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+--- Thread: Symbiosis (/showthread.php?tid=6340)
Symbiosis - Pride - Dec 03 2018
The stag's gait was wearier by the time he at last reached Eridanus. He wanted nothing more than to find Mercy's den, to sink down in the soft ferns and to sleep for a day and a night--but he feared what might happen, if he did.
He had a... situation. He needed an expert's help. His magicka was still recovering--it felt much better, now, after a period of disuse, but he determined not to use it anyway. Not until it'd be worthwhile to do so--if, for example, he could find the gryphon and the gryphon had questions.
He needed a foolproof way to eject the parasite if it should abruptly damage him, or grow too fast. He needed a way to keep it alive, should that transpire--and he wanted to know, too, if there was any knowledge whatsoever about sentient parasitic beings. He'd never heard of one, but he was young; Amras had a great deal more experience than he in all things regarding, it seemed, both magic and the natural world.
Then again, the last time he'd sought the gryphon out for help hadn't... exactly gone all that well. He hoped this time might be a little bit smoother.
ooc - if Amras is not about ICly or if you'd prefer not to be involved it's fine!!
@Squick @Amras
RE: Symbiosis - Squick - Dec 03 2018
The little creature had slept all the way from Fornax. It was exhausted, it’s side slowly rising and falling, mandibles occasionally twitching and wrinkled brows furrowing. It had taken recently to hugging the tip of its maggoty tail with its frontmost four legs.
It might have been cute were it not for the place it dwelled in. It was completely hidden from view, soothed in part by the warmth of Pride’s body, and in part by the soft rocking motion as he walked. It was nestled deep in the centre of his belly, oblivious to the outside world.
@Amras
RE: Symbiosis - Amras - Dec 03 2018
Lately Amras had been spending more and more time in the green room or Eridanus. It had been a sanctuary during his time of retreat and its bountiful resources made day-to-day life rather convenient. Rather than have to scavenge for water he could walk two steps in just about any direction and be near a stream. Rather than hunt for food he could just fly up to the top of a tree and spread his wings for a while to take in the light. If ever he was bored he could wander about and watch gembound tend to the burned sections of the woods.
Truth be told though it was a little bit too convenient. He wanted for nothing at all and his studies were suffering as a result. Days that had once been filled with magic practice to the point of exhaustion now were highlighted by long walks along worn paths interspersed by the occasional simple spell. He knew he should be studying with greater intensity but with knowledge of their possible immortality it just seemed... less pressing than it always had. The core was unknowable in any reasonable amount of time, the darkness was relatively tamable, each of the twelve types of magic had been at least glanced at, and even if a little cool for his tastes the forest was such a lovely retreat.
It was on one of these walks that Pride might find Amras, his wings folded at his side as the walked on all four limbs through the greenery. The half-lidded expression widened only slightly as a familiar deer became visible around a corner.
| Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12 |
Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3) |
Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3) |
Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) |
| Back bag: Empty | |||
tags: @Pride @Squick
notes: None
RE: Symbiosis - Pride - Dec 04 2018
Pride paused, panting, hoof in air as Amras came into sight. Abruptly, he wasn't sure just what to... say. He ran through possibilities in his mind, grim humor at their heart--"Hi, I have worms?" "So I swallowed a talking parasite?" They didn't exactly seem like friendly greetings.
He hesitated, and then put his hoof down and gave a bow of his head, antlers raking the air.
"It is good to see you, Amras. I'm well, just--a little rushed, actually. I'm very glad to have found you. I have--err. ...A situation." He paused again, staring blankly at Amras.
How do I explain this..?
"I was-... wondering if you know much of parasites, Amras. In particular, ahh--sentient ones. I accidentally swallowed what I believe is a newly-hatched Gembound, but it appears insistent that it is--safe, when ahh... ingested. And that I am its host." Again he hesitated, and this time his discomfort with the concept was visible--his face tight, a faint grimace on it. "I did not want to force it out and possibly kill it, as I am unsure if it can survive so, but I can connect to it mind-to-mind. I was hoping you might have information--or if not, if you have a better idea than me carrying it. Or perhaps... know a way I can eject it without any chance of failure, should it suddenly grow too large or--sicken me, or the like." He paused again, quickly running his mind over what he'd said, and noticed one glaring omission, which he hurried to correct.
