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This post contains potentially sensitive material:

graphic themes

death

The stone lay flush against the raised perch, and it set itself solidly into place. A single, harsh grind resounded—a bit like a clicker when a dog has performed well. One down, and three to go.

At the end of the line was, of course, the box trap. Simple in its construction, and still so lethal to anything prone to panic. A tunnel runner driven face-first for it would serve as a prime example. The line fit snug around its neck; it tightened as the deer jolted and bucked against the magic willing its blood otherwise. A strangled bleat escaped it. Windpipe obstructed and stake kicked out by a spasming leg, the scraggly tree snapped upwards. Hooves left the earth, and a guttural pop! echoed from the lesser.

It was flung abruptly to the side, suspended for a moment before gravity claimed its hold and laid the beast down on the floor. Eyes bulged out of their sockets, already glassed over in the tell-tale sign of death. Limbs hardly had enough time to stiffen with rigor mortis before flesh began to slough off into Oil. Tendons and joints melted away, a wretched black pooling there amid the ordinary blood leaking from nostrils and faint foam at the edges of lips.

The stone inside the box gleamed, awaiting; and a pleased hum resounded from above. A good show.

2/3

@Garnet-Delta

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It happened in a flash, blink and miss it. But Garnet-Delta was watching with keen attention, lips twitching with a smarmy smirk at the quick, effective death. Everything about this was... hm, nostalgic. Why, Garnet-Delta could picture its little ventures in the cold tunnels, driving rats into the jaws of a frostbiter. After all these cycles, it still got a sick little thrill from watching prey fall victim to its overwhelming magic.

(What a shame, it thought, that its master didn't want to inflict its power on its fellow Greaters.)
Garnet-Delta waited until the beast stopped thrashing, until the stench of oil came overpowering. Even living in Draco, around Chaos, it refused to acquire a taste for oil. It was worse mixed with blood, but the winged feline shook its head and made its way down to the box. It tilted its head at the container, wary for further traps, and reached a single paw in to bat the stone from its container.

Another short trip, and it placed it back into the clicker-reward system that made its fur fluff up with pride. Actually, it was a shame that Vargas was missing out on this show-- perhaps, Garnet-Delta would tell its Master about it. Did Vargas know about this place of trials? It seemed strange for him to not be aware... But then, why keep it secret?

These thoughts were all a distraction, though. The real prize awaited.

This time, Garnet-Delta did not wait on its perch. It prowled close toward the first trap, with its shiny metal teeth and tantilizing white liquid. Even with the oil down the way, Delta could forget the stench. Oh, how it wanted to reach its whiskers in and take a little taste.

... hm.

It was too risky. Garnet-Delta could try to fly in, but hovering in place low enough to lap the liquid without triggering the death trap was... well. It was something that Delta could stare at longingly and consider, but ultimately, as it sat a safe distance back, it couldn't risk. Not after seeing how swiftly the lessers had been eviscerated.

Fine. A fat little bush rabbit caught Delta's peripheral, and with jealousy, its magic snatched out to grab the thing by its very heart. By now, the lessers in the cavern were on the verge of shock, and at the faintest hint of magic touching the prey animal, it already started to bolt. Garnet-Delta hissed, forcing its will to make the lesser stop still. It struggled still, screaming in the way desperate rabbits did.

Garnet-Delta didn't care. The rabbit was forced back toward it, back toward the bowl of sweet, creamy white sustenance, and once it was close enough, Garnet-Delta made it leap, jumping, lunging for the mysterious liquid and the stone within. It only wanted a taste, and frankly, it felt taunted by the presentation. This was its way of revenge, magic surging to a violent, muscle-jerking end.

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

graphic themes

death

gore

One could practically feel the disappointed sneer on Emuh's face, wherever he observed these tests from, as the dish of milk was scattered across the floor with no consequence to Garnet-Delta. The little beast'd seemed so eager to make a lunge for it, and the plate it sat upon was so finely tuned that even a sip would have been enough to trip it. So, an entire bush rabbit careening straight into its center was enough of a weight differential to trip the snare.

And, surely to the cat's delight, the squealing lesser was silenced with the gurgle of punctured lungs and intestines, the claw-snap of a death sentence signed. The sharp teeth of the trap pinned it much like a rat or a frog on a dissection tray; albeit, much less sanitary with the rust clinging to them… and the spatterings of milk and viscera along their unrefined edges. It held the rabbit up about a foot and a half in the air.

To go back—the dish clattered along the floor, shattering and strewing its contents all over. Bits of stone jutted out from the spreading liquid, some far larger than others, and at the point where it'd broken: a third circular bit of gemstone.

3/3

@Garnet-Delta

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This post contains potentially sensitive material:

graphic themes

Snap. Garnet-Delta was so close that blood could have easily splashed across its whiskers. Lips drawn back into a cruel sneer, the feline rose to its paws, tail flicking to the sky.

Absolutely shameless, the feline stepped forward and lapped up the white, creamy liquid from the floor; just a taste. It could easily be poisoned, after all-- but curiosity would have to put up a good fight to kill this cat. Licking its lips, it reached forward to grab some of the exposed flesh with its teeth, and tore free a chunk. It scarfed down its snack, taking its sweet, pleasurable time picking over its just desserts.

