Fear filled the little hollow. Mother had only created one true exit route, and Reji had already fled out of this. Her warning thrilled through them:

"Run... Run, and take pieces of me. Spread our family, or we will be wiped out now! He only wants to harm you, to kill you!" A sense of desperate urgency roared through their shared link.

_________

Gembound present may choose now whether to flee through the escape tunnel, which will exit elsewhere in the Warrens and safely out of sight of Astraea, but will leave them wanted criminals in his eyes. Or they may choose to exit on Astraea's side, and offer themselves to be cleansed of Mother's influence and their shared link with other Gembound. They may also choose to confront Astraea directly, or to remain within the Hive, though either is a dangerous choice.

@Desert Rose Thirty-Five (Pallas) @Lamia (Azrael) @Zelk @Archimedes (Sergei, Legion) @Opal Three-Seven-Six

Archimedes drew back in disgust as Azrael entered carrying not one, not two, not three, but four dead rats. Logically, of course, he knew that others ate them, but-... He would never get over seeing the slaughtered bodies of his near-cousins treated like mere objects.

It was this thought on his mind--with faintly sour, resentful energy sweeping along the hive-link--that he listened to the goings-on. He was trying to make heads or tails of this Rezik thing, and this Reji creature. And then came Astraea's voice, that cold, ringing warning.

Archimedes froze for ten of those thirty seconds, his mind racing, considering. Trying to sort the terror of Mother and Reji along that link from the mass of confusion, the command of the stranger outside-...

The fact of the matter was, Archimedes distrusted everything. His early life had seen to that. But for the last cycles, he'd felt, for the first time, somewhat relaxed; part of something. His emotions warred within him--suspicion of Astraea, suspicion of this... fungus they'd pledged themselves to... His beady eyes darted up and over the heart-like mass of rotting white filament they'd been calling "mother."

He averted his gaze.

Logic, then, he thought, rapidly, and some of his thoughts could be felt along that link. Mother would wish to defend herself, of course... her motives in all of this? Family, protectors, feeders... Self-preservation. And the stranger, outside-? The rat's sharp mind rapidly considered.

What ulterior motive could the voice possibly have for purging this, "mother?" I haven't got all the facts, Archimedes decided. But even now, he could feel Mother's urging, her tugging at his mind, her begging to be spread, carried throughout the caves like... like a disease. As the voice claimed.

Disgust welled up within him. He was loathe to abandon it all--the feeling that he'd finally been special, treasured, valued, part of something.

But he did not want to be used, either. If he was going to get the whole story--and he intended to, for himself--he wanted to do so with a clear head. With nothing influencing his thoughts.

Quietly, he turned, and skittered--crawling rapidly--from the cave, out into the moss, until he was perched atop a small knoll some feet away from the stag's hooves. He washed his whiskers, briefly, and sat up, his eyes cynically regarding Astraea. So this was the voice's owner...?

Would he be true to his word, then... or would he kill them all?

The swarm listened, vibrating quietly. Their form settled, shifted, settled again, unsettled by the words, the feelings, flowing through the hollow.

There was no question, when Astraea's voice called out, about abandoning the hive-family. Legion was a hive-mind; this networking, though slow compared to theirs, was second nature. The Queen mite gave frantic orders, and the swarm obeyed; making quickly for the escape tunnel, close behind Reji. But then they turned, briefly blurring, shifting again. Great eyes--and thousands of tiny ones--searched the clotted tangle of fungus.

"We cannot carry much!" they cried as one, distraught--though they swept back over, anyway. A thousand tiny bites were taken, myriad microscopic mouthfuls of fungus taken with them. "Someone else--Azrael--many-hands--others--can you carry more?" But-...

Thirty seconds. Time was ticking.

They turned, sweeping out with what they'd gathered, their minds screaming in terror back along their shared link for their brothers and sisters to flee.

The large bear answered the call of the creature she had called "mother". Zelk could not understand why she felt such a strong connection with "mother" but she knew in her heart she could not turn it away. She came to the comfort of her mother, as the others gathered as well. When she had made herself comfortable, she then noticed a pretty blue canine that came to join them. She then spoke of someone called Rezik, and the things that the canine spoke of, seemed to have happened long ago. But nonetheless she listened, taking everything in. It seemed the canine was connected to mother as well. Suddenly, the fox warned of someone's presence, a he. Zelk may have not had much to say, but she would heed the canine's warning to escape and find her in Cetus.

Zelk stood, but before she could move, she heard someone speaking from not too far away. Misled, the creature said? No, Zelk did not feel she had been misled. She was a grown bear and she could make her own decisions. She did not feel controlled. Zelk would not be separated or cleansed of mother. And she would not die either. Zelk saw mother as kind, and she did not feel mother was a danger to any gembound's life. Mother then gave everyone the signal to run, and Zelk obeyed.

Zelk fled through the escape tunnel and far away from the stranger. She planned to go to Cetus, to hear what the blue fox child of mother had to tell her.

