There was an aquatic dragon with antlers and glowing spots nearing the entrance to Draco. His posture was deliberately relaxed. He was mostly projecting from his form that he would not harm, but it was clear this dragon was a predator still. Not a danger now, but a creature that possessed danger qualities.

”I am looking for Onyx-Three, or lacking them, Vargas,” he spoke, his musical voice masculine. It was as much a predator’s lure as his glowing spots.

”My name is Alek. I am a friend of Onyx-Three. They were to meet me and bring me here a day ago, for I was considering joining and thought to speak to Vargas. I grew concerned when they did not appear, and I wish to know if they are alright,” he explained, straightforward and to the point.

@Vargas

The Sentinel at the gate stood silent, staring at Alek for a good long moment. It was unclear what he was thinking, but at (awkward) length he shifted in place, some, his fist adjusting position at the haft of his unblinking halberd.

"...It has grown," he rasped, at last, staring. The last time he had seen Alek, the dragon had been perhaps two cycles old. He recognized him--the antlers, the colors, the fins were all hard to misplace. But he was... large, now.

"Its child has made a mistake." This 'it' referred to himself, though there was no indication of this bar context. "Two stones found, side-by-side. It lives," he specified--and if Alek were any good at deciphering "batshit crazy," the fact that the Sentinel meant there were two chrysalises would probably be clear. Maybe. "Time is required before it awakens. It will take it... to the Master." A vague gesture of the halberd, and he turned, angling deeper into the cave--where, no doubt, Vargas could be found.

(I'll slamdunk Vargas in here next posting round to replace Sentinel, if that's okay?)

@Alek

Alek could be patient, he thought, as the guardian of Draco stared at him. His many eyes blinked in no particular order as he waited for the other to speak.

Then he realized when the other did speak that they had met before, more of a distant meeting, for this was the Sentinel, Onyx-Three’s parent. Alek had been a bit larger in size than his dad, Sprig, at the time. About the size of a lion, not including his wings.

”I have,” he agreed with the assessment of growth.

Then it was up to Alek to decipher what mistake Onyx-Three had made. And… it turns out for all that Alek was fluent in stilted speech, he was not fluent in ‘batshit crazy’. Had Onyx-Three mistakenly killed someone? That did not sound right, for all that Alek knew that Onyx-Three would be capable of killing, he doubted the other would do it by mistake.

But… two stones, lying side by side. Was Onyx-Three dead? Surely not. The Sentinel said they were alive, did it not?

Yet… that had not been precisely what the Sentinel had said. Time before it wakes might not be Onyx-Three, but the stone of Onyx-Three reborn.

Surely the Sentinel would be more clear if that was the case. Surely the Sentinel knew the difference between life and a revived life. But… did the Sentinel, really? Alek could not tell.

Mind half-hysterical, he thought this explained why Onyx-Three did not understand some things well.

He forced himself to calm. He would ask… the Master? That would be Vargas. Surely, Vargas would know. Until then, he would avoid jumping to a conclusion.

@Vargas

The Sentinel turned without another word, striding at a swift clip toward the Black Spire. At length, blue ethereal wings unfurled from his back, spreading in a sparkle of light; he then lifted off the ground and swept forward, hovering at a rapid pace. Perhaps he assumed Alek could simply fly to catch up; whatever the case he kept low to the ground, gliding in a wreath of blue fireflies.

Once he had reached the behemoth that was the Black Spire, wreathed in oilslick rainbows, he slowed and then settled gently to the ground. The wings lingered, drifting to and fro, as he called out. "Master Vargas." Rarely did he say more than strictly needed to call in the Leviathan; after these two words, he simply waited.

- THE LEVIATHAN -

It was only a moment before Vargas swept into view, a gleam of chartreuse eyes evolving into a towering, spiderlike shape. He made his way over with a jerky stride, peering at the Sentinel and then the fish-dragon at his side. "Yes?" he asked curtly, albeit not too rudely. It was matter-of-fact, rather than demanding.

As he came to a halt before them, he wondered what this was about. A visit from a dragon was a rare thing, here; he'd tried to find one willing to share its genes, but had not had any luck on that front. He doubted it was here to offer children, though. A complaint? A request? Or is it a report--more trouble in the caves? He certainly hoped not.

The forces of Chaos were limited, at the moment, and had enough on their hands as it was.

