It wasn't that he had some kind of fetish, no, he had always found those people a bit weird if he was honest, it was more the fact of the matter of how the feet looked, beautiful, no question, but not because they were feet, they simply seemed beautiful to Leyk because he was an artificer and they were not made of flesh but off wood.
Intricate and sleek, it was incredibly craftmanship that instantly captivated him.
They were elegantly carved and looked not like human feet, more so like what a person would think of when they heard someone say something about feet, almost like carved from memory, but what was more interesting was how they were supposed to work, because they were constantly wiggling their toes, actually, now that he thought about it again, the woman was constantly moving, the toes twitched, the face twitched, the body shook, she could never stay still.
Slowly a smile spread across Cades's face, the one stuck inside the subconscious, the one that Leyk could not hope to see right now, though Cades technically didn't have a face right now anyways.
A woman's voice resounded.
"I take it you like feet?"
The voice was filled with sarcasm, trifling with humour and the intent of making a joke, that much was clear, the sound itself was melodic and soothing but inspiring and elating, it was a weird feeling that the voice caused if he was honest, but the entailment of the message definitely caused Leyk to react, ripping himself away from the entrancing masterful craftsmanship of the feet that he could not even begin to imagine he looked at the source of the voice, meeting brown eyes with greenish lines inside and quickly remembering where he was.
Leyk was stuck, he was scared and yet soothed, but luckily the woman, the great pillar of motion didn't seem upset, more so like she had expected it and was already prepared with the line.
Wait... that was a joke, wasn't it?
Had she tried to lighten the mood?"
"Hello Leyk, it's nice to finally put a face to the name."
There was no doubt in Leyk's mind that she had already know who he was, how he looked, she had most likely already known everything about him after all, ever since his very birth perhaps even, perhaps even before that, but still, this calm and normal greeting was quite calming to hear.
Not so much, however, what she said next, if the being even had that gender.
"Excuse myself now, but I do have to follow the ancient law and introduce myself, so let's listen up, hear, but don't take what I say all too seriously, okay?"
What ancient law?
Why did something like this have to follow any law, and what introduction?
Why did the pillar of inspiration not have to do this?
"I am the great pillar of motion, I am the restless storm devouring a newborn child, I am the progress of all kinds made flesh and wood, I am the endless queen of hands ruling above ingenuity, I am the last to be created and the first to be born, I am the source through which magic flows, I am the falling rain's trail, I am every drop that quenches the world of drought with water, I am the giver and I am the taker, I the slowest snail, I am the swiftest cat, I am the first daughter of change, I am the light that first shone upon the child born of absence, I am her who despises stagnation, I am her who call herself Coures."
There was not a single thought in Leyk's mind, though Cades was still laughing loudly, purposefully projecting his own laughter, a laughter that wasn't even real, simply created from memory long lost, to mock him for looking at her feet, though, he undoubtably had done the same when he found out they were made of wood, at least for a bit, after all something like that wasn't exactly common, especially at this level of craftsmanship, unreachable by Cades own standards.
Leyk grew slightly annoyed at the laugh though, understandably so.
Then the woman spoke once more, the beautiful voice quickly and accurately capturing Leyk's attention, like a siren without singing, it was monotone, but filled with progress and motion, both things he was constantly desiring since he had been conceived, both things she seemed to resemble more than anything else.
"Sorry for that, it is just a tradition really, but don't worry, it is to show respect for someone that entered this place without regrets and with great accomplishments, a rule by the old man told to do when we met someone we respected and didn't intent to kill, at least not without good reason, though in the end it still largely depends on personal choice, still chosen by most as interesting and a good way of signalling peaceful intentions."
So it was just a sign she wasn't going to kill him?
That was a great relief, though it was weird how she had explained everything in such a monotone way, as if she had done this countless times over, though, in a certain way, Leyk guessed, she had done this countless times, no doubt about it.
"Normally I don't meet the challengers directly, especially not for such a simple version of my tests, and yes there are multiple versions of my challenges, I'd advise you to take more of them later on when you grow more, but I just had to meet you, the dear person that 'he' has been taking care of for so long now."
Well, that wasn't alarming at all...
Who was 'he' and why in god's name was something like her willing to abdicate her normal routine for anything, was it something he already knew, what in heaven's forking name was it?
"Anyways, let's get to the last chapter of my challenge."
So it wasn't done yet?
That was definitely not good...
What was going to happen now?
Was he supposed to resist her, or something like that?
"Cast magic, anything will do, just the first spell that comes to your mind."