[EVENT] The Trial of Hydra - Reclamation

Despite the instructions to plant the seeds atop the Crucible technically being clear, how exactly they were supposed to work was rather ambiguous. Zhusha had guessed that the seeds might be to create plant life and shelter, to make Hydra more inhabitable--but that still left the question of the Eyehook Vultures. He couldn't see that danger going away because of seeds of all things anytime soon.

But seeds were the task at hand, so Zhusha would complete it. No use worrying about the particulars; they'd find out soon enough. But they needed to be careful: perhaps the seeds would even make the vultures more aggressive in the short run, like the discs had done to the worms.

Fly fast. And he did, swooping across the top of the plateaus to scatter his seeds, maneuvering in bursts of white-and-black wingflaps to avoid the vicious vultures. They came perilously close to striking him, at times; he even felt the wind of several barely-missed attacks ruffle the feathers along his wings and back.

But he'd made it without death or injury. With a shake of his feet, he emptied out the last seeds and swooped to safety, watching over any others who might be less lucky.

burn me to ashes and scatter me in the flooding spring river
that i might drift with the fallen flowers to a place no one has known

An exhale of relief, and almost disbelief. Everyone made it. But even though it seemed like they'd already traversed a gauntlet of enough dangers to last a lifetime, there was still so much left.

Make it past the vultures. Plant the seeds on the plateau. Trek to the Dead Marsh... heaven knows how far away that is from here. Put in stakes. Plant seeds. Just thinking about what momentous tasks were still left in front of them, compared to what they'd completed so far, was overwhelming.

Can't turn back now. Although the two beasts who'd tasked them with this had left the consequences of doing so ambiguous, even if they did not punish the Gembound themselves... it would probably be unwise to leave the group, where they could help each other if needed. Plus... some of these Gembound might need Jim's help, too.

Taking a deep breath, Jim darted across the plateau, staying low to the ground and praying that his fur would camouflage him against the rock. As he planted his seeds little by little, his heart raced, magical sense constantly darting about for any approaching Eyehooks. This trial is going to give me heart problems and shorten my lifespan even if I don't die here, Jim thought despairingly.

By the time he'd recovered his footing just in time to prevent a catastrophic fall, Captain was sandy, battered, bruised, and the rest of the group had left him in the dust. "UGH, SCURVY DOGS," he muttered to himself, wincing as sand scratched at his throat. But he knew it was no one's fault but his own for making such a fool of himself.

No time to waste! He had to catch up! Captain broke into a lumbering trot, scattering seeds as he went. When the Eyehook Vultures came at him, he snorted angrily and stomped his hooves--and used his magic, which finally worked as intended this time, to create deadly glass storms to drive them away.

No one could stop him from coming out of this trial on top, like a true pirate!

Once assuring that everyone had made it by safely, Glory landed on the top of the ravine, where a multitude of bird nests lay. He eyed those vicious birds with a sharp eye, turning to dig in his pack. Hadn’t they been instructed to throw seeds around here?

He didn’t like all the sneaking around. Why not just go in and burn them all? Fight as a group and drive them off? It seemed a much more honorable route than whatever it was the Merchant was planning. But he wasn’t here to question this time. He was here to make it through alive and make sure everyone else made it through. So he wasn’t even going to risk their ire in case they decided to go for one of the weaker ones.

Shuffling forward, keeping close to the ground that blended in with his feathers. He snatched up a flat rock and piled some seeds on it before sending it forward with a touch of magic. It shivered as it went, loosening some of the seeds, but the majority he managed to dump into a nest without even approaching the eye hooks at all.

Setting the rock aside, he sighed and shuffled away to watch for danger and wait for the others to finish.

Landing up on the plateau was safe enough, and the others in the group weren't far behind. It was going well enough. So far.

As the vultures glower down at it from their perches, Reverend shakes himself off, pulling out the bag of seedlings. No time like the present. But maybe a small precaution would help...

However, when he tried to use his magic to hide away into the shadows, it instead backfired, flaring blindingly bright. Several of the eyehooks immediately took offense to his disturbance, and soon he was swarmed, countless wings and talons and beaks rending and tearing at its flesh.

The heat was starting to get unbearable. Kaizer's fur, so long and dark, was roasting him like he was a potato wrapped in tin foil. But the sooner he pressed on, the sooner it would be safe again to rest.

"The plants," it murmurs to himself, remembering the Merchant's instructions. Plucking the packet out of the pouch, the dragon-kooru starts to scatter them. And with a nudge of its magic, he tries to encourage them to sprout.

Sure enough, within moments, green tendrils peek out, snaking up towards the harsh light.

It's not ambiguous the danger the looming vultures pose. But even still, Spinnaker has to keep pushing on.

The pouch is emptied as he flies over the plateau, seeds scattering into the dust. Go! Go! he chants mentally, Keep going! The sooner I'm gone, the better.

But the wind he'd been hoping his magic would summon peters out instead, dumping Spinnaker ungracefully in front of an angry Eyehook mother's nest. And she does not enjoy his tresspass.

A wickedly sharp beak bears down on him.