Aran feels himself pause when the information comes forward - it's just rats. Rats who appear to be very sick, dragging themselves to him. When the first gets close enough for him to see - Aran is horrified. He's never seen something like this before - even when he himself infects lessers they usually die before it gets this bad. What the hell is the owl doing in here to have those?

Aran isn't allowed to pause for very long, if he waits any longer many more will come and he will become overwhelmed. Maybe the owl is right, he might not survive - but at this point the only thing Aran can do is try. So he does. Aran focuses on the closes individual and attempts to finish it off with his magic - one of the most reliable spells in his arsenal, if he can succeed anyway.

They came onward like a rotten tide, some of them clambering clumsily over one another in their attempts to reach the deer. One was bumped by another and fell, scrabbling wretchedly on the stone as it tried to get back up. Another lifted a head, baring long incisors, and Aran could see the bone of its skull and a single empty eye socket where the flesh there had rotted away.

They were drawing closer. And they were speeding up.

@Aran

Okay... If Aran could sweat he'd be making puddles. The rats are getting closer and closer, more in his vision now - he feels like he's swimming. Everything around him is woozy, underwater - there's a striking feeling of UNSAFE! rattling around in his head. He's the prey, the rats are the predator. Everything inside is begging for him to run.

Aran steeles himself, he can't quit now. That would be giving up. Aran is not allowed to give up! If he can kill a deinocornus, he can kill some decaying rats.

Aran focuses on the nearest one once again - screaming inside for his magic to PLEASE WORK! this can't be how it ends!

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

violence

death

The targetted rat stumbled.

It wasn't a powerful cast. But it was enough; though it wasn't a dramatic collapse and melting-into-goop, the rat nevertheless twitched, fell, and began to spasm on the ground. It choked, and-

...the other rats around it abruptly changed course. They veered for it, staggering their sickly bodies for their fallen comrade, suddenly turning on it. Incisors, dripping with infection, tore into flesh; the dying rat screamed, a broken empty sound, and thrashed. Pieces of body were torn away, the animal covered by a heaving mass of black bodies, entrails and flesh dragged out and across the floor. After a few more moments, the screaming choked and stopped.

The other two thirds of the group, however, still headed for Aran... and they had sped up, the screams stoking their hunger.

1/3

@Aran

Aran waits, and the rat falls. There's only a moment of peace as a bunch of the other rats make a beeline for their fallen brethren. He watches them for a few moments - I didn't know pitch rats were cannibals - but are they really? Or is it just something about this place that does it to them? Animals will do strange things when sick.

Maybe he'll test that theory at some point. If he can get two of them in the same place without getting mauled by the others.

Aran turns his attention to another pile of the rats approaching him, bird's eye view helping him see one of the ones in the middle - if they're going to attack their own, downing the ones in the middle of the bunch will take their attention from him, right? It's worth a shot. He'd rather not catch mysterious cave rabies from this.

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

death

Aran's targetted giant rat jerked as its forelegs suddenly gave out beneath it. The infections half-consuming it now consumed it completely, pitching it forward so that its face struck the rock below. It skidded, leaving a smear of body fluids and blood.

The rats around it paused, looking at it, hesitating... waiting.

The moment it began to choke and spasm they fell upon it, tearing, the sounds of crunching and wet ripping audible. This one's scream was shorter, broken off into gurgling sounds almost at once, as other rats tore its throat from its body. The swarm of bloodied fur was another tangle that stopped, another group no longer striving to reach the deer.

2/3

@Aran

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

Aran waits as the next target falls, grimacing when it screams as the other rats swarm it to consume. He tries his best to ignore the sound of the tearing and crunching - he's nauseous. There's no way that behavior is normal for them - what the hell are they sick with? Aran wished he had someone who knew more to study them, like that coyote from before.

Turning away from the feasting rats, Aran tries to not vomit as he focuses on another group of them. This is disgusting, horrifying. Now he just wants out.

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

death

The last of the forerunners fell. Not just fell: it tumbled, the swarm overrunning it. There was no hesitation; the beasts looked not to the deer standing before them, but to the fresh, twitching meat below. Squeals of agony played a background song for the sounds of ripping flesh once more.

For a moment, Aran stood in a room of feverish gore, in a dim pool of light, the only sounds around him those of eating. The only smell, the stench of sickness and death.

"GOOD!" The voice boomed, unbothered by the slaughter. The darkness closed in, all light fading--and then the room's light returned, but it was changed. When Emuh touched down before Aran, it was to a clean, if dusty, rock floor. Yet... the smells lingered, even if the sounds, the rats themselves, were gone. It had been real. "-IF SIMPLE. YOU NEED TO LEARN MORE. NOW HOLD STILL." A taloned foot reached out, grasping for Aran, not to puncture but to touch: the owl, now shrouded in chaotic shadows, stepped back.

It would feel as though Aran had been sucker-punched in the front of his chest. As though something had reached in, and torn something away from him. Yet... new knowledge swelled in him, hinting at some greater power he had learned: and the wellspring of his magic felt deeper than before. "ARE YOU DONE? I HOPE YOU ARE DONE. I AM DONE. SHOO."

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

He has also learned the spell:

Herd Immunity:

Transcendent Intensity Manipulation. The user casts out a wave of magic, instantly inflicting a chosen disease on all targets in a large range in front of them, or alternatively, purifying all of those targets of any disease or infection. Transcendent spells may be used once per thread.

@Aran

Aran waits for a few moments, eyeing the last group of rats as they swarm their comrade. They should not be like this - and even though something inside is demanding for him to run, run far away he still feels bad for them. They did not ask for that - nor did the ones who died ask for Aran to make them suffer more. Despite feeling bad for them, perhaps its not as bad as he should be feeling.

Before he gets the chance to turn away from the bodies, the light goes away and it's dark again. This time, Aran does not flinch. "Worked out well enough i'd say." he huffs.

His pristine coat shows that well enough. Aran does