Imuchakk Dayz: Chapter Two [Job/Solo]

Job Name: Clearing Snow
Job Rank: D
Job Location: Imuchakk
Job Rewards: 50 xp/3,000 Huang
Job Pre-Requisites: N/A
Job Overview: A village needs help clearing the snow out from around the houses and to make pathways again. Dress warmly and help the villagers unbury their homes!

While the Opportunity workers were diligently performing their tasks within their villages, Azix had traveled around to other areas on his Magic Carpet. He was using the excuse of sight-seeing to find a village that needed help. News of his arrival had spread so the Imuchakk weren't surprised to see him, but they were cautious. He came across a village that had been partially buried by an avalanche. Seeing several of the villagers clearing pathways, Azix offered to help. Leery of the foreigner but unwilling to pass up the offer, they accepted.

Azix started at one section that had they had started to clear, he took out his staff and used Force Wall to push the snow back ten meters away. He looked proudly on his work and then noticed that there was still a lot to be done. He would run out of magoi before he could clear the whole village so Azix slipped his staff back through his belt loop and grabbed a shovel. He continued the path, making sure to shovel out sections in front of each hut along the way.

A couple hours had passed by the time he finished the first few "streets" and he took several minutes to rest. After catching his breath, Azix continued clearing a path that would connect to another that a few villagers were starting on. With every scoop of snow came the dilemma of where to place it instead. He had to watch out to not bury any small children or pets, that would definitely upset the villagers. Though, the children might think it was fun until they turned blue from lack of oxygen. Regardless, Azix was competent enough to create piles where they would be out of the way.

His body flowed with the rhythm of scoop, dump, scoop, dump as time passed by. Slowly, he and the other workers made narrow passage ways throughout the town. Azix mused that if someone looked down on them from a great height it might look as if they were making a maze. The moist snow was thankfully not getting in through his thick layers of fur lined clothing, but they certainly made shoveling a chore. The chill wind did manage to pierce through the thinner layers, sending a shiver down his spine and setting his teeth a chattering. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that if he stopped moving it would feel colder.

By the time night fell, Azix and the villagers had finished the task of clearing paths through the village. There was access for each hut to reach the necessary buildings to gather food stores or meet with friends. The Imuchakk certainly had no problem gathering together outside in this weather, some without shirts, but Azix would freeze. Thankfully, there were a few campfires made where the snow had been cleared, so the orange magician sat on his heels, huddling in front of one.

One of the Imuchakk villagers, JubJub, saw Azix shivering and laughed. After seeing Azix work feverishly to help out complete strangers, he warmed up to the magician and offered to have the man over for dinner. Azix's belly growled loudly at the mention of food and he hastily agreed. Jubjub's wife cooked a delicious meal of fish and an odd spice Azix had never tasted before. While they ate, Azix entertained his hosts with tales of city life in Reim. Jubjub and his son, Botolo, were fascinated by his recounting of the fight with Altar in the Coliseum.

When they were finished, Jubjub asked if Azix was interested in staying the night and helping with other jobs in the morning. There was still work to be done, connecting other villages. After such a good meal and good company, Azix did not refuse the comfort of a warm, night's sleep or the opportunity to help them further.

[500+/500]

[290/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

Job Name: Making a Path
Job Rank: D
Job Location: Imuchakk
Job Rewards: 50 xp/3,000 Huang
Job Pre-Requisites: Clearing Snow
Job Overview: You did such a great job helping them clear out the snow, they want you to help make a path to the neighboring village. Go with the villagers and dress warmly as you help them shore up the passes so they can re-establish trade.

Upon waking in the morning, Azix rose to the smell of a fatty meat being cooked over an open fire. Around a small table, Jubjub's family sat waiting for breakfast to be served. Azix joined them at the table and partook of the fresh fruits and tender meat that was served. Jubjub mentioned that today they would be clearing out a path to the next village. The food stores in the village were dwindling because travel was near impossible when hauling supplies.

