ORIGIN - [Ursa Assault] Cry Havoc...

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Nemo

His magic had barely succeeded in carrying him through the raging storm, carving him a path towards the staging grounds and he drops like a rock out of the sky, hitting the icy snow with an ungainly wuhmpf, wings half open to act as a sort of parachute, and to catch him on the top of the snow as he slides.

Carefully pulling himself up and checking himself over, he shakes the snow out of his feathers and makes sure that his bauble, now exposed, is still attached, before making his way over to the gathered Gembound. He eyes Esther up and down, a tad grossed out by the amount of dripping... goo, but he kindly says nothing, walking up on the tail end of Tahi-shei's report to Vargas, and listening intently to his reply with a scowl, but... differing reports, huh?

"Tahi-shei, where is everyone else? I flew off to attempt to draw the worm to me but it... didn't work, apparently." Nemo pitches his voice up to be heard over the gales, craning his head back and forth as he looks around. "I'm going to go back and try to clear a path for everyone to come back safely, and hopefully retrieve Dracouna, if she doesn't try to kill me in the process."

Then he turns to Master Vargas, and bobs his head before addressing him. "Pardon my tone, Master Vargas, but Dracouna considers us a hinderance and not allies, so I can't promise I'll be able to bring her back to the entrance of Ursa intact." The white and black raptor seems a smidge miffed, but his tone is as respectful as it can be at top volume as he worries at his blue bauble. "I'll go and see what I can do to tame the storm, then. Pardon me," and, if unaddressed, turns his head in the direction he knows the group went, before opening his wings and flapping a few times to charge up his magic and channel another stream of woven air to, hopefully, offer a safe way to locate and guide the rest of the Gembound back to the staging ground. Nemo would have a better handle on his temper if he didn't feel... something tainted, like a sticky film of dried oil over his magic pulling at his patience.

@ Vargas , since he's speaking to him
@Tahi-shei

Talking to Vargas

Oh, joy. Joys upon joys. Another one. Giant, purple, and with glowing green eyes--was there no end to the horrifying monsters coming their way?

The purple abomination's one saving grace was that it was calm, at least, and expressed no immediate desire to kill them all. And, for it was worth, at least it wasn't dripping with whatever disgusting black substance Draconua leaked, and didn't leave the earth blackened and corrupted in its wake.

But--of course, of course it would take Draconua's side in this. Evil destructive monsters gotta stick together, right? Never mind that their mission had fallen apart because of Draconua, and now the evil mind-control fungus was still loose in the world to rob them of their free will.

"He's telling the truth," Zhusha insisted angrily, piping up from behind Tahi-shei. "Working together with the worm is impossible. It won't listen to anyone, it killed one of us and nearly killed others, and why should it be pandered to after what it has done? We should get rid of it." Of course, if they'd asked him before going on the stupid mission, he would've told them that from the beginning. Then the hyena would still be alive. The bird-dragon might have been saved. No one would have BREATHED FIRE AT THEM.

The ill omen storm raged. Pride's body collapsed in the snow, alive but exhausted; Draconua would find herself almost as taxed, herself, by the transfer of energy to save her life. It would not have wholly mended her wounds, however; it was a small heal, no changed Timeline, no gift of what-could-have-been.

The damage to the worm, however, was far worse. The gaping hole in its flank, so horrifically enlarged, was now joined by the rending and tearing of Draconua's jaws. While the worm's carapace protected it, to some extent, her teeth still broke through, her claws still tore at its hide. It thrashed. It exhausted itself, as the combatants had been worn out. It was an ambush-thing, built for short bursts, not to be forced into long protracted battles. It had nothing left.

Nemo could arrive on his slightly-cleared path of air in time to see its end.

It flailed, slowed.

Its little spines clawed fruitlessly at the edges of its own tunnel as it sagged... It scrabbled, and faltered, and failed. The ice worm gradually went limp, slowly sliding partway back into the cold earth, shuddering. And there it lay: dying, dying, dead... In a matter of minutes the hulking body would be little more than a gemless corpse, though perhaps a meal for the truly intrepid.

And foolish.

Did Mother mourn it?

Did Mother mourn at all..?

__________

Cry Havoc has now been completed. Nothing further will chase or attack the Gembounds unless they return deeper into Ursa by choice. Such interactions should occur in a new thread, and be GM-tagged, and noted as taking place after this thread.

Characters may exit or interact further as they see fit. No further GM posts are forthcoming unless GM interactions are tagged for, so posting order can now disregard dates and GM posts.

@Tahi-shei (Sora) @Madhukar @Twisted @Marshmallow @Nemo @Reign @Pride (Nidhogg) @Draconua @Zhusha @Esther

After that final, quaking roar, a number of things happened: the worm shuddered, mandibles loosening, body going limp as it sagged into the pit from whence it came; a bird—one of those who'd shouted from a coward's height—returned on a spirited wind; and, the most peculiar instinct fired up into overdrive—one that screamed of a desire to survive.

