Virosa was intimidating, sure, Rift could not help but feel fear as the valkhound stalked forward, many times his size. Black corruption spilled from its claws, tainting the forest
He knew differently. He knew for a fact that Virosa was wrong. And as it spoke, his fear briefly melted away as confidence - finally, confidence! - allowed him to stand taller.
The whispers, when he'd woken up at last, that had been his creator. What Oliver said about it, too - it was not the same Chaos as Virosa. Pink and gold shimmering, wishes, madness,
Virosa held there, for a moment, staring Rift down with it's jaws slightly agape. Studying him.
"...Stronger." It said, finally, before turning away. Virosa had no interest in strength. Rift had disappointed it.
It resumed work again while it still was able, planting talons on a tree and waiting for the rot to spread again. "And where did you come from, kitty?" He was quickly losing its respect. Boring boring boring...
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13
Total: 273
@Tectus
Virosa may have lost interest, but Tectus hadn't. She blinked slowly and leaned forward, turning her head a bit so she could see him more clearly. What did he mean, stronger? He did not know anything. He was a gembound, a natural order mistake that had carved out his own place, right?
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14
Total: 287
He wasn't sure how Virosa would respond, to be honest. He wasn't sure what its goal was in this conversation.
Agh...at least they were helping clean? Which...speaking of - he was feeling less exhausted after a few moments rest and pressed a paw into another tree, drawing the fungus out and snipping it right off.
Why had he gotten mixed up in this?
He tilted his head a little bit, trying to catch the light on his ear. Perhaps the magnolet sheen on his gemstone would be visible if they looked.
@Virosa
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16
Total: 303
Virosa clacked its teeth. No no no. Their focus, both the Overseer's and Rift's, felt claustrophobic. Power. Strength. Purpose. Accidents. Pointless noise.
A trail of black fungus ruptured from the tree, stinking with rot and oil. It retracted the hand, feeling the itch of the spell lingering on its palm.
From the dead. "Sounds like... You're unnatural." There was a growing smirk in its voice, though its face remained stiff.
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19
Total: 322
@Tectus
Tectus was confused.
She huffed and decided to play it smooth for now. She would approach Aethril about this information later.
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19,8
Total: 330
He deflated a bit. Perhaps it was a relatively new power in the caves? Or just something that had emerged...he wasn't sure. But he would still look. He wondered, for a moment, if he should tell them about his stint with Mother, how she knew of this as well? But he decided as soon as the thought crossed that he wouldn't. They may not be enemies, but these Valkhounds sure weren't his friends.
Virosa's point stung, but it had a point. Rift shrugged as he ripped more fungus he pulled from the earth.
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19,8,9
Total: 339
@Virosa
"It doesn't matter. None of it does."
The amount of thicker patches was rapidly shrinking. The roots in its skin spread outward, poisoning the tufts left over surrounding it. They were almost done.
"Not how we're made. It's how we live. A good Creator... Imbues his creation with purpose. But purpose is not unique."
"I do not care for who made me. He would not care for me. His strength is irrelevant."
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19,8,9,18
Total: 357
@Tectus
Tectus rumbled and stashed that information in for later. Rising from the dead was a new one for her.
She looked up and took a glance at the forest around and realized how much the Order was weakening. She looked at the log, now stuffed full with a mixture of white rot and black corruption. She grabbed for the last of what she could reach, a bundle of ferns that spiderwebbed with white, and shoved them in.
Tectus reached down and grabbed the log in her jaw - oh yeah, she was getting a bit infected right now as she inhaled a bit of the spores, but there was some kind of arrogance in her for a moment - she wanted Mother to see. Oh yeah, she'd give her a moment to look through as they tore down the last of it.
Besides, Rift was here. He could easily clean it up for her.
She began to drag the log towards the sanctuary, giving Virosa a look, something like "you want to see what this does?" Although that is a bit to get through a single glance.
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19,8,9,18,7
Total: 364
He stared at Virosa. Ah. He gets it now. It just needs to get the last word in, it just needs to be right. What an exhausting kind of person to be around, he decided. There was a pang in the back of his mind, familiar. Like someone poking him in the side.
Feeling as though the discussion had just run in circles, he gave up. Why would you pray to someone you know didn't care? But Virosa seemed to just be changing its mind simply to end the discussion as The Right One. Frusterating. Refusing to indulge it any further, he simply blinked.
As soon as he passed through the bounds of the Arborspire's protection, he felt so much better. He stopped and took a breath, turning just in time to see the Overseer drag the log over the limits.
There was a hissing sound as soon as it passed as everything inside of it, Order fungus and Corruption alike, began to wither and crumbled into dust. Spores drift up and out of the log only to die in the air and disappear completely. He felt satisfaction hot in his fur. Perhaps they were at the end of it?
Rolls:
18,9,10,10,19,11,19,6,6,x,15,20,15,10,x,14,7,9,20,x,17, 8,x,13,12,13,14,16,19,8,9,18,7,x
Total: 364
@Virosa pleaseee