BLACK OPAL
honestly i thought that i would be dead by now

The Opal flinched at the sound of authority. Astraea had made his terms very clear, and it sent shivers down his spine. Fins flat, he cowered against the ground, mind racing. The black opal's eyes locked on the entrance. Mother's influence urge him to flee, but he feared a Master's wrath even more.

He knew had to obey. The Masters knew best. He had no right to question them, it was not his place. They would kill him in an instant if he refused; if he chose anything other than them... If he chose to feed Mother instead of Hydra...

He had thirty seconds to surrender, but the eel's feet would not move.

A rebellious thought bloomed in his mind. Why should he obey? What has obedience to the Masters ever done for him? For so long, he had been resigned to fate of succumbing to Hydra- that he would endure the trials again and again until his feet burned off, his skin peeled away, his gills dried up, until the vultures pecked out his eyes and tore at his innards. And it would be all for the Masters. But things were different, he saw that now. The Masters were not what they once were, and he had a choice.

And I'd rather feed Mother.

A low hiss escaped his throat as contempt overwhelmed his fear.

"I'd rather die than be their slave again!" The opal declared to the others and to Mother. "I WON'T serve them, not again!" He pushed past, ripping the knotted pieces of fungus out with his jaws. It tasted foul but the Opal did not care. She was his Mother, this was his family, and he was happy here. Astraea wanted to take that from him.

However, only a fool would stand up to a Master directly, and he had no death wish.

As the Opal slipped through the narrow passage after Reji, his squeezed his eyes shut in a silent prayer to Mother. Please, don't let them take me, please! I don't want to go back! I refuse!

With a mouth full of fungus, he fled further down the warrens. Despite everything, his mind was sharp and focused. Hydra saw to that. The Opal had no idea if the nest was surrounded, so he slunk against the moss and rocks, and stealthily slipped into waterways that flowed out of Pisces. There was no going back.

Reji said to meet her in Cetus. Until then, the black opal knew exactly what he had to do.

Survive.

Lamia listened to the land-dweller's hurried words without understanding almost everything that came out of its mouth. Her bulbous eyes flitted between mother and the starlit legged one with a blank expression. Her tail fin gently waved behind her, impatient to get on with it. Was anyone going to explain any of this? Because she certainly didn't understand and she guessed that some of the others didn't as well.

It wasn't until urgency and fear flooded the mental link that Lamia went rigid and lifted her head. She could hear, hear someone outside. Danger. This was danger. She understood that at least. She didn't comprehend why it was danger, but Mother was speaking frantically now and Lamia panicked. There were pieces of Mother nearby, pieces that she could grab. For a second she considered ripping out the thick, kelp-like strands of her hair to make a net to carry more, but there wasn't any time. That would take a minute and she doubted she had anything like that much time! She reached forward with her spindly fingers and began tearing bits out, stuffing some in her mouth, ignoring the foul taste, and gathering as many as she could into her arms before turning and diving back into the water. She'd probably drop a few on her way out into the waters of Pisces, but she'd swim straight for Cetus with what remained.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

A few things darted through his mind as Reji was introduced- certainly being passed on to the others about him. So- a sister he hadn't known? Rezik was an unfamiliar name, one that sounded similar enough that he would have mixed it up if it weren't for the others about him applying Reji to her name along with him.

The spike drove straight through his heart, though. Immediately, he felt blame take over him; he could have gathered more, but how many more had he known in the first place? N'chard, leaders- all these Gembound he should know, yet... He didn't.

Fear invaded his senses as he lost himself to the lack of knowledge.

He was here. He- who? A way out-- Pallas's head swiveled about, eyes going wide and body curling in on itself as Reji's emotions overwhelmed his form. Basal instincts took over where his consciousness failed. He nearly fled right on Reji's heels before a voice called out to them, stopping his nerves in their tracks. Carefully, every so carefully, his ears pricked against his will towards the words, his breath and heartbeat threatening to drown them out.

It seemed they held an explanation. But at what cost- threatening to remove his purpose, his ties with Mother? No. The word was singular, yet reverberated through his being, as if the voice outside could feel his projections shaking him to his core. This being couldn't kill them, couldn't kill Mother- not while siblings still lived.

And, well, Reji was gone. Swallowing hard over his gem, Pallas darted to follow behind, scooping up a piece of Mother in his mouth and reeling his tongue back to avoid her taste, hot breath enveloping his tiny piece of her. He knew she had to be preserved, felt her words reverberate through his skull as he stared down the dark hall before Mother's dwelling. He'd miss this place.

As he bounded towards the exit, though, he felt a pull along the links. Consideration, doubt- Coming from, "Arch-" The word caught in his mouth, muffled by Mother's piece. 'Archimedes! What are you doing? He'll destroy Mother!' The thoughts came out rapidly. Thirty seconds. Chaos ensued around him as others flowed in behind Reji, from the mermaid slipping below the waters to Legion and the white bear fitting in the tunnel. Pallas's ears radiated around his head every which way as he watched the others, taking in everything he could- until he couldn't risk it any more. Deafened to the sounds round him, Pallas moved to action by leaping towards the tunnel and slinking through, his orange striped tail disappearing as fast as it could in the dark.

