ORIGIN - For Science!

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The vulture tilted his head sharply this way and that, in the way that birds do. Mostly, though, it was in one direction, so that his one good eye could get a clear view of this Spire.

He was flight-capable, now, though it took him a moment to get off the ground, and that flight--and his wingbeats--were slow and heavy. It'd take some effort to get up there, to get to the giant, glowing stone. He could feel the hum of power here, though he wasn't certain what it meant. Magicka, or so he'd been told--but what, precisely, was the Spire? Time to begin a test or two. Perhaps it could aid in mending magics. Could it, even, mend damage on its own? What did pure, unrestrained, raw magicka do to injuries?

The vulture took a breath, and began the lumbering, lurching run forward. Wings spread, and pumped, and after a moment he'd managed to get airborne. His broad wings tilted as he rose, beat twice and then stilled, so that he glided rather than worked his way a little higher in a coasting circle. Then he beat those wings again, his dark brown silhouette rising higher and higher around the Spire's peak. Only at its very top did he bank, then slow, tilting his body and wings back and pressing his feet forward for a landing at its tip.

The instant his long, black talons clicked onto the crystal stone, he knew he'd made a mistake. The jolt that ran through his body was agonizing--electrifying--and his body went stiff before tumbling from the top. For the first time, Doctor was afraid--if vaguely, and past the sudden haze of pain--afraid of heights.

Oh, no-- and then further pain, as his body plummeted into a lower level of crystal, and then farther beyond that, and again. He managed to get his wings spread, only to crash off the side, and after a moment of frantic fluttering he righted himself. He hit the ground a moment later in a clumsy, barely-controlled glide, tumbling over the stone for a moment.

Then he lay there panting, his single dark eye wide with shock.

That... had hurt. His legs, folded weakly beneath him, felt burnt. His body trembled, and he felt as though the Spire itself had attacked him. Doctor cast a wary glance over his shoulder, at this thought, as if half-worried that the whole damn thing had uprooted itself and might be coming after him.

It had not. So he lay there, for a moment, recovering his wits.

(for Azizos--and science!--but anyone is welcome to join)
@Azizos

So, this was Polaris — definitely not Monoceros.

Azizos, clutching a pristine box of glimmering stones in all shapes and sizes, had followed his instincts here. 'I should have asked Father for directions,' he lamented softly, within the confines of his mind. Glimmering lights, bright and blue had seemed like the right way to go, given Dread's treasure- and shiny-hoarding nature. The lion-stag shook his head, but pressed onward into the Core; he could scout this place out and rest here, at least, and practice some magic. His stone seemed rife with it, here, readied to fire at any moment. He hesitated at any casting, for this reason and for fear of what chaos it may cause. Any magicka would be gathered and reserved — and, inevitably, be lost. Azizos's head turned back to the tunnel he had emerged from, wondering if he should fetch his brother — doubtlessly captivated by the carvings on the wall.

There was a distant thump! which was somehow audible over the static. Azizos whirled about towards it, spotting an odd, dark shadow tumbling down the Spire's winding faces. "A Gembound—?" he pondered aloud, limbs already carrying him at a steady pace toward it. A sense of closeness gave clarity. This creature was some sort of a bird, frantically searching behind itself as if it were being chased. The lion-stag glanced behind himself, as well. Just in case. He then set down his box of sweet-smelling treasures.

In a soft, rumbling voice, Azizos prodded, "are you… alright?" Silvery eyes shifted toward the Spire, unimaginably immense and beautiful. Dangerous, too. Did touching it deliver some unfortunate consequence? A shock of pure, unadulterated magicka? His ears flicked back, his own horn beginning to glow — conjuring up a doppelganger to send straight at the spire.

As hypothesized, the drifted copy of himself dissipated without a single second to spare. Physical contact was, indeed, a hard pass. "Interesting," Azizos hummed, with a sway of his tail. The closest he could get to ecstatic around a stranger. Thinking of… "did you touch it? I don't believe the Spire is very… content."

@Doctor

Although Ayr preferred Eridanus out of all the rooms she'd seen in the caves, she could certainly understand why a gembound might be captivated by Polaris, and feel the need to remain within it for an extended amount of time. Even if the Spire scared her a little, with it's harsh crackling and unstable energy. Ayr felt almost energized as she came into the entrance of the room, wide-awake, as though she had a particularly good nights' sleep.

