Nexus Biographies

An old story of Muse and Buyian folklore, as retold by HumaOfLance:

On the border between Buya and Kugnae lived a young boy named Yu-ru and his father. Yu-ru's mother had died very many years ago in an accident involving Kiyone, a runaway cart, and a belligerent horse named Neigh-neigh.

Yu-ru's father was a cruel and evil man, he forced his son to do everything, whereas he sat about, complained, and ate. Yu-ru's reward, at best, was a beating. Yu-ru himself, although young, was incredibly slothful despite the work his father put him to, and he always found a way to cut corners (which, when he was caught often resulted in a beating) but he never learned his lesson... until a fateful day.

Yu-ru was hunting one day for supper to feed his father and maybe even himself when his father walked up behind him, grabbing the hunting bow out of Yu-ru's startled hands, he brought it down over the boy's head, "I TOLD YOU BOY! NO MORE DEER OR RABBIT! I WANT SOME FISH SOUP AND I WANT IT NOW!" He bellowed.

Yu-ru quickly scuttled off into the trees and rubbed his head painfully. "Fishing, what a waste of my time," Yu-ru muttered softly and wallowed like a pig in his self-pity, "Fish, fish... where can I get a fish that doesn't involve work?"

He wandered asking himself this question for several hours, it was only when the sun began to set and he heard his father's angry voice, "YU-RU?! WHERE IS MY FISH SOUP?"

"Oh no! What to do?" Yu-ru's mind raced, "I have the fish father! It's big and tasty! I'll come cook it right away!" Yu-ru believed himself a dead man, he walked slowly back to his home preparing himself for a harsh if not fatal beating. Suddenly something dark and ugly skittered across his path, Yu-ru jumped, startled by the fleeting form. He glanced around to see what it might have been, and his eyes fell on a rat, watching him from the edge of the path with it's beady eyes. Yu-ru recognized a chance when he saw it, his sloth and will to survive kicking in. He picked up a stone from his path and threw it with all his might at the rat. Direct hit! He ran to the rat and picked it up distastefully by the tail. "Let's see how father enjoys -this-, heh heh."

Yu-ru ran then back to his home with his prize, he broke into the kitchen praying his father wouldn't glance at the "fish". He didn't, and he was too lazy to get up and go into the kitchen to see for himself. "Cook it fast son," Yu-ru heard his father going for the switch and cringed, he knew the sound and now associated it directly with pain, "I trust you know the consequences if I'm not satisfied, neh?"

"Oh yes father! I know you will love this soup!" Yu-ru worked quickly, he cut the rat apart and quickly dropped it into the pot. Deciding he needed some form of herb or plant or something, he dashed outside and grabbed some grass and threw that in the pot too, he added some spices that were laying around the house, and prayed for the soup to cook quickly.

"Father! The soup is done, please take your seat at the table." His father walked to the table, muttering curses and threats of retribution with every step, his sadistic nature in full regalia. Ever the glutton, the father simply began to eat the soup out of the pot, not even glancing at it. His eyes suddenly lighted up as he tasted what he thought was fish.

"Son! This is splendid! I have never tasted anything like it... Tomorrow night I'm inviting King Yuri, King Senshi, Prince M'hul and Princess Lasahn to dinner and you will cook this exact soup for them, understand? This will surely make me rich, then I can be rid of you!" Yu-ru's father quickly consumed the rest of the soup and promptly fell asleep. For the first time in years Yu-ru hadn't been beaten after supper, he reveled in his moment. Then, cold and quickly, dread replaced the merriment, the royalty of Buya and Kugnae? Surely they would detect the strange flavor of the soup. Well, he was doomed anyways, may as well make the most of it, Yu-ru supposed.

The day passed quickly, and the next night brought the two Kings and their offspring to the humble home of Yu-ru, convinced by his father's enthusiasm this would be the best meal they ever tasted., while Yu-ru once again found a rat, this one in an underground cellar outside his house, and began to make the soup.

Dinner was as peaceful as possible for two rival kings and threats of war were only exchanged once or twice. "Ahh... Senshi, you should just leave, this soup will never do for your heathen pallet. Take your dog of a daughter with you too." Yuri said passively, and to his delight Senshi's face lit with anger.

"At least I don't dress my daughter up as a so..." Senshi's words caught in his throat when Prince M'hul's hand went to his sword.

Princess Lasahn's sword also leaped from it's scabbard and pointed at the Prince's jugular, "Now now, Princess M'hul, sit down. Father, !please! calm down. I think I can hear the soup coming now." The scent of the boiling soup filled the air causing pangs of hunger at all sitting at the table. Prince M'hul and King Yuri were smoldering over the affront to M'hul's gender.

