ORIGIN - [Quest] The Training Dungeon

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On command, Eleven's mouth relinquished its hold on Halycon's ankle - the movement swift, obedient, almost nervous, like a dog told to 'DROP IT.' She did, okay? Just please don't yell at her.

Halycon's demeanour did nothing to assuage her own suspicions, but hey, she was in no place to judge them right now. They'd almost gotten whacked by a trap.

She was in a place to judge some of these Gembound for their less-than-stellar behaviour, though. Her spines bristled at Audland's treatment of Menkheperre, someone who HAD gotten hit, and badly. (well, as bad as the brittle spikes could manage, which wasn't that much.) The worst it'd done was step on a pressure plate! It didn't deserve to be harassed for it!

As Thalia made her way to its side, Eleven managed a shaky "HEY. Leave him alone." in protest of the injustice.

@Menkheperre @Audland (interaction tags)

He looked around for a moment, taking a chance to look over everything. There were three different things, one that said magic, one that had a claw and one that had a key. Glancing at Menkheperre, he shrugged. Perhaps someone should try to cast magic upon it. He glanced at the clawed one. And maybe someone else can attack that one?

He began to sniff around, flicking his ears as he began to search around. There is probably also a key of some sorts here. He figured that voicing his opinions, though he was still rather young and inexperienced, would help those that might not. Though of course, he could have been absolutely wrong, as far as he knew. But it didn't hurt to try... he hoped.

@Menkheperre mentioned

They and Fleas matched eyes and energies for a moment, before Spark nodded and moved forward with the rest, flatten their plumage with deep, calming breaths. They were safe. They were all safe. For now.

Rather than get involved in the interpersonal drama, like some folk - they moved right on ahead, studying the sigils on the wall. They didn't need to think too hard about what the left one meant - that'd been, quite literally, spelled out for them (Though it was Menkhepherre's clarification that'd done most of the work).

Spark couldn't breathe fire exactly, but it had a close equivalent in its skillset. Perhaps it would respond to their element rather than the spell? One could hope.

Yew looks at the puzzle with disdain. At first, it doesn't seem like she'll be able to help much. With the magic reading, Yew cannot use either fire or water magic. When Spark breathes hot air to the sigil, Yew decides to not try the mushrooms. The answer to that one is obvious.

She also decides against attempting to attack it. The clawed hand... Surely someone else can complete that? Maybe she'll just go look for the key. She doesn't want to fight anymore, even if ittl help the others complete the puzzle.

With a soft huff, Yew goes to look for it. She can at least be helpful in this way.

Free to move as they pleased and warned enough by their close encounter to be even more careful navigating the darkness, Halcyon tried their best to avoid staggering while standing up. An uncomfortable sensation clung to the ankle which had been seized during the rescue from their previous blunder, likely saliva slathered over scales—yet it felt too thick, sluggish as it dribbled down their foot. Possibilities niggled at the back of their mind, explanations for the difference in viscosity, but they were ignored in favor of proceeding onward. Lingering was unproductive; the reek of disorder building nearby only supported this sentiment, disgust at the harassment overheard infusing fleetness into steps.

At least the following room didn't require relying as much on their bioluminescence to pierce an unyielding void. No, the difficulty here was resisting the impulse to sweep the floor clear of the detritus littering it. Abandonment rarely did a place favors, creeping vines and scattered leaves a mess they had to deliberately peel their eyes away from for proper examination of the chamber's more important features. They listened as others openly interpreted the pictograms inscribed into stone, and in one case, conveyed the meaning behind an additional scribble.

"The canine is correct." Halcyon nodded and pointed the end of their staff in Genghis' direction. "These appear to call for three different methods of activation: application of the practical, the mystical, and that of brute force." As they listed these out, the staff swung to indicate each pressure plate.

Then toward the rightmost brick they strode. They lifted their unburdened hand, head cocked to the side, and considered whether the strength residing in claws would suffice. Certainly, Mother had never intended for them to operate solely as a combat unit. Whatever muscles lay beneath skin had been built for speed and occasional defense, attack reserved for a last resort when enemies pushed their back to the wall. A soldier would've been better suited for this task instead of one designated to play a support role. As it stood, though, they were here and those preferable options not. The circumstances might not be ideal, but an attempt would have to be made, else there'd be no progression.

Claws curled into a tight fist, and Halcyon struck out.

Another puzzle. Very very similar to his own home that had pieces and bits to figure out. But even he knew that finding didn't always work out. The silvered wolf headed to the door with the magic symbol.

From there he'd try to call for his power. His light was successful. Barely. Zephiran aimed his light towards the door, seeing if there was anything useful. There had to be something right?

