ORIGIN

Conveniently, Leon had heard the birds' warnings not to use magic, but the warning went in one ear and out the other. He hadn't really thought about using his magic, it just kind of happened - it was more a defensive move, really, despite how ineffective it was. Still, he didn't realize he had done wrong until Majora came up behind him, shoving him forward. He furrowed his brow and frowned, shouting at the wolf, though his words were muffled by the rodent he carried in his jaws. "WHA'FUR URR FUUSHINF FEE FOR!" He scowled, until he glanced over his shoulder and realized that the wall was beginning to quickly break down. "Oh fhoot,"

Time to motor. Leon's head swung back towards the ledge of the dry riverbed where a few of the Gembounds had already scrambled up to safety. He was big and gangly and still uncoordinated - it was harder for him to gain speed, but with Majora shoving him along, the bear summoned his strength and closed the rest of the distance between himself and the ledge. Reaching the edge, Leon made one jump at it, but with his wet paws he only managed to slide down. Panic again surged within him. He glanced around, then clamored at the ledge again. This time, he made sure to deposit Carrie on the edge. "Go!" He shouted, then slid down a second time. This was really hard.

The bear uttered a frustrated rumble. He glanced over his shoulder a second time - the water was beginning to burst through the rocks now. He wouldn't have a lot of time left. Leon shook out his pelt and amped himself up for one last try. The bear launched himself at the ledge and though he managed to kick chunks of dirt and rock down into the riverbed in the process, he did eventually pull himself up onto dry land, to safety.

The bird was disappointed at the sight. Everyone panicked and used their magic as a result, sending the golems closer to them. Aza'zel shook his head sadly, swooping down toward the golems, gazing at them worriedly. Why did there have to be golems here?! Why couldn't they just be normal rocks. Gazing down at them, he squinted. What if they had a heart, like the Gembound! What if there was something somewhere in there that gave them magic and the will to move and live, just as the fleshy Gembound did! Maybe there was hope. All he could hope for was that he wouldn't be noticed, as he had yet to use magic. The Bone King descended, heart racing.

All he had to do was keep calm.

Shutting his eyes tightly once he knew that he was above the golem, the bird descended rapidly now, having ceased flapping his wings entirely. Serrated and sharp talons scraped against the surface of the enchanted stone, clinging onto it tightly so he didn't fly off of the moving 'shoulder'. { It looked like a shoulder to him, at least! } Carmine orbs fluttered open and the bird bowed down low in fear, trying to make himself seem smaller. Surely he wouldn't be a target yet. Twisting his skull this way and that, he looked for something that would scream 'core!' or 'heart!' or 'gem!'. Where would it be? They couldn't just be a bunch of rocks coming together, right?

Carmine eyes flickered across the grinding rocks, searching frantically for a core or something that Azazel could pluck out to deactivate the golem... or at least put it to sleep for a while until magic awakened it once more. The water was now up to the golems' knees, as more and more spread their magic amongst one another and began to move from the dam. "No!" He screamed, shaking his head. But then just as that occured, the golem seemed to notice him. A great rocky hand reached up toward the creature, seeking the gem embedded into his butt. In panic and fear, Azazel flapped his wings to escape the golem's rocky shoulder. Talons opened wide, flailing and scraping against the stony beast... which did nothing but hurt himself.

Cursing at himself, the bird took off away from the slow-moving conglomeration of golems. He couldn't do anything against these monsters if he didn't know anything about them! The rocky mass he previously had perched upon seemed to completely ignore him now, simply continuing toward the other various Gembound about. One continued to move toward the last one in the dry gulley.

Making a swan dive down, the bird quickly made his way down to the terra firma. "Come on!" He cawed, wind ruffling his neck feathers. He could do this. Wolf pups weren't that heavy! Heck, he could lift Saudade and he was like, tall and huge. They seemed to like being carried by the scruff, so Azazel did just that. Talons opened and he called upon the atmosphere to aid him in this mission. Right now, he didn't care if golems followed him because he used magic. If it'd save a life from being swept away by a tidal wave, The Bone King would be a martyr.

Much to his gratitude and happiness, the atmosphere obeyed. A new spell came into being, creating a tunnel of warm thermals for the bird to ride. Wind flew beneath his wings effortlessly, and the bird flapped them in powerful strokes. His gem glowed constantly, humming a little. Talons gripped the scruff of the wolf pup, and he took to the air. The child was surprisingly light, but she likely panicked. The ave wouldn't mind that now. He had to get her to safety. Even if it meant his own sacrifice. He could have learnt something about golems, but this mattered more. The Bonebound grunted, flapping his wings harder and not looking back. Crystals guided him toward the group that had settled atop high rocks. Perfect. Everyone got to high ground. "Incoming!" He yelled out, carmine eyes wide. The jetstream faded away, and the bird was left to rely on his own strength. Wings burned like fire, and the bird struggled for air. This new spell had drained the ave, but he wouldn't let it stop him. Trying to ignore the pain now coursing through his body, Azazel dove down toward the group on the rock shelves. Talons opened once he was a few feet off the group, swooping down to deposit the pup.

Sloppily, he would crash into the wall, gripping on a crack in it to stop himself from falling. Of course, it worked for a mere second. Then he simply tumbled down onto his back. The abe was left gasping for breath, but he decided to waste some more of it. "Is... everyone... o... kay?" There was an obvious answer to that, but he just wanted to be sure.

Azazel will have picked himself up from the golem and saved Majora just in time. As the bearded vulture reached the ledge, the last of the golems burst free from the dam. In doing so, the rest of the water held by the wall rushed out into the riverbed. A gargantuan wave of crystal water roared into channel, sweeping through each golem and splashing up against the sides of the riverbed. For now, the golems have been submerged in the water, completely lost from view though one may see a few stray rocks tumbling through the current. The water continues to rush through the riverbed, gaining speed as it flows Eastward. A solid wall of water approaches the dormant machine, overtaking it with little effort.

At first the burst of energy barely budges the machine. Its wheel groans under the force of the moving water until the resistance of the hard soil gives away, and suddenly the wheel begins to churn. The sharp blades atop the machine creaked loudly but have gained speed as well, and one looks hard enough they can see their points spinning just beneath the surface. Above the roar of the rushing water, a dull, electric hum begins to fill the room. One by one, the glass orbs decorating the walls begin to flicker to life. Light will slowly but surely begin to fill the tunnels, offering a warm yellow glow to each room radiating out from the core.

Quest Complete! You've restored light to Origin Cave, but at a cost. Approximately twenty golems have survived the dam break and are now roaming Polaris. You'll need to exercise caution when entering the Core.

Location Update: The Riverbed, The Machine and The Crystal Stream have all been altered as a result of this quest.

You are now free to have your characters exit this thread.

Just as the ave made it over the lip of the rock shelf, water crashed through the gulley. It filled it with a glowing blue light, the remaining golems freeing themselves from the dam. Some were swept away in the tide, probably. Azazel didn't care. He knew the pup and everyone else was safe, and the distant groaning of a wheel let the ave know that something had happened. In a few seconds, the strange spheres mounted on the wall hummed, electrical energy causing his feathers to stand on end. They buzzed to life, light pouring from them. So they were magical? Perhaps the distant groaning of a wheel on it's axis helped to turn the lights on?

Soon enough, Azazel had enough energy to stand up, looking around in a bit of a woozy manner. Surely the golems survived that. Rock simply didn't yield to the will and strength of water. He'd have to come back later to investigate, and he wasn't hanging around to see if the golems were still coming.

So he flew off, back toward Canis.

{ EXIT AZAZEL }