It wasn't particularly hungry though, and once it found satisfaction with its murder spree, it reached a paw out to bat the gemstone closer toward itself. Nose twitching, it picked up the milk-soaked final piece, and turned back to the pedastal. One quick flight back, and it dropped the final piece into its place.

"Is that all you have, Emuh?" The feline called as it sat back and watched, long, rabbit-like ears swiveling to listen to the dark shadows above. It, feeling clever, sent its magic seeking for the mysterious owl's mind in the darkness, prying for a hint at what to come. Its magic found no hold to grasp though, and quietly, the feline's little claws dug into the stone underfoot.

Steeped in milk and sanguine, the last piece settled and ground into place; its clicker-signal was louder than the others had been, and a tumultuous crash nipped at its heels. The pedestal itself crumbled into abrupt nothingness. Its remnants clattered down a suddenly-present void, and the owl-beast erupted from it on silent wings and clacking, landing talons.

Had there been nothing to grasp, or had the owl-beast simply shoved aside the intrusion with the wave of a wing?

No one could answer such a thing. Emuh showed no indication of having noticed the attempt as he loomed.

He glowered instead. "FOR YOU, YES. THAT IS ENOUGH." Toxic eyes narrowed in a... joyous squint? "MORE THAN, EVEN. EMUH WAS AMUSED BY YOUR METHODS." His gaze fixed on the scattered milk. "AND EMUH TRUSTS YOU-HOO ENJOYED THE BAIT, FOOL THAT YOU ARE. IT WAS POISONED." He added with a cackling, derisive laugh.

In any case: "YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF TO BE ONE WHO-HOO IS WORTHY TO BE CALLED ASCENDANT. TAKE IT."

The dizzying, vaguely out-of-body sensation Delta was sure to experience was a familiar one—like trading mind and magic with another's form, watching as your own was battered against the rocks. The ground beneath its paws shifted with a disorienting warble, and Polaris blurred back into walking distance.

"GET OUT." Emuh boomed, then, without a single ounce of care for any pounding headaches or misery. Coagulated blood spattered the ground as the owl-beast spun on his heel, prepared to wing off without further adieu.

Whether or not Delta believed Emuh, the milk had not been poisoned, and it would suffer no averse effects from having a little sip.

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

It has also learned the spell:

Shapeshift:

Transcendent Intensity Transformation. The user's form swells, growing larger, heavier, and bulkier, with spines and elongated claws, fangs, or other already-existing natural weaponry. Their speed, strength, and reflexes are temporarily enhanced. This does not last more than a few moments, and is exhausting once it has worn off.

@Garnet-Delta

Garnet-Delta's tail floofed up as its perch vanished under foot. Toe beans spread, wings snapped out to catch the air, and the feline landed on all fours with a little bounce! With a huff, the hybrid shot a glance upward, crimson eyes locking on the massive, swath of blood-dripping blackness and feathers. A single breath and Delta had filled its chest, head held high and puffed out with confidence as Emuh's voice boomed above.

"I assumed," the feline remarked, ear twitching. Whether it was true or not, Delta didn't feel particularly ill, and it felt like calling Emuh's bluff once more. Curling its whiskers, it let loose a yawn. "-- you-hoo should get stronger poison, Emuh. I have connections, you know." Oh, was that a humorous jab, you little shit?

Unfortunately or fortunately, the trial was over, and that meant that it was time to Transcend. Garnet-Delta braced for what was to come, only to feel its feet swept out from underneath itself. Metaphorically, if nothing else: the wind was knocked from its lungs, and its magic was siphoned out and supplemented in a sensation that sent its brain reeling back to a quiet den in a now abandoned tunnel, with the only creature outside its Master that garnered any sense of connection to Delta.

Freezing in place, the feline's claws extended, flexing as it stared blankly, wrestling with its own wild emotions. Instinct kicked in as it tried, and failed, to summon magic; it felt the ghostly imprint of venom into its jaws, but the tingling sensation faded just as quick. With a blink, Garnet-Delta flattened its fur, suppressing the feelings that rocked it to its core, and scoffed.

What kind of reward was this? Garnet-Delta felt no more powerful. Perhaps it had been tricked. Still, the best way for revenge if it had been cheated was one served cold and calculated. It could leave, as demanded by Emuh, to plot. After all, it knew where the massive bird lived. Even if his magic was vast and seemingly unknowable, Garnet-Delta could watch, wait, study the damn thing from a safe distance. With a flick of its tail, it turned and padded calmly out of the tunnel, showing no hint of its feelings on its sleeve.

"Goodbye, Emuh," was all that the Overseer said as it left.

... there was something, underneath all of its shaken nerves, it realized once it reached the glistening blue light of Polaris once again. It was hard to pinpoint, a shift in its magic, perhaps? Emuh had done something to it... and it needed to investigate that. Perhaps report to Master Vargas-- but only once it had more of an idea what Transcendence was.