ORIGIN - [Order vs Chaos] THE BATTLE FOR CANIS

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ORDER VS CHAOS

BATTLE FOR CANIS

They were here, now, and uncontested. But a series of failures had ensured that they'd barely managed to safeguard their situation.

They'd need to shore up Canis against attack. Mother urged them, in their minds: "Your siblings' distraction is working. They have bought you time... but I do not know how much. Be swift to build your walls and traps, your towers and your magic... be swift to guard this place against Chaos."

There was no way of knowing how long it would be before the cave's forces noticed the incursion. Order would need to restore just that--Order--while it still had time.

She cave no command in regard to Sergei, Kerberos, or the rest--she let it be known that her soldiers were welcome to use their discretion, here. But there was urgency in this, for one Praetor at the rear was dropped in a sudden thrashing frenzy before its link was abruptly severed: a sharp moment of pain and alarm silenced by death. Sergei's spear had ended it quickly--and the others turned to face him.

They came for him, enormous jaws gnashing: their first target of the night.

The forces of Order are yet being commanded to destroy Chaos opposition where they find it, but more importantly to now shore up Canis's defenses. They have successfully assaulted the cave: they must now eliminate opposition and defend it.

Sergei must roll to avoid becoming Praetor meal (or chrysalis).

See the Order vs Chaos Master Thread for scoring and more information!

SCORE TALLY
This will be updated as the thread progresses.

@Bone (Giggle, Sergei) @Orthus @Ace @Juggernaut @Alcina @Elysium (Scorn) @Rena @Siren @Kerberos

Her pale eyes flashed toward Giggle as she heard her name--and took in the massive dogs standing by her side.

"We are not here for you. Stay away," she roared in answer, and though her words offered fair warning and fair conduct, there was none of her old softness in them.

It occurred to her that flame... fire... was no longer truly her element. Or rather--it was; but she had spent so long in Ursa that she now felt more kinship with snow and ice than heat. Mother's magic had seen to that, cycles past.

This time, then, when she swept in a low curve around the edges of Order's group, she aimed not flame (bones would not burn so well, anyway) but frost for the ground, aiming to create a barrier of ice on the floor a couple meters wide and dozens long. It wasn't a wall, just an ice patch, one that (with luck) would slow or trip up anyone trying to cross it.

It was with satisfaction that she saw it take: a long, thick stretch of shining ground crackling with cold and brimming with frosty steam. It narrowly missed Sergei, but otherwise, if anyone tried to draw too close, they'd need to be very careful not to simply slide into the maws of one of Bone's new brethren.

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

The first beast, the Skyreaver, that called down to Kerberos, was all fangs, spikes, and sharp ends and what looked like bloody scabs from afar. "I WILL NOT SCRAM!" Kerberos snarled in defiance, pelt bristling. Moments before he was about to do more than showing teeth and wearing out his woof, someone slid in beside his flank.

That someone was his adopted mother, Giggle. One head turned to her, snorting and huffing, holding back on a leash of patience instilled by her and her alone.

His mother's hoarse voice rose to try above the clattering of carapace and bones rattling, working toward a position of neutrality. Kerberos's instincts clashed with this position, feeling invaded and, rightfully, threatened by the swarm of massive strangers. But...

"Bone"-- not Bones, but Bone-- Kerberos remembered faintly, in a time over a dozen cycles past. The massive white dragon had been with other dragons at the time, when they had all eaten the magical cookies. The ice-breath that Kerberos saw lay havoc to the dusty, dry Canis floor riddled with bones was familiar enough to jog that memory, but that served only a thin layer of hesitation. He tried to summon an internal flame, just in case the frost turned toward him, but...

Kerberos hesitated further, tail rolling this way and the other as he shifted on his heavy forepaws, three eyes pinned on the strangers and the remaining two watchful of his mother. When she twisted to chew at her hide, vulnerable, a low growl started from deep within his chest. It may have been her own magic, but if even one of these strangers tried to get too close...

He stood firm in front of her, now turning all of his eyes upon the group as Bone froze the earth and bones between them with her icy breath. It was a defensive position, but that only confused the canine further, his ears laying back against his skull.