"It is not hostile. It appears to be quite--well, innocent, and earnest, in a sense. I do not think it is manipulating my mind into thinking as much."
His breath was caught, now, his sides no longer heaving, and he appeared more alert and focused--and far less distressed. If anyone could help him with this, it would be Amras.
@Amras
RE: Symbiosis - Amras - Dec 04 2018
Amras stopped a few feet short of Pride and folded his wings back, shifting his weight enough to settle back into a half-standing position. His expression didn't change as the deer confirmed his suspicion that something was wrong but ears did perk slightly as though to indicate that he was willing to hear his friend out.
What came next was... unsettling. At first the gryphon almost betrayed a smile, thinking that Pride had discovered the prokaryotic element. "Parasite", after all, wasn't too far of a description from how he understood the source of the magic as being "an alien visitor found within". The half-smile quickly faded though as the clearly affected deer described the entity as a gembound, falling even more strongly into shock when confirmed sentience was placed upon it.
Actually Envy would probably derive quite a bit of self-worth from that scenario.
Back to the topic at hand though- either Pride was suffering delayed psychotic effects from his brush with the great unknown or there was a truly unique lifeform that had appeared. Even if Pride said it wasn't hostile there was also the stated possibility that it was controlling his mood to think that. Without more investment in the empathy branch of his arcane magic though there was no way of knowing for sure.
Amras watched the deer carefully for reactions his confirmation of the idea of removing it. He'd seen rats under control before; there was no telling if this would turn out to be a similar thing.
| Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12 |
Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3) |
Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3) |
Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) |
| Back bag: Empty | |||
tags: @Pride @Squick
notes: None
RE: Symbiosis - Pride - Dec 04 2018
"Precisely as I said, yes, a way to--eject it, yes, in case of emergency." He felt both impatient at Amras' repetition of what he'd already stated, and relieved that the gryphon understood him. To the question, however, he shook his head.
"Disease magic..? No, I do not think so. What precisely does that do?" Pride glanced curiously at Amras. Where did disease come from? It must be magical in nature, no? He'd never thought about it; the idea that one must become ill through use of magic. Perhaps, were he a being not maintained by magicka, he'd assume it to be a more natural thing--but he'd known no one to be ill, bar Envy and that was more of a physical issue, what with their toxic gemstone.
"Is there something I can learn to remove it, if needs be? I did not think of that." Hell, in retrospect--... He tilted his head, thoughtfully. "I can move things with my mind. I wonder if I could pull it out, forcibly--though I don't know exactly which directions I would need to pull..."
@Amras
RE: Symbiosis - Squick - Dec 05 2018
It wasn’t awoken by anything in particular, but somewhere along the line Squick began to stir. At first it huddled into itself, curling tighter, wrinkles deepening as it clamped its eyes shut. But soon it was fully awake and groggily uncurling. There was no cold this time, no hard shell to break out of. Looking around didn’t reveal much; it was too dark. Slowly the memories of Pride and its new home resurfaced and unfurled, and it remembered where it was.
It squelched softly with contentment, stretching each stubby limb in turn. Vaguely it was aware of a dull, muffled murmur of voices; the boom of pride’s sending vibrations throughout the entirety of his belly, but still largely illegible. It listened for a while, curious, before it set about to finding food. But alas, it seemed the deer hadn’t eaten since the contents of his stomach were emptied along with the parasite.
It felt around with its little mandibles for a time before giving up. It felt afraid for a moment, then remembered what Pride had said. Of course! Magic! Contact him with magic! The tiny creature surged with excitement, sinking down onto its stomach with little legs sinking into wrinkled tummy flesh as it squared its many limbs and tried to give Pride a nudge.