After the hearty meal, Azix set out with Jubjub and Botolo to help the other villages start clearing a path. While shovel was put to the thick clusters of fine crystalline formations, Jubjub talked about village life in Imuchakk. Azix learned about the various local wildlife and their migration patterns. He also learned of different plants that they harvested for food, ones that had adapted to the northern climates.

So far, Azix enjoyed his time in Imuchakk. The small, close-knit communities felt like tiny families and the Imuchakk nation seemed to flourish from that inter-connectedness. With how open and close they were with each other, it was no surprise that the Imuchakk were reserved around outsiders. That level of trust  was not easily earned. If it wasn't for the freezing weather, Azix wouldn't mind living out here if he earned the approval of the tribe.

With the combined efforts of Azix and the villagers they had cleared a couple hundred feet of snow, raising tall walls along the sides of the path. The orange magician was feeling fatigued and thankfully the group paused to rest and eat a light snack to bring their energy back. While Azix chewed on some smoked meat, Botolo chattered about some of the ferocious beasts that lived in the wild. Some of the creatures the Imuchakk boy spoke of seemed like creations by parents for their misbehaving children, but Azix still reacted with feigned horror when he heard the legends. Jotolo giggled at seeing Azix's reaction and continued with even more stories.

Once everyone had finished their snacks, shovels were picked up once again to resume the path. Feeling competitive, Azix challenged Botolo to a race to see who could scoop more snow. The blue-haired boy accepted the challenge with a grin before he set off grabbing large scoops of snow and flinging it to the side. Not one to be left behind, Azix began shoveling at a feverish pace to outdo the Imuchakk boy.

At first, Azix was matching Botolo scoop for scoop, but the large portions he kept grabbing quickly began to wear him down. With the exuberant energy of a youthful Imuchakk, Botolo kept on at his original pace, quickly outdoing Azix. For every three scoops the boy disposed of, Azix only managed one. The adults in their party chuckled at Azix's exasperated expression and made friendly jests about how a child beat him.

Azix tried to hurry up once again, jabbing the shovel into the snow to grab the biggest pile ever, but unexpectedly hit a rock. Losing his balance, Azix was thrown forward and landed in a heap into the snow. The Imuchakk roared with laughter while Azix untangled himself and stood back up.

"Ok, you win Botolo. As a reward, if Jubjub allows it, you can take a ride on my magic carpet."

Botolo's face lit up with pride at winning and he turned to his father to see if he could fly on the magical tool. Jubjub laughed and said it was ok, once the path was finished. Botolo nodded and went back to work, Azix continuing at his side.

The sun was setting by the time they finished making a path to the next village. With the job done, Azix pulled out his magic carpet and hopped on with Botolo. Making sure the boy was holding on tight, Azix sent the flying cloth speeding off into the sky. They flew around the village and Azix did a few daring flips in the air to earn squeals of laughter from Botolo. Once he was sure they were both only seconds from spewing out their snacks, Azix circled the village and brought it down to rest.

He led Botolo back to Jubjub who was engaged in a conversation with one of the villagers. Azix overheard them talking about the lack of food stores at this village as well. It sounded like there was another job for the orange magician.

[500+/500]

Job Name: Everything is Connected
Job Rank: C
Job Location: Imuchakk
Job Rewards: 100 xp/7,000 Huang
Job Pre-Requisites: Making a Path
Job Overview: When you arrive at the next village, the villagers are distraught. Their food stores have been pillaged by the local squirrels. Recover the food stuffs and reduce the squirrel population.

Enemy Name: Angry Squirrels (x5)
Rank: D
Needed damage to take down: D
Abilities: These Angry Squirrels move at 10m/s but climb trees, making them hard to hit. They can deal D-tier damage with their tiny claws as they jump and scratch at your face. They can blind you for one post by scratching around your eyes, making blood run into your eyes.

Jubjub brow furled in concern, "Our village has a shortage of food as well, Shakakahan. We shoveled a path hoping we could trade."

With a sigh, Shakakahan shook his head and with his left hand indicated the woods to the north. "The other night, some squirrels pillaged our stocks and vanished. Our best hunter is sick and hasn't been able to go out to search for them."

