ORIGIN - B+ Report Card

As soon as Ruby-Beta had awoken, it was with a new heavy feeling. Quite literally. It didn't take it very long to realize that it was in fact bearing not only new limbs but an extra tail as well. Excitement unlike anything it had felt in a very long time surged through it at the realization of the wonderful uses for wings and not one but two venom-tipped tails. And also how Master Vargas would think about this new surge in its usefulness.

Of course it always had to come down to how Master Vargas thought, huh? Well, maybe there would be some other time for a second existential crisis once the euphoria of surviving and being rewarded had gone down.

Anyways, it had scuttled from the tunnel to Hydra all the way to Draco as fast as its legs could carry it - and wings, too, although it still wasn't fully used to flying just yet. Its short flutters were awkward and usually ended in a crash land and it had a bad habit of still kicking with its feet as if it were running. But surely those, uh, quirks would lessen with time and practice.

It passed through the Aperture and immediately called into the void-light of its home, "Master Vargas!" And it was only after it called that it remembered something of key importance. It had survived, yes, but trailing near the end. The edge of its excitement suddenly dulled, its tails lowered and quills flattened from a flared position and it seemed more normal Beta - mellow, slow-walking, unconcerned. And that was how it would approach its life-giver, as if nothing had happened at all.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Ahh!
Echoed, closely, aloud: "Ahh!" He strode for the voice, and perhaps his own was overheard--he wasn't far off, after all. A few (overly long-armed) steps brought him into sight, and there he paused, six eyes widening a touch as he looked over the changes to Ruby-Beta.

"Wings!" he boomed, in greeting, then huffed as if in humor. He seemed, indeed, to be in a good mood--or perhaps it was Ruby-Beta's appearance that had prompted it. "You survived. Well done!" This, too, was loud. But the praise was genuine, even warm, as he drew at last to a halt before it. "I did not expect any of the Forge to attend, given the... risks. But you have earned a reward--have you chosen what?" His head craned around, studying the tails for a beat. "-Did they come with venom?" he asked, curiosity in his tone.

If it mattered that Ruby had come in near the end, Vargas showed absolutely no sign.

@Ruby-Beta

Ruby-Beta seemed encouraged by Vargas's good mood. Tails lifted and quills shivered briefly. It nodded, standing a little taller and opened its wings a bit to show them off. "Yes! I've tried them on the way here - it's a bit to get used to, but I'm getting there." It glanced back at the tails, which lifted very scorpion-like over its back. It could feel more precise movements on the tip of its tail where the stingers had grown. "I haven't had the chance to try them out yet. But I'd take a guess that they do. I'm not sure why I would have them without venom." It suddenly felt eager to dash out of Draco and into Pegasus to find some helpless prey to test out its new ability on. Ruby-Beta truly had not felt this invigorated in a very, very long time.

But it turned back to Vargas and sat, giving another affirming nod. "Yes, I knew the risks. But I'm not afraid." Maybe a little bit. "I wanted to test myself - and prove that I am strong. I...I am sorry I failed to place near the top. I was too rash at the beginning and it cost me." A mistake it wouldn't make again. And it decided not to mention the whole "I wanted to finally prove to myself that I'm better and more useful then my stone-giver even though she's been dead for literal years" thing.

And now it came down to the big question. Ruby-Beta was silent for a moment, despite knowing its own answer already. How could it not have thought about it at length? After a few seconds, it chimed out, clearly, "I would like to take a name."

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas gave a short bark of a laugh--good-natured, if dry--and then leaned down. Though his face was always rigid, his lips did manage to peel up enough to indicate a dark grin, and his tone matched it--solemn, but dry--as he spoke. "Placements-... They are of note, yes. But truly, there are two places in a Trial. Either you survive--or you do not. You have survived! You have won the trial, and been rewarded." Was that admonishment, or praise-? It might have been difficult to tell, but the Leviathan was being honest--honest, and reassuring--as best he could manage. So far as Vargas was concerned, the main thing was simply survival. Proving one's worth. The value of their design. "You have surpassed your stonegiver in this act," he pointed out bluntly. A shame--but that was how things were.

"As for a name-... You have defined yourself, certainly. A name to match? What shall I call you?" he asked, and there was a pleased, almost cat-like rumble to the question as he sat back on his haunches.

@Ruby-Beta

i'm like 99% sure vargas knew palefur was ruby-beta's stonegiver?? slap me if I'm wrong and I'll edit!

