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Description
He could feel his spirit wavering from exhaustion. He had expended much of his energy with fixing the first shine, having had no idea what to do at the time. It was one of the reasons why he left the other two alone, among many other reasons. His paws dragged along the sandy ground of this unfamiliar world. He had his head bowed as if there was a weight hanging heavily on his shoulders as he walked. While he could see the reason why he was brought to these locations, he was confused about why it had to be him that was brought. Could it have been some other esk? It couldn’t just be him, right?  

He shook his head in an attempt to shake away the cobwebs in his mind, trying to stay awake enough to find a way home. As he kept walking, he finally noticed the mist curling at his feet and getting thicker and higher the more he walked. Relief crashed over him. Was this it? Was he going home? Despite the flash of excitement, he kept his slow pace, hoping to keep what was left of his energy. Maybe he would feel better once he was back home. At the very least, he’d be somewhere familiar. He relaxed as the fog fully embraced him, hoping that when it dissipated, he’d be back at his mountain and he could properly recover from this ‘adventure.’ But whatever he expected once the fog thinned out, it wasn’t to arrive at another peak and the sight of a gigantic esk standing before him, towering even the mountains themselves. His eyes widened minutely, taking a couple of steps back in his initial shock. At first, he wasn’t sure who this was, but then he remembered the stories of Raaga. Some sort of guardian to the mountains, one of the Wanderers. Immediately after this realization, he felt apprehensive. What now? Was he going to be punished? Rewarded? Told off at the very least?

Did Raaga bring him here?

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the great esk, he made his way forward to the edge of the peak, stepping in the shadow cast by the creature over the land. Raaga watched him, still silent as he sat down and returned the Wanderer's gaze. There was only silence as the two regarded each other before Raaga finally spoke.

You have been on quite the journey, he grumbles. I do not know what took you to those shrines; it was not me.   What? Confusion could be seen on the small esk’s expression. If the Wanderer did not bring him to those shrines, who did? Before he could speak, Raaga beat him to it.   I do not know what your intentions were, but you have greatly affected my mountains, stranger.

At this, Key'To looked down. Not because he was ashamed, no. He was thinking. The Wanderer didn’t seem angry, merely suspicious. He couldn’t blame him. What worried him most was the still unknown entity that brought him to those shrines. He mentally shook himself, focusing back on the Wanderer watching and waiting for him to explain. There was a pause as Key’To gathered his thoughts before he finally spoke. He recalled his adventure to the Wandered, his voice quiet and calm as he stated facts, what he witnessed, his decisions and the reasons behind them. In the end, he fell quiet, watching Raaga and awaiting whatever it was that would happen next. The Wanderer kept silent throughout the whole spiel and despite the calm, cloudless blue sky above them, his expression seemed unimpressed, suspicious yet lacking anger.

You have done as much as you could give, stranger, the Wanderer finally said, his voice as gruff as the stones that made up his tail. But not more than what you wanted to give. Than what you could have given. For your apathy against these mountains, I will curse you. As you continue to hide among the mountains, let the fog cover you further and hinder your steps as you traverse the lands.

If Key’To was getting anything out of this, a curse was the last thing he expected. Still, he kept quiet, listening patiently as he awaited his fate. He felt some sort of energy fill him and he looked down as he processed the curse that fell upon him. He could already see fog steadily creep into the surroundings. He calmly lifted a paw as if to inspect the light smoke curling around his ankles then stood up. Looking up at Raaga, he nodded his head in acceptance.

Thank you.

If the Wanderer was shocked at his words, his face didn’t show it. He would squint his eyes down at the small esk, his head tilted to the side just so like he was examining a new creature. Key'To looked back. 

You are … one curious being, Raaga finally said. Go back to your home. And if we see each other again, let this adventure serve as experience for future events and how you move from this day forward. You are new to this life. Young. Don't let your past cloud your future. You have much more to experience.

