ORIGIN - city of angels

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Tahi-shei had not yet entered this cave in his search -- having seen the monstrosities come from it during the Hunt, he'd assumed something far too dangerous for his liking was going on there. But now he had new information -- knowledge of Master Vargas's location, given to him by the creature called Esther.

The deer was motivated by knowledge, and thus far, he had been spared precious little. Isra and Astraea both had been unhelpful at best, though Astraea had humored him a bit longer. Now, he was coming face-to-face with another master -- and he'd already steeled himself for it, on the long walk from Orion. As he stepped into Draco, the warmth and wetness struck him as being rather similar to Eridanus, though severely lacking in vegetation. The thrumming in his teeth was not necessarily of magic, and he eyed the Black Spire warily.

Whatever this was, it was dangerous -- but he wasn't going to toy with his life unless a reward was received, so here he was, in the lair of the Leviathan. He drew in a last breath, and with a surprisingly confident voice, he called out -- "MASTER VARGAS!" and waited for the reply.

@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He wasn't far off--checking over the chrysalids along one wall--when the call rang out. He paused, and shook himself, a little like a dog, in irritation--a jerk of his head, roll of his shoulders. A sigh.

One of the stones had swollen considerably over the last day or so. The others had grown rapidly, and then slowed, and he estimated they were at near full size. The interruption was unwelcome, but responsibility came with authority and he turned to stride in the direction of whomever had called him forth.

Long, swift steps carried him toward the mouth of the Aperture, with its constant, hissy expansion and collapse, and here he paused, going rather still. This one wore a white fungal crown, and almost at once Vargas' six eyes narrowed, and his voice snapped out with a bellowing demand.

"What is THAT on your head?"

The fungus of Order had been weighing on his mind, as late. He was still formulating plans, deciding what to do, but the sudden presence of a white fungus in a crown shape atop a visitor (an emissary..? A fool, if so--but they will always be expendable) stopped him in his tracks.

His tail lashed behind him, and he tensed, eyes darting to visibly calculate the leap he'd need to take to land atop Tahi-shei.

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei hesitated, a very rational fear spiking his pulse. Of all the possible responses he'd accounted for -- cool authority and a serpent's grin, the rage of a leviathan, something akin to a greeting Alpha might have given him, and so on -- none of them had been... this. He frowned, trying to maintain his calm. "It's a crown. I got screwed over by the Collector," he said, a touch exasperated, and then cleared his throat to begin his little spiel -- which had been interrupted, seeing as he'd scripted it carefully (though real life never quite worked how you'd scripted, especially when you didn't actually know the other Gembound all that well).

"I am Tahi-shei Deimos, and I am a seeker of knowledge. I've come to you seeking answers -- assuming, that is, that you're willing to give them." He eyed Vargas's great claws, and his mind once again wandered. Cracks in the armor. He felt a pulse of anxiety.

Hopefully, something good would come of this, and so he began with, "It's not Mother. I'd have cured myself right away if I'd gotten it again, trust me."

@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Algol. Eyes narrowed further as Vargas considered. He wouldn't dare--not even him, not with this. Her rage would be too great. Or would it-? Would she laugh at his antics, perhaps? Vargas didn't know. The Collector's foolish bargains were beneath him. He played at Chaos, but his faltering, smiling manner was an insult to it.

"If I find out you are lying, I will leave what remains of you at his feet before I destroy him, too," Vargas decided aloud, voice still booming but now dour, too. "Ask your questions, then. I will answer if they are worth my time." The Master made no move to approach, however, suspicion lingering in him. More than ever he wished he could tell Mother from anything else, and it occurred to him that he had best start putting his plans in motion soon.

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei took stock of the Leviathan, and recalled his resistance of the infection at the Raid. He recalled Astraea's panic; he recalled his own. Tahi-shei recalled vividly how his magic had been used against his will -- Madhukar infected against his will, when he so desperately had wanted to cleanse himself (except, no, he hadn't -- he'd not quite been in his right mind). He recalled the crack of lightning boiling his blood, and the sharp pain of stone breaking through skin. Relief. Oblivion.

He dipped his head to Vargas -- not a mere inclination or a nod, but very nearly a bow. "I would expect nothing less." It was an admission of authority, and of strength -- but it was also very nearly a peace offering. Tahi-shei did not like Vargas. He did not trust him. But now, with his, he was trusting Vargas to keep Tahi's friends safe, should the deer have been a risk to them. It was not something Vargas might have been conscious of, but it meant a lot to Tahi-shei -- so he took a very clear step back so that the Leviathan could be confident in the distance between them, and then he began to speak.

"For what purpose was the structure in Cepheus built?" he asked first, eyes alight with intelligence. He kept going. "What is the 'sacrifice' to which the keeper, Isra, referred? Furthermore -- why did she call me food?" He paused, considering. Should he bombard Vargas all at once, or hold onto them--?

No, better to put it all on the table. He kept going. "Who -- and where -- are the other Masters, aside from you and the Fungal Master Astraea?" There was a beat of reverence in his tone. "Who created the Mother fungus? It is reminiscent of my magic, and my capabilities -- I am assuming that, as I am to magic, something is to Mother. Why do you require an Overseer?"