Draconua's body met the snow with a hefty thump!, gravity claiming its hold on crumpling limbs and sagging shreds of flesh. Reality strobed around her as her consciousness did. The blizzard quieted into a low susurrus. Everything was stifled, laid over in a thick black cloth. Pinhole eyes went darker still, and she lurched up to her feet; a gnarled twist of intestine tumbled out, scabs flicked off by the motion, and flopped in the icy snow.

She shambled past Pride's prone form, a staggering wraith in the storm.

She shambled to where she'd thought she'd come from, sense of direction lost in the chaos and confusion. Away from the thin silhouette of mountains. Toward an abandoned staging ground.

If she were to die here, she realized, her body might be made anew—and her magic may be as weak and uncontrollable as it had been upon her awakening; if she even awoke again, the sting of failure branding hot against her hide. This sliver of Order—that worm—and she was in this much of a state.

The valkhound determined that if she were to rest and recover from this, it should not be in this Hive's domain. It should be beneath the ever-churning, always-breathing Black Spire; nestled within the hole she'd festered in for an age and more; feeding on the Oil that soaked the earth and leeched out of her own body, even now—sizzling against the white and evaporating in a near instant with how cold the air was.

Black wings spread out from her form in a haunting spectre, and she took blindly to the air. The wind beat at them, but she—in all her determination—hurtled through it all the same.

She barrelled over the staging grounds, inky black dripping down. Wings folded in with a billowing whumpf! and she all but fell into the tunnel's entrance. The forward momentum carrried her in a shambling gait down the corridor and out of sight. Wheezing breaths punctuated every overly heavy step and grinding of claws on stone.

exit Draconua (unless somehow stopped)

His pelt burned with embarrassment, which was nearly welcome against the cold. "I... did not expect it to hinder us as much as it did," he admitted. "I hoped that we could use it for cover. I was mistaken." He felt himself shrink a bit under Vargas's continued assessment -- he did need training. Tahi-shei had just sort of... assumed that he was going to be good enough. That he could do this and survive it, do it well.

But everything had fallen apart. Vargas's tone seemed to imply that he didn't believe Tahi-shei, and he felt a flicker of irritation. "With all due respect, sir, do you really think I have the guts to lie to you?" He wasn't exactly known for his bravery. While he firmly believed that his actions during the Raid had been rational, neither could he deny that they had been cowardly. Though, as far as he was concerned, brave was just a fancy word for stupid.

Luckily, some of the others came to his defense, and he warmed slightly to them. "The worm approached us, Draconua split the earth apart, I asked her to stop, some of the others began trying to attack her, and I tried to recall her, deciding that her presence had become more of a hinderance than a help. She went on a rant about... chaos, I think, and my lack of power over her, and contingency plans. I tried to move on, and then she attacked us. Her actions drew the worm's attention and it then attacked her. I decided that my troops wouldn't be able to move around Draconua while she was trying to kill them, among other factors, and so we retreated." His ear flicked. "I am sorry that I have disappointed you, and I will humbly accept your offer for training." But first, he really needed to go find James.

He looked in Nemo's general direction, ears pinning. "I'm sorry, Nemo, there are no spores out here, not in this cold -- I haven't the foggiest who is here and who is not, excepting those who have spoken. If I had to guess, the others simply chose to continue alone."

mostly @vargas and @nemo

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He was about to answer them--to tally all their responses and try to gauge a sort of middle-ground to the tales--when Draconua shot past. Black blood splattered, intestines hanging, and Vargas found himself shocked at her state. He hadn't the time to really get a good look, however: she was here-and-then-gone too quickly for that. Too damaged, too... near death?

His thoughts roiled. Distantly, he noted Tahi-shei's words. None of them meant all that much, purely because Vargas didn't care much about this failed assault. The Hive was a nasty infection and they would be rid of it, but a single setback wasn't the failure of a war. Apparently Draconua hadn't revealed her role, here and Vargas wasn't about to enlighten them: and so he turned back to the Gembounds with a wary look, and a grunt.

His only real note to self was that Tahi-shei was beyond obedient and into grovelling, and it was sort of annoying; but past that he didn't care about any of them, almost at all. Well--he cared about Esther. Esther was cold, efficient, and he'd offered them a reward; whether they'd accept was up to them. But for the rest, he didn't care enough to praise or reprimand them. He barely took note of those who had not returned. "Be quiet, all of you, and listen to me. It is in part my fault for assuming you had trained as you'd stated. I will train one of you, or all of you, in how combat and assaults work. Scouting and terrain. Weather and sensing. I had thought you knew these things, and that was my mistake. Come to me if you want this training: in the meantime, get out. BIRD!" he shouted, after Nemo. "COME BACK!" He grumbled, for a moment, staring into the snow, then looked back to the Gembounds. "Get out of Ursa while you can. I have no idea if the Merchant will release his creature or not but you do not wish to be here, if he does. Get somewhere quiet, secured--somewhere safe. There's no telling if it will stay confined here."

