ORIGIN

The diamond chrysalis suddenly split in several areas, a dark and oily fluid leaking from the openings and pooling like goop at its base; inside, the dark shape could be seen rolling, curling, unfurling...

With a loud shattering only moments later, the entire chrysalis exploded into thousands of small, glittering pieces. A seemingly unending shape spilled from the inside: it was a creature made up of many segments, many legs, long—its crimson red body conformed to the shape of the cave, wrapping itself along the walls and ceiling as it avoided the others in its small space.

Aside from its unending length unfurling behind it, a large and imposing head shook itself free of goo, two fiery orange eyes opening, blinking; it had scythes for mandibles, and it reached with some of its long arms to clean itself, free itself of the black oil that clung to it.

Most remarkably, one of the scythes was thick diamond.



Finally, she looked upon the others...

Her two eyes squinted as she raised herself up, countless legs ticking against the stone as her body shifted and rolled; she lifted the upper half of her body as tall as she could without hitting the ceiling of the cave.

The scythes below her chin clicked together, rubbing upon one another as if sharpening themselves.

And then, a third eye opened in the middle of her forehead: it peeled open, revealing a shimmering eye of rolling fire. Waves of yellow and orange rippled erratically across its surface, and its pupil shifted from a circle to a slit as her focus moved across each of the present Gembound. Sparks of bright yellow-orange flicked out of it as she investigated.

But whatever she was looking for... it wasn't here.

Her attention turned out toward the jungle of Eridanus. If they were speaking to her, she was too preoccupied to notice. She was busy. She had a job to do first and foremost.

The slit in the middle of her third eye expanded, and her entire being ceased to move.

There. She saw it. Shimmering like a mirage some distance away—the energy. The target!

Her entire length shifted as she made to exit the cave, her form fluidly rolling across the walls and ceiling, stopping briefly as her normal eyes caught sight of a painting—her chrysalis? She paused to look upon it, her head twisting to view it from different angles.

"That's pretty," she commented, her voice several different tones emanating from the area of her face, but she did not seem to speak it with a visible mouth. Sparing no extra time to dillydally, she launched herself from the entrance of the cave and crashed into the underbrush at a high speed. The rest of her body followed; she was big but graceful. While fast, she left a trail of destruction in her wake and would be easy to follow if the others desired.

She was careless.

As she threw herself headlong into the brush, she did not pay attention to what debris may be in her way and a stick poked her in her third eye—agh! She reeled back, squinting all eyes shut and covering her face with some of her legs. She'd have to be careful about that. No using the special eye when running—got it.

After recovering somewhat, she hissed and looked again—it was still here, somewhere in Eridanus. She set forth once more, this time closing her third eye as she ran.

Her eye was still recovering, but she managed to make her way to a general area that seemed rife with the energy she was searching for.

"HEY," screamed her voice, thundering through the trees. "ARCANE MOONSTONE. SHOW YOURSELF." Her length raised, and free from the cave, she rose to stand at about fifteen feet tall; behind her curled the rest of her body, folding and rolling over itself.

Venari is calling @Atinneas !
Gembounds following from the cave will need at least 1 round to catch up to Venari.

As she waited, the centipede-like creature rotated her head side-to-side, scanning with the third eye; finally, the energy honed into a singular spot. She watched it as it moved toward her, getting ready for whatever she may face—but...

"Huh," spilled her voice as she lowered herself to view the target on a more even level. This thing didn't look dangerous at all, certainly not on the level that had been instilled in her! Ah and it... was more than just a gemstone. "Very well, Atinneas," came her voice, its shifting tones hoarse but non-aggressive. For a moment, all she could do was look at this creature. It was polite and didn't seem to pose a threat. Still, the demand for its blood churned deep within the pits of her being.

Her body shifted and stopped rolling over itself; she stilled her restless legs and let her third eye close.

"You can call me... Venari," she decided, twitching her scythe-mandibles out of habit. Ah, yes, she was... more than diamond. She was Venari. The Hunter.

"My business with you is—" she reeled back suddenly, as if ready to defend herself "—to kill you!" Her arms wiggled as if she were being threatening. "I am the Hunter, and you are my first target. You have been deemed a threat and need to be exterminated."