"Squirrels?" Azix tried to keep the surprise from his face. He could understand the avalanche being the culprit, but not a squirrel. Azix couldn't even imagine the small, fury creatures posing a challenge to the giant blue-haired people.

Shakakahan wore a scowl as he looked Azix over, "Who is he?" The Imuchakk had taken the magician's comment as an insult.

Jubjub gestured to Azix, "This is Azix Niraj, the Kouen oversees the workforce program that Asisiak allowed over here temporarily. He helped our village clear the snow and shovel out the path."

Azix gave the wary Imuchakk a polite bow as he was introduced, "Pleased to meet you, Shakakahan."

Shakakahan leaned closer to the magician, "Yes, squirrels. What, do you think you could handle squirrels?"

Azix shrugged his shoulders, "I have never tried before, but I'm willing to help you. You said they went north of here?"

With a nod, Shakakahan confirmed which way Azix had to go. Azix waved to Jubjub and pulled his cloak tighter around his body before trudging towards the woods. Under the assumption that the squirrels couldn't have finished off their new-found stash of food by now, Azix hoped to return what was left to the village. He would also rise to the challenge and bring back some squirrels as well.

Azix ducked underneath low-hanging branches as he made his way deeper into the woods. As the sun sank lower it cast strange shadows bending off the trees, casting the area in darkness. No stranger to shadows, Azix didn't mind the dark, but it was a hindrance when searching for clues. Within the folds of the thick, fur cloak, Azix grabbed ahold of his staff and conjured his Flicker spell. A warm ball of blue light formed over his head, illuminating a swath of the woods around himself. The shadows were pushed back, like little black hands scurrying from sight.

After walking for some time, Azix found evidence of the squirrels. Prints of their pitter-patter footsteps in the snow led him towards some empty, turned-over baskets. Something scampered in the branches above him and he looked up with a start, but the source was hidden. His eyes searched the tree-tops for a few moments before turning them back down to the ground to look for more clues. He noticed another trail of footprints a few trees away and began to follow it.

The prints led him down a steep slope that ended in a gully, ringed by trees along the outside. Between the fence of trees, Azix could make out partial shapes as creatures chittered from within the gully. That must be where the squirrels are.

With careful steps, Azix tried to walk quietly towards the gully. He was nearly successfully until he stepped into a hole and tripped. He fell forward into the snow causing an unfortunate chain reaction which caused a small avalanche of snow to send him tumbling down into the gully below. A rush of trees passed by, smacking dangling limbs as the snow piled around him.

Hitting a final tree released him from the Azix-ball-of-snow and sent him flying through the air to land in the middle of a gathering. He rubbed his limbs with a groan and looked around him to find that these were not normal squirrels. A crowd of one large squirrels, standing nearly one-meter tall on their hind legs, surrounded Azix. He wondered how he had missed their size from their prints until he looked down to see their tiny feet and hands. Beady black eyes stared at him in hunger as silence befell the gathering.

Azix slowly reached to his belt for his staff and found it missing. Looking around, Azix spotted it behind the crowd. He gulped and smiled at the Angry Squirrels, "Hiya!"

The Angry squirrels erupted into a chorus of squeals as they descended upon the magician with sharp claws. Azix's Borg flared up to defend against four quick strikes while he took a deep breath and used Sakeru. By manipulating the muscles in his legs, Azix could run faster than a normal human and run he did. He cut a path straight to his staff, at first pushing and shoving squirrels before giving up and jumping on their heads.

Just as he reached the end of the crowd, the squirrels wizened up. In mid-leap, the squirrel he planned on using as a spring board moved out of the way. Stepping onto air, Azix was thrown off balance and ate a mouthful of snow. His cloak was thrust forward over his head. "Mmpf!

Five angry squirrels took advantage of the magician's face down position to bury tooth and nail into his Borg. The protective film of magoi that was intrinsic to magicians shattered under their assault. Three sets of tiny claws met Azix's back, slicing through his clothes into his skin.

'This is why I need to train so I don't have to rely on magic!' Azix chided himself, probably for the umpteenth time. Spitting out the snow, Azix pushed himself up and crawled on all fours to grab his staff. Quickly turning over, Azix caught the scary sight of a scourge of angry squirrels rushing after him before casting Solid Spear of Light.

