____________________________________________
![[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/i4Q4Hfy.gif)
![[Image: l87nhNk.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/l87nhNk.gif)
There wasn't much that led Heathen here other than a hunch. What did forges and lava have in common? Heat, and lots of it. They had not been here before, but any gembound they had come across along the way heard 'lava' and immediately pointed the way towards Leo. Where else would a blacksmith reside? The Blacksmith, if his hunch was correct. Surely there were others who had taken up the craft in the caves, but others who could have been around as long as the Dreamer? Unlikely.
And so Heathen dumped his metaphorical crown (but not his physical one) and donned a metaphorical detective's cap, stalking through the Underforge of Leo. The remnants of equipment, nothing more than scrap, inspired an idea. An idea within a head always swarming, full to bursting. Heathen was a creature who knew now what he needed, and there was nothing that could stop such determination. Not in their mind, at least, as there was no room for failure in their grand design.
They needed... fodder. Trades. What self-respecting gembound would offer the kind of information he was after for free? He wouldn't. Given the heat, Heathen could only hope that something caught their eye soon. Its humidity almost made it worse than Hydra. He would have to fix that.
____________________________________________
Heathen approached another promising-looking workbench, a table carved into stone near one of the many trickling lava rivers. Similar piles of rough-looking scrap were scattered about, long-forgotten bits and bobs that were once intricate trims or offcuts from other projects. Some were even just bits of stone that had been chipped off the table, which were quickly discarded into the lava. A slow-moving terror, it was. The only ones it had hurt fell into it, yes? Ah, but he was not a slow-moving terror. He could be slow, of course. He could be quiet. It was dreadfully boring, like the lava, so he returned to his search with little mind to the idea. It was useful, sure, to be stealthy, but it was so much more fun to see the terror as something ran from you. Not that lava would care, he supposed, but it should.
A basilisk.
____________________________________________
There was no thought to the action, only instinct as Heathen registered the sight of fangs. It did not know what this creature was, but he was not about to find out by being bitten.
Narrowly avoiding the bite before the creature turned to make a hasty exit, the adrenaline spike shifted to anger. It dared to try and attack, only to run? What a cowardly display of weakness. Maybe he should have taken that bite after all, to bite its head clean off while it was occupied with his paw. Ah, but again, venom. He would rather not have to crystallize. He was here for one reason alone, after all. He could only hope that the caves weren't playing with him, and that the creature would be worth something if he could hit it with something before it got too far.
____________________________________________
Heathen wanted to make it hurt and suffer for the caves' attempt at a joke. He wanted to make its own body turn against it, to let it writhe in pain until its only release was the mercy of a swift death. He wanted this, yes, and yet he would not let the caves ruin his chances at a trading token. He saw no stone, not yet, but there was one. He knew it. It just had to be inside. Much like his own mostly internal stone, it had to just be hidden. He could not risk it getting away.
Heathen focused his attention on his new trinket, currently in necklace form, sitting so nicely alongside his gem. He had to move quickly, before the damned thing managed to hide. It was the perfect time to try out this new toy.
____________________________________________
A streak of electricity burst forth, either from Heathen or his necklace, he couldn't be sure. The only thing he could be sure of was the tingling of static that made his paws feel numb, and the twitching of the basilisk in front of him. He used the opportunity to catch up, keeping carefully out of bite range. He just needed to make sure it couldn't run away further.
One more, just to be safe. Just to make sure its dead, yes? It would be such a shame to lose it now. Such a shame not to see what lightning does to a lesser. He needed that stone.
____________________________________________
His eyes gleamed in the cave light as he watched the basilisk twitch, once, twice, and then stop. Death was such a powerful thing to control. To take something's life was such a permanent thing. The end and the beginning... Maybe he would some day find a stone worthy of reviving, if only to see what would one day become of it. To see what lengths it would go to, all for the sake of 'family'.
Ah, but that was such a distant thought. Now, they only needed a stone for one thing.
A single, careful claw dissected the snake from head to tail, laying it bare to the world. He tried to ignore the growing roar of hunger at the smell of blood in favour of his task. Now, where was it?