It'd been many cycles since she last came here, however. She didn't particularly miss it-- her heart already ached to turn around and trot back to Eridanus, and to fall into her nest and fall asleep --but she buried this feeling away. For now, she was to explore. She could return at a later date.

But... even from here, she could smell the moss and the fruit. Perhaps, she'd later realise, it wasn't so much the smell of Eridanus as much as it was the smell of her, and the scent still clung to her mane, but even then it wouldn't help. The unicorn took one step into Polaris, then another, then turned to leave.

Something caught her attention, however. A quiet thump which, itself, wouldn't have caused her to venture further inside, but a clatter of hooves against the cave floor. Ayr's long ears lifted, listening, turning her head back towards the distant glimmering light of the Spire.

Karma? She wondered, her mind casting back to the fawn with one amethyst antler. The fleeting memory of her was enough for the unicorn to continue, at a brisk trot, towards the Spire, ears perked and eyes wide.

What she saw was, well, something.

A creature-- something not entirely unlike her --stood over a bird. Ayr had seen birds before, but never one quite like what lay on the floor. She slowed down as she came close, her hooves oddly light against the cave floor. She bowed her head to put her nose close to the recovering vulture, giving a very slow sniff.

"Do you... need help..?" Ayr's voice was ever-soft, almost like a quiet song and only just audible above the sound of crackling static coming from the Spire. She offered a gentle nudge of her snout to the bird before turning her head towards Azizos.

Close, but not quite like me, she decided. Like the horses. Similar, but not quite. The unicorn bowed her silvery head regardless, in greeting. "Is this your friend?" She asked, indicating towards Doctor.

@Doctor

The vulture lay quiet for a moment, beak parted and eye unfocused. Eventually, he became aware of a great many white legs nearby, sturdy and elegant. They were also long, extending up past his field of vision, and he blinked and shifted to peer unsteadily up.

He wasn't sure if these were guardians of the Spire, and he'd missed anything they'd said; his head was still humming, his thoughts not quite... here, yet. He struggled unsteadily to his feet, and fought to form coherent thoughts and words. If they were guardians, summoned by his touching the stone, he'd have to placate them immediately--to assure he'd meant no harm. Or perhaps, looking at them, they were simply family, and happened to live here.

"Ahh... hello," he began uncertainly, looking between them, tilting his head to peer at each with his single, dark eye. He ruffled down his feathers, and for a moment tried to gather his magicka for a strengthening burst--but it sputtered out in useless sparks of invisible energy, and did nothing. "I am Doctor. I was... investigating the Spire, but I mean no harm." There, that should just about cover it.

He hoped.

Doctor peered between the two creatures, momentarily awed at their beauty. Both were shining white, even pristine. Both bore glinting horns, and large, shining eyes; both stood on pale and delicate hooves.

He found himself so busy staring that he forgot to say anything more.

@Azizos

After a few moments of silence from the vulture, Azizos wondered if this had, perhaps, just been a Lesser that had miscalculated some flight. Soft hooves sounded after him, followed by the scent of Eridanus. His ears, large and ever-so-keen, swiveled back. He turned on the spot, already speaking, "Arsu, this isn't Monoce--- Oh." The approaching Gembound was not his brother; instead, she was some sort of creature of similar appearance. No silvery tines rose from her crown, no mane completely consumed her neck. A lion-doe, perhaps?

His tail swayed curiously, as he sniffed at the stranger --- she smelled exactly like Eridanus, but with more fruit-based hints than his own brother did. Azizos blinked curiously, looking up and down at the unicorn, with slight disbelief. A sister, perhaps? Where was her nose? Her hooves suggested being of cervid origin, but her face seemed more like a horse's --- not that Azizos had ever met a Gembound of the equine persuasion. There wasn't enough context for him to accurately say whether or not this was a true sister of his.

Silvery eyes glanced down at Doctor, still lying prone on the ground. "Ah, I am not familiar with them --- I found them like this, after touching the Spire," the lion-stag tossed his head toward said glowing rock. A small, uncertain voice interrupted him, gently. Oh, it was a Greater! Not just that, but he was a vulture named Doctor, apparently on an investigation.

Azizos's heart jumped with eagerness. His ears simply moved forth, and he lowered his head, "my name is Azizos. I'd like to learn more about the Spire, too." Rising, blinking, chuckling softly, he added, "I suspect we may have to worry more about it hurting us, though." Tail slashing through the air, the lion-stag approached with a few bouncy steps, "what have you found, so far? Or have you just begun?"