The little creature felt itself begin to softly glow, and excitement lit up its little features. But the light did not extend to Pride. A strange feeling overtook it; and it wasn’t a good one. It felt suddenly weak, little legs giving out and falling in all directions around it. A pain began behind each of its eyes, quickly spreading to the rest of it. Its hunger became acute, and yet its appetite nosedived- it feared that anything it ate would be quickly lost. The little thing curled up again in a tight little ball, hiding its face and hoping it would go away soon.
Mr. Host? it thought out fearfully, hoping with childish innocence that he would hear, but somehow knowing that he wouldn’t. Pride would know what to do.
@Amras
RE: Symbiosis - Amras - Dec 05 2018
Frustration, interest, pursuit of knowledge and solutions. These things Amras saw in Pride- a very good sign that if the unknown entity was exerting control it was not enough to overpower his friend at this point. He still wasn't quite keen on leaving it there but as long as there was no evidence of direct control there was no reason to try to do anything drastic.
The gryphon's wings eased slightly, the telltale signs of tension in his thoughts dissipating as he switched gears to a much more familiar subject.
A taloned hand reached down to rest upon his gut- the focus point for his own usage of the element. When he reached out to it with magic though the response was weak, labored. The alien visitors within were alive, but just barely. Why? Did it have something to do with the fact that it had been a while since he'd actually eaten real food?
A look of concern fell over his face, though he tried to hide it as he continued.
He knew how to mutate the alien guests into hostile forms and how to encourage the benign forms to prosper, neither of which were particularly useful on a day-to-day basis. With intention of sending magic to them he could tell the world was still full of them but with his own having ill health he feared that this category of magic would remain difficult to access should it be needed.
Again he tried to focus. This was not a time for him to worry about himself; Pride was relying on his help.
| Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12 |
Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3) |
Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3) |
Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) |
| Back bag: Empty | |||
tags: @Pride @Squick
notes: None
RE: Symbiosis - Pride - Dec 05 2018
Pride listened closely, intently--entirely unmoving. He could feel the faintest, strange prickle of magic, and he did his best to open a connection to the creature within, even as he formulated his response to Amras. He wasn't altogether certain the magic had worked, but he did his best to communicate, regardless.
Are you there? And well? Almost at once he felt the agonizing backlash, the hissing words tearing through his mind. He cringed back, hissing out in pain, the headache returning full-force. It seemed he had not rested enough.
To Amras he spoke aloud--after turning his focus back to the gryphon. "I know that magic well, and have used it in the past, but I have not been able to use it to affect a living being. I do not think that it is possible--but I can, at least, move things with my mind. Even without seeing them, at times, but I am unsure how to navigate my own--insides." He grimaced.
"Your suggestions on the food may also be worth exploring." He seemed to think, for a moment, then turned his attention to Amras once again, quizzical. "I do not think I have heard of this magic. It only works with these--you say there are beings too small to see? I wonder if that is what this one is; are you certain that they are not sentient? I do not know if you have the ability, but I would never have known that this one was, had I not quite accidentally connected with it, mind-to-mind."
@Squick
RE: Symbiosis - Squick - Dec 06 2018
The creeping pain lingered for a while, but as Squick curled up tighter, it gradually began to fade. To its disappointment and sadness, Pride didn't answer. Soon the nausea, too, had passed, and the parasite uncurled with an exhausted squishing sound. It was tired again, but antsier than before- hunger returning with a vengeance. It pattered and paced as it considered for a few moments what to do, before huddling close to one wall of Pride's stomach, as if for comfort.
It had little magical knowledge. It didn't know that this was normal, that magic simply required pushing through the failures until one found success. Squick was afraid.
It found itself at a crossroads; did it try to nudge Pride again using magic and risk it backfiring? or did it simply starve? Both options frightened it equally. The little one blinked slowly. At the present moment, its hunger was more pressing; the sickness had faded into the background. The little one made a decision. Cautiously it planted its paws and focused hard, tentatively, mandibles twitching.
Its gem glowed, illuminating the slick walls around it- veins of light connecting it to Pride. And to its relief, the feeling was pleasant this time- it was the magic that Squick remembered.
@Amras