Chương 85: Looter's Paradise Tease #5: The Collector & The Bestower

The Collector and The Bestower This is a story of two great men turned gods, known as the Collector and the Bestower. One with an unlimited ability to take and the other with an unlimited ability to give. This story has no proper end, but an understanding of its beginning shall lend meaning to its eventual conclusion. Not long ago, a mysterious entity was taking a stroll across the cosmos. And he happened upon a small blue-green planet that was brimming with life.

Seeing man's advanced society, this entity decides to rain down gifts upon them. These gifts gave man power and magic beyond all understanding. But the entity could not give them gifts alone. This entity has a philosophy of give-and-take. A world with one, but not the other, is a world without balance. And so with the gifts came the monsters. Monsters that would attack, kill, and burn all that man had built. The only ones who could stop them were the ones bearing the entity's gifts.

Two men, upon this ravaged world, discover two special gifts. The Collector finds his gift as he is roaming the world. This gift, he will discover, allows him to take and use as many gifts as he likes. Where other men are limited to three in one lifetime, the Collector has no limit. Each time he finds a new gift, he pastes it on his skin with a little black circle. Then he would go find another. Until one day, the paleness of his skin is painted with the little black circles, each marking a symbol of his power.

People fear this man. He could call storms and elements when he wished. He could tame the monsters with a flick of his finger. He could summon food and didn't have to hunt like everyone else. Wherever he walked, there would be a smoke storm accompanying him. His power was so great that it was said any man would be blinded upon the mere sight of him. He begins attracting followers because of this. People knew that as long as they were in his vicinity, they would be safe from the monsters outside.

When the Collector notices this, he allows them to stand by him on one condition: they must pay a tribute. He would sit upon his throne and command his followers, "Feed me more." They would go, and they would bring him more gifts, more power. Because when possibilities are endless, nothing is ever enough. He knows he could be stronger. However, nothing his followers brought satisfied him. Until one day, a follower brings him news.

"There is another." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The Bestower's gift falls upon his head like an angelically delivered crown. He can't handle more than three gifts like the Collector. But he could summon them from his hand. He could produce the gifts with his mind, as people thought was only possible by the entity beyond. He begins distributing gifts so others may fight the monsters, feed their families, build homes, and find safety in a time of great strife.

His followers would come to worship him. A god among them, who could grant any power that he could understand with his mind. They would protect him in return and give him gifts despite his protests. They would build a marble throne for him at the top of a great city named in his honor. Though the man was largely powerless himself, the people dedicated to him served as his strength. They were wrought with such gratefulness that they would lay down their lives if he asked.

But all he wanted was to build a perfect place, where no one would be harmed, and everyone could live in peace. So the people began to build. Watching them, he was unsatisfied. He knew his people were burdened by the work. Sometimes things would stall because they didn't always understand his vision. Until one day, one of his followers brings him news.

"There is another." When the Collector hears of this man, he immediately knows what he has to do. If the Collector had the power to bestow, then he would not need to force his followers to pay him tribute. He could make his gifts himself. He would be all-powerful, and he could stand alone. When the Bestower hears of this man, he immediately knows what he has to do. If the Bestower had the ability to collect, then he need not burden his followers to build his society. He could create it all himself.

He would be all-powerful, and he could stand alone.