He looked Vargas over. "And for my final two big ticket questions -- how were you all selected to be Masters. And if you will not answer my questions, where is an entity who will?"

And then, he waited. But he couldn't say that he expected straight answers.

@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

The Leviathan took indifferent note--but note, nonetheless--of Tahi-shei stepping back. He began to answer the first question, jaw opening, only for the young deer to launch into a dozen other questions. Vargas winced, and if Tahi-shei hadn't been practically beloved by Astraea during the fungal strikes of Mother, he might have been harsher in his response. "Who -- and where -- are the other Masters, aside from you and the Fungal Master Astraea? Who created-'

"One at a TIME," he interrupted, in a bark. How the hell does he expect anyone to remember a dozen questions-? he thought, irritably.

He shook his head in annoyance. "No one can remember all of that at once," he added--he wondered if this were habit and, if so, why had no one told it by now-? Still, the first question--food--amused him. "The palace is for our most esteemed guests. For visitors," he answered bluntly, and there was a warning in it, a warning that this place was important and not to be damaged or disturbed. "I have no idea what 'Isra' was talking about. I wasn't there for your conversation." A blank stare, here. "If she called you food perhaps she wished to eat you."

Vargas paused, studying Tahi-shei for a moment, studying that ugly white crown. "Tell me why you're asking all this, and then ask your other questions," Vargas went on, and then--in a louder voice--"One at a time."

@Tahi-shei

Tahi flinched when the Leviathan raised his voice, if just because of the other beast's size and threat to his wellbeing. He blinked a little, deciding that his info-dump had not been appreciated, and nodded curtly. Word of visitors -- of guests -- got his mind whirring, and he wondered distantly who Vargas was defining as we and who was considered a guest. But he had more important questions to ask, and didn't want to lose Vargas's patience before all of them could be asked.

And then he was asked a question. Tahi-shei's eyes sparkled, and if Vargas looked closely, he might have noticed a film creeping up at the edges of them -- Tahi-shei himself had not yet noticed, as the brain was exceptionally skilled at filling in such blanks. He resisted the urge to respond with snark, and instead raised his chin just slightly -- if it weren't for his size, the crown and the posture might have made him look regal. "I seek knowledge," he repeated. "More precisely, I want to know whose grave I walk upon." A beat for dramatic effect, and then he slipped into a more coherent explanation. "Everywhere I look, there is something new and unfamiliar -- caves where nothing grows, tunnels filled with strange whispers, masters of magic I've never even dreamed of. Creatures I've never seen, caves I've never been in, and evidence of people who came before me. Carvings, bones, bits of metal, and deeply-gouged clawmarks. Thrones and buildings in Orion! Gemstones all over the floors! The Generator in Polaris, the lights in the caves -- someone made these things, I am certain of it, and it is my sincerest desire to know all the secrets of Origin Cave. But I think that I've only just scratched the surface, and I crave information from primary sources -- I can walk into Canis and tell you there was a massacre, but who among us can say what the specifics were?"

He took a breath and looked at Vargas, eyes slightly wild. "That's why I've come to you. Because I think you're probably old enough and strong enough to remember some of the things I'm desperate to know, and because I'm hoping you'll entertain my curiosity. I keep asking questions and I keep getting non-answers, or instead being left with more questions. I spoke to Master Astraea for a time before you, you see, although I'd heard your name first -- courtesy of your Overseer, who actually directed me in a few useful directions -- and I was so eager to ask questions I'd had, and yet I was only left with more. I have only barely begun to graze at the roots of the vast tree that is this place and its history, and it is a very sincere hope of mine that I can uncover all of its secrets before I am eventually claimed by Fate and Circumstance."

After finishing his little speech, he cleared his throat and reminded himself, in bullet points, of his questions -- and then asked the second once again. "And, because I wish to know who in these Caves holds power over me, and who might have answers to my questions -- who are the other Masters, and where are they? I have only heard of yourself and Master Astraea. Oh! And to that point, what element do you represent?" he asked, eyes alight with curiosity.

@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

'I want to know whose grave I walk upon.'

"What the HELL does THAT mean?" Vargas boomed, and then burst into laughter. Was it trying to imply that this was some sort of boneyard-? They weren't Canis anymore. Was it implying that it would kill everyone later on-? Vargas didn't know, he didn't care; "Speak PLAINLY," was all he told it. But it was starting to amuse him, at least. That was good.

It then went into all sorts of deeper explanation and at least this was plainly laid out: it wanted to indeed know about the boneyard, about the caves' history.

"Of course someone made all those things. Ahh--you are one of the young, then. You do not know the purpose of these caves? -Or of the boneyard," Vargas added, and this last was quieter, full of dark humor, and a grin began to curl at the corners of his mouth. "Would you like to? I can tell you where the bones of Canis came from."

Vargas pushed up, sweeping past Tahi-shei and into the dark behind him, in the mouth, the Aperture, of Draco. And then came a voice, from those shadows; a quiet 'Help me!' It sounded nothing like Vargas. It still held some of his word formation, perhaps, but the voice was small, quailing in fear, broken.

For a moment, it sounded like Master Vargas had pinned another prey. "Come save this one, if you'd like to know, and I will tell you," Vargas said, and there was a grim purr in his words.

'Stop it-... please.' Then came crying, sobbing, quiet and afraid.

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei listened as Vargas brushed past his actual question, and instead focused on Canis. The Leviathan stood up and walked past him, forfeiting the distance he’d created — Tahi wasn’t a threat, then — and like a light switch, shifted. No longer was he sharp edges and vaguely irritated — now he was sinuous and inky, murky water and cold nights. He was a tiger in the undergrowth, and Tahi-shei was smart enough to realize that he was being tested.

On one hand, why would Master Vargas have a hostage? Surely he wasn’t waiting for innocent do-gooders to wander by (or maybe he was? Was this a trap? That felt likely—). Surely he hadn’t been expecting Tahi-shei, because Tahi had only made up his mind to come that morning. The threat of those claws was vast — each of them were easily as long as he was.

And then on the other side, did it even matter? If someone needed his help, who was he to deny it to them, after the life he’d taken? Who was he to deprive someone of their chance? But— a test. He was sure of it. Telling him to rescue a creature who had been snatched away so soon after Tahi-shei had mentioned who had power over him could not be a coincidence.

He drew up beside Vargas, dwarfed in comparison and paying little mind. And then, wary that this might have been a trap and having no better way to see, he pushed threads of magic out and prayed. Maybe, something would be out there to prove him right — if not, he planned to go in anyway.

And suddenly, his eyes snapped to Vargas, eyes growing narrow as he took a step away, not that it really put all that much distance between them. "What are you playing at?" It was teetering on the edge of accusatory — not the reverent tone he had used earlier, but wary and anxious. He was glad his spell had worked, then, even if he hadn't been expecting what he found. "That's your magic, I'm sure of it." What would have happened to him if he'd wandered in blind? Tahi-shei shuddered to think of it.

@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Not a threat at all, apparently, in the Master's mind--as if all thought of Mother had been wiped away. Instead he leapt, a minor spring, to where Tahi-shei had walked quite close--a light grip, an attempt to push him down, to hold just enough weight to pin him by his throat. Where Vargas would hold him for a moment, before he spoke, as if to reiterate--to emphasize--just how physically helpless something like Tahi-shei was beneath his strength.

"You are a failed creation--and I will end you. Do you have any last words-?" Vargas said, and his voice--commanding--booming--held no emotion, no threat, no nothing in it whatsoever.

And then--suddenly and without warning, the Master had stepped back, away, releasing Tahi-shei. And his voice came just as solemn. "I am playing the same game I played with all of them. The bones of Canis. You wonder how they got there-?" He stared for a beat, six toxic eyes unblinking. "I put them there. I, and others like me. They are the failed, the spawn that formed lopsided, crippled, weak. Do you wish to know what these caves are-? It was never a secret, 'Tahi-shei,'" and he said the name with the faintest of sneers. "What you just saw were the last moments of many a refugee's life--those who sought to save others like themselves, who fell into my traps. That was my task--or one of them. To hunt the rebels. Those who had escaped. Wise of you to recognize it as magic--but not many of them did, nor did it help them to understand it." Vargas dropped to his haunches, sitting back, one massive forearm lifting to loop, apelike, over one knee. "The Creator has his nests. This is one of them--all of these caves. Again, this is no secret: he has his wars that must be fought. And here, in this nest, we create his soldiers. You ask of the Generator? -It provides the power!" Vargas cried, as if this should be obvious. "The Throne was sat upon for the great meetings; the buildings were lived in. The Masters created! The Overseers oversaw! We tested these creations, burned away the weak. The failures were killed, and their bones were left in Canis. And then--we slept. Now we have awoken and our work begins again. And in the meantime, you have awoken--and creatures like you. Things we did not create. Untested, random things: weak and strong, large and small, furred and scaled. Sapping the magic of this place to live."

Vargas leaned down, grinning, toxic-glow mouth alight. "They would kill you all, do you know that-? But I have asked for time, on your behalf--on the behalf of all the little lives scurrying pointless throughout the caves. The secrets you seek are dark ones. But now you have your answers." The Leviathan paused. "As to who holds power over you-? Anyone that can kill you. If I were you, I would avoid pissing off any Masters, any Overseers; the tolerance for your existence would quickly run its course."

"As for my element--I do not 'represent' one. What does that mean?" he added, staring blankly at Tahi-shei. "Do you refer to the other Masters-? I share Nemean's power, but I do not rely on magic. It is a fickle thing, and the only truth one can rely on is the strength of one's limbs and the sharpness of one's claws."

Honesty, and bluntness. Vargas didn't care that he was indulging this little thing all its answers, as if it were an equal. It had amused him, and that was something--but more than that it was a diversion from his work. A little vacation of an hour or so, as it were.

And anyway, he thought it about time that word began to spread about just who was keeping everyone alive around here. He certainly deserved that credit. And maybe then they could avoid another pesky rebellion.

A little gratitude wouldn't go amiss.

@Tahi-shei

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