@Alek

Alek wished the Sentinel had summarized his reason for visiting a bit, as exhausted as he felt after he had to hurry after the other on walking wings, and then he thought that idea over and was relieved the Sentinel had not. The last thing this situation needed was further confusion, Alek thought.

"How should I refer to you? Master? Vargas? Some combination thereof?" Alek inquired, manners apparent despite his stress. "Onyx-Three calls you Vargas, I believe. Is that a suitable way to refer to you?"

That segued neatly into his next thought. "Onyx-Three is my close friend, and he suggested that I speak with you. I was considering joining the Chaos Forge, and he was going to meet me in order to bring me here to speak to you. But he did not. Is Onyx-Three alright?" While he maintained composure, there was a note of concern to his musical voice.

"The Sentinel's words... were unclear, regarding Onyx-Three," he added, polite but clear in his priorities. First, he had to know his friend was alright.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

The moment Alek asked, Vargas half-interrupted to simply say (with a stern trace of reproach) "V-Onyx-Three should be referring to me as Master Vargas." The words were clipped enough that the indication was clear: that was how Alek, too, should title him.

As for the rest, Vargas's glance cut to the Sentinel (with a nod dismissing him; the dog-beast turned and flew back off). He looked back to Alek. "V-Onyx-Three did... something. We do not know what, though I will certainly be asking them when they awaken." There was sternness in this, too, even a harshness, like a parent whose child has greatly misbehaved. Even though Onyx-Three wasn't Vargas's child, they had obviously made some terrible mistake. "They are in their chrysalis at the moment. As is another of the Forge. We do not yet know if it was a spar, gone out of hand; or a battle, or something other." And he wasn't much one for guessing.

"As for the Chaos Forge, if you wished to discuss it, I will speak of it with you." This offer was given in the same way he'd spoken so far, for the most part: bluntly matter-of-fact. He then shifted position subtly, studying Alek with an empty stare. Internally he was going over the fish-dragon's anatomy and behavior, wondering whether wings without finger-bones were as useful as those with, and whether it could breathe water, and if the antlers ever got in the way, and-

"Are you related to the white deer, Pride?" he asked, abruptly. Those antlers looked... familiar, at the very least. And he knew Astraea didn't wander around giving life to rocks.

@Alek

Ah. Oops. Hopefully, Alek had not gotten his friend into more trouble than they already were in. It was odd hearing the 'V-' in front of the name, when he was so used to shortening it slightly. He supposed he had, by quite accident, nicknamed V-Onyx-Three into Onyx-Three. "I apologize for my informality, then, Master Vargas," he corrected simply.

For all the other's sternness, Alek did not judge. Sternness was needed, at times, especially when one behaved poorly. It was odd to think of Onyx-Three behaving poorly. "How odd," Alek commented, thinking on how Onyx-Three acted.

Then he hesitated. "Or... Perhaps not so odd. Onyx-Three has always been enthusiastic about training his skills." He shrugged, a draconian movement of the shoulders.

He saw the other shift position a bit. It seemed, to him, that the other was gauging his anatomy, his physical capabilities. "I am most suited for aquatic ambush tactics, physically," he stated, matter of fact. "My wings are more fins than anything flight capable."

At the question, Alek nodded simply, then elaborated. "I am Alek, a son of Cadenza, who themself is the child of Dread and Pride. My stone was a predatory fish's, revived by Cadenza, and I was also raised by Sprig, my dad. I was raised in Orion for my childhood." He considered what else to add. What were things this one should know?

"I am a fighter, in part, Master Vargas, but I am primarily one that considers tactical strategies of battle. Onyx-Three and I were considering training as battle partners, so he could learn to take advantage of my presence in water, where I am best suited to fighting in."

But there was more to them than that. "But life is not a constant battle, and so when not fighting, I would prefer a somewhat different role. I find it very rewarding to teach others, the young and the learning. I would impart on them skills and lessons, though I would ask for some advice on what lessons young minds are taught here. Though... Onyx-Three mentioned there are not many children here? A shame, but I am still willing to teach those who are willing to learn," he spoke.

"I have taught a gembound that had forgotten speech yet wanted to relearn how to speak again. And I know skills related to water that the non-aquatic may not. I could suit for a teaching either swimming or combat in water, as well. And I have raised two children," he fell quiet on this point, for a moment.

"Both of them could fly, though I cannot, and neither could their other parent. Still, I was able to use my experiences from growing up with two flight-capable dragons, Cadenza and my sibling, Gaheris, to teach them. And though I did not possess the venom the other parent did, I was the one to realize and teach that parent of theirs how to control and use their venom effectively in the first place, through careful tests of applications, so I could teach the one child that inherited that venom about it," he thought on skills further.

