This chrysalis of Oilstone was quite large, to hold a being nine feet tall and fifteen feet long, tail not included. Inside, the beast writhed with rage to be contained, for it knew it was not meant to be, not anymore. With a swing of its spiked tail, the chrysalis shattered to pieces, allowing the emergence of the valkhound inside.

Air was colder then chrysalis fluid, it noted idly. Its tail swayed, and it worked to rid the shards from its pelt. But after the task was done, the valkhound paused, considering the remains of the shattered Oilstone chrysalis. And then... It sat down.

It was meant to not be contained, but it did not know what could come next. It was not meant for independence, not yet. It was meant to follow orders. So it sat beside the broken chrysalis, and it waited, five keen eyes observing the world in the meantime.

@Tectus

Perhaps it was the deep rumbles in the earth, announcing the arrival of the Overseer that caused the new valkhound to awaken. Perhaps it was the faint heat and the scent of Oil that had summoned her here at this moment. But she arrived just in time, to see the valkhound picking its way out of the chrysalis and dutifully sitting down.

Finally. At last. Something she was familiar with. These new gembounds were so strange and random, apparently just popping out of nowhere, undesigned, untested, and pointless. But this...this was a valkhound. She made to stand before it, looking it up and down and admiring the design. Perhaps in ages past, it would have been nothing special, but now it felt like the most perfect a Master could shape.

"Finally!" she boomed after a moment. "A proper valkhound. Do you know your purpose?"

@Oilstone T-One

A being gazed upon it, and it gazed back, one of its five eyes blinking every moment or so in no pattern in particular, waiting. It did not know what it was waiting for, exactly. Truly, more than simply gaze, the other being she was considering it thoroughly. Then she spoke, and its mind raced.

'Finally', she said. Had this being been awaiting it? And... Purpose. That felt extremely important. It searched its mind, but could not find its purpose. Or rather, it decided, it had not yet been given one. Could this being give it purpose? Its gaze became sharply focused.

She expected it to speak, and so it searched for the words it needed. "...Purpose unknown," it stated, but it continued swiftly. "This one's purpose... Is yours?" That was half-question, half-statement, with a lean on the questioning side, with a willingness to be interpreted in whichever way made the most sense.

@Tectus

She should not have been surprised, yet still she found herself mildly disappointed. This could have been her first hint of the ways she was familiar with - a valkhound created for a purpose and set about into the world instead of a random design simply dropped somewhere and allowed to roam. Oh...how things had changed, huh?

She considered for a moment. She had never had...personal valkhounds before. That was something for Masters or even Hands to do. But it's not like she had created this one with the express intention of it being her personal valkhound. And was it not offering itself to her, without a purpose of its own? She supposed...it couldn't hurt. Besides, she was weaker now then she'd once been - until she regained her old strength, she would need some backup.

"Hm, compelling offer." She amused herself for a moment by playing indecesive, watching the valkhound for a moment before giving a firm nod. "Yes, I think you will be mine, then, if you have no other purpose assigned to you. Designating you to Oilstone...uh..." She tried to remember the very newest Oilstone she'd known and their designation, but it was escaping her, as fuzzy as much of the finer details. And there could have been many other Oilstones since then. Hundreds, thousands, she had no way to know.

"Oh I guess I better start over," she growled. "Oilstone One. No, Oilstone T-One." It would be better to add a small signature into the name, to know when he own naming system began and ended. "I am Overseer Tectus! You answer to me, okay?"

@Oilstone T-One

‘Compelling’ was good, it concluded. It sat patiently as it awaited an answer, not speaking more. Words were still hard to find, and more than that, it thought that she was not yet done speaking. If she was thinking, it had nothing but time without purpose.

The firm nod pleased it, and though the words that followed started confusing, they concluded on a note it could understand. ”This one is Oilstone T-One. This one answers to Overseer Tectus,” it concluded, an answer in its own way.

Should it stand up? It had not been told to. Oilstone T-One had been told to acknowledge. It had not been given orders. But, perhaps it was best for it to stand, to take into account its capabilities. So the nine feet tall and fifteen feet long valkhound stood.

Immediately, it felt there was an ability to run- No. Not run. Sprint. Chase. And… something else, internal power. It did not reach for it, not yet. It had not been told to. ”This one is assessing its capabilities for Overseer Tectus. Can sprint and chase. Unidentified power also sensed,” it stated.

@Tectus

Tectus nodded, pleased. It was a good hound. Subservient and ready to follow orders. Ah, she hadn't had one as good as this before. At least not a hound that answered directly too her in this way. She would see if it grew bored of its role in the future - for now, it was perfect.

She did her own observation of the valkhound, taking a step or two around it on each side, observing its body shape, posture, the long legs, the spiked tail. She gently took its head in her claws, careful not to scratch, and carefully manipulated its head right and left, looking close at the strange set of eyes and the features of its face. Aesthetically, it was pretty sweet. She hadn't seen eyes of that shape in quite a while. Good amount of teeth and spikes and lovely, dangerous colors.

She released it and flicked a claw. "Test your magic for me. I would like to see it - perhaps I will test it in combat as well. But first, show me."

@Oilstone T-One

Overseer Tectus seemed pleased with it, and that made it pleased with itself. Oilstone T-One did not mind as the Overseer studied it, for it was important she knew its capabilities so as to best utilize it. Yes, it was glad that the Overseer had deemed it worthy.

The Overseer took its head in her claws, but gently so, and the valkhound allowed it without hesitation. It was a good valkhound, or it would be for its Overseer, at least. She studied its eyes and teeth, and other such facial features.

When she released it, she gave an order. Magic was the unknown power it had sensed, it extrapolated. It focused on drawing that power out. It barely managed, but it did, its paws igniting with flickering heat that burned at the ground and its paws. Its paws were not furred, built for this utility, and the pain was negligible compared to the feeling of success.

It searched for the right words to describe its magic, which was not necessarily the most visible even if the heat was in the air.

"This one appears to have superheated its paws. Could be used as an effective weapon. Pain negligible for self," it gave its own assessment.

@Tectus

The vents on her side flared at the change in temperature, noting the very sudden rise in heat at its paws. Eyes flicked down, catching the sight of a ring of char around where its paws touched the stone. "Fire!" she boomed, approval in her voice. Fire was a good element - strong, offensive, and deadly. It would have to be careful not to burn itself, but from its lack of a reaction, she wondered if it had been designed with some sort of protection from its own dangerous magics.

She nodded. "Quite an effective weapon. You will learn more of it! That is your first assignment from your Overseer - learn magic! Become strong in it, but be sure not to destroy yourself through it. Fire is hard to control, dangerous if not wielded properly! You will not be required to complete this task any time soon, but as a future goal - learn to harness your flames."

A rumble in her chest - a purr? - and she was shifting on her feet, tensing her muscles, as if she were about to suddenly leap. "And now, your current assignment. Test yourself against me. Use fire, claws, anything at your disposal! Show me your strength!"

@Oilstone T-One

Fire. That was what it was, this valkhound. Oilstone T-One was fire. The knowledge and imagery of fire was woven in its mind, as if always supposed to be a part of it. There were variants of fire, too, its mind shared. Wildfire, campfire, and hearth-fire were the first three that came to mind.

The one that caught its attention most was the wildfire. Yet there was no control to a wildfire, as much as that imagery appealed to it most. If it was born to be a wildfire, it would contain itself for the Overseer, it would become whatever fire would help the Overseer.

It would eagerly explore its magic, as it was ordered. A longterm assignment, it noted with pleasure, meant that the Overseer would definitely keep it. But it would do its best to excel regardless of the lack of time limit. "Acknowledged," it spoke, knowing it would heed the warnings that Overseer Tectus spoke. But it would learn control, even if it was hard, it decided.

Next came its current assignment. Was it to fight against Overseer Tectus...? No. Not fight. Spar. In order to test itself. Yes, that was acceptable.

There was still some heat on its paws, which would do well. It went for a pounce, using heated paws with sharp claws. Its goal was to knock over the Overseer with a combination of momentum and the shock of the heat.

@Tectus

Round: 1/?
Attempt: Knock Over
Defense: Many Spikes, Burn-Causing Blood, Fadingly Heated Paws
Injuries: N/A

Her muscles tense, her eyes watching the slight narrowing of the Valkhounds eyes, she allowed her brain to slide into that delightfully intense mode of preparing, analyzing, and strategizing at the beginning of a fight. She saw its pupils slide to its target and she was prepared when it lunged forward suddenly. It was a lithe thing, built for speed rather then brute strength. Still, it was like a bullet lunging towards her and the fierce slam she allowed to hit was quite impressive, with the addition of scrabling claws burning, almost charring her flesh.

"Good," she rumbled, letting herself be pushed onto her haunches a bit so she could deliver a sharp kick beneath the valkhound, claws curled in to keep from disemboweling it on accident. It was a quick, sudden kick right to its stomach, sure to knock the wind out of it and make it quite difficult to get its magic going for a couple of seconds.

ROUND 1/?

92%

ATTEMPT: kick to the stomach
DEFENSE: fucking UNIT, natural defenses
INJURIES: minor burn

@Oilstone T-One