Chapter 41: The real start
Goba, Fi, An and Bo cheered as I finished the linking with the shrine, although softly, still respectful of my presence. I feel something deep inside me, something I can't truly place. A feeling of endearment maybe, my four followers.
Five if you'd include Walch, zeven with the other two dodos. Eight if Vothe is included, but he's slightly different from the others.
When I think of them the feeling feels stronger. It is a good feeling. I can't wait to create more followers with the Tower, or even convince them to join in this world.
But before that I need something else, the souls and flesh of the hunted. They can finally offer that to the Tower directly now.
"An, do you want to be the first to bring your offer?" I look at the little dragonfly zooming around in the air out of happiness and pride of what she created.
She hovers still in the air when she hears my question, I feel like she almost fell out of excitement. "Yes!"
She flies to the log bench in front of the tree and sits down. She lowers her front legs until her head almost touches the wood, a bow.
Her wings light up golden and small flames sprout around them, the souls of the hunted. Like this she actually looks like her image in the stone. The souls float forward slowly, before disappearing into the tenth and empty stone. After that she lifts her head and a red and brown mix that probably used to be the things she ate flow out of her mouth in a bloody stream.
The souls looked pretty, but this looks bad. It's a good thing for the Haven though, so it's something I need to get used to. Seeing the look of pure admiration and excitement in the eyes of the others, I'm apparently the only one that's a bit freaked out by this.
When An's offer is finished the Tower in the carving lights up and shines a beam of light on An. "Ohhh this is great! It feels like I can go on for days just on this light!" She flies around the tree a few times and stops in front of me. I nod at her and she pecks my forehead, as a little kiss. "Thanks Gosamu!"
After that Bo offers his hunt and also receives the light. But he just bows deeply for me for a few seconds. I nod at him and he walks back to the others.
Goba is last. Both the souls and the flesh he offers have a blueish tint, showing that he's busy hunting for water elemental flesh as I asked him. Goba also receives the light and he too bows before me with his forehead on the floor for a good couple seconds.
Fi hasn't hunted so she has no offer, this is fine. She's been improving herself. Which is in extend also improving Haven.
"Goba, let's go to the snake. I think that our promise and the shrine will help him be convinced." I start walking to the stream.
"Yes Master." and like that Goba follows me, with the others right behind.
~~~~~~~~~
"Oh great snake of the stream. I, gosamu, returned to see you. The preparation are complete to fulfil your wish. We shall start after we returned to the shrine and you gave a living offer to the Haven, so hunt for quick and follow us back." The big snake head rises from the water even before I stated my name. It nods at me when I finish and disappears under the surface.
I was wondering if it even can come out of the water, but it's willingness to follow shows that it can. And or Goba is really good and it trusts us fully, or it can still put up a fight even outside of water.
We wait for it to return, Goba just stands at the bank looking at the water with his special eyes, I wonder what he sees.
Fi and Bo are talking about how they use their power to make plants grow and move the earth.
An is still diligently hunting moths and mosquitos.
But the wait isn't long before the snake returns with what seems to be the unconscious body of a tiger. The snake controls the water to make sure the tiger can only get small sips of air to keep it passed out.
Goba looks at me with slight fright in its eyes, he's hinting that he couldn't even kill it in the time the snake left, not even mentioning taking it alive. But I think the snake just had a great water advantage, tigers like to swim, this one just swam at the wrong place.
For the first time the full body of the snake emerges from the water. It has a special way of slithering, it looks more like a flowing river on a map than an actual slithering snake.
It's full 15 meters of watery body comes on land. And even though it's a snake made of water, I am a bit underwhelmed. It's body is completely smooth and colored like what's behind it, but this could be an actual tactic, making itself less noticeable to hide and hunt. If that's the case it could actually be very impressive.
A few minutes later we arrive at the shrine. Even with a 15 meter long snake with us it doesn't look overly full.
Goba steps forward, taking his place in front of the shrine and after his book appears in his hand he begins. "Great snake of the stream, I, first priest Goba have the honour to fulfil your wish in name of the Haven! Place your sacrifice on this log, if the Tower accepts your offer we shall begin directly."
Goba waves his hand to the half log on the floor, showing where to place the tiger. The snake does just that.
Goba steps forward and his scythe appears in his hand, he places the blade underneath the tigers throat before starting again. "As the first priest Goba, I accept your offer. But will the Tower do the same?" As he finishes his last word the scythe cuts upwards, but no blood is spilled and no head rolls.
"Your sacrifice is accepted!" Goba spreads his arms up high and from tiger comes a reddish flame. That hovers between Goba's raised arms before flying directly into the image of the Tower. After that the actual tiger liquefies and flows into the empty tenth stone.
The entire tree flashes golden and a concentrated beam of light lands on the snake's head. Even though the snake tries to resist at first, it looks really pleased after the first second.
"Come forward snake of the stream, come forward and show your dedication to the Haven, to Gosamu!" Goba waves at the log again, and the snake moves forward after a moment of hesitation. I lays its head on the same place as the tiger did, and Goba places his scythe on the same place as he did with the tiger.
"Initiation by decapitation, rebirth after death, a new body for an old soul!" And like that the scythe cuts upwards again, and the entire watery body splashes apart into a big puddle. The biggest soul flame I have seen so far yet appears in its stead, it's a beautiful semi-transparent blue.
The soul also moves into the Tower, and after that only I can follow it. I steer the power in the Tower to combine the soul directly with the flesh that's the most suitable for the water element and the highest rank body template I have right now.
The first human I ever made was created right here, right now.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone