Khloros, like Pride, had been more caught up in things without knowing what was going on. He lingered at the rear of the group, quiet, thinking. When the Kings asked their question, he simply listened to the rest speak, for awhile, and at last he lifted his head a little. His sleek black coat was slicked with sweat, his flanks still heaving as he offered his reasoning; his eyes peered at the Kings with curious interest.

"I had thought that... I did not know what was happening, either. I wanted to help, if someone was in danger, but I wanted the information first. They would not stop to tell me--those chasing, that is--and so I helped the one fleeing." He paused, and then asked, head tilting, "Was it you who arranged this, then? May I ask--what was the point?" It was almost asked with venom, a little bite to his words. He was certainly sick of greater beings hurting those who had done them no wrong, simply to make a point. "Was anyone actually harmed?"

horse stock by venomxbaby on deviantart

The calf was, at least, mostly worn out; he trotted up behind the group with a belligerent stance, his instincts stating "HERD" quite clearly. He gave a quiet squall and a toss of his tiny horns--and a paw of one hoof--at Draconua when she began to speak, but otherwise he was too tired to really start attacking anyone.

At least, for a moment.

He gathered, after awhile, that a question had been asked--and that others were answering. He wanted to answer, too, not to make conversation but to compete: he wanted to have the BEST answer, the STRONGEST answer, and he was jealous of Draconua's.

In fact, he decided then and there that he hated her. Why? Because she was bigger than him, probably--stronger, way beyond his power. Not that he cared, in terms of self-preservation; he had none. He was, in honesty, too young, inexperienced, too brutish and stupid, and far too aggressive to think about the danger he was in.

"THAT'S MINE," he cried, and though he wanted it to be a bellow, his calf's little voice was more of a voice-breaking squeak. "I'LL WIN. I DON'T-" (and here he paused because some of the words had been... sort of big, for him; "EXITS TO BE SOOMED BY YOU!"

There. He'd sure told her.

I didn't mean to roll but obviously Abaddon crit failed at being intimidating...

Big fire, big burn—oh, how everything burned. Fur went up in smoldering refuse and her entire frame quivered as if it'd been shot through with lightning. Corruption eked its way through her mind, and it urged her to spread that flame further than herself.

Age-old, worn cloth was eaten away by the flames, and all the bag's contents scattered across the floor: a gleaming blue sapphire and various broken stones of many colors, half-carved into arrows. The sound of it was impossibly louder than the roaring of blood in her ears or the icy sizzle of water meeting her body or her blade slipping loose of its decaying confines and smashing into rock.

Hargrave whirled around to gaze at Null, wild-eyed and now half-naked. Water, with scarcely anything to cling to, came off her in sheets. The fox's concerned whine stung harsh against her heart; more so than the prior bumping and the drenching. She'd not noticed either action, only the gentle assuring rush of water and nose moving along her spine.

As much as it set her teeth against one another... the Grey Hare appreciated it.

She did not express it with words, but a passing press of snout against ear, and then forehead. Not too much, though—Null shouldn't be distracted from her work. Magic was a shaky thing to control, dexterous as the monochromatic canid was with it.

After a time, the dog let herself settle down on the ground. Her voice was heady and raspy with smoke, but... she'd live. In a while, maybe, she'd sleep, but... for now... ? In this crowd? She was alright.

Yet—fiery eyes turned aside, and she rasped mournfully in the direction of a dead Master's bag: "it's gone." She knew not who Jupiter was, or what she'd done, but... it was one little thing that had remained of a mass of Oil and splintered bowstring. Paws reached hesitantly for the contents. She could carry them herself, but—caves.

Hargrave distracted herself by burying her face in the softness of Null's fur and letting her do whatever was necessary. She regarded the Kings with tired eyes as she gave her simple, pitiful little answer, "why would you not protect, given the chance?" Noble. Overplayed. "I tried to defend because I could."

Now, was she regretting it?

When the Hunt had fled from Cetus, Glaive had been a little... stuck; Orion, unlike many of the caves, did not have rushing rivers or ponds feeding into underwater passages. They went to a place she could not follow them to—some smaller fish might've been able to go down a creek or something—so, she was forced to swim as close as possible and make the rest of the journey on foot.

In hindsight, it might've made more sense to just follow the crowd through the tunnels, rather than go towards the Core, but... listen. Her build wasn't well-suited to a lot of running on land. It didn't take long for her to run out of steam or the will to keep running. Swimming was much better.

So, her arrival had been markedly late. Magic'd been working to tail the Gembound, but it could not miraculously teleport her right to the spot where everyone was licking their wounds and speaking to those big birds.