A lance of solid light formed from the tip of his staff that was aimed at the rodents. The lance extended till it was ten meters long, piercing through the crowd and burning the creatures. The sizzling of flesh could be overheard their cries of pain. He released the spell as another wave of courageous squirrels charged towards him.

Azix raised his staff and conjured a Large Force Wall in front of himself. The transparent wall of magoi was then directed forward quickly to crash into the new onslaught of rodent creatures. Their howls of pain appeared to discourage any further violence as the unwounded started to scamper off. The magician let out a thankful breath and looked past the writhing mass of wounded to the rest of the gully. Beyond the squirrels Azix picked out a bunch of other baskets still brimming with food.

Whistling merrily, Azix started to load the baskets onto his magic carpet, stacking them so they would all fit. He made a note to fly carefully so the food wouldn't spill out. After he was done, Azix walked over to the squirrel corpses and contemplated how to show proof. He decided upon cutting off their tails using a knife he had packed as a survival precaution for the journey to Imuchakk. After harvesting five tails from the deceased rodents, Azix got on his magic carpet and headed back to the village.

It took an hour to regain his bearings but managed to find the right direction eventually. On his return Azix was greeted by Shakakahan, Jubjub and Botolo. Jubjub smiled proudly and Azix imagined that his new Imuchakk friend had passed the time assuring Shakakahan that the magician was good to his word, by the look on Shaka's face. Azix managed to land the carpet while only losing three baskets of food.

Shakakahan watched Azix step off the flying carpet with a leer, "So, did you manage to deal with those squirrels?"

Azix nodded and reached into his cloak, "You know, I have to say, I didn't expect them to be half my height." He produced the five squirrel tails and handed them to Shaka. "But I managed to take care of quite a few. Here are some of their tails."

Azix was surprised by both Jubjub and Shaka's reaction, the former placed his hand over his face and shook his head, while the latter looked down at the tails and looked back up with an angry expression. "What's wrong?"

Shakakahan growled and shoved Azix to the ground, "You are disrespectful! That is what is wrong! Where is the rest of them? Where are the others bodies that you killed, fool!"

Azix looked from Shaka to Jubjub, his eye pleading for comprehension. Jubjub sighed, "Azix, it is our custom to use every part of our kill. Resources are precious out here in the tundra, so we believe that not to, is wasteful and disrespectful to nature."

Now that he understood the reason for Shaka's outburst, Azix stood up and bowed to Shaka. "Accept my apologies, I was not aware of this custom. If you would allow me the opportunity to fix this, I know where the squirrels are. Do you have a sled so we can collect the other corpses?"

Azix's apology calmed Shaka down somewhat and he shook his head. "Unfortunately, the avalanche took out several of our sled dogs. I can gather some people to help us gather the rest of the squirrels. Wait here."

[1000+/1000]

[200/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

Job Name: Sled Dogs Needed
Job Rank: B
Job Location: Imuchakk
Job Rewards: 200 xp/15,000 Huang
Job Pre-Requisites: Everything is Connected
Job Overview: In the avalanche, the village lost many of the sled dogs they use for transport. Luckily, there are several wolf packs nearby with pups. Find the nearest pack and take the three pups. But beware, mother and father wolf are nearby and will not let you walk off with their pups!
Bonus: 100 XP/Shevika

Enemy Name: Mother Wolf
Rank: B
Needed damage to take down: B
Abilities: Mother Wolf is very protective and deals B-tier damage with claws and fangs. She moves at 15m/s. She may also use Poison Bite, dealing B-tier damage and causing you to cough up blood and suffer sore muscles for 4 posts, reducing your ability and movement speed by half.

Enemy Name: Father Wolf
Rank: C
Needed damage to take down: C
Abilities: Father Wolf moves at 10m/s and deals C-tier damage with claws and fangs. He may use Enraged Howl, increasing his attack to B-tier for one post. He may also use Gutting Slash, using his claws to rip at your stomach and cause B-tier damage.

