Conveniently, Leon had heard the birds' warnings not to use magic, but the warning went in one ear and out the other. He hadn't really thought about using his magic, it just kind of happened - it was more a defensive move, really, despite how ineffective it was. Still, he didn't realize he had done wrong until Majora came up behind him, shoving him forward. He furrowed his brow and frowned, shouting at the wolf, though his words were muffled by the rodent he carried in his jaws. "WHA'FUR URR FUUSHINF FEE FOR!" He scowled, until he glanced over his shoulder and realized that the wall was beginning to quickly break down. "Oh fhoot,"

Time to motor. Leon's head swung back towards the ledge of the dry riverbed where a few of the Gembounds had already scrambled up to safety. He was big and gangly and still uncoordinated - it was harder for him to gain speed, but with Majora shoving him along, the bear summoned his strength and closed the rest of the distance between himself and the ledge. Reaching the edge, Leon made one jump at it, but with his wet paws he only managed to slide down. Panic again surged within him. He glanced around, then clamored at the ledge again. This time, he made sure to deposit Carrie on the edge. "Go!" He shouted, then slid down a second time. This was really hard.

The bear uttered a frustrated rumble. He glanced over his shoulder a second time - the water was beginning to burst through the rocks now. He wouldn't have a lot of time left. Leon shook out his pelt and amped himself up for one last try. The bear launched himself at the ledge and though he managed to kick chunks of dirt and rock down into the riverbed in the process, he did eventually pull himself up onto dry land, to safety.

The bird was disappointed at the sight. Everyone panicked and used their magic as a result, sending the golems closer to them. Aza'zel shook his head sadly, swooping down toward the golems, gazing at them worriedly. Why did there have to be golems here?! Why couldn't they just be normal rocks. Gazing down at them, he squinted. What if they had a heart, like the Gembound! What if there was something somewhere in there that gave them magic and the will to move and live, just as the fleshy Gembound did! Maybe there was hope. All he could hope for was that he wouldn't be noticed, as he had yet to use magic. The Bone King descended, heart racing.

All he had to do was keep calm.

Shutting his eyes tightly once he knew that he was above the golem, the bird descended rapidly now, having ceased flapping his wings entirely. Serrated and sharp talons scraped against the surface of the enchanted stone, clinging onto it tightly so he didn't fly off of the moving 'shoulder'. { It looked like a shoulder to him, at least! } Carmine orbs fluttered open and the bird bowed down low in fear, trying to make himself seem smaller. Surely he wouldn't be a target yet. Twisting his skull this way and that, he looked for something that would scream 'core!' or 'heart!' or 'gem!'. Where would it be? They couldn't just be a bunch of rocks coming together, right?

{ OOC } ~ Radi, I hope this is alright with you, as Majora's the only one who hasn't moved yet, and the next post, anyone left in the riverbed is going to be swept away.

Carmine eyes flickered across the grinding rocks, searching frantically for a core or something that Azazel could pluck out to deactivate the golem... or at least put it to sleep for a while until magic awakened it once more. The water was now up to the golems' knees, as more and more spread their magic amongst one another and began to move from the dam. "No!" He screamed, shaking his head. But then just as that occured, the golem seemed to notice him. A great rocky hand reached up toward the creature, seeking the gem embedded into his butt. In panic and fear, Azazel flapped his wings to escape the golem's rocky shoulder. Talons opened wide, flailing and scraping against the stony beast... which did nothing but hurt himself.

Cursing at himself, the bird took off away from the slow-moving conglomeration of golems. He couldn't do anything against these monsters if he didn't know anything about them! The rocky mass he previously had perched upon seemed to completely ignore him now, simply continuing toward the other various Gembound about. One continued to move toward the last one in the dry gulley.

Making a swan dive down, the bird quickly made his way down to the terra firma. "Come on!" He cawed, wind ruffling his neck feathers. He could do this. Wolf pups weren't that heavy! Heck, he could lift Saudade and he was like, tall and huge. They seemed to like being carried by the scruff, so Azazel did just that. Talons opened and he called upon the atmosphere to aid him in this mission. Right now, he didn't care if golems followed him because he used magic. If it'd save a life from being swept away by a tidal wave, The Bone King would be a martyr.

Much to his gratitude and happiness, the atmosphere obeyed. A new spell came into being, creating a tunnel of warm thermals for the bird to ride. Wind flew beneath his wings effortlessly, and the bird flapped them in powerful strokes. His gem glowed constantly, humming a little. Talons gripped the scruff of the wolf pup, and he took to the air. The child was surprisingly light, but she likely panicked. The ave wouldn't mind that now. He had to get her to safety. Even if it meant his own sacrifice. He could have learnt something about golems, but this mattered more. The Bonebound grunted, flapping his wings harder and not looking back. Crystals guided him toward the group that had settled atop high rocks. Perfect. Everyone got to high ground. "Incoming!" He yelled out, carmine eyes wide. The jetstream faded away, and the bird was left to rely on his own strength. Wings burned like fire, and the bird struggled for air. This new spell had drained the ave, but he wouldn't let it stop him. Trying to ignore the pain now coursing through his body, Azazel dove down toward the group on the rock shelves. Talons opened once he was a few feet off the group, swooping down to deposit the pup.

