ORIGIN

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"Where is it?" Septiezal grumbled as he clawed an old tree hollow. He felt around inside but it was at such an odd angle that he couldn't reach farther back. "Dammit, he grunted. "It must have fell."

The twisted himself around the decrypted tree. It felt like it would snapped at the slightest squeeze. Septiazel reached in at a different angle, this time feeling something big and rough. It wasn't what he was looking for but it seemed like it was in the way so he pulled it out. In his claw was a rusted dagger, its undulating blade curved like that of a snake or a rising flame. Septiezal had no idea what a dagger was but when he thought it looked an interesting tooth when he was younger, now, without finding a use for it, it just seemed like trash. He let it drop to ground and continued searching.

His eyes lit up. "Ah ha!" Septiezal pulled his claw out. Clutched within his black talons was a fiery, orange gem; a sphalerite. This was what he was looking for.

Septiezal flicked his tongue and smiled. He had meant to reawaken this gem when he first slithered across it with Nox but became side tracked. Now he could finally bring it back to life, perhaps as a new member for the Children Rot.

Septiezal clutched the sphalerite tightly in his claw focused on that and what a great little child they would be. But his spell fell flat. Septiezal frowned. It occured to him that he knew next to nothing about making new gembound. He sighed, disappointed, and placed the gem back in the hollow. Nox and Dragan made it look so easy.

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"Listen"
Tag: Name || OOC:

Beneath the water's surface, a creature unimaginable had slumbered. Encased in a foot of labradorite - to account for the depth - Phlegethon lay curled-up, fluke over snake-like head. Sometimes, it would grow a bit more lucid, listening to the thrum of a school drifting by or the hesitant pacing of a marsh strider. But, they were not purposeful movements, not sentient.
The clattering, though, of a rusty dagger... that was something.

It stretched, skin undulating and shifting; first, into magnetic spikes and then rolling coils. Phlegethon hummed in low-bass, writhing so that it was cramped with the head facing upward. As if on command, labradorite began to give way, opalescent colors flooding with dim light. Not a moment later, the immense creature began to bob towards the surface of the swamp.

Home.

First, its attention went to the source of the clattering sound, a soft hum moving through the water and air - swimming rather alligator-like, despite its sibling having all of the Dragon-life. Or was it Dragon-stone? Ah, well.

Breastbone scraping the swamp-bed, Phlegethon extended its neck, jaws open and eye searching. It examined the dagger in the grasses, head tilting this way and that. The voice of another crawled over its skin, and it spared only a mere glance in the direction of it. A fellow Child of Rot. This must belong to him - Septiezal, was it?

The creature gently took the dagger into its mouth, the pointy end stuck between baleen. Waddling much like a seal, half-submerged in the water, it eyed Septiezal. Without a single motion of its mouth, it spoke, "this is yours." Tossing the blade toward him with such confidence, it added, "Child of Rot. What are you doing?"
@Septiezal

The voice behind him made Septiezal nearly jump out of his scales. He snapped around with a hiss, ready to strike. Even after all these cycles, Blackberry's shadow still haunted him.

But this time, it was only Phlegethon.

Septiezal breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He scolded, clutching his "chest" to sooth his fast beating heart. The serpent drooped from the creaking tree looked at the dagger tossed at him. He pick it up with a claw and looked at Phlegethon. "Thanks," he nodded curtly. "Um.. uhh.."

Great. Now he couldn't remember this Nox-child's name. What was it again? Sith? No.. Felgion?

He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "I was trying to make a gembound." He reached in the hole and pulled out his fist, opening it to reveal an orange spharilite resting in the palm of his claw.

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"Listen"
Tag: @Phlegethon || OOC:

BLACK OPAL
For the first time I'm thinkin' about tomorrow

Reji told us to meet her here...

The Opal glanced around the swamp. Cetus was dark and oppressive, but atleast it wasn't the Dead Marsh. He could enjoy the mud without being stuck to it for once. The vegetation was thicker than the Marsh's, but the black opal wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Anyone could be hiding anywhere...

He continued slinking through the muck. He took care not to make too much noise. Astraea would be hunting them by now. There was no telling if he or his cronies were searching Cetus already. I hope the others are okay. He thought. He had not seen them since Astraea destroyed Mother. And lets hope Reji made it too. If not, he would have risked coming here for nothing.

A shriek in the distance made him lunge for cover in thicket. It sounded like two gembounds conversing. The others?? No, they didn't sound like anyone he knew. Sticking to the shadows he crept closer to get a better look.

His eyestalk peered through the ferns, and spied and large, black and orange, two-clawed serpent and an ever larger, slimy, black creature. The larger one called the other a "Child of Rot".

Child of Rot.

He heard those words before. The Imp talked about them. They lived in Cetus, defied the rules. The Children of Rot... could they help me?

The Opal shuffled his feet under him. He decided to observe duo further before approaching. He had to be sure they if they could be allies.

When Septiezal whirled around with a hiss, the slime-beast did not so much as flinch.

Phlegethon, instead, lowered its head, purring softly, "I am sorry." It knew vaguely of the serpent's flightiness, jumpiness at descending shadows - "I forget." There wasn't much of a commonly-known story there, but at least the entity was somewhat aware of it. Living in the muck most of the time didn't contribute well to the being's limited knowledge of social cues.

Ruby-red eye appearing only once to inspect the offered sphalerite, the slime-beast hummed. "From who?" It vaguely remembered one of its siblings - Sekith - being born of an accidental life-giving to a hallowed caller Nox had swallowed once. Phlegethon was not aware of its previous status as a companion. "I could try?" If it would make a fellow rot-child feel better, it would sacrifice a portion of its magic.

There was a slight shuffling in the distance, but the creature didn't attribute it to intelligent life. Not yet.
@Septiezal

Septiezal glanced down at the gem in his claw. "I don't know..." He paused, lost in thought. To be honest, he had no idea if it even belong to anyone. He could have wasted his magic on a dud!

It was pretty though...

Phlegethon's question brought him back. "Hmm..?" He scratched his neck. "I don't know.." Septiezal did want a child, and Phlegethon was offering to help him. It would be a shame if they both wasted their magic on a regular old stone.

However, Septiezal still had a bit of magic left over..

He tapped on his onyx crest with a talon.

Tap, tap, tap,

Suddenly, a burst of magic split the black gem and a piece fell off. The serpent caught it with his claws, surprised. Somehow, he expected it to be painful. Septiezal slithered from the tree and offered the onyx piece to Phlegethon. "Here, use this one, it's live." There was a faint hint of serpentine smile across his snout and his six eyes shone hopefully.

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"Listen"
Tag: @Phlegethon || OOC: oop ignore the roll

Phlegethon hummed. At least the gemstone hadn't been deliberately ripped off of a living creature - not by Septiezal, anyways. Drawing attention like that to the rot-children couldn't be looked upon too kindly.

Hearing a clinking of stone, its ruby-red eye peeked out, watching a glimmering leave the serpent's crest. Vibrating and skin crawling with surprise, Phlegethon leaned closer. Onyx offered to it, a surge of magicka naturally drew from its own labradorite, its gem-eye.

A pulsing sensation grew at the base of its skull, then launched itself out into the stone. Septiezal's shard shimmered once, twice, then went black. Any second now, it'd likely start to plant itself and form a chrysalis. At least, Phlegethon thought so. A little drained, it cooed, "there." Head tilting to and fro to inspect the child-stone, it murmured, "does it need earth? Time? Food?"
@Septiezal

Well, something happened. The onyx shimmered in his claw then returned to its normal black. Septiezal tasted the air, noting Phlegethon's fatigue. He never witnessed a successful life-giving before, but the Nox-spawn seemed to have done it!

Septiezal gave Phlegethon a respectful nod, grateful for its assistance. "Thank you, Nox-spawn, I owe you a debt." He clutched the stone tighter and held it to his chest. "A new Child for the Rot- I will guide them."

He glanced at Phlegethon and chuckled. "Just time," he said. "And patience."

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"Listen"
Tag: Name || OOC:

@Phlegethon

Phlegethon hummed, a rather booming and pleased sound, as it continued to inspect the onyx-shard. Somehow, it seemed lighter. More willing. Like a --- a seed! "Dragon-father will be pleased!" More of them surely meant a greater chance at survival.

The chrysalis would be strong, but a strange urge filled it to ensure that it would be safe, especially when it hatched. Snapping its jaw shut and drawing its neck back, Phlegethon 'looked' out over the swamp.

"I can take it into the water. Few can touch it there," it offered quietly.
@Septiezal

BLACK OPAL
For the first time I'm thinkin' about tomorrow

Casually, the clawed serpent reached up and broke off a piece of its stone. The opal's eyes budged (even more). He stared in shock, cringing at the snap. Didn't that hurt? Cracking your gem was one of the most painful experiences. He has seen harden Hydra champions double over in pain because of a gem fracture and this new-cycle snake-creature just... chipped a fraction off like it was no big deal!

Disturbed, the opal pulled his tail-gem closer, but he could not look away. It was... morbidly intriguing, like watching vultures pick at the innards of a still-living cave deer. He shuffled closer, carefully pulling back a fern leaf to get a better view. Apparently, this was some sort of propagation ritual; one that required no overseer. The opal had no idea they could do it on their own.

Amazing.

He had the sneaking suspicion that shouldn't be watching this. Perhaps he should give them some privacy.

As the opal went to back out, he stepped on a twig.

SNAP!

He cringed, freezing in place. Ah Sandworms!

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Opal Three-Seven-Six

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