At last. At LAST. The words Ruby-Beta needed to hear, part of the reason it had gone into the Trial in the first place. To prove its place. Its worth. To prove to Vargas, the Forge, and most of all, itself, that it had surpassed its stonegiver. Of course, Ruby-Beta had surpassed Palefur's usefulness long ago, but it was ever a cloud hanging over its head that it was the child of a failure. No more.

Ruby-Beta stood taller, prouder, quills flaring at the words of praise. "Thank you, Master Vargas. I knew I would succeed where she failed." Palefur also hadn't been part Vargas so that might have given it an advantage, but that was no matter. This would be a new beginning for it - a new title and name and new usefulness to boot. Venom and flight were handy weapons and tools.

It didn't have to think long about the question. It already knew the answer, having mulled it over for endless cycles - the hypotheticals of what if it deserved one, what the circumstances would be. It chose it on the way back and it felt right. "I would be called Scion. I have always been proud to be your blood." It said the last bit without really intending to - it didn't plan on explaining its name, after all, to pretty much anyone, but Master Vargas, at least, deserved to hear. It was a name partially in honor of him, after all.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He listened, dignified in silence, to Ruby-Beta's initial declaration. Did you now..? he wondered. So was this its motivation, or simply a sideline piece of confident knowledge it had held? He didn't doubt or second-guess; it had been right, after all, either way.

It had succeeded, and very much where she had failed. Ahh, but a lesson might be in order here.

The Leviathan nodded once. "Too many throw away teamwork, to their detriment. If you can survive alone--then well done! But had she cooperated with others she might not have failed." There, the lesson... such as it was.

As for the name-? His chin tipped up a fraction, eyes widening ever-so-faintly at what was essentially praise to him. "I see," he said at last, but there was no disapproval in it. Surprise, a little. But he sounded pleased. "Then Scion it will be! And that is something I am glad to hear." It was, too. He doubted himself, his abilities in producing and raising these spawn. He'd been made to Oversee; this whole Creation thing had gotten away from him, a little, and between Maximus and Orthoclase-Alpha he'd half considered himself a failure.

Which was, in a way, a wild success but that was another topic altogether. What mattered now was this one's apparent confidence in him, or rather, in their blood and duty. "Hmm. What would you say to another chance to prove yourself--once you have gotten the hang of your wings and tails-? A way to test them out, perhaps? I might grant you the authority, should you wish it, to recruit two others from among the Forge and command them in the field. Perhaps to work at cleansing Canis or one of the other Infested caves," he mused, studying Ruby--no, Scion.

"You and those who volunteered would of course be rewarded." It wasn't something he hadn't offered before--for those of the Forge to cleanse Order for rewards--but as a leadership opportunity, it held both risk and the opportunity for Scion to prove its new abilities. "Should you fail, well--you will learn from it. And should you succeed in leading a successful operation-? You will learn from that, too; and I will take note. Perhaps you will find that leadership suits you, given time and enough training. I am always on the lookout for a new Overseer," he added, pointedly.

Would new power--new authority--be the motivation the often-sleeping half-cat needed? Or maybe this sort of thing was outside what it might consider its interests..?

Vargas studied Scion, and wondered.

@Scion

The newly renamed Scion nodded fervently. Teamwork - that was what had gotten it through the Trial (although it hadn't exactly done anything to help any of the others). It was only by another that it had survived. That was something it had learned itself and quite quickly. Where Palefur failed, it thought with a sneer.

It felt its spirit rise at the happiness in his voice. It stood taller, eyes gleaming. It was a name that it was proud of - always had it looked up to its Master, always had it strove to impress him. And now the lessons it had learned, the training it had received, it all felt worth it. "I'm glad you like it." Because if he hadn't, well...it wouldn't have felt like such a good name, then.

If Scion had proper ears, they would have raised and pointed at the mention of further chance to prove itself. Oh, something to do, then? In the back of its mind it almost wanted to whine and complain. Hadn't it just run a Trial? Hadn't it just traveled across the caves? Didn't it deserve some time to relax and rest? But it shoved the thought down. It was an order, no, an offer, from Master Vargas. It would not turn him down.