"They were more independent than some, but the two grew up with just myself and their other parent in Cetus, rather than a group setting. I believe, in a group setting, children would be more likely to tend less towards drastic independence, being less prone to concerns over simply surviving, as a group provides one with a framework to grow in, instead," he blinks his many eyes.

"Of course, you would need to tell me if you have preferences towards what they grow towards. Each may have talents, but I am unfamiliar with the Chaos Forge's workings, for all that Onyx-Three is my friend."

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas's reaction to the apology was a faint nod and a grunt; he seemed mollified enough. Or simply accepted it. Either way, he then remained silent as Alek went into a long discussion about his talents and skills.

He was initially annoyed; he'd offered to speak of the Forge, and hadn't yet asked about this one's capabilities. He'd wanted to explain the Forge's organization first, its rules, and see if Alek agreed before discussing further. But he tamped that down; he supposed V-Chaos-Three had spoken of the Forge already. Still, he'd have to check; he couldn't take that for granted and risk a major future incident due to ignorance. And in the meantime, he took mental notes of what the water dragon was saying.

Ambush. Water. Teacher. It is well-spoken, and while it does not seem ambitious, it has taken responsibility for its own progress. These were already good signs. Vargas found those he had to hound to perform... well, a burden.

"I find it surprising," he said at last, musing aloud as Alek finished, "that a relative of Pride's would offer to join the Forge. No matter. I had intended to speak of the Forge first. Its rules and structure, to ensure you agree before we move further. It is possible V-Chaos-Three told you some of it, but tell me--what do you know of us? So I do not repeat what you are already aware of." He was blunt, loud, but his former irritation only barely reached his tone.

But instead of leaving a gap to speak, as yet, he gestured with one over-long forelimb to Alek. "I have heard all that you have said, and I will speak of it afterward. My first impression is that you are intelligent enough. I do not mind another teacher, though we have another in charge of their education and training. I will explain how all of that works--there is a structure to it--if V-Chaos-Three has not mentioned that. But you will need to become more familiar with the Forge, if and when you join, before we entrust you with our spawn." He then paused, and nodded, as if indicating Alek should go ahead. "Now--what have you been told?"

@Alek

The Master, Vargas, had not phrased his offer as a proper offer initially, as it happened, so Alek had gone on his own tangent, figuring that he would give useful details in the meantime.

Perhaps, to a stranger, it would seem quite odd the way Alek had decided to go to the Chaos Forge. But that was no matter now, as Master Vargas had moved on from it. As for the question itself. "Much of have what I think I know was gathered through indirect discussions of the Chaos Forge, and therefore may include assumptions. If you could correct any assumptions, Master Vargas, I would appreciate it," he dipped his head in a nod.

"What I know for certain is the Chaos Forge gives purpose to its members, which appeals to me. ...I have been... adrift. I know of the war between the Chaos Forge and the Hive, in that exists, not necessarily the root cause, though I am not content with the Hive's actions. I know fighting and therefore killing may be necessary at times. But so long as there is purpose, which I shall trust there is, I do not mind that as much as I perhaps should. I know one must earn privileges. That does not bother me, as one must earn trust equally wherever ones goes. It is only a system with clarity, compared to other systems."

He pauses. "I would like to say that I will not fight my family members if they become enemies of the Chaos Forge in the future for one reason or another, though I will not leave the Chaos Forge, either. I am a loyal creature. And I do not bring an alliance with them, I do not intend to trick you to believe such. Some will disapprove of my presence here, even, though I do not bring enemies from my family either. My parents themselves do not understand fully, but they... They love me, and I them, but I cannot expect them to understand my willingness to commit to violence: they are both pacifists," his shoulders shrug.

"My... The other parent of my children, the vampire Erasmus, may visit me at times, but they are a pacifist as well. They killed once and very much regret it, and I would not make them fight. They are... We both are overly attached to each other, really, a trauma response I believe related to the incident regarding how we met. Erasmus needs to become independent from me, as well as learn to exist without me as a constant buffer. It is... healthier for us both, that way." It hurt his heart a bit, but he knew this was the truth. It was important he let the Master Vargas know the relevant information and warning him that Erasmus might visit was part of that

Back to the point. "I do not know much, perhaps. Yet I am willing to learn."

@Vargas