free to leave any time now." They said. Kevin nodded with a 'mhm' of acknowledgement. "Were you able to sell them your Llamas?"

"Oh, they seem busy right now, so I'll come back later when they're not so busy and we can all focus on the wonderment of Llamas in peace." Kevin explained in basic terms, which Ling just nodded along to.

"Hey hey hey, if it isn't our little scamp!" Han declared as he raised a second mug of beverage in his free hand, and a third with his tail. "We've got hot chocolate! Come on an join us!" He paused as he looked to the Moon Rabbit. "We got a new member to this dance of ours?"

"Everyone, meet Ling Moonsong." Kevin declared as he introduced the Hero, who bowed in respect. "Ling, meet my uncle Han, and my two bestest friends ever, Alyxia and Toyo!" The Moon Rabbit looked to the dog-woman and the Goblin male and smiled at them as they took the drink Han offered them.

"A pleasure to meet you all." They said in as warm of a tone as they could manage.

"Always good to have someone new to the party." The Goblin, Toyo, replied back with a smile.

"I've never had the pleasure to work with a Moon Rabbit before." The dog woman, Alyxia, declared with a nod as she adjusted her spectacles. "It'll be an honor to do so now." As the three of them began to talk, Kevin sat beside his honorary uncle, taking his mug and sipping from it.

"Ready to get to work?" Han asked as he observed the collection of figures his nephew had managed to accrue.

"Yush!" Kevin replied right back as he sipped his hot chocolate, internally hardening his resolve for the future. He had no idea what this key business was about, as he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with why Han was going to train him, but he did know one thing: Whatever happened next, he'd be there giving it his all to see everyone through to the end. That much he silently swore as he watched his new friends talking to each other.

 

[I read novels]

snip

Click to shrink...

TFTC and happy new year

 

[TripleMRed]

(Hey all, just a heads up. No updates this month as I've got a lot of work to do this semester and I'm not sure when I'll have the free time for writing Kevin again this month. I'll keep you all updated in March and April on when the next update will be once the heaviest work weeks for my classes have past.)

 

[TripleMRed]

(It has been a while. I owe everyone an apology for taking this long for an update on stuff behind the scenes, so here it is: I'm alive and well, and my current semester is coming to a close! Once it's over in the next couple of weeks, I'll finally be free of school work for a while to get some proper updates on all of my stuff done, including Kevin of course. As such, we'll be heading into May for the beginning of updates for the next chapter, with more to come until my semester starts again in the Fall.

I thank all of my readers who have stuck around, and I hope that once we get back into the swing of things, we can all get some more Kevin into our lives!)