As Raaga spoke, the fog that had been creeping in blew around him in a sudden cyclone. Key'To stepped back in shock, his eyes widening. But as sudden as it was, it was calm, the fog dissipating to reveal his home. His mountain. He stood still, reeling from the sudden change in surroundings. Then for the first time since this whole adventure started, he relaxed. He had to sit down for a moment to really process what had happened. He noticed that his strength was back, but whether that was because of Raaga or from being back to his mountain, he wasn't sure. He looked around, taking in his land when he noticed that the fog seemed especially thicker. Then he remembered the curse that Raaga bestowed upon him.

But to him, it wasn't a curse. It was a blessing. The fog was his home. His safety blanket. The one thing that promised protection back in his first life and then became his ally in the second. Raaga didn't give him a punishment as he thought. The Wanderer gave him a gift.

Standing up, he heard something approaching. Turning, he spied the animal that had appeared at the first shrine. How did it get here? He watched as it moved towards him, cautiously at first then almost eagerly until it was beside him. Key'To watched, silent before he nodded and headed deeper into his mountain, new companion at his side and the fog curling protectively around them.

— — — — —

Key'To received a curse.
That turned out to be a blessing to him so shrugs

This was quite a ride! Thank you for being on this adventure with Key'To and me.
Now for the scoring!

For the art:

Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 AP (Elemental: 5 AP * 1)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
+20 AP (NPC Bonus)
+25 AP (Event Bonus, Biome Bonus and Palette Bonus)
Total AP per submission: 90

Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 GP (Elemental: 5 GP * 1)
+12 GP (Event Bonus, Biome Bonus and Palette Bonus)
Total GP per submission: 29

For the writing:

Base Score: 22 AP (Writing: 1111 words)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
+5 AP (Event Bonus)
+8 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 1)
Total AP per submission: 40

Base Score: 11 GP (Writing: 1111 words)
+2 GP (Biome Bonus)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 19

Total AP: 130

Total GP: 48

Description
He could feel his spirit wavering from exhaustion. He had expended much of his energy with fixing the first shine, having had no idea what to do at the time. It was one of the reasons why he left the other two alone, among many other reasons. His paws dragged along the sandy ground of this unfamiliar world. He had his head bowed as if there was a weight hanging heavily on his shoulders as he walked. While he could see the reason why he was brought to these locations, he was confused about why it had to be him that was brought. Could it have been some other esk? It couldn’t just be him, right?  

He shook his head in an attempt to shake away the cobwebs in his mind, trying to stay awake enough to find a way home. As he kept walking, he finally noticed the mist curling at his feet and getting thicker and higher the more he walked. Relief crashed over him. Was this it? Was he going home? Despite the flash of excitement, he kept his slow pace, hoping to keep what was left of his energy. Maybe he would feel better once he was back home. At the very least, he’d be somewhere familiar. He relaxed as the fog fully embraced him, hoping that when it dissipated, he’d be back at his mountain and he could properly recover from this ‘adventure.’ But whatever he expected once the fog thinned out, it wasn’t to arrive at another peak and the sight of a gigantic esk standing before him, towering even the mountains themselves. His eyes widened minutely, taking a couple of steps back in his initial shock. At first, he wasn’t sure who this was, but then he remembered the stories of Raaga. Some sort of guardian to the mountains, one of the Wanderers. Immediately after this realization, he felt apprehensive. What now? Was he going to be punished? Rewarded? Told off at the very least?

Did Raaga bring him here?

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the great esk, he made his way forward to the edge of the peak, stepping in the shadow cast by the creature over the land. Raaga watched him, still silent as he sat down and returned the Wanderer's gaze. There was only silence as the two regarded each other before Raaga finally spoke.

You have been on quite the journey, he grumbles. I do not know what took you to those shrines; it was not me.   What? Confusion could be seen on the small esk’s expression. If the Wanderer did not bring him to those shrines, who did? Before he could speak, Raaga beat him to it.   I do not know what your intentions were, but you have greatly affected my mountains, stranger.

