Okay, so that time before when it had gone to Canis with its spawn hadn't been a great idea. But it had taken some time to recover, tried to rid the place of fungus on its own, failed, and then had decided to reconsider its course of action. The Chaos Forge was great and all, but it was limited. That was the important bit. So Scion had spent the last few cycles going out and talking. About the infection, about Canis, and most importantly, convincing them to help. Even if it was a direction to head to the Room of Bones and do their best at some point or another, it came with the promise of recognition - by Scion and perhaps by the Chaos Forge, and even maybe by Master Vargas (although it had made sure to say "possible" surrounding the Master, it would not put words in his mouth).
Hopefully, some would show up. They didn't need much - Canis was almost rid of the infection.
Scion had arrived there first, and was using its meager magic to freeze some of the fungus, digging its paws into some thicker patches (and trying not to cringe from the sick feeling of pressing its paws into carrion) and froze it from the inside out. It wasn't...super effective, but it was what it had.
As it did so, it periodically looked around for those it had talked to, and strangers alike, ready to raise a wing in greeting or call them to arms. It was time to be rid of this shit once and for all.
Howler did not yet know about Mother, nor about the Chaos Forge. There'd been whispers about the strange fungi in the caves, but the true meaning of it never reached Howler's ears. Perhaps he's really good at avoiding problems, or is just ignorant of the important things going on.
As he makes his way through Canis - a cave he's mostly unfamiliar with - Howler spots another strange creature. He supposes there's all kinds of gembound in the caves. Despite being 20 cycles old, Howler is mostly ignorant to that, too.
Now, though, Howler has been made aware of the strange fungus in this cave, and has come to help clear it. Even though his arsenal is not so good for this kind of chore, he'd like to at least try. When he finally goes looking for it the fungus is quite noticeable, a stark white against everything else around it. Something to keep note of if he ever sees it anywhere else.
Though when he goes grabbing for it, Howler just ends up missing completely. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all...
Howler scowls down at the fungus. Such a small thing should be unable to thwart a wolf such as him - especially because it cannot move. Such a silly thing to miss an attack on. It almost makes Howler feel like a failure. It can feed itself, but somehow can't kill an object that cannot move? Stupid.
So he tries again, swings at the powdery substance, and it gets squashed into nothing. Good. At least his physical abilities work - magic? Not so much.
He walked up to it, about to where he knew his breath would hit it, but not close enough to touch it, and opened his maw, a wave of heat wafting out of his mouth and towards the fungi, watching as parts of it melt and wither away. He wasn't nearly big enough to do a large area, and his magic was rather weak in comparison to others, but it was something at least, and progress could never be laughed at.
Asterius did not come to aid the Chaos Forge. No, he would never deign be among them, for it is not
The caves must be safe. This Order is not natural, not safety.
She gets to her work in silence, for he need not dilly-dally with pleasantries. Duty calls, and the Skystone behind their ear shares their allegiance clear enough.
Claws dulled by use still prove plenty effective at tearing loose sickening Mother, and their stone crackles in feedback. The fungus twists and turns to glassy crystals, the exact way it does in the presence of the Spire, shattering into harmlessness. Asterius's glazed eyes watch it crumble.
Ah, good, gembound were showing up. There were only a few, but it was something. Scion would nod to each as they approached, eyeing each of them carefully as they began to work.
Scion pulled towards its innate chaos, quietly asking to bring it something that would destroy the fungus. It needed to put on a good look for these - if Master Vargas was considering promoting it to Overseer, it would be above them soon (whether they knew it or not) so it held itself tall and released magic.
That promptly backfired.
It wasn't super dramatic, at least. The spell was not flashy, so the drawback was not explosive. But it did suddenly intensify the gravity around Scion, flattening it to the ground against its will, jaw banging against an exposed bone on the floor.
That was embarrassing.
It waited a moment for the magic to wear off before it even tried getting back to its feet. It glanced around, hoping that nobody else had seen that pathetic moment. A low growl had started in its chest from the frustration of its inability to be as destructive as it needed to be here.
