An ethereal shifting of starstuff in the shape of a large crane-like phoenix soared into Eridanus, leaving a trail of shimmering auroras behind its tail and wings with each beat. At its core were three gems—one red-black, one golden-white, and one silvery-blue—that rotated around each other. Its eyes were a brilliant and bright silvery-blue color, a wispy light-like smoke trailing out from them.

The Kings approached the Gembounds slowly, landing carefully near the stone-skull and bending trees in the wake of their rhythmic wingbeats.

There was no lasting damage as they settled onto the ground, tucking their translucent wings into their side and peering curiously at the stone-skull that was nearly as large as them.

"Well, it certainly is large," they commented, turning to spread a foot out across the bridge of—well, what they thought might be its nose. "Let's begin. Please, nobody near the stone now."

The gems inside of it began to rotate faster, glowing; and then, the silvery-blue stone was in the center and glowing blindingly, with the other two orbiting it at a phenomenal rate. The stone-skull also began to glow as magic began to flow from one being into the next. And perhaps all too quickly, a giant chrysalis began to form; the Kings pushed backward from where they had been, launching themselves with their wings to avoid being swallowed by the magic and the stone. The sound of creaking and cracking gemstone cut the air until the chrysalis was full and large.

Brilliant in color and size, it nearly towered over them, glowing from within to reveal the curled and contorted body of a serpent.

"Excellent, Mintaka," the Kings said with a huff. "Now, Alnilam."

Again, the giant bird moved forward. Instead of outstretching its talons this time, the ethereal being threw open its wings and began to emit a vibrant gold and shimmering aurora. The stones within its chest again began to rotate at a fast speed; until this time the golden-white stone was at the center and glowing blindingly, and the silver-blue and red stones were orbiting it at phenomenal speeds. The eyes of the bird also turned gold during this time. The sparkling gold auroras lit up the area, and surrounded the oversized chrysalis; they seemed to move through it, shimmering and glittering within it.

The serpent was tightly packed within the chrysalis, but the auroras helped find the stone-skull that had been sitting on the grass only moments before. It lit up at their touch, glowing beneath the scales of the serpent, whose image was muffled by the chrysalis stone and fluid within.

"Return," demanded Alnilam, though his words would not be heard by most present; only those that had pledged to him in Orion before, of which, only two of those were here—Septiezal and Kera. "Return." It was almost like a chanting.

And suddenly—four fiery orange eyes flashed opened within the amniotic fluid, the glow and intensity reflecting off of the sharp angles of the gemstone chrysalis and wavering fluid; still, the golden auroras moved and twisted through the air, curling around the body of the serpent within the object they had raised. Its body began to shift and twist, seemingly moving endlessly around and around itself.

"Return," Alnilam continued, the Kings' eyes snapping to the eyes inside the chrysalis. "The end does not hold you a hostage any longer. Begin anew. Return."

To say the chrysalis cracked would be an understatement; with anger and vengenance, the chrysalis exploded and sent gemshards shattering into the air, scattering around the immediate area of Eridanus. A shrieking—a roaring—shook the trees and dirt alike, the sleek and shimmering oily-colored scales of the serpent still dripping with its amniotic fluid; and all of its fiery attention on the Kings, who had reverted to the silver-eyed Mintaka.



"Skahan! We—"

"SILENCE, FOOL. I WAS NO HOSTAGE—AND THERE IS NO 'ANEW' FOR ME. BUT NOW YOU HAVE MADE ME A HOSTAGE OF THIS LIFE AGAIN!" His fury was unbound, scales lifting to reveal an orange-red hot, fiery and purple-tinged glow before closing in a wave-like pattern. His eyes, though glowing orange-yellow, bled with purple-pink at the edges where his stone shown through.

The Kings were silent, watching intently... nervous, perhaps.

Skahan hissed and spat, scales raising and closing with each large breath he inhaled and exhaled, as if the creature was ventilating itself of heat. For a moment, the two only stared at each other.

"You are needed, and then you can die and be freed." It was simple. Right? It was simple?

"WHAT FOOLISH PLANE WERE YOU SNATCHED FROM?" Skahan reeled, rearing back his head and parting his jaws to reveal large fangs. "YOU WILL JUST SLAY ME, THEN, WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH ME? DO TELL ME, SKYBIRD, HOW DO YOU PLAN SUCH A FEAT?"

The Kings did not have a chance to answer before their eyes bled red, the stones within their chest circulating so that the red-black stone was dominant, a black aura overtaking the ethereal form of the crane-phoenix like a disease.

"YOU DARE TEST MY ABILITY? I'LL SEND YOU BACK RIGHT NOW!" Alnitak growled, the red glow within the body of the Kings' growing stronger.

Skahan barked a laugh, his eyes narrowing. "ARE YOU PERHAPS THE THREE KINGS OF ORDER?"

"INDEED, AND SO YOU WILL AID US." He replied arrogantly before he was forcefully removed from his throne, the red of his eyes fizzling and the silvery-blue returning; the stones returning to their normal orbiting pattern.

Noting this change, Skahan's demeanor shifted. "OF COURSE IT WOULD BE YOU. WELL, THEN LET THINGS BE AS THEY WILL BE." His body curled and laid over itself, then unfurled, as if he were turning to leave. "I WILL AID YOU NOT." As his body turned wholly now, his eyes caught the Gembounds in a glance. "AH, IT IS ACTIVE STILL. GOOD. THEY HAVE NOT ABANDONED US." Though, he had never seen any like... these before. His gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, then his heavy body slammed onto the ground and he slowly slithered away through Eridanus, crushing anything in his path.

[Skahan has left.]

Silent, seething, The Kings only could stare at the empty area where the giant serpent at been and gone; still, they owed a reward to those they promised it too. In the back of Mintaka's mind was Alnitak, "Look at them there, waiting! Ask more tasks of them!" but their fate had been sealed.

"Come to us in Orion," they said after some time, turning toward those it mattered to. "We have promised our pledged a reward for finding this... stone. This... creature... but our power wanes at the moment. Find us in Orion, at the Forum, where we last met. We will have rested by then, and will bestow upon you that which we have promised."

They lifted their wings and beat downward, raising themselves into the air, and flew back toward Orion to the promised meeting area.

[The Three Kings have left.]

This concludes [QUEST] The Three Kings of Orion! Characters that have previously pledged to the Three Kings and received wings from them before, and participated in this thread, may now post in the follow-up thread [3 Kings] The Gift of Flight to receive their next reward.

Players may now post in Update Me! to receive their quest completion and achievement.

Characters interested in following Skahan's path will find that it leads to Canis, where he has opened a passageway to a large cavern in the northern area of the room.
>> Follow Skahan into the next major questline: [RAID] What Lies Beyond.