Sloppily, he would crash into the wall, gripping on a crack in it to stop himself from falling. Of course, it worked for a mere second. Then he simply tumbled down onto his back. The abe was left gasping for breath, but he decided to waste some more of it. "Is... everyone... o... kay?" There was an obvious answer to that, but he just wanted to be sure.

Azazel will have picked himself up from the golem and saved Majora just in time. As the bearded vulture reached the ledge, the last of the golems burst free from the dam. In doing so, the rest of the water held by the wall rushed out into the riverbed. A gargantuan wave of crystal water roared into channel, sweeping through each golem and splashing up against the sides of the riverbed. For now, the golems have been submerged in the water, completely lost from view though one may see a few stray rocks tumbling through the current. The water continues to rush through the riverbed, gaining speed as it flows Eastward. A solid wall of water approaches the dormant machine, overtaking it with little effort.

At first the burst of energy barely budges the machine. Its wheel groans under the force of the moving water until the resistance of the hard soil gives away, and suddenly the wheel begins to churn. The sharp blades atop the machine creaked loudly but have gained speed as well, and one looks hard enough they can see their points spinning just beneath the surface. Above the roar of the rushing water, a dull, electric hum begins to fill the room. One by one, the glass orbs decorating the walls begin to flicker to life. Light will slowly but surely begin to fill the tunnels, offering a warm yellow glow to each room radiating out from the core.

Quest Complete! You've restored light to Origin Cave, but at a cost. Approximately twenty golems have survived the dam break and are now roaming Polaris. You'll need to exercise caution when entering the Core.

Location Update: The Riverbed, The Machine and The Crystal Stream have all been altered as a result of this quest.

You are now free to have your characters exit this thread.

Short since this is an exit Once the little rodent was set down on the edge of the shore, she turned back to watch as water pushed past them and twords the machine. She sat there is amazement as with the force of the water began to turn the wheel. It spun around, slowly creating a glowing like the mushrooms and rocks . . . but brighter and stronger. This would be the first time she saw such a light coming from something other then the gembounds who could glow themselves. Quickly tossing a word to Leon before they ran off to help the others, "Thank you!" And made her way to stand, moving over to one of the lights that was closest to her, staring right at it. Does this mean no more darkness on the caves and tunnels? She could see the faces of others better? What excitement for sure! She had to tell her friend, the lioness Makyna. Carrie waited until she was sure the others were fine before jumping away down a now lighted tunnel. [exit] "Speechy speechy speech."

Just as the ave made it over the lip of the rock shelf, water crashed through the gulley. It filled it with a glowing blue light, the remaining golems freeing themselves from the dam. Some were swept away in the tide, probably. Azazel didn't care. He knew the pup and everyone else was safe, and the distant groaning of a wheel let the ave know that something had happened. In a few seconds, the strange spheres mounted on the wall hummed, electrical energy causing his feathers to stand on end. They buzzed to life, light pouring from them. So they were magical? Perhaps the distant groaning of a wheel on it's axis helped to turn the lights on?

Soon enough, Azazel had enough energy to stand up, looking around in a bit of a woozy manner. Surely the golems survived that. Rock simply didn't yield to the will and strength of water. He'd have to come back later to investigate, and he wasn't hanging around to see if the golems were still coming.

So he flew off, back toward Canis.

{ EXIT AZAZEL }

Bevy flew high above the rushing water, her eyes wide. She would have to tell Cancer-- yes, she would have to let them know. She remembered Azazel only a moment too late, just to catch his form flying off to a tunnel. Dropping down next to the shore of the riverbed, her feathers ruffled uncomfortably. She looked at the others, and afraid, she watched them all disperse.

The light was painfully bright, compared to the dark. Her heart was racing from all the excitement, but she just felt so tired. She could just fall asleep, here, but the golems were dangerous and... Oh, dear. She just wanted to be home, safe in her little nest with her gems. Why had she come so far out?

Gathering up what was left of her strength, the tiny bird decided it would be best to get home as quickly as she could. She felt like she could sleep for literally ever but that was much too risky. She would be happy to report the change in water-- hopefully it wouldn't effect their waterfall any. Eugh, it was too much to think about. She would worry about it later.

Her wings carried her to where she wanted to go, which was far, far away from this awful, horrible place where she had hatched.