It found a spot of infestation and began to work using its paws to manually tear the fungus out of the rock and bone, piling it all up together so that it didn't have a chance to spread any farther. If it needed something to feed on, it would have to feed on itself.
He only nods in acknowledgement of Scion's words, and does not provide any further response. The task ahead absorbs Asterius's focus completely.
Claws again rack at the blankets of fungus, this time failing to find as much purchase. Shreds are torn loose, piling up, but it'll take a while at this pace. Their snout wrinkles some in irritation.
Aethril had been lounging in one of the too-large seats in the theatre with a drink so fizzy it burned her nose and a wretched book that had found itself in the library when the news reached her ears: Order is infesting Canis. Scion is requesting aid.
"Who the hell is Scion?" had been her initial answer. Her second was casting the newsbearer out of the theatre while she finished her re-runs of Nest Nannies and pretended to read her book. As the day wore on, though, her mind kept being cast to Canis-- rooms away --and the Order.
Isra never seemed too worried about it for as long as the infection never reached Cepheus, but Aethril was much more anxious about it. It pin-pricked the back of her mind ceaslessly as she tried to do other things-- what if? and other entirely unhelpful thoughts. Usually, the fantasy of burning down hives alone was enough to sate her, but not today.
The more she thought about searing bits of white fungus from the ground, however, the more a different hunger rose in her belly. She did love a good bout of destruction...
Aethril pulled on a pair of worn leather boots and a loose shirt, crooned her goodbyes to Eggbert, and made her way for the room of bones.
When Aethril was first assigned to the nest, she scarcely ever left the palace. Since waking up, she'd taken the reins a little more in looking around the caves. If it weren't she herself going, it was some creation or another reciting scouting reports back to her. She had not, however, ever really stepped foot in Canis.
Why would she? What business did the Valkhand have with the old bones of rebels?
She was surprised, initially, at how many there were-- piles and piles, and forts and shelters that had been made from fallen comrades. It was little wonder that the new gembound liked to congregate and make homes here, especially when those who came before had done the work for them. What really took her attention, though, where the dappled bone-white fungi that settled between the rocks and the marrow.
Chaos broiled through her veins as she lifted her hand. Heat that seeped from her heart to her fingertips and brought a slough of black-violet fire spewing from her palm. The flames caught not just fungus, but bones, too-- hungrily consuming everything in its path and leaving a thick, blackened mark against the floor and the wall, hot and raw and still steaming among the arid room.
It pleased her. The destruction. The scarring left behind. A little more Order gone from the world.
Aethril took a deep breath and, fashionably late, approached the group with narrow eyes. They were only four: Ruby-Beta, she was vaguely aware of as one of Vargas's. The rest, she did not know-- another creation, and a pair of Earth animals, it seemed. One of them had to be Scion, surely. She largely assumed they were all Chaos Forge.
Her eyes drifted to the only one she knew: Ruby-Beta.
It was in the middle of ripping up more of the fungus with its claws when it felt the sickening radiance of chaos. Ugh, the last time it had been here, trying to clean this shit up, V-Ruby-One had been spitting the same radiation all over the place. It wasn't like it wasn't used to it, living in Draco and all, but combined with the current space, the memories it boiled to the surface were unpleasant and annoying.
It glanced up, hoping that it wasn't going to come face to face with its own spawn again and instead met the eyes of the motherfucking Valkhand.
Jaw dropped and panic surged for a moment as it suddenly stiffened up straight, momentarily forgetting its task. Uh. Uhhhh. It had not expected this. It had never interacted with her personally - it had been hibernating for a lot of the time she had been around the forge, or standing in the back blending into the furniture, but...it had definitely heard the stories. A soft click as it re-closed its jaw and tried to push down the fear before it became visible.
It stiffened, annoyance creeping into the back of its mind. Dammit, if it was a better leader and if the Chaos Forge actually fucking listened to it, maybe it could have gotten shit done already and this question wouldn't be necessary.