Turquoise eyes lit up at the sight of them, if only for the familiarity and knowing that she'd found the right place. They then disappeared beneath a furrowed brow, and she stared around the group. Injuries marked a number of them, and the ghostly creatures running about were completely gone.

Thoughts on the hunt? "Uh... I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was like a game of tag... ?" Surely, no one would hunt for sport like the hands-creature (HANDS? FOR PETTING?) or larger-than-her nightmare-dragon were implying... right?

permission granted by dark to post twice this roundRaheerah wasn't a familiar name; if it had been, the monster would've been thrilled to be comparable to such a beast. Or, perhaps, furious that another name came to mind before hers where chaos was concerned.

In any case, Draconua hardly acknowledged the pale beast as he glanced her way. She stared from her periphery, and then went back to dead-ahead. ... not that anyone could really tell.

Abaddon's words, being as direct as they were, did garner her full attention. Her head swiveled towards him. At the grating sound of his voice and stomping hooves, a snarl twisted down her neck. The calf was clearly posturing and stumbling over his words due to youth, but not once had the Sleepless Chaos witnessed a child in these caves.

Not that she would have cared.

Soon as her mind sifted through the childish lisp, she sneered, "no? You don't?"

She stiffly launched to her feet—sore muscles rioting in protest—and brought her head down to snatch up the calf, like he were nothing more than a Lesser deer to hunt.

Alnilam's golden eyes glowed with kindness as so many promised themselves to guardianship, to protection. All of them--the kindly elf-creature Talys, so young and innocent, good by his very nature; and Chaos-Two, clearly a creation of the elders of this cave, and yet good at its core; James, a twinned desire to protect and yet to prove himself (and this earned a glowing stare from red-eyed Alnitak, too); Attikias, so determined to pick good and bad apart, so dedicated to trying to do the right thing--and oh, wasn't that always difficult..? Alnilam pitied those who had to judge such situations! Pride and Warrior, Khloros and Hargrave, desiring only to guard the weak, to protect those who could not protect themselves.

"So many of you who wish to guard, and protect. It is wonderful to see. You would give of yourselves to spare others; and is that not the rarest and most wondrous gift any of us can give-? That in even the darkest, coldest worlds, there are those who will find it in themselves to do kindness? -To you, all of you who have chosen selflessness, I grant my gift. Please, use it as you would; it pleases me to know that I can help you, as you would aid others." His voice was a soft, pleasant trill, and as he fell silent, those who had sided with the Quarry would feel the strange sensation of a new magic envelop them, and grant itself to them: something of warmth and shining gold, of bright light and goodness.

Alnitak snorted, but it was Mintaka who spoke next, blue eyes shining--though already growing more and more eclipsed by Alnilam's golden hue. "Many of you chose to learn from this, knowing that there is always something we may not understand. You chose not to act, not having full information; or you chose not to intervene, understanding that there is more than one truth. Or you chose to let a balance play out, for you felt it outside yourself, and something in which you oughtn't intervene." His blue gaze travelled over those who had stood apart: over Tahi-shei, the knowledge-seeker; Comet, she who directly sought Balance itself; Aran, for whom nature must take its course; and Glaive, who was simply... confused, and in her wisdom, understood her ignorance. "To you, who would think before you act; to you, who understand the whole is more than the sum of its parts, I grant to you my power." Mintaka's head seemed to slip, like shimmering violet aurora, from the rest of the body and bow: and a soft blue light, sparking as though with fireflies, stretched out to grace those who had observed the Hunt, but not intervened.

At last, Alnitak broke into harsh laughter. He was delighted with Draconua, and her savagery--even now she lunged at Abaddon. With Kitty, who knew that life was fun and chaos, joy where one could find it--and that joy was so often in power; in proving your full potential. A shame, then, that James had other ambitions, too, because that was a good one on its own! Madhukar, who grasped that power, strength, were the way one defined--proved!--their own existence. The meek passed from the world forgotten; the powerful made their marks. Draconua and Abaddon, chaotic, reckless. Yes! YES! "KINDESS! Balance! Bah. That is meaningless. There is no world of the weak. The weak don't last. Be STRONG! Prove you're worth surviving! NEVER stop fighting!" Star-speckled wings spread, as if gesturing, or in invitation. "We are what we prove ourselves to be! No life exists without consuming. Take my power, and flaunt it!"

Alnitak was laughing harshly as red light streamed from him, to touch on those who had aided the Huntsmen and their Hounds. Yet even as it did so, the golden light of Alnilam was engulfing the entirety of the Kings: and when it settled, the Three Kings' eyes were a single pair of bright and shining golden light.