@Ayr

Ayr's brow knitted briefly in concern as she stared down at the vulture, though her attention was briefly snatched by the other white creature standing near by. Moonlit eyes darted briefly over, ears flicking back briefly.

"My name isn't Arsu, but it's close," she offered quietly, knowing full well that Azizos likely wasn't bashing guesses into her name and instead, mistook her for someone else. Another unicorn, perhaps, but Ayr was unsure if there was more of them. "My name is Ayr. Hello."

For a moment she looked back down at Doctor, head tilted, and then to the spire. She knew absolutely nothing about it, either-- only that "it is quite an angry thing." She took a few delicate steps towards it, half-following Azizos.

"... I wouldn't touch it," she murmured, before turning her head towards Doctor to await his reply to Azizos' question.

@Doctor

The vulture glanced briefly back at the Spire. Finding that it still hadn't pulled up from the ground and started sneaking toward him, he looked to back to the two white beings.

"Ha--no, I think I won't, not again. Unless--" he said toward Ayr, firing a thoughtful glance back at the blue crystal. Rather than finish his thought, though, he blinked back toward Azizos. "Ahh, I've only just begun. I know little about it; I've heard that it's powerful. Anyone can sense that; but what can it do? I was wondering if it can perhaps mend wounds, or something along those lines. As it stands, however, it seems more inclined to cause them." As he spoke of mending wounds, he focused for a moment upon his magicka. He intended--as an almost absent-minded adjunct to his words--to provide Azizos with a flush of "healing," as if to emphasize his meaning.

@Azizos

This sight was a curious one --- something so close to himself and his misidentified brother, Arsu, yet so far off. Not equine, not cervid, not feline, but a mix of all three that seemed perfectly natural to him. Azizos bowed his head, a classical greeting accompanied by a slight click! of his hoof as he knelt slightly. "Arsu is my brother, apologies," he bleated with slightly flattened ears, "there are quite a few similarities at first glance, but I was mistaken."

Ayr seemed much more grown, anyways. Not a sibling in that sort of capacity.

Anyways--- Doctor had only just begun in his studies, utilizing knowledge integral to all Gembound: the Spire was powerful, yet mysterious. A thrill of excitement crept up Azizos's neck, mane already puffed out from the magickal interference surrounding himself. His tail swayed limply, the closest sign to physical enthusiasm one could find. "I believe that it is simply a source of magicka, but my father has told me things which suggest that, quite possibly, something powerful resides within --- sleeping or trapped, I do not know which of the two, yet."

Another thrill of energy started through him, but not of any emotional accord. It was similar to his maned father's blessings and farewells --- a prokaryotic sort of magicka which offered a momentary flush of wellness. Considering there was talk of wound-mending, Azizos figured it was Doctor administering the dose.

"Ah, thank you, Doctor."

@Ayr

Ayr was a little confused-- to her, it seemed as though Azizos was thanking Doctor for... explaining that the Spire was more likely to cause wounds than to heal them? The unicorn dubbed this as unlikely and flicked her ears back, briefly.

"Oh, I see," she replied to Azizos regardless at the mention of his brother, Arsu. She sounded a little distant, however, wondering how many of them there actually were. Did they all look that similar?

She shook herself a little before looking between the stag-lion and vulture, then back up towards the spire. "If it's sleeping or trapped then it likely doesn't want to be disturbed," she mused out loud. "Perhaps that's why it's more inclined to attack?"

There was a short pause. "Maybe there is.. a way we can help it, if it is capable of healing..? If it is trapped, and wants to get out?" Ayr suggested, though she did not stop to consider that perhaps what was trapped in there was for everyone else's safety.

@Doctor

The vulture turned, carefully settling himself on his feet and ruffling out his feathers. When he was certain that nothing was broken, that no pinfeathers were sticking out of his head or some such, he turned to eye the Spire thoughtfully.

"Something inside? Well, what do you think we can do to test this hypothesis? What would we find, if it were true, but not if it were false--communication of some sort? Simple reaction wouldn't be enough-..." He said this last bit half-absently, almost talking to himself.

He hopped a little closer to it, then, reaching out tentatively with his magicka. "I will see what happens if I... try to heal it, as I would a sick living thing. Hopefully it doesn't attack!" he added, with nervous humor.

@Azizos

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