There was no time to think about Archimedes, or any of the others who gave themselves up to the mysterious creature- Master, his mind filled in, provided by Opal's own thoughts. That's right. Pallas- he wouldn't be a slave, wouldn't rat out his siblings. Not like that fool, Archimedes.

He had to go- his home, his den, he could bring Mother there. The others- they wouldn't be able to fit, though, but he will find his refuge there. When all was safe, they could find him, just as he found them.

With the plan in mind, Pallas raced away, coiling like a spring in his bounds across the wet rocks of Pisces.

Sergei hesitated.

...And hesitated.

Half of him wanted to obey the voice outside. It sounded official, authoritative. But family was here; and his loyalty was strong. Mother was calling him back.

He half-stood, the hollow too short for him to come to his full height, and made a sound that was part grumble and part whimper. He then dropped to all fours and turned. Reluctant, but following Mother's cries and urging, he tore a jawful of the fungus from her heart, her core, and turned away. His lumbering gallop took him to the escape tunnel, and he squeezed his way through its walls, fleeing the hive toward Cetus.

The seconds ticked by. He had given them fair warning, and he waited, watching as only one creature crept forth from the hollow.

He turned his attention, first, to this one, and as the time ran down, he sent his magic out in streams. Archimedes would feel the Hive falling away, Mother's influence rapidly fading. It would be like waking from a dream, or a nightmare. The realization would strike him: the horror of the knotted, pustulent fungus; the control she had exerted on his mind, soothing and reassuring him that she was benevolent and harmless, whilst consuming everything they'd brought her. "You have chosen well. Stay here," Astraea commanded, "while I deal with the rest."

He strode forward, sweeping past the rat and to the entrance of the hollow. His own fungus swept out in a carpet before him: black, devouring. And not only his own: but he cast his magical control outward, taking hold--powerfully, painfully--over Mother and her fungus. It was his, now--and the Gembounds still linked to Mother would feel a horror overcome them. Terror, agony, twinning through them all as Astraea's incomprehensible power-... she could never stand against that; she'd had no chance. His magic uprooted her, tore her apart, rending her in agony. They felt her dying. His necrotic fungus swept over her remains, reducing her in seconds to a bubbling carpet of ooze.

In the end, "she" had been but fungus; and that, Astraea noted--with the grim satisfaction of eons of waiting--was his domain.

He waited, extending out his senses in the resultant quiet--but nothing remained, for now.

He turned his attention back to the little rat. "Now tell me--how many of there were you? Tell me everything," he commanded, his ruby eyes ablaze.

Mother has been obliterated. Those Gembound who were a part of her hive mind will have felt their shared link traumatically destroyed, though should they plant and tend the samples they have taken, it may be possible to grow a new hive--or hives. Gembound may now exit this thread at their leisure. Those who have fled will not, for now, be followed. If Azrael chooses to remain, he too will be agonizingly consumed, in seconds, by the consumptive fungus.

Reji will be nowhere to be found, but will likely turn up in Cetus... given enough time.

For those who may plant further samples, please GM report or tag Game Master Dark for results.

@Pallas @Lamia (Azrael) @Zelk @Archimedes (Sergei, Legion) @Opal Three-Seven-Six

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

The little linsang panted as he sprinted away, squirming out of the exit of the tunnel and preparing to sprint as alarm broke through his mind. Instinctively, and out of the way of the others, Pallas curled about himself and shut his eyes tight, his entire being overwhelmed with alien pain and incomprehensible rotting in the back of his mind. He had to drop his own piece of Mother- one of the few left- gasping for air as if he were the one surrounded by choking black death. A strangled cry broke out beside him- no, it was him, he realized, vision blurring by wet, thick tears preparing to stream down his face.

And then she was gone- they were gone. His mind was an empty landscape once more. He hated it- hated the feeling of being alone, even as the others streamed out of the tunnel alongside him.

Heavy heartbeats pounded in his ears and behind his eyes, his body trembling with his heart and mind as he struggled to understand what had just happened. Mother's gone, a whispering voice screamed in his mind. Just those two words were enough to break his being; his family he'd worked so hard for over the few cycles he'd been with them, severed just like that all too soon.

But, but he did still have Mother. Or- perhaps, a daughter of her, he mulled as he shakily took the piece back in his jaws, swallowing hard to clear out the immediate and unforgettable memory. He had more important things to worry about- primarily, survival. Steeling his nerves he bounded into motion once more, thick paws slapping against cold, wet, flat stone, propelling him to a familiar path back to his old home.

There, he'd be safe. There, the others could be safe. Mother could be reborn, could live once more.

And that voice could never find them again.

exit Pallas