By the time Azix, Shaka, Jubjub, Botolo and a few other Imuchakk had brought back the squirrel corpses it was deep into the night. Shaka's villagers gratefully shared part of their harvest with Jubjub which was loaded up on the magic carpet. Azix transported the father and son back to the village as well. With the job done, everyone eagerly went to bed.

Azix was exhausted but quickly found his mind refused to sleep. With a sigh, he gave up after a few moments and pulled out his Journey Book to check for messages. He found a note from Ariella and smiled. Azix was glad to hear she had been training since they last saw each other, but was sad to hear about her mother. The possibilities of why she was still missing were not pleasant.

Ari,

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I hope you hear news soon. Training is a good thing, I was just reminded today that a magician should be able to not have to rely on their magic. The Imuchakk woods have some interesting creatures, I will say that. Did you ever obtain a meeting with the king? The cloak you gave me has kept me warm. I can't tell you how grateful I am for that gift. By the way, a dungeon was found here. I plan on entering it after everything settles down here. Wish me luck.

Watching the stars and hoping you are too,
Azix

He slid the Journey Book  back into his cloak before sneaking quietly outside. He hoped a few minutes in the cold would be enough so he could go back inside and curl up in a ball before the fire to sleep. He huddled within his cloak with his eye turned towards the sky, looking at the stars. Azix's mind drifted off to warm thoughts of Ariella and the hot tub. He was so engrossed he didn't he had company until he was poked.

Botolo smiled up at him and whispered, "Can we go for a ride on your magic carpet?"

Azix cracked a grin and looked back to the hut. With a nod, he pulled out his magic carpet, "A quick one."

They secured themselves on the carpet and took off into the sky, heading away from the village. Once they were gone some distance, Botolo spoke up. "Azix, how do you get the carpet to move?"

Azix looked over at the Imuchakk boy, "I use magoi, a source of power everyone has. It takes some instruction to learn how to use it, but with it you can use magical tools. I've obtained a few through my travels."

Botolo's eyes went wide, "I have magoi? So I could fly the carpet too?" The prospect of driving the carpet himself excited the boy.

Azix laughed and nodded, steering the carpet so they landed near the ground. He stopped feeding magoi into the magical tool and it dropped. Azix turned to Botolo, "Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths." He guided the Imuchakk through a meditation to feel his magoi. Once the boy had felt it, Azix walked Botolo through activating a magical tool.

Botolo took a while to activate the magic carpet, but once he did Azix directed him through flying the carpet. It wasn't long before Botolo took them up into the sky and had the magician's stomach churning. Flying on a carpet seemed much safer when he was in control. Thankfully, Botolo was not a bad driver.

Azix thought of Shaka and what he had said about the sled dogs. "The sled dogs Shaka mentioned, where do you get them?"

"We train wolves when they are young. It's unfortunate that Shaka's village lost theirs." Botolo said over his shoulder, focused on flying.

"Do you know where to find some wolf cubs?" Azix hoped he could earn Shaka's approval with another good deed. If that made it a good deed.

Botolo turned around with a confused look, "My father told you when we were shoveling snow, remember?" He gestured to a few points in the east, "This time of year, the wolf packs stick to those areas. Why?"

Azix laughed, "To help Shaka's tribe, of course. Let's find a pack."

With a grin, Botolo nodded and took them on an easterly course. When they got near an area he recognized, Botolo descended closer to the ground to search for tracks. Spotting some, he took them weaving through the trees as they followed them to a den. A wolf sat at the entrance, staring into the night as it guarded its kin.

Azix looked at Botolo with a serious face, "Your father would skin my hide if you got hurt. I want you to lower the carpet and I will get off. Then I want you to fly up there and wait until the wolves are taken care of, okay?"

Botolo listened to the magician, lowering the carpet so Azix could get off before ascending several meters where he could watch. Azix pulled out his staff and looked at the now alerted wolf. Ears perked it glared at Azix and gave him a warning snarl. When the magician took a step closer, the Father Wolf gave an Enraged Howl before bounding forward.