"The soup is ready!" Called Yu-ru and he brought out humble bowls filled with generous portions of the rat soup. "I truly hope you do enjoy it my lords and ladies... err... lady," glancing at the furious Prince, Yu-ru hurried from the room.

Immediately after starting a chorus of compliments started, "This soup, it's wonderful!" "Magnificent!" "The fish, it's so good!" "I must have this-ACK!" Prince M'hul's compliment suddenly ceased as he choked on the soup. Yu-ru's father smacked the prince as hard as he could and a piece of something shot out of M'hul's mouth. At the same time, Yu-ru had ran into the room to see what the commotion was about, the piece of food landed at his feet and immediately paled, it was a rat tail.

"You know... that piece of meat strangely resembles a tail, but no fish has a tail like that... Yu-ru, what type of fish was this?" Lasahn spoke, peering at the meat.

"It's a magical fish, only I know how to catch it!" Yu-ru quickly replied, knowing the danger he was in.

"Ahh! Take me there, I want to see this magical fish for myself, and pay a few vengeance for making me choke." Prince M'hul had regained his composure... and his violent wrath.

Yu-ru, paling, brought them outside and showed them the cellar. It was dark enough inside that he may have had a chance to escape. "That cellar is no where near water! How could a fish live inside?!" Yuri shouted, tired of the game already.

"My liege, that is because it is a -magical- landfish. You have to be quick to catch them though." Yu-ru lead them deep inside the cellar. After several long minutes of looking, the monarchs were obviously bored, and the common monarchial solution to boredom is an execution, Yu-ru gulped as a dark form ran past their path, "There! There it is! The landfish!" All the leaders followed its movement to a corner.

Suddenly, Prince M'hul had a torch out and with a word of magic set it aflame, the light of the fire illuminated the form of a scared rat, huddled in the corner. Suddenly, everything became clear, the tail he choked on, the invitation to dinner with his enemy, this trip, M'hul's mind, being what it is didn't work like those of the others and he immediately came to the wrong conclusion, "YOU WHELP, HOW DARE YOU TRY TO POISON ME?!"

"M'hul, I don't believe this boy intended to poison you or anyone else... this soup is a true delicacy." Princess Lasahn attempted to reason with the angry prince, too late, M'hul had stormed out and behind him, King Yuri. Both were furious at the insult. Lasahn turned to Yu-ru, "Yu-ru, I would like you to become my royal chef. Here is some money," she handed Yu-ru a bag of coins, "go to town and buy some clothes and whatever else you need and come back here. I have to go shortly, but I will return in a few hours to guide you to Buya personally, thank you again." With that Lasahn and Senshi departed as well.

As soon as they were out of sight Yu-ru's father snatched the money from Yu-ru's hands, "Boy! You are lucky I don't kill you for that!" he threw a few coins back at Yu-ru, "Go to town and buy me some Root liquor, that I may forget this experience!" Clutching the money, Yu-ru fled from sight.

A few hours passed and Yu-ru was just returning home, many soldiers milled about his house, and above the din he heard Prince M'hul's gruff voice, "Seize him! Seize the boy and bring him to me!" Yu-ru was immediately surrounded, bound, and brought to the prince. "How-dare-you-try-to-poison-me?" M'hul hissed, "You-will-suffer-and-die!" He waved his hand and Yu-ru's father was brought out. "Allow me to demonstrate, kill him," Yu-ru's father was then immediately executed by the soldiers.

"I-I'm s-s-sorr-ry m-my lo-lord," Yu-ru stammered, on his knees with fright, "p-p-please sp-spare me." But then Prince M'hul's heavy boot forced his face into the dirt.

"Now-you-die!" M'hul raised his electra above his head when a sound caught his ears. He held in place for a moment, stunned.

The drums of the Buyian Imperial Army beat all the harder, Princess Lasahn's voice called out, "Unhand my cook or face a war!" In response the Kogurian Royal Army formed ranks and prepared for battle.

For precious moments it looked as if a huge battle would break out over a pot of soup, suddely M'hul laughed. "Take your cook!" He kicked at Yu-ru and he scrambled towards Lasahn, "Hmph. Perhaps rat is suitable for you Buyians! No self-respecting Kogurian would dream of eating rat soup!" With that M'hul motioned to his army, which turned and began the march back to Kugnae.

And that is the story of why Buya's national treat is Rat Soup and all rodents are outlawed on penalty of death in Koguryo as per the Prince's "All for me and none for you" edicts as passed in the twenty-seventh year of King Yuri's reign.

~*-HumaofLance-*~