"Oh! Yes, I can do that! I think." It paused, realizing that it didn't actually know how to go about cleansing a cave of Order's fungus. "How is it, uh, killed? The fungus I mean. I don't really have any destructive magic. Does ripping it up do the trick? Or smashing it?" It wasn't really made for destroying or cleansing. Its training had focused on assassination and sneaking. Trickery. It wasn't really...something that it could do on a mushroom.

The word "Overseer" had the quills on its back rattling and a new attentive interest snap forward. It had to physically stop itself from dropping its jaw. Was Master Vargas seriously insinuating that it had a chance to be...an Overseer? Did he really think that it would be fit for a role in leadership?

It remembered. When Orthoclase-Alpha had been given the title, it had only felt jealousy. Hadn't they been hatched at the same time? Was it because Alpha was bigger? Meaner? What had Ruby-Beta done wrong? But, of course, it spent half its life sleeping! Did it really want that position, with all its responsibilities? The amount of naptime in its life would most certainly decrease dramatically. And that was truly distressing.

It was quiet as it thought it over, two halves of itself warring over the idea. But it settled on taking the mission for now - see how leadership was, if it liked it enough to give up its precious naps. "...Uh!" It started, realizing that it had just been staring. "Right. Yes. Overseer! Well, I guess we will see what happens. I've never been much of a leader before but I won't let you down."

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas's grin twisted upward a little, a nod bobbing his hammerhead. "Ripping it up, yes; smashing it, no. Don't throw it onto new rock or what have you. I think it would spread. Mind you," he added, "I don't know everything about the stuff! It is new, compared to Order as a whole. A new... 'invention' of theirs." His six eyes seemed to briefly roll, a rapid shift of glowing light. "Fungal magic can destroy it. And things like fire. It is not all that durable. But do not... ingest it. Eat it or breathe it in. If you do, shield your mind and go to the spotted dog Giggle if you are in Canis. She can remove it from you! For other caves you may have to travel, or find Astraea if he is near. Master Astraea," he corrected himself, at once. "The dog's magic is his; he too can remove the taint of Order."

He considered, briefly, eyes ranging over the smaller spawn. "Bring who you like; they must be willing but they will be under your command, and must obey your orders. Tell them I will punish them myself if they disobey--regardless of their rank. We will see how this mission goes--and move from there. Try to leave within the next few days--assuming you have acclimated to your changes by then."

Vargas paused, thinking over all he'd said, unable to find anything he might have missed. "Do you have any questions?" he settled on, studying Scion closely.

@Scion

Scion listened, nodding, thinking through its abilities. It really wasn't much of a magic user, nor someone that was fantastic at mass destruction. But it remembered an ability that it had gained some time ago, able to make things really really cold. "Freezing it? Maybe? That's really all I got besides claws. I'll try it out, see if it works." He noted the spotted dog in his head. He would have to go find her, while they were there.

It gulped, feeling the weight of responsibility on its shoulders, but oddly also inspired by it. It nodded again, standing tall. "Yes, Master Vargas! And no more questions. I will go try to gather some now." Its wings shifted at its side, wanting to take flight again, just to test. It wondered, too, if its poison would somehow kill the infection, flexing the stingers as he thought of them. Would...stabbing a mushroom do anything?

Well, this could be both an information-gathering mission as well as an infection-clearing one. It had in mind some of the others it could bring, if they wanted. The first to jump to mind was Azrael, of course, with his fire magic, but the very thought had Scion wanting to turn up its nose. No, maybe...their...child? Ugh, it had gone out of its way to avoid the creature, but this might be a good time to, uh, bond.

And maybe...didn't Nidhogg have fire magic? And some of the others like the Onyx, it had some good claws. And Rue had that fire, if it was willing to listen. Well, it would ask around.

With a last dip of its head to Vargas, it again promised - "I won't let you down." before it turned away to head deeper into Draco, to gather some of the others and head to Canis.

@Vargas
*exit

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas considered the idea. "Fungus is... tenacious; if you do choose to try and freeze it, have someone with its element test this. Remember--the Hive lives in Ursa. If the cold alone were enough, I do not think it would survive there! -But maybe it does not," he added, with a light shrug of giant's shoulders. "Again, it is a... new development." A brief grin threatened to curl his lips--because 'new' to him was on a scale of thousands of years.

As for Scion not letting him down, Vargas gave a stern nod. "I hope that you will not!" he boomed back, overly loudly but agreeable enough. "Report back when you are done."

@Scion (for visibility) ; exit Vargas