The wolf leaped at Azix to Slash him with its claws, but the magician conjured five Fragments of Light and sent them towards the beast. The wolf twisted its body in mid-air to avoid all of the fragments but one, earning a small burn in the process. With a venomous snarl, the wolf circled Azix looking for an opening to strike.

Azix turned his body with the wolf while calling to the Rukh to Imbue Strength into his staff. Magoi formed around the staff, solidifying in a hard film. When the wolf leaped forward to attempt a Gutting Slash at Azix, he blocked the attack with his staff in one hand and used Touch of Blades with his other hand. The Slicing Caress glove on his right hand was a magical tool that utilized razor magic. As the wolf turned from the deflected attack, Azix's glove touched along its side, slicing through its fur and skin.

The Father Wolf crashed to the floor and whimpered, the wound was too great for it to continue. A wolf appeared from the den, even bigger than the father, drawn from the sounds of its wounded mate. Azix failed to notice her entrance until she howled and he turned around to see the massive wolf charging him. He raised his staff to begin conjuring a spell but, she met him first.

He was knocked to the ground as her claws dug into his abdomen and tore through his cuts. At the same time she drew her muzzle to his neck and bit down with a Poison Bite. A toxin dribbled into his blood stream, immediately affecting him. Azix cried out in pain, reaching out mentally for any power, any ability to get her off of him. He glimpsed an image of his hair and utilized Crazy Horse. As he started to choke on the blood he was coughing up, his hair began growing at a fast rate and braided together. The braid moved underneath the wolf and stabbed into her abdomen, twisting around to inflect massive trauma.

The wolf roared as gore splattered down onto Azix, the magician unable to even shudder in disgust as his vision started to go black. Azix was unable to catch a breath with the blood pooling in his throat. The wolf gave a final slash into Azix's guts, shredding more organs in the process before collapsing on her side.

As Azix lay on his back, bleeding profusely, images of his life flashed before his mind. Somewhere in the distance he heard someone scream, probably himself. 'Is this the end for me?'

His life started to slip away and he succumbed to the darkness, a comfort to the magician in his final moments. Suddenly, a blinding, bright light enveloped him and illuminated the area. A few seconds later it faded away and Azix woke with a gasp. He turned over and gagged up blood at his side.

Sitting up, Azix felt his stomach and saw that he was healed. He clutched the God's Necklace around his neck and thanked Fate that he was still alive. Sniffling noises caught his attention and he turned to his right to see Botolo kneeling on the ground.

"I thought...I thought you were dead!" Botolo wailed. "The wolf! I saw her hurt you!"

Azix pulled up his shirt to reveal that his wounds were healed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I am sorry I worried you. This necklace protects me, so don't worry."

Azix stood up and winced in pain he should have felt. 'Is this how Ariella and Ayero felt?'

"Come on, let's go see if they had any cubs." Azix suggested with a small smile. He helped the boy up and they wandered into the den. Inside, they found three cubs which they scooped up and carried back onto the carpet. The mewling pups were cute and Azix felt a pang for their loss. He loaded up their parents onto the carpet, mindful not to waste the kill. Botolo averted the pup's eyes so they didn't have to see their dead parents.

Azix and Botolo arrived to a worried Jubjub, who started to scold Azix until he saw the tears in his son's eyes and the pups in his arms. Botolo quickly informed his father of what had happened and Jubjub looked at Azix with concern. After assuring the Imuchakk that he was alright, they went inside to eat breakfast.

[1500+/1500]

[100/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

Jubjub would look through the pups while Botolo looked on, checking to make sure all the pups were in good health and of the appropriate size. When they got to the bottom of the huddle, one small yipping mass of puppy was left and Jubjub frowned. He could not present this pup to Shaka, the other man would be insulted. He looked at the human that had obtained the pups and an idea sparked. The man had done much to try and help them, he had proven it time and again.

"Azix... you need a piece of Imuchakk to take back with you, when your time here is complete. Take this pup. She is a runt, and would not be good as a sled dog."

The pup wriggled out of Jubjub's arms, using an awkward, playful puppy walk to move over to Azix and promptly nuzzled under the edge of his cape, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Spoiler: