This ends well

Right. Things were getting weird again, and Tal had a nervous itch under his skin that they weren't going to be getting better anytime soon. Deimos's light-up bracelet, the weird weather, the reports of fucky flowers... there was a whole lot of boding going on, and none of it was good.

And he'd felt fucking useless against the Dreamwalker, when Sah had been slinging spells and generally kicking ass and all Tal could do was...

Well. Call for help. Really impressive help. Help that had turned the tide and won the day. But it had still been a kind of second-hand victory for the courier. Hail, it hadn't even really counted as his. Ludo, in all its feline glory, had done the dirty deed.

And as scared as Tal was of the masked god, he figured it was overdue some gratitude for coming in clutch and saving his bacon. Boreal snorted her agreement as she settled down next to him, pale eyes bright as she waited for a tendril of cloak to appear.

She definitely wasn't planning on pouncing on it, Tal. How could you even think that of her?

With his customary fussiness he arranged the by-now traditional cat-themed offering: a pair of soft, warm slippers lined with lambswool, but with the plush heads of adorable kittens on top of where the feet went.

Their unblinking blue glass eyes seemed to stare into his very soul as he tried to avoid their gaze and set the bag of Dreamdust down on front of them. "Hi, uh, Ludo. It's... it's me again. Thanks for takin' down that Dreamkiller... walkin'... thing. In the Oerwoud. An' savin' my life. An' Sah's too, I guess," he added dutifully. "I, um. I don't s'pose there's anythin' y'can do with this weird Dust stuff? To make my Special Delivery Dagger more... y'know. Dangerous?" came the hopeful prayer. "To my enemies, not me!" he clarified hurriedly.

But also with a quiet edge of resigned terror for the inevitably painful quest to come.

---

Using Tal's level 9 Accepted reward: An item-quest given by the last deity you called down using your channeling
Ludo channeled in: {KQ} Frozen Enchantment: Secrets of the Oerwoud

Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Basic
DreamtDust | Dreamdust from the DreamWalker itself. Can be crafted by a God to add additional damage to an item.

Oh, Tal - do you think so little of Ludo, truly? (You should, you are wise). A tendril of cloak does appear, specifically for Boreal to play with, and two other rags slither out to tuck into the offered slippers. The rest of Ludo follows shortly after, snug and appeased from the gross, cold shrine in gross, cold Halo. Its tootsies are warm (you think, anyway) so there's no reason not to be content. "It was quite rude," Ludo says of the Dreamwalker, its mask tilting towards the Dreamtdust and seeming to consider it for a moment. "I think I can, yes," it says. "Let's see." Tal has received a quest from Ludo! He must: 1. Complete a thread coating his Special Delivery Dagger with some of the DreamtDust. 2. Complete a thread with someone and learn about the worst nightmare they've ever had. 3. Complete a training thread while blindfolded, using the Special Delivery Dagger. 4. Complete a thread spending a night out on the salt flats of the Sea of Dreams. LUDO Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own

Boreal rumbled happily and scootched forward to bat a careful paw at the tendril, having learned early on that if she damaged her toys too badly they didn't always get replaced. And friends didn't appreciate playing too rough.

Tal watched the other tendrils appear, holding his breath as they wiggled carefully into the offerings and, apparently finding them suitable. He ducked his head as the god manifested fully, a weird combination of relieved that his prayer had been answered and quietly terrified that his prayer had been answered.

But hey, once the quest came down, it turned out to be not too bad! Or at least, it could have been a lot worse. "I can do most o'that," Tal agreed, perking up. At least it was someone else's nightmare, and he wasn't going to have to spend a blasted hot day on the sea of dreams! "Thanks, Ludo! I'll be back soon!"

Boreal rolled back onto her belly from where she'd been wriggling on her back, batting at her tendril-friend and gave an echoing croon of gratitude before the pair gathered up the Dreamdust and scampered off to get started.

~Fin~