"Who are you here for?" The hellhound's central head demanded, "What things of filth and oil? What pests? We eat the lessers!" A misunderstanding, perhaps, but one that tried to pry apart answers. There were many creatures that lived here (and some who hid, taking shelter) in Canis-- ones that Kerberos thought himself a protector of-- and if it was any of the Bonebound, their friends, or their food supply-- well, it was clear the three-headed dog wasn't going to stand by and let them.

Orthus growled as Juggernaut clacked by, casually knocking over and sweeping up a few of Orthus' perfectly organized piles. "All right, all right, I get it!" Orthus snapped reluctantly. The devourer clenched its great maw in a annoyed thunk. It reluctantly rolled to one of its' sides, and rose. Before it began to move once more, it gave a mournful glance down to the piles still remaining. "I'll return," Orthus mumbled mournfully.

His gaze turned to the still standing bone towers, trying to pick out which ones seemed least likely to cause a ruckus as they fell. As he watched, calculating the jenga-like potential, Orthus occasionally glanced to the newcomers warily. It had never seen hyenas or bears, and the fur struck it as odd. Most the things Orthus had seen with fur had been tiny, like Ananke, so Orthus simply assumed only tiny things had fur. Giggle still met his expectations, but the bear and the three headed dog did not. Ironically Kerberos was the most normal thing to it--many of its siblings also had multiple heads. As he mused on this, Orthus rose on his hind legs, preparing to knock over another tower of bone.

With Orthus' body weight against it, it crackled with dust before toppling. A good amount of bones and shards fell from it, delaying Orthus, but were swiftly organized. Orthus paid close attention to the discussion with Ace and the furred creatures. But its attention soon went back to the bear, Sergei. The other pair had not yet harmed a sibling, but that bear...it had dared harm one of mother's Praetors. Orthus thought on this, and another tower toppled. After sweeping the shards into loosely organized piles, Orthus climbed atop his shoddy but functional barricade, glaring at the bear in the distance. If this tactic worked for Ace, one comparatively small and unintimidating next to Orthus, it would hopefully work for them too. It'd rather not have to force it to leave. Orthus already would rather be chewing through substrate, and that thing was only complicating matters further.

Its voice boomed out, hopefully catching the attention of Sergei. "SPEAR-WIELDER! Leave Her praetors alone. I'd rather not deal with more obstacles."

((quick notes: Makes kinda poopy bone barricade, and directly mentions Sergei! I'm not sure how far Orthus/sergei is from the entrance so my bad if it doesnt make sense space-wise))

The message it had sent, though not exactly well recieved, was acknowledged. It tried to supress the guilt that pulsed in response to Orthrus' complaint, continued its march for moments longer - until, of course, it is stopped by other obstacles. It almost wished that the smaller mammals in their path were corrupted; The solution to these problems would be much simpler that way.

The guardian of Canis. He was large, lacking in the chitin that most of his siblings (this included the praetors) sported. His own pairs of red eyes blinked at Kerberos' - Similar maybe. Juggernaut reflected on the chances of the creature joining them one day. Ace handled the diplomacy for the group. He found him fascinating, speaking aloud with so many words, describing things in strange new ways. He admired that, the difference between the two, even though it could breed discomfort as easily as curiousity.

It tried to echo Ace's sentiment - not intending to steal the spotlight of course, but simply to support. "Move." It lingered over each sound, as if reading it aloud for the first time. Its voice was a rumble and a hiss, accentuated by the rattling of mouth-parts. Its tone was stern, perhaps too much so - "Please." It added, softer this time.

His processes are again rudely interrupted, but by something much more concerning. The panic is echoed as it shoots down the link, continuing long after the silence. Who had been taken from him and Her? Tendrils lashed and spear-limbs clicked as it glared at the aggressor. The other praetors were answering, and Juggernaut would not be able to close distance quickly. He too would allow those closer to deal with the bear, shuddering at the feeling of dread that lingered. Death was not a pleasant thing.

Instead, it refocused on the other outsiders. Their numbers had appeared to triple in a curious way, but Juggernaut would not pay much mind. Regardless of their numbers, the questions remained similar. Perhaps he could comfort them? Attempt to, at least. "Corruption- It consumes all." He gestured a tendril in a circle motion. All present were included in this statement. "We protect all. Please move." It tried again, not wanting to antagonise while conflict was not yet inevitable.

