LEARNING TO BREATHE | LESSER, ANKRUS PACT

[sanriu 734]

ꕤ LEARNING TO BREATHE || ♬

[Pact to Lesser Immortal Spirit under, Ankrus]

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The wind quietly whistled as Uru stumbled into the hut of Manqu, the second Paqo of the Tawantinsuyin tribe that now resided in Qurisuyu village. Slumping down into a nearby corner, reaching deep into the pocket of her clothes, revealing a small pouch of cactus green.

She smiled to herself as she glanced around the hut, her eyes fixated on the random splatters of blood, chiqtanas, and trophies that the shaman had collected on his own to adorn his walls with. Recalling the wisdom the elder shaman embedded in her, his voice ringing,

 

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“Uru, you are already wise. However, you must grow wiser to succeed. You shall one day take my place. To do so, you must further your knowledge.” - Manqu, Son of Manqu. 
[ OOC: IF YOU KNOW THE JOKE, YOU KNOW. ]

 

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The young Tawantinsuyin priestess brought the hookah up to her maw, watching the green leaves light aflame, smoke leaving from her parted lips as she calmed herself. Grasping at her wankar with open palms, she began rhythmically tapping upon it. THUMP.. THUMP.. THUMP.. Over and over again, the sound echoed from outside the hut, getting progressively louder, as if she were preparing for impending doom. Again and again, the sound echoed throughout the hut, loud enough to carry outside its walls.
Each strike grew heavier, louder, as though heralding some impending doom. Uru closed her eyes, steadying her breathing to the rhythm of the drum.

As the young priestess relaxed her senses, she slowly began to disperse from her very being. Sight was the first to leave her, plunging her into an endless sea of darkness while the sound of the drum gradually faded into nothingness. Uru continued to exhale slowly, maintaining steady breaths, until even her sense of smell temporarily abandoned her. Soon Enough, she could no longer feel the rough texture of the drum beneath her palms. Everything became blank.



 

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Though her body remained within the realm of the living, her senses had all but vanished. A familiar wave of impending doom washed over her, followed by a violent pull dragging her downward. She fell into a vast emptiness, suspended in endless freefall. Yet unlike her first journey, Uru remained calmer this time, though nervousness still lingered as she kept her eyes tightly shut while descending into the barren void.

Eventually, the constant sensation of falling came to a halt. One by one, her senses returned in reverse.

First came touch, the feeling of sand pressing between her fingertips and against her skin. Then the smell returned, salty water flooding her nostrils and replacing the lingering scent of cactus green. After that came sound, the muffled bubbling of sea creatures, and the shifting currents overtaking the once thunderous beat of the wankar. Finally, her sight returned.

Uru opened her eyes only to recoil at the sudden burning sensation, quickly realizing she was resting upon the seafloor.

At first, panic overtook her. She flailed wildly beneath the water, but soon enough, breathing became… easier. Confusion settled across her features as she stopped moving, holding herself still while glancing around beneath the ocean depths.

Finally sitting upright, she remained quiet for a moment, eyes wandering curiously through the endless seafloor around her. Her hands quickly checked over her limbs, ensuring she was still whole and attached.

 

“I did it…”
 

“I’ve made it here myself… but where am I to go?”

 

 She muttered beneath her breath in disbelief. Her voice drifted outward into the vast waters. Brows knitting together, Uru slowly rose to her feet, seemingly dumbfounded by whichever realm she had wandered into. Her gaze shifted to the left, where enormous clouds of sand churned violently upward through the water. The disturbance clouded the sea around her, obscuring her vision. Then Niin-Kranklob made herself known. Not physically, at least not yet.

A booming voice erupted through the waters, vibrating around Uru like thunder beneath the sea.
…

“GHASHN-LAB GRATUM SHARA.” (STATE YOUR PURPOSE, HUMAN.)

 

The spirit’s tone was harsher than Uru had anticipated, causing her brows to furrow before she called back in response. Her words stumbled awkwardly from her tongue. She was far from proficient in the language, stuttering and mispronouncing several sounds. 

“URU-IZG, SK-SKAAT KHL-LAT GORRRR-LAT…”
(I am Uru. I come to ask to work with you.)
The spirit acknowledged it immediately.

“LAT, HÛR LÛP KULÛK? NAAN, LAT GOLM NARASH?”
(You dare ask for anything while offering nothing?)
Uru hesitated. Then the spirit spoke once more.
 

“LAT, PAASHNAR PUKHL, MOLKÛ GHUNG LAT DRAAGH-ÂMBAL LÛP DÂR - AGH LNÛRL PUHKL-MAAZ NIIN-KRANKLOB-IZG, GHÛLUM KRAMP-U.”

(You cannot speak. However, if you build me a pretty shrine and learn to speak properly, I will help you and allow you to become a vessel of my power.)

Tears began gathering in Uru’s eyes.
“A-Akh… Uru-izg paash-draagh-âmmm…bal lûp dâr, agh lnûrl puhkl-ma…az…”
(Yes, I shall build you a pretty shrine and learn to speak better.)

…

A faint smile settled across Uru’s expression as the spirit finally revealed itself. Niin-Kranklob emerged as a half-woman, half-anaconda with a massive ancaconda-like tail covered in shimmering blue scales and glowing eyes that pierced through the murky waters. The half-serpent flicked her tongue toward Uru before burrowing back beneath the sand, disappearing once more into the depths. As the stirred sand slowly settled around her, Uru lowered herself back onto the seafloor. Steadying her breathing, she clapped her hands together softly in rhythm. Once more, her senses slipped away.

Again came the familiar freefall, though this time it felt comforting rather than terrifying. The sensation of being pulled upward through the emptiness no longer filled her with dread. Instead, it carried something almost warm, something familiar. Then, one by one, her senses returned. The walls of Qurisuyu village came back into view around her.

Uru opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face as she scrambled to her feet, already eager to prepare the shrine she had been ordered to build…
 

Spoiler

[ OOC: THIS PACT IS ONLY KNOWN TO THOSE PRESENT AND THOSE MADE AWARE.
SHRINE: TBA, QURISUYU MORE THAN LIKELY  ]

 

[sanriu 734]

URU erupted from that hut of Manqu, running out screaming, "I DID IT, I REALLY DID IT!!" She ran around the village courtyard dancing and rejoicing for the rest of the night.

[Ambitious 71]

Taki pondered

 

Spoiler

Will write a response tmr

 

[Nen 347]

Manqu, son of Manqu, knew not of the pact wrought by the young Uru. Still, the paqo's perceptive eyes, blessed by the weeping tears of Viracocha, could see a growing wisdom in that girl. Beneath his austere and ineffable visage, he silently rejoiced for the kin of his kin. It was another knot in the quipu of fate, heralding the rise of the Tawintinsuyin and the return of the huaca to the realm of Man.

[MonteGiant 891]

"Gaze upon the Greatness upon the greatness of our tribe o Hatun Kuntur, look upon your blessed children born under your sun, look upon the manner in which we praise. Hatunchay Hatun Kuntur." That Tawantinsuyin Apu, Tupaq Amaru, would state in pride, of that kith of his, of that Uru and her path that she sets herself upon...