Ahh, but there had been questions, had there not? "Go now, as you see fit. You have all done well. As for the Hunt--we warned you it would come, as best we could. We did not create the Hunt: it comes and goes, and passes through worlds, leaving whispers in its wake. The Quarry has survived, this day; but the Hunt is eternal. Sometimes, the Prey escapes. Sometimes, it is consumed, but the Hunt always begins again. It is... the very essence of life, of the cycle of predator and prey; the spirit of it, made manifest in magic. To take part in it is a great honor. And as it grants us power, so we have granted that to you."

This concludes the Quest, The Wild Hunt. Characters may exit at their leisure. An Achievement will be made and sent in the coming days, and the following spells granted to characters who have responded to the Kings. Those who have not responded may still do so for their reward, up until January 11th.

Granted to those who sided with the Quarry:

Eternal Wisdom: Medium Intensity Transformation. Gain ethereal golden feathered wings that shimmer with the gleam of wisdom. Alnilam of the Three Kings of Orion has enhanced and morphed this spell, and it now grants limited flight. Your loyalty shines with ethereal gold-plated armor, a testament to your faith; the stronger you are, the more armor you will have to show for it.

Granted to those who sided with neither, but observed or otherwise took part:

Spectral Balance: Medium Intensity Transformation. Gain ethereal blue-white wispy wings that glow with the ambiance of balance. Mintaka of the Three Kings of Orion has enhanced and morphed this spell, and it now grants limited flight. Your will of what is natural shimmers around you, the fireflies a natural tribute to your aura; the stronger you are, the brighter aura you will have to show for it.

Granted to those who sided with the Huntsmen and Hounds:

Haunted Chaos: Medium Intensity Transformation. Gain ethereal red bat-like wings that swirl with the black aura of chaos. Alnitak of the Three Kings of Orion has enhanced and morphed this spell, and it now grants limited flight. Your pension for disorder engulfs you in the black aura, horns of your inner conscious sprouting from your head; the stronger you are, the larger and more horns you will have to show for it.

@Talys (Kitty, Tahi-shei), @V-Chaos-Two (James), @Attikias @Pride (Khloros, Warrior, Abaddon) @Hargrave (Draconua, Glaive) @Madhukar

Draconua's head came crashing down, and he barely heard the start of the Kings' speech; instead he wheeled on instinct, barely and by luck not being turned into a black hamburger. Either she had timed her strike wrong, or he'd turned at just the right time; but his cloven hooves went cracking back toward her plunging jaw with fury, stupidity and instinct all behind them. It was an aim to kick at her jaw muscle, or roundabouts. Maybe it'd teach her a lesson about trying to soom him.

Maybe it would not.

Meanwhile, only about half his brain was registering the speech turning to Alnitak's words, and the inspiration it brought: rage! Fight! Fury! A red glow spun around him, and he half-turned toward Draconua, to see what would happen next.

note i meant to roll bruise, i'm on a tired roll today... kick is for spell interrupt, brain

How curious. This new magic felt powerful, felt... felt extraordinary. But what did it do?

Well, they'd just have to find out!

V-Chaos-Two was shrouded in gold, wings sprouting from his back and lifting him a few feet off the ground, a gasp leaving their mouth. They flapped weakly and looked back to see golden armor on his shoulders, knees, wrists, and shins, glowing gently. How... amazing!!

"I always wondered what it was like," they mumbled, and peered at the armor curiously.

It was no dense metal, but it could provide a bit of protection, should the need arise. Useful and brilliant. Maybe this could aid their mobility... hm.

James already had wings, though. As he looked over at Chaos-Two, though, he quickly retracted his statement.

He wanted to see if he could do it too, but alas, his magic decided to fail. Again. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered, but he forced himself to move and trot over to Comet and Tahi, grinning wildly.

"Did it!", he said, sweat dripping down his hide.

He shook himself out, tail and wings fanning out impressively. He glanced at Tahi, eyes softening, and smiled.

"Hi...", he said softly, and moved to gently nuzzle Comet's ears, just a little exhausted.

But he'd done it. He'd done it!

Alnitak's enthusiasm went unnoticed, his voice far out of the range of her tunnel vision. The calf had whirled around in an instant, baring himse—CRACK!

The impact of those hooves rattled through her jaw with surprising force. One caught the edge of her burns, coming away with the precariously formed scab and a mess of Oily pus and blood. Draconua reactively jerked away from the sensation. A grunt echoed through her chest, and then a resounding growl.

If she weren't so set on proving him wrong, she might've been impressed by the assault. Unfortunately, he, Creator willing, would be "soomed".

She gnashed her teeth and shook herself once, and then bore back down; this time, with her full jaw exposed. More teeth meant better aim, right? Her limbs and heart quivered with the exertion, yet she persisted. The foolish thing was just standing there—how could she miss any part of him?