Without further ado he lurched and broke into a run away from Ursa, back along the tunnel toward "home." And it wasn't a rude departure--he was fleeing, or almost so, away from whatever Hag-rteho might unleash. Even as his body bolted, his mind was working the problem over.

Examining the issue, where they'd gone wrong--where he had failed--how he could correct it. One thing stood out most of all.

He'd need to find or train military leaders. These Gembounds were inept.

exit Vargas

Tahi-shei's ears pinned. If he fled into Pegasus, he could be with James and his children, and begin working with Vargas as early as possible -- but there was no other place to go. If he went into the other tunnel, he'd have plenty of room to roam, but not his family.

Tahi frowned. I need to be with my children. He cringed slightly at what Vargas said, but didn't bother to wait for dismissal or anything. If a Master was fleeing, well, Tahi-shei was, too. His heart fluttered in his chest as he broke into a bounce-run in the direction of Pegasus.

I'm sorry, James. I'll be there soon. I'm sorry.

They had failed, though he supposed it wasn't as though Mother could go anywhere (at least, as far as he knew). The caves were simply the caves, and Tahi-shei had no idea that there was anything outside of them. He just knew that he was glad to be alive.

/exit tahi-shei

Nemo

Tahi-shei's lack of awareness of the others made him wince, but he wasn't expecting too much. It just meant he was going into this alone, with no assistance. Same as always, when it came down to it. No, he's not bitter, but he's... sure feeling something about this.

Nemo had... left, before the training offer was made. The urging to get out incensed him to go find whoever was left behind, and offer them a way out on his wind, in as much, he'd missed Vargas's specific call after him..

First thing's first, he'd have coasted on his wind to float out to Dracouna, and watched the titan worm slump and slough into oil, and the beast he distrusted wrench herself to weak feet and wings and flee the cave- maybe the beast had some common sense, after all, and he calls out a, "Follow the wind, it leads out!" before he truly begins his search, feathers ruffling in disgust and indecision as he realizes that the chrysili of his companions was now under the oil...

Giggle and the wyvern should be okay, and he's internally grateful that he'd gotten Sora out, before he once again turns in the sky, tracking over the route back to the entrance and scanning for anyone left behind.

He'd barely be able to hear the call of "BIRD, COME BACK! over the storm from Vargas, and he assumed someone else was out here helping him look, maybe that red-headed crane? Nemo, though, was a bird on a mission, and so he dives low and starts sweeping his gaze back and forth for anyone who may be around, blood, tracks... anything!

Quickly pulling up for a hard stop in midair, he decides to try and make a calm patch... he can't be too far from the chrysili, and trying to make his way out will be hard sell, especially if he finds someone. So, first thing's first, does he find anyone in his little island of calm? Or find the chysili, maybe?

"HELLO? IS ANYONE STILL OUT HERE? PLEASE RESPOND, WE NEED TO GO!"

@Pride , since he's most likely to find him en route.
@Reign , visibility tag in case you get found too!

The faint voice rippled over him. The wind had died down abruptly, or rather he was in the eye of an unusual little storm; the roar of it was quieter, anyway. It stirred his unconscious mind, ruffling the edges of his awareness in the same way the wind had blown his fur.

After a moment his ears flicked, and his eyes--though still half-lidded with exhaustion--opened. His head tilted back, groggy, and he peered up in confusion.

Ah-... Ursa.

He had to sleep. There was no other option, and he very nearly laid his head back down. If it wasn't for the realization that the lammergeier was out here risking his life to guide others back, he would have done so.

"Here," he managed.

Pride staggered up weakly, and--with guidance, and his head hanging low--made in the direction of Ursa's exit. It took the bird's direction, and he was too weary even to answer. Each step felt as though his legs were lifting pounds of iron; his muscles trembled and his mind was blank, swimming in and out of awareness. He barely felt the cold.

He made it to the tunnel exit, and there (beside the little river) he collapsed again, curling up with head tucking to flank, ignoring all else in favor of a deep, solid sleep.

exit Pride

Draconua's entrails steamed.

Nidhogg stared, considering. Could he trick her-? Play friendly, creep close--oh, he was doing it before he'd even thought about it. Slinking, submissive-looking, harmless...

He didn't get the chance. He lunged, and she was already gone across the snow, in the air, and instead of Draconua's flesh he got a mouthful of bitterly-cold snow.

He stood up, hissing, shaking himself. And in sinuous black bounds he took off after her--floundering here and there, sinking deep into the powder before scrambling out again. He reached the entrance panting. Nidhogg didn't give Vargas a second glance; he was chasing his "mother" and his "prey," confused ideas of hunting and fleeing and following all tangled in his mind.

Whatever his goal, and whatever his fate, he pursued out of Ursa, at least; gone, and safe from the storm.

exit Nidhogg

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