Her ears flick, then pin, as the window groans. Whatever magic powering it frays as Tourmaline progresses with the test. But the sound of earth grinding and screaming is not pleasant, especially not in this situation.

Though as much as it is a horrible sound, earth moving and rending is something she needed to understand. If she'd reacted faster to it, maybe September wouldn't be under a pile of shattered crystal and stone.

Her heavy panting is the only sound, and the whole chamber waits with baited breath. It's now or never. She slowly pads in place, turning to face the final pressure plate. As she does, Tourmaline's hind paw, coated in citrine, grinds across the floor. Her forelegs, studded with diamonds, weep blood where gem meets skin.

Her magic fails her again, dying out into useless nothing. She braces herself, crouching low and hoping, praying that Emuh will be kind and allow her one more attempt.

Emuh did not speak. There was no sound, bar another short grind, an ominous thud, and silence.

The grind as the ceiling dropped down a few sudden inches more. The thud as it came to a halt.

Ahh, but this space was... cramped, now. Even for a cat.

@Tourmaline

She crouched and curled tight, as tight as she could with the gems hindering her movement. For a moment, she thought it a was over. That this was it. But Emuh, or maybe what magic he used, or fate, was generous. Her room for error had completely dwindled away to nothing.

It was now or never. "Don't. Fail... me now," she rasped, a desperate plea.

The air was heavy and hard to breathe, with the dust swirling. Tourmaline felt faint, the weight of death piled on top of the blood tricking down and the exertion of her wild magic. But she had no other way out but forward.

Into the jaws of death, facing it head on. She couldn't sit here and wait any longer - her exhaustion would only get worse.

"Watch me, Emuh!" she shouts with defiance, before attempting to create that Spire-forsaken diamond one last time.

The final gem slotted into place with a neat clink.

And then... the diamond plating, the thin "window," completed its crumbling. It fell away, shard by tinkling shard, leaving a gap through which Tourmaline could easily squeeze to press the button beyond.

All that remained was to leap through, put pressure on that plate, and her Trial would be over.

3/3

@Tourmaline

The breath Tourmaline was holding falls with the shattering window. She's left alone with the buzzing of her nerves, and the three gems shining up at her.

It's over. I did it, she realizes as her senses return to normal from the blaring warning sirens.

All she has to do now is wriggle through the opening, and make it to the podium.

Her paws are unsteady at first as she steps closer, but she continues anyway. The studding of gems catch on the window frame, and half of them tear away painfully, but she won't let them stop her. Bleeding, battered, but not yet beaten, Tourmaline reaches a paw for the last pressure plate, and pushes it as hard as she can.

The moment the button depressed, everything changed.

The floor and ceiling grinded back apart. The window, its stone frame, the buttons--all of them vanished. At least--that's what had likely happened. When Tourmaline turned, they would simply be... gone. The dim light had brightened, and now Emuh stood before her as though he'd been there all along, studying her with glowing eyes.

"WELL-!" he crowed. "YOU LIVED." There was no fanfare, but he at least offered a token "CONGRATULATIONS." Then a foot shot out, the smooth top of one curved talon moving to tap Tourmaline beneath the chin.

It was as though her magic were being drained from her. Dizzying, sickening--but there was a strange feeling behind it, as though the wellspring from which she drew it was deepening. She weakened, yes, but the potential she now held was... so, so much greater. Her control would take some time to return, and then to hone, but Emuh did not bother to tell her that.

Instead, he leaned back, looked her up and down, and nodded as if in approval. "NOW GET OUT," he said, and a gust of wind blew Tourmaline for the door.

Tourmaline has Transcended. She is now a Transcendent Pupil, and may work her way back up to Transcendent Master. Upon attaining this rank, her player may post in Update Me to choose a Specialization (viewable in the Magic section of the Guidebook).

She has also learned the spell:

Earthshape:

Transcendent Intensity Manipulation. With great concentration, the user may shape a small area of stone or earth before them. This may take the form of creating small tunnels, holes, and mounds of rock or dirt to create small dens, earthen sculptures, and so forth, but cannot be used to change the layout of the caves. Transcendent spells may be used once per thread.

@Tourmaline

And it was gone. Gone so quickly that if it weren't for the gemstone nails coating her, Tourmaline would've thought it was all a dream, taking place in some perfectly constructed world outside this one.

Maybe it was.

Emuh towers over her, his green eyes shining. "I did," she manages, struggling to her feet. And then he's reaching out, bestowing her hard earned reward. The potential to be something more. ...Though it was hard to ignore the bone-deep weakness that was the price.

And then the Trialmaster stepped away, shooing her out. As Tourmaline passes him, she offers a weak "Thanks." Her steps were wobbly and uneasy as she walked, before her legs gave out from under her, about fifteen feet from the doorframe.

Her vision swims, and she knows she probably can't get any further. At least here, Emuh's presence would likely keep the lessers away, even if he wouldn't help her.

I guess it's time to sleep... There's always tomorrow.

Exit Tourmaline