"Diana Vars and Dana Vars! Welcome! Welcome to our country! You both are the little sister of the former Saga as well as the heroes will always be welcome!"
"Are you here because of the Coffin Turtles?"
"Do you have a place to stay as well?"
"You've grown since the last time you were with the Elven delegates last year."
"You noticed?" [Diana]
"Well, you're with Miss Saga and Madam World Tree Priestess, so of course I noticed"
It's night, around 22:00. Despite the weather, we arrive at their entrance gate more or less at the estimated time. Dana and the others are high-ranking adventurers who can move quickly for long periods of time, making the journey smoother. As for me, I have Fie whenever I want to rest, so I don't really hinder our journey.
The reception for us is generally welcoming, especially since they knew that our brothers and sister. Well, we don't have as much fame on our name throughout the continent yet, but that doesn't make us jealous of them, in fact, we're overly proud when someone praises Sister Khamisah, Brother Nar, and Sas for all they've done.
"I see. That makes more sense" [Linda].
"So it's anyone with bad intentions, but since those from the empires are hostile, they are the most prevalent among the victims" [Kat].
"From soldiers and spies of the Empires to their merchants who wanted to take advantage of this country's current situation... What about the locals, if I may ask?" [Dana]
Since they welcome us and don't seem to have any hostile attention, and since we're the only ones on the line, they're more than willing to share whatever they have as they check our bags and passports.
"The locals are mostly unaffected. Mostly because there are some cases that they are attacked by the coffin turtle. Man tries to rape a woman. Attempted murder. Robbery. All in all, I would say that these coffin turtles are becoming an unofficial guardian of the land, so much so that some of us don't want to see them exterminated, rightly so in my opinion".
Coffin turtles, as the name suggests, are turtles that have a coffin for a shell. While the coffins they carry vary in size, shape, materials, and even contents, they generally have a single purpose. To extract the essence of being from other to feed their coffin.
The essence of being can be thought of as the soul. As an apprentice witch, it's more accurate to say that it's a large part of the soul. Unlike the blessings that affect the soul, the essence of being is born with the soul. Like a core for monsters. Without it, the victim will slowly but surely die.
That's the best case scenario. If they died, they wouldn't affect anyone else. The problem usually arises when they don't, and they usually don't! They can become a zombie that bites others, trying to grab the essence of the other's being, unlike typical zombies that want flesh and brains.
They can become a pseudo-ghost, wandering aimlessly until they find something that can replace their essence, be it a blessing or a curse.
All in all, the longer we leave the people affected, the bigger the problem will grow. Master Merlin said that I can help fix their souls as a temporary solution, but only a temporary solution, not a permanent solution, because it's more trouble than it's worth. The real solution is to get their essence back, and those coffin turtles would not give it back so easily without a fight.
Theories upon theories as to why they feed on the essence of being, but according to Master Merlin, it is simple. The coffin is almost like a mimic. Basically, they're two different organisms fused together from the womb itself. A symbiotic mutualistic relationship. The turtle carries the coffin while the coffin feeds on the essence of being, making both stronger at the same time. Not only that, but the coffin can also protect the turtle, be it as a literal shell or through various other mechanisms such as hypnosis.
Now, given the situation in the country, where there is a constant threat from the Empire, of course the citizens of the country don't want to see the turtle coffin exterminated. This makes sense, as they see it as their unofficial guardian. They even block any attempt by adventurers and knights to kill the coffin turtle. If that's the case...
"For now, I suggest the inn at this location. It's generally safe, especially for the ladies."
"True, the coffin turtle is mostly active at night, and given the composition of your party, I'd say you're all ready to go, but a good night's sleep and rest is advisable."
"We'll take your advice. Let's go to the inn first" [Linda].
Thank goodness the inn isn't full. We share a single room and have a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow.
"Diana Vars and Dana Vars! Welcome! Welcome to our country! You both are the little sister of the former Saga as well as the heroes will always be welcome!"
"Are you here because of the Coffin Turtles?"
"Do you have a place to stay as well?"
"You've grown since the last time you were with the Elven delegates last year."
"You noticed?" [Diana]
"Well, you're with Miss Saga and Madam World Tree Priestess, so of course I noticed"
It's night, around 22:00. Despite the weather, we arrive at their entrance gate more or less at the estimated time. Dana and the others are high-ranking adventurers who can move quickly for long periods of time, making the journey smoother. As for me, I have Fie whenever I want to rest, so I don't really hinder our journey.
The reception for us is generally welcoming, especially since they knew that our brothers and sister. Well, we don't have as much fame on our name throughout the continent yet, but that doesn't make us jealous of them, in fact, we're overly proud when someone praises Sister Khamisah, Brother Nar, and Sas for all they've done.
"I see. That makes more sense" [Linda].
"So it's anyone with bad intentions, but since those from the empires are hostile, they are the most prevalent among the victims" [Kat].
"From soldiers and spies of the Empires to their merchants who wanted to take advantage of this country's current situation... What about the locals, if I may ask?" [Dana]
Since they welcome us and don't seem to have any hostile attention, and since we're the only ones on the line, they're more than willing to share whatever they have as they check our bags and passports.
"The locals are mostly unaffected. Mostly because there are some cases that they are attacked by the coffin turtle. Man tries to rape a woman. Attempted murder. Robbery. All in all, I would say that these coffin turtles are becoming an unofficial guardian of the land, so much so that some of us don't want to see them exterminated, rightly so in my opinion".
Coffin turtles, as the name suggests, are turtles that have a coffin for a shell. While the coffins they carry vary in size, shape, materials, and even contents, they generally have a single purpose. To extract the essence of being from other to feed their coffin.
The essence of being can be thought of as the soul. As an apprentice witch, it's more accurate to say that it's a large part of the soul. Unlike the blessings that affect the soul, the essence of being is born with the soul. Like a core for monsters. Without it, the victim will slowly but surely die.
That's the best case scenario. If they died, they wouldn't affect anyone else. The problem usually arises when they don't, and they usually don't! They can become a zombie that bites others, trying to grab the essence of the other's being, unlike typical zombies that want flesh and brains.
They can become a pseudo-ghost, wandering aimlessly until they find something that can replace their essence, be it a blessing or a curse.
All in all, the longer we leave the people affected, the bigger the problem will grow. Master Merlin said that I can help fix their souls as a temporary solution, but only a temporary solution, not a permanent solution, because it's more trouble than it's worth. The real solution is to get their essence back, and those coffin turtles would not give it back so easily without a fight.
Theories upon theories as to why they feed on the essence of being, but according to Master Merlin, it is simple. The coffin is almost like a mimic. Basically, they're two different organisms fused together from the womb itself. A symbiotic mutualistic relationship. The turtle carries the coffin while the coffin feeds on the essence of being, making both stronger at the same time. Not only that, but the coffin can also protect the turtle, be it as a literal shell or through various other mechanisms such as hypnosis.
Now, given the situation in the country, where there is a constant threat from the Empire, of course the citizens of the country don't want to see the turtle coffin exterminated. This makes sense, as they see it as their unofficial guardian. They even block any attempt by adventurers and knights to kill the coffin turtle. If that's the case...
"For now, I suggest the inn at this location. It's generally safe, especially for the ladies."
"True, the coffin turtle is mostly active at night, and given the composition of your party, I'd say you're all ready to go, but a good night's sleep and rest is advisable."
"We'll take your advice. Let's go to the inn first" [Linda].
Thank goodness the inn isn't full. We share a single room and have a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow.