Its focus would largely remain on the outsiders and helping to diffuse the situation, so its physical efforts remained minor for now. Still standing closer to Orthrus, it moved to sweep bones within its reach towards its sibling this time, partly in apology for earlier.

Alcina's position seems perfect enough. Atleast, until the Praetor's death rampages through the link. It hurts Alcina's head, their protector reduced to nothing in an instant.

Flower-petal jaws yawn open, returning Sergei's challenge with her own roar. Her black eyes, now plainly revealed, skim over the bones, finally landing on the interloper who dared touch a child of Mother's.

"COWARD! Look at this one who defies our gifts!" she howls, before leaping of the tower of bones in a raging charge. Jaws snarling wide, she tries to clamp them on Sergei.

The surge of Praetors was... terrifying, and infurating, all at once.

The Barbearian yanked back his Chrysoprase-tipped spear, roaring a challenge again--lips dangling, spittle flying--and then backed away, struggling to keep the Praetors at bay. He couldn't outrun them--but he dodged around a large outcrop of time-bleached stone, playing the world's most deadly game of keep-away. He thrust the spear clumsily for the first Praetor that rounded the stone--he was bottlenecking them, but these beasts were immense... His strike would not even harm it, but if he could just keep it at bay for a moment-

The spear struck home, and he could feel his heart thudding frantically in his chest, hear his own breaths ragged and fast--the Praetor was merely deflected.

They were still coming.

in case anyone missed--as per the OP, anyone attacked may (and must!) roll defense, then can also roll to act!

The lunging monstrosity roaring toward him--a split head, the word COWARD on its lips--no, jaws--was a horror out of nightmares.

Had Sergei room to think, he'd have wondered that these were 'Mother's' newest children. The true face of her. The monster, the ugly, the destruction, as much as she preached love, and Order. The snarl on his face, black lips peeled back around shining gums, was one of utter, horrified disgust.

On one side of him the praetors were undoubtedly recovering, charging--but Sergei thrust his gemstone spear straight for Alcina's open maw and gullet.

It missed--as they had missed him--both crashing past pointlessly, the bear stumbling with his own misjudged strike.

Giggle was fucking terrified. It was difficult to focus with the chaos, and she grimaced, black lips wrinkling up in horror, much as Sergei's were. She clung close to her son's side, calling on her magic to defend them both--to scatter a field of spores before them, around them, that would blind any who came too close in false visions.

The spores, borne by magic, scattered powerfully outward, and she growled sidelong to Kerberos. "I have spores before us. A shield. Be careful," she urged. The last thing she wanted was for him to walk straight into it!

The rest of this--who was that bear-beast? He sounded... familiar, but she couldn't place it in the chaos--and then he was out of sight behind a rock. But fear--sharper fear, real fear--spiked through her yet again at the sight of true combat, of a bug-beast collapsing down. The world took on a nightmarish unreality, threatening to pitch her from her precarious perch on sanity.

This--whatever this was... this was not fucking good. And this one telling them to move--were they talking to her, to Kerberos-? Where were they to go? This was their home-

Fear.

Tranquility was broken, the silence of the bonecave was shattered and its emptiness filled with roars and screams. Anubis raised his head, peering out of the small cave he was inhabiting, newly opened again after the rockfall had trapped him for so long. He'd been out before, of course, but he was still growing used to the light again.

Reaching forward and picking up the small body in front of him, he turned and padded out of the cave and over the crest of fallen rocks that barred his view of the rest of Canis.

He could see it from here, althought distantly. Shapes moving around, streams of magic blasting between two groups. Much of one group was in various shades of white, strangely enough, and the other was...well, Anubis wasn't sure but it looked like the Bonebound.

Humming softly to himself, he let his feet carry him closer to the battlefield, politely curious, and sat himself down again a safe distance away. He could see better, but he was not in the line of fire. He found a good dip in the bones, so that he was partially obscured, and settled down to watch.

The mouse he was carrying was set carefully in front of him. "This is interesting, Aati," he whispered. "There is violence. What for? They are angry. What stirs their rage? Will they kill one another? What forces are at play? I have not seen anything like this." His eyes gleamed as he watched the battle unfolding before him, but the mouse before him did not respond. It breathed, shallowly, but it seemed to be unwilling or unable to run. Perhaps it had something to do with the multiple patches of mold-like fungus disrupting its fur.

(Anubis is just watching)

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