ORIGIN - Outbreak

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- THE LEVIATHAN -

Just near to the Door of Life, within easy viewing range of the Sentinel and Warden of Draco, Vargas had planted an Oilstone. While the Corundum back toward Pegasus had hatched first (and was carried, a blue butterball, in the crook of his right forelimb), this one was bound for greater things.

He set V-Corundum-One down, and then set himself down too, sitting on his haunches before the Oilstone. It'd gotten quite large. It would, he knew, hatch full-sized and fierce--he'd have to take steps to make sure it didn't actually eat Corundum straightaway. "This is to be your sibling," he informed her, for she'd woken up and looked groggily around. "But be careful; it will be larger than you." Did she understand-? It didn't matter too much; he was here to ensure nobody was eaten.

He set himself to waiting, chartreuse eyes studying the thin shell of Oilstone that gleamed with Chaos, searching for any sign of movement within.

V-CORUNDUM-ONE

V-Corundum-One (who so far thought of herself as V, because that's as far as she'd gotten before losing interest in trying to repeat the whole thing) quickly woke back up. She'd dozed off, drowsing, as he'd carried her.

Now her childish energy was kicking her back into high gear. She was hungry, first of all: she'd not eaten, didn't know what eating was except that instinct made her want to chase stuff to chew it up. And this was... boring? Her first taste of boredom, just sitting here and doing nothing. She began to bound around, pouncing on this pebble or that old gemstone shard, gnawing and chewing on whatever she could find.

Vargas's tail-tip proved ample distraction after this. She gave chase, stalking it before leaping, laughing delightedly as he shifted away with an irritated grunt.

She wasn't sure what they were waiting for, but she wasn't about to just sit in one spot.

@Pesto

As the cycle since its creation slowly passed, the Valkhound grew and grew inside its stone. At first it was blissfully unaware, but in recent days it began to shift slightly in its stone, tangled legs and spikes searching for more room that simply didn't exist. As its consciousness slowly expanded, it became aware of a loud... sound? Vibration? It wasn't sure what it was, but its legs kicked futilely to silence the source.

Next, it became aware that the sound was from its own lungs. It had started trying to breathe--but there was so much sticky mucus clogging its airways that it made a tremendous, deep half-wheeze, half-snoring noise. And now that it was aware, it found its throat becoming unbearably itchy. Its cramped form shivered slightly.

UFGHHHHHHHHHHRRRRAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKK!!! With a violent convulsion and an enormous sneeze, the Valkhound's chryalis cracked open. I wish I could say that The Pestilence sprang forth fully formed like a toxic green version of Athena, divinely chaotic and giving the terrible bark of a hound bringing forth doomsday--but what really happened was that it spilled out in a sticky, mucus-covered pile at its parent's feet, stood up, shook itself out (and flinging residual plaguehound chrysalis mucus everywhere in the process), and then proceeded to sneeze three times in rapid succession. Each sneeze was progressively more powerful and phlegmy, until by the third time it sneezed so hard it knocked itself over again.

Undeterred, it immediately sprang to its feet again, glowing green tongue lolling out in delight, and sank into a playful bow. The clumsiness with which it moved was rather at odds with its adult proportions and massive size, but it was quickly figuring all of its limbs out. Unable to stay still for any length of time, the Valkhound danced on its toes, looking up at Vargas with an eager, wheezing whine in its throat.

The purple beast was looking at it. Did it want to play!? The purple beast had such fun colors. The purple beast had so many long limbs attached to it! The Valkhound felt a sudden tug of yearning in its belly. Limbs like that must be toys made for children to tear off, surely! Its neon eyes caught a smaller puppy trying to do just that to the purple beast's tail, and a devious gleam crossed its grinning face.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

As he always did with a new spawn or custom creation, he observed the hatching creature with an appraising eye. At first, his mental notes were along the lines of the form is correct. No errors. It has a good amount of energy- and then all thought was interrupted with a flinch as the beast sneezed.

Loud, and repeatedly.

...Will that be contagious? he wondered at once. He doubted the creature had already formed sicknesses in the chrysalis, of course, but--what if it had? He'd need to keep an eye on his own health. Only now--just a little belatedly--did it occur to the Leviathan that a Valkhound whose entire purpose was to spread a plague was perhaps not best suited for a narrow, cramped cave environment packed with living things.

Oh well.

"WELCOME," he boomed loudly, cheerful-sounding. "I am Master Vargas. You are V-Chaos-Twelve. The Pestilence. You are part of the Chaos Forge, and destined for greatness. You will train among us, and when the time is right you will be taken to wreak havoc on foreign worlds."

His speech was enthusiastic and authoritative, but--would he manage to get through it at all, given the creature's instantly wandering attention? Vargas glanced back at Corundum. "That one is your sibling. Do not eat it," he advised.

V-CORUNDUM-ONE

The crack of stone and uproarious sneezing had her, too, flinching back. Another enormous beast--only the second living creature she'd so far seen in life--erupted before her and even if it wasn't a dignified entrance, about half of Corundum's instincts warned her that the stranger could be deadly.

The other half of those instincts noted the grin her way, and immediately wanted to play.

A brief shake of her shoulders and moment's concentration plunged her into shifting shadows, where she began to stalk around Vargas toward Corundum in a playful hunting posture. Admittedly she was very young, and her magic wasn't quite focused enough yet to hide the glow of grinning maw and glowing eyes, but the intent was there at least!

Vargas had already looked back to Pesto, so there was nothing stopping her tiny, very round form from prowling (rather visibly) in a half-circle toward them.

@Pesto

This hound's body may have been fully developed, but its mental capacity? Suffice to say that its attention span was no longer than one might expect from a hyperactive puppy. Pesto caught the words "WELCOME", which he understood and responded to with a happy wheezing bark, and Vargas's self-introduction, but as soon as he started going on about Vee, Twelve, Forge, and other words that held absolutely no meaning to the hound, he was totally lost.

But Pesto was not one to sadly wallow in his lack of understanding. His attention quickly shifted to something he absolutely did understand, and was EXCITED FOR AND GOOD AT: THE OTHER PUPPY WANTED TO PLAY.

Immediately, the Valkhound dropped into a playful crouch, glowing green tongue and lines of drool spilling from his eternal grin. As Corundum-One prowled closer, he rolled over, furry belly up, massive clawed paws reaching out and batting eagerly for his upside-down... sibling?

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

The hound's attention swiftly wandered, and Vargas immediately wondered how much, if anything, it had truly understood. For a moment, he kept speaking, keeping it simpler and clearer: "You are Chaos Forge. You will train. I am Master Vargas. Your-..." He'd been about to repeat its name, but with alarm he noted that its attention had fixed firmly upon its far smaller sibling.

Much as he was all for survival of the fittest, Forge killing Forge would only really weaken them, and children were never a target. He jerked his head back to check on V-Corundum-One's location, only to find that she'd prowled around his flank and was almost at his feet--and when he tensed, looking back to Pestilence, Vargas had to take a moment to register what he saw.

The far larger beast was mid play-bow, and then suddenly on its back, and... playful? he realized.

Initial relief was met by faint concern: what if it wasn't vicious enough to be one of Lord Dhracia's typical playthings..? This might be for the best, he reminded himself absently. And it is newly born. A child, despite its size. He had to remind himself of this, for the massive, horrifying, world-ending monster really was acting... adorable.

Vargas grimaced.

V-CORUNDUM-ONE

There was absolutely zero self-control or awareness in the smaller child. She saw the bow, instinct screamed YES PLAY! and she leapt full-on for her far larger sibling. He looked friendly, right? The rolling around, the play-bow?

If it were a trap, she was walking (well, jumping) right into it, tiny jaws biting (not too hard) at thick fur, her entire chunky little body wriggling every which way as if to fight Pesto.

All the while she made noises: those inherited not from beasts of Chaos but from a very small fox a few caves away. Tiny growls, snarls and yipping barks--but all of it joyful, none of it vicious, all of it mindless and young.

This was fun!

@Pesto

The giant, eight-foot tall Valkhound let out a series of earth-shattering barks as his sibling piled on him, but it was with... joy? that his face twisted with a mock-snarl and nipped at Corundum's squirming form. A front paw lifted to his chest and pawed clumsily, but not too hard, at the hybrid, and he rolled from side to side as he tried to catch her through her wriggling. She was slippery! Pesto yipped, giddy with excitement and possibly oxygen deprivation from breathing through mucus-clogged airways.

It came to his notice that the bigger one was just sitting there, watching. That was no good! The bigger the tangle of brawling Gembound, the more fun was to be had! A self-proclaimed expert in dragging introverted bystanders into the ~~chaos~~ party, Pesto lurched to the side, jaws open, front legs outstretched, and made to drag Vargas by his big spiky leg into the fray.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas blinked.

It wasn't that he didn't know exactly what play was. It was more that he hadn't indulged, himself, in a very long time and what play he did indulge in had been more the roughhousing-with-other-valkhounds-in-the-arena-for-serious-practice kind. Sure, they'd had fun, but it wasn't childlike wrestling.

For a moment he wasn't sure how to respond, the 'serious overseer' in him tempted to snarl and jerk away while the old Valkhound part urged him instinctively to play back, play harder, and laugh about it. Mockingly, of course, but still.

They both sort of won out, although that Valkhound memory moreso. He brought the other forelimb down to try and break Pesto's grip--rough, but not too rough--and aimed to shove the new hatch away. Gently enough, but not... really gently, either. More like one would play with a large, rambunctious dog. "You will have to try better than that!" he boomed in half-teasing challenge, though his many eyes cut to Corundum.

He had to make sure this didn't get out of hand enough to harm the far smaller child, at the very least--even if the big one had some energy to expend.

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