[ exit~ ]

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

The young Gembound scattered, each clambering or being carried out of harm's way. The two birds took flight, one pausing to pull Majora to safety, Leon grabbed Carrie, and Arkrael huddled by her side. Tamelyn pressed up against her friend, ears laid back as the golems continued to give way. She held her ground as they lurched down the dry riverbed, some attempting to clumsily scale the gully in pursuit of the fleeing Gembound.

Suddenly, with a rumbling sound that reverberated to her very core, the last of the dam gave way, and the river rushed forth. Tam broke rank and skittered backwards, away from the onslaught of water that smashed into the golems and continued down towards the machine. She paused, tearing her attention away from the golems briefly to watch as the water disappeared into the darkness. Oversized ears perked as a distant metallic groan echoed through the cave. Well, the river and the machine were united again, but now what?

Then, there was light.

Tamelyn looked up at the sound of a distant buzz, watching as each orb began to glow like a yellow crystal, but with a brighter light than any crystal could ever hope to achieve. Her mouth hung open slightly as she watched them light up. It was the most beautiful thing had ever seen.

Awe soon gave way to joy, and Tamelyn leaped into the air with a shout of glee, legs kicking out happily. "We did it!" she whooped, jumping up and down. "We did it, we did it, we did--" Her laughter was suddenly cut off as a golem attempted to heave itself out of the river towards them, stretching a rocky protrusion towards them. Before it could escape the river, however, another swell of water hit it, submerging it once more. There seemed to be nothing more they needed to do here, and the water wouldn't hold the golems forever. She nudged Arkrael. "C'mon, let's get outta here!" She turned and made to gallop off, then stopped, remembering something. "G'bye Leon!" she shouted at the bear cub. "See you later!" With that, she dashed away. She hoped Arkrael would follow, but whether or not she did, Tam was so out of here.

-exit Tamelyn-

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

Speech Thoughts

Onyx audits pushed forward as the young wolf pup watched eagerly. These golems looked similar to the one that had stolen her stone shards where she and Tam had been born. Her fur bristled as she instinctively bared the front of her fangs at the lumbering giants. It wasn't until the water came rushing through did Arkrael choose to rise up to her paws and scurry backwards away from the edge, just barely managing to miss a large splash of water that had landed right where she had previously been laying. Coming up next to Tamelyn she did a half circle around to Tam's other side before she settled her gaze onto the rushing water once more.

Audits pressed back against Arkrael's skull as a loud creaking seemed to cause her ears to hurt. She lifted her head up, mouth hanging agape as she stared at all the lights that were growing brighter by the second. When her deer friend began jumping for joy Arkrael looked to her quickly, grinning all the while. She wasn't sure how they did it. They as in Tamelyn and the others whom had already been here really as she herself had only just found her way here before the Golems woke up. She was happy. Excited even to go out back to where they had once explored before and this time be able to see what she had not been able to before. Perhaps she would return to the place she and Tamelyn had awoken and see just how it looked now that there were lights.

At a nudge against her shoulder from the fawn Arkrael perked her attention towards her. She had seen the golem try to scale out of the river, but it was quickly forgotten when she saw Tamelyn hopping off. "Coming!" She called quickly as she scrambled up to her paws and with one last curious look towards the bear Tamelyn had called Leon turned and raced after Tamelyn, hoping to catch up before she slipped off on her own again like last time.

-Exit Arkrael-

Leon had lost track of Majora. Had she made it to the riverbed? Was she in the process of climbing the ledge? When he turned around to look, he saw the bearded vulture swoop down and help her reach higher ground. At that point, the dam had burst. A wave of water roared over the golems as they blindly stumbled around in the gulley. His heart stopped, watching the awesome tidal wave rip across the riverbed and instantly populate it with swirling crystal water. Instinctively, he began to back away, as if fearful that the water would splash up over the edge and consume him, too. Once it had all drained from the dam and filled the winding channel, Leon found his breath again.

He scanned the water for any signs of the golems, but there were none that he could see. Suddenly, lights began to flicker on. The yellow glow starting at the machine had caught his attention - he could see the machine, too, began churning. Then the lights turned on one by one. Eventually, the whole room was filled with warm golden light. Leon blinked and grinned. Still stunned by the explosive release of the water, he was unable to find words, only turning to look at Tamelyn. He watched her celebrate for a moment before something startled her - a golem, climbing slowly over the ledge towards them. Leon squeaked and jumped to his paws.

Several of the other Gembounds at that point had taken their leave. Carrie quickly thanked him and disappeared, and Tamelyn and Arkrael bolted away. The birds had long since left without Leon's notice. Leon himself didn't want to hang around for long. He clambered onto his paws and threw a good bye to whoever remained before turning away. Time to head back to Pisces, far away from those scary golems.

exit Leon