ORIGIN

She didn't bury the arrow as deep as she would have liked, and she didn't expect him to be torn away from her. She clenched her fists as the creatures stole him from her, a nasty hiss escaping the thin lines of her lips. She shifted her legs, readying to throw herself toward him to take advantage of his held body. Just as she tensed to jump, he exploded from the wall and her instincts moved her limbs before she noticed what was happening. Her arm had lurched to grab his wrist, turning it in an awful way to move the arrow away from her immediate body; her other arm grabbed him by the neck as they met in the middle. She had pushed forward with her legs to brace for the impact, suddenly a much sinister beast than what the others around her had believed her to be. He was spindly, he had arms that moved and grasped, but her grip was firm. Too firm.

"Enough of this." Her voice was otherworldly as she lifted him by the neck and moved toward the wall he had just freed himself from. The flesh of her skin was full of color as blood raced through her veins; she wasn't going to kill just one of them this time. She was going to finish what she started, though her original intent had never been kill him. Not back then. But now?

Her jaw unhinged, much like the shape of a snake's, and her several rows of teeth glistened with saliva. She had walked most of the way to the wall, but now lurched forward, pinning his body with her front as she reared; she shoved his head into the wall, along with his hand that had attempted to shove the arrow between her ribs. In her sudden movement, she was careless. She had made an effort to throw him so high onto the wall, to hold him there; she was careless. She did not notice the serendebite that was sitting just in front of the wall, and she did not notice when her long-toed foot fell just on the side of it, launching it away. It clattered against the armor that was just off to the side, but her mind was no longer on the armor.

There wasn't a breath between her movement to pin him and her movement to move her hand onto his face, holding his head against the wall while her movement continued forward. In a very fast, very fluid movement, her jaw closed around his neck, wide enough to touch the back of his neck with the top of her jaw and just above the center of his chest with the other; and she bit. Not necessarily the way a dog bites something, but the way a creature with the amount of serrated teeth that tears through anything bites something. She bit, moving her jaw slightly each way as she clenched the fingers that grasped his face. She bore into his shadowy-flesh, slowly but surely separating his head from his shoulder. It was at an angle, so it took some effort, but she was to deep into his flesh now for anything to be done.

It was never her intent to kill him. She had never wanted to kill him. She had never wanted to leave...

A growl rumbled through her as she slowed, nearly paused, with his life dangling between her jaws.

Hesitation.

Beast vs Jupiter
Round -

Jupiter currently has 474/500 health.

He had been too reckless in his advance. He hadn't been watching, he hadn't even seen where her arms would be or how they would be able to grab him before he could plunge that arrow deep into her skin. Before he knew it, one hand had twisted his away and the other grabbed him at the neck, causing the beast to choke and sputter in her grip. He struggled; his fury still seethed through him, vicious jaws snapping at her, hungry for skin, for anything that he could get. It didn't matter how much he tried, he would fail to reach her; it didn't matter how many times he reached for her with his extra appendages she would always evade his grasp, and as soon as her voice touched the air, the beast felt a looming sense of disaster.

He grunted as she pushed him against the wall. His jaws ceased gnashing, realizing now that she had him and she was going to do everything she could to destroy him like she'd destroyed his other half. Instead of trying to tear her apart, he was clawing at her, pulling and pushing away from her, trying to escape. He saw her jaws unhinge and rows upon rows of reptilian teeth glisten in the pale light of the tunnel, and then pain. She bore into him like he was a feast, and the monster let loose a strangled cry, snarling and howling and choking as she tore chunks with both her hands and teeth. Pain, pain, pain. Bits of his flesh tore away with ropes of inky black blood, severing tendons and ligaments that wove through his neck, shoulders, and chest; where a vivid green eye once sat, the socket had been torn open and the eye bled furiously, seeping from its cradle. Blackness swelled up from his throat, between his lips, smearing across Jupiter who sunk her fangs so deep into him that his life began to flicker - in, out, in, out in out inoutinoutinout

That brief moment of hesitation was all they needed. and suddenly everything came clear.