At this, Key'To looked down. Not because he was ashamed, no. He was thinking. The Wanderer didn’t seem angry, merely suspicious. He couldn’t blame him. What worried him most was the still unknown entity that brought him to those shrines. He mentally shook himself, focusing back on the Wanderer watching and waiting for him to explain. There was a pause as Key’To gathered his thoughts before he finally spoke. He recalled his adventure to the Wandered, his voice quiet and calm as he stated facts, what he witnessed, his decisions and the reasons behind them. In the end, he fell quiet, watching Raaga and awaiting whatever it was that would happen next. The Wanderer kept silent throughout the whole spiel and despite the calm, cloudless blue sky above them, his expression seemed unimpressed, suspicious yet lacking anger.

You have done as much as you could give, stranger, the Wanderer finally said, his voice as gruff as the stones that made up his tail. But not more than what you wanted to give. Than what you could have given. For your apathy against these mountains, I will curse you. As you continue to hide among the mountains, let the fog cover you further and hinder your steps as you traverse the lands.

If Key’To was getting anything out of this, a curse was the last thing he expected. Still, he kept quiet, listening patiently as he awaited his fate. He felt some sort of energy fill him and he looked down as he processed the curse that fell upon him. He could already see fog steadily creep into the surroundings. He calmly lifted a paw as if to inspect the light smoke curling around his ankles then stood up. Looking up at Raaga, he nodded his head in acceptance.

Thank you.

If the Wanderer was shocked at his words, his face didn’t show it. He would squint his eyes down at the small esk, his head tilted to the side just so like he was examining a new creature. Key'To looked back. 

You are … one curious being, Raaga finally said. Go back to your home. And if we see each other again, let this adventure serve as experience for future events and how you move from this day forward. You are new to this life. Young. Don't let your past cloud your future. You have much more to experience.

As Raaga spoke, the fog that had been creeping in blew around him in a sudden cyclone. Key'To stepped back in shock, his eyes widening. But as sudden as it was, it was calm, the fog dissipating to reveal his home. His mountain. He stood still, reeling from the sudden change in surroundings. Then for the first time since this whole adventure started, he relaxed. He had to sit down for a moment to really process what had happened. He noticed that his strength was back, but whether that was because of Raaga or from being back to his mountain, he wasn't sure. He looked around, taking in his land when he noticed that the fog seemed especially thicker. Then he remembered the curse that Raaga bestowed upon him.

But to him, it wasn't a curse. It was a blessing. The fog was his home. His safety blanket. The one thing that promised protection back in his first life and then became his ally in the second. Raaga didn't give him a punishment as he thought. The Wanderer gave him a gift.

Standing up, he heard something approaching. Turning, he spied the animal that had appeared at the first shrine. How did it get here? He watched as it moved towards him, cautiously at first then almost eagerly until it was beside him. Key'To watched, silent before he nodded and headed deeper into his mountain, new companion at his side and the fog curling protectively around them.

— — — — —

Key'To received a curse.
That turned out to be a blessing to him so shrugs

This was quite a ride! Thank you for being on this adventure with Key'To and me.
Now for the scoring!

For the art:

Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 AP (Elemental: 5 AP * 1)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
+20 AP (NPC Bonus)
+25 AP (Event Bonus, Biome Bonus and Palette Bonus)
Total AP per submission: 90

Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 GP (Elemental: 5 GP * 1)
+12 GP (Event Bonus, Biome Bonus and Palette Bonus)
Total GP per submission: 29

For the writing:

Base Score: 22 AP (Writing: 1111 words)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
+5 AP (Event Bonus)
+8 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 1)
Total AP per submission: 40

Base Score: 11 GP (Writing: 1111 words)
+2 GP (Biome Bonus)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 19

Total AP: 130

Total GP: 48