"Speaking"

( @ None Mentioned )

People are arguing. Angel decided they didn't care.

Moving on, they let the others worry about the puzzle; instead, they were too distracted by... squinting at the wall, flicking their ears up for a moment as they traced the shape of a brick with their claw. It was dark, too dark to immediately see; their pupils had to adjust. They didn't care to wait, either.

Eyes flicked to follow the sound of a slammed fist into the wall. Okay? Gruffing, Angel lifted their lips for a moment before returning to ignoring the others, holding their wing closer as their feathers lifted in caution.

That's a good wall. Nice and solid. Wholly focused, Angel scratched their metallic nails at the stone, trying their best to carve a shallow scratch into it. Enrichment.

Despite Menkheperre's best efforts, Audland did manage to snag a prize from his saddle bag in the end. Auddie had to hold fast to it to keep it from slipping out of his grasp after Menkheperre had the audacity to bump him. And tell him essentially to figure out what the flimsy thing in his hands was by himself. And, better yet, two useless voices of protest rose to his actions against the stupid nerdy dragon that was already bigger than him, who he wasn't even treating that bad anyways. The words from someone in the back (V-Chaos-Eleven, it would seem) would make the glowing yellow dots he had for eyes become cartoonishly half-lidded—the expression of clear unamusement—before evolving into an eye roll. Mid roll, his gaze would scan to the source of the voice, hoping to lock eyes with the intrepid dimwit. Once locked on, he would hold his gaze just long enough to shout: "SHUT IT, pipsqueak!"

With clear disdain and disinterest, he would hold up his fingers in a little pinch (?) sign over one squinted eye aimed at V-Chaos-Eleven before rolling his attention back in Thalia's direction.

Before Thalia's words had even made it into his ears and through his skull, the bump from the larger Valkhound had been processed as correction enough. Just the reminder of the size difference made Audland recognize that the world of Valkhounds was big dog eat little dog, and even though in this one instance Menkheperre had proven incompetent, that didn't mean he was any less big.

But Audland was still of the gracious sort, and as such he would magnanimously offer his response to her blatant bid for attention: "Awh, I appreciate the compliments darlin', but there's really no need to be dishonest." Maybe she would notice, as he spoke, the glint of his sharp, pointy teeth, or the way his fur puffed up to make him look just a little bit bigger, even though he already outbid her in both height and size. Maybe it was on purpose. "I know when I'm not wanted." And despite every intimidation tactic ostensibly being employed, Audland would actually begin to turn and walk away here. Because wasn't like he was some senseless, slavering monster who needed to be carefully coaxed into behaving. I mean, seriously! Where ever had she gotten that impression from?

The hulking mass of blue fuzz would lumber over to one of the writings on the wall. Specifically not the one the nerd squad was looking at. But a flick of his fluffy blue ear would indicate that he was still paying attention to whatever irksome little thing Menkheperre had just said. He had to fight every urge to respond with something. And he lost. He lost to every urge—it wasn't even a contest. "Yeah, well, THIS one reads PUNCH," he would say a little too loudly before taking his own clawed fist and adding it to Halcyon's force against the wall.

Yeah it had already been punched, but the other guy's punch wasn't nearly as solid or as satisfying. And perhaps not nearly as painful either, but Audland wouldn't show it. He'd deal, 'cause it was worth it, and 'cause he was the kind of twerp that could deal. Wait—

(OOC: Auddie puncha da punch wall)
@Menkheperre @Thalia @V-Chaos-Eleven (interaction)

I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see the light in the shade of the morning sun

She stood and stared at the three glyphs for a moment, tossing around possible meanings in her head, but it came quickly. She was smart enough to figure it out pretty quickly. She immediately turned towards the magic symbol - somebody was already there, but that didn't mean she couldn't add her own efforts in.

Once the white and gold beast had breathed heat onto it, she followed up with her own shove of energy into the sigil, to hopefully move it along a little faster.

That my life would depend on the evening moon
That the night would never comе

An argument breaks out, and while a number of others butt in to defend Menkheperre, Mai finds herself watching nervously from the sidelines. While part of her wants to say or do SOMETHING to confront the big brute, an overwhelmingly larger part of her has been blaring a danger warning ever since the first trap fell, and the two arguing valkhounds only serve to make that alarm ring louder. In the end, things seem 'resolved,' and the group moves on to solve the puzzle placed before them.

With magic and physical force seeming to already be covered, Mai opts to search the key to the final door. Perhaps because she's already on rather high alert, but she's able to spot it almost instantly- albeit, just as another gembound ALSO finds the same key.

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