The beast stopped struggling, limp against Jupiter. They could feel it now, they could feel everything. What little life remained in that serendebite began to quake, energy pouring out from the stone as it lay nestled in the armor. What little memories were attached to the armor began to manifest into an entity. Something living. It reached out, called for the beast to return, and so he did. His crooked, broken mouth still found the strength to twist up into a wicked grin, just barely, before the solid mass of blackness that made him began to melt into something... intangible. Aqueous shadows slowly slipped out of Jupiter's grasp, draining down the wall and away from her. Bright green faded, overcome in the tendrils of wispy darkness as they all surged towards the pile of armor, and from it a glow of pale peridot.

Without warning, the relics came to life. A cloud of shadow and misty green spun up from the pile, twisting among itself like a whirlwind of colour and the absence of light. A soft wind wrapped itself around the room, heedless of the ones within. The wind grew stronger and stronger, and the whirlwind grew larger. Faces manifested within the vortex of darkness, some of them contorted, others clear. Snarling, laughing, wailing, all kinds of emotions grew within the whirlwind as the armor lifted and vibrated in the pressure of the whirlwind. Appendages jerked out from the swirling twister, filling the boots, sliding into the gauntlets and the pauldrons, through the chest piece. Every object littered across the floor of the tunnel shook, jittering away from the walls and towards the vortex. The gleaming piece of peridot seemed to situate itself in the heart of the shadowy mass, while the serendebite hovered at its peak.

Forms began to take shape. Fronds of shadow swept across a hulking body with dual limbs; legs that glitched in and out of the armor, arms poised, reaching, grasping and clawing, and a head. A head with four eyes, each glowing ominous green, and two jagged mouths that opened atop one another, pointed teeth encasing lime gums that glistened, hungry - the shriek of a banshee erupted from the massive shadow monster that towered over Jupiter.

The two forms separated. One of them stepped out of the mass, taking the armor with it; the other's body became solid again, dropping to the ground, the familiar anatomy of the beast lay sprawled across the empty floor. But the second...

The second was furious.

Mirroring the beast in size and shape, they stared down at Jupiter with clawed hands flexed and gaping maw unflinching. Then, they lunged, intending to consume the centaur whole.

Lost in rare thought, she hung in pause as his life rested between her teeth. They hadn't been a team for so long, but it wasn't them she hated, just her. Jupiter hadn't even been living here, and she had come down with one intent that now drifted slowly through the air like a light flake of snow. Was she doing it out of spite? Remorse? Regret? His body suddenly went limp and her attention snapped back to him. Before she could do anything, he shot her a wicked grin and then melted between her fingers. She let out a dangerous hiss and stomped on his shadow-self as it swept beneath her. No. Her fists clenched. She hadn't even noticed the stone or the energy. She cursed herself, a second time she waited for something too long.

As the shadows merged, she held heavy fists at her sides, leaning forward with her jaws spread open in a threatening display. Her hiss evolved into a shriek, a battle cry, a challenge. But it was not a challenge she was ready to take on. She was not at peak performance, while they would be new again. And armored.. again. The mess of shadow loomed above her, then made a sound that drowned out her own. She took a step back, knowing well what was coming. Should she run now? Or try and fight? As his half fell away, Jupiter tried to focus on the reborn half. They knew. They would remember her, they would know what she had done to Beast's half, they would know nothing but hatred for her. They would want nothing but death for her.

They lunged. She lunged. Jupiter knew she couldn't fight her one-on-one. Before it had been an unfair start, benefiting Jupiter, but now the other was on the top. Turning to flee, her left arm swung outward too far and was captured between the jowls of her attacker. A searing pain overtook her and she cried out, the sound transforming into a hiss - not an aggressive hiss, but one of fear. She couldn't fight this. She would die.

Jupiter continued moving, tearing what tendons still tethered her arm to the void with a great force. She could recover. She could do without her arm for a short time; but not without her life. With her right hand she clenched the base of the nub that spewed blood just below her shoulder, kicking her feet into action and leaping onto the wall. They could follow her anywhere. She knew that. But she also knew they wouldn't leave each other with one of them dying... Right?

It was a gamble she was willing to take. She paused near the roof, looking down onto the other gembounds. Blood dripped in a steady flow from between her fingers, splattering as it hit the ground below.

She almost told them to run, but figured having that creature swallow them instead would do her a favor. Without a second look back, she scrambled into one of the vents and was gone.

Please allow Game Master Madison to post next!

They lunged blind at the centaur, wicked green jaws gnashing wildly - this time, they caught the arm of the centaur. They paid no heed to what harm would come. Jupiter deserved it. Jupiter deserved everything that would come to her. Jupiter had killed them, it was only right that Jupiter be killed in turn. And so it was with gusto that as soon as they had the centaur's arm in their grasp, they tightened their grip and wrenched away. At the same time, Jupiter had attempted to flee. The force was enough to sever the appendage straight from her body, leaving the shadow with a twitching, disembodied arm in its mouth. That wasn't enough... It would never be enough, not for what she had done to them. The creature tossed its head and flung the amputated arm away, launching itself after Jupiter.

She was lucky that in that brief moment, relishing tearing her apart, the shadow had hesitated too long to catch her.

Jupiter made her escape, fleeing without regard for the Gembounds below. The shadow leaped at the vent and clawed at the rocks, but couldn't fling itself up high enough to follow. The armor clattered as it landed on the ground again, throwing its head back and howling at the centaur who left a trail of blood smattering the rock below. A reminder.

Vile green eyes snapped to the Gembounds who had witnessed the event. Rage still boiled in its black blood, lips drawn in a furious snarl. They didn't know who, or what, these creatures were. No. They did. Friends. Help. No. Monsters. More monsters. Like them? Rage. The shadow poised and rocked on its heels, tearing its jaws wide open in a war scream - only for the scream to twist into the convoluted voice of the beast, and the shadow reared its head back again, as if struggling with itself.

"NO."

The voice erupted out of the scream, emerging from not just the shadow - but the beast on the floor.

The armor-clad shadow snapped its jaws shut and stared vehement at the lioness.

"I can not hurt them." They both spoke, the beast's ancient baritone groan mingling with the vicious, feminine hiss of the shadow.

"But why." The feminine voice overtook beast's, though his remained an underlying echo.

"They made me whole again." This time the beast's voice swelled up.

The armored shadow faltered. Steady eyes lingered on the lioness for seconds more before it turned towards the beast, who slowly picked itself up off the ground and kneeled. It was with determination, and then realization - knowing now what it was. Wrenched from death and made anew. Reunited. The shadow hesitated there above the beast while its hands slowly, shakily, moved towards its face. They cupped it in their hands, wide-eyed. The memories. The death. No longer - he was here. She was here.

Together they started to weep, though no tears came - only a sound born of happiness, sadness, and relief. A crying laughter echoed equally in both masculine and feminine parts that spiraled up into the air, I am whole again.

They had been so enraptured by one another that they had barely noticed anything going on. Some of the Gembounds fled in the wake of the attack, where the ground was strewn with the blood of the one that had tried to keep them separate. Others lingered; the two lions remained and they barely heard their voices before raising their head. The shadowy mass held now two pairs of eyes that fixed on the female, and then slowly to the male, they both apologized and asked if they were alright, but could they not hear their cries of joy? It didn't matter, a gaping hole gleaming with a peridot glow soon opened up on their maw, drawn back in a wide, tearful smile. "We are whole again." The voice roiled, the feminine tones of the newcomer and the deep, slow intonation of the beast intermingling amongst one another. "We are... Totum."

Slowly, the shadowy mass rolled to its feet. It was as large as the Beast - and then it slowly became larger, leaning forward as it took a gradual step towards the lions. Its appendages stretched until it loomed over top the two lions and its head cocked down, two mouths, four eyes, pinned on the Gembounds. It lingered there, thoughtful. "Thank you." And just like that, the shadow stepped over them. It moved like a fluid darkness into the depths of the tunnel, the direction that Jupiter had gone. It did not move with any particular intention, though one thing was for certain: this creature is so much more powerful than the Beast alone.

This quest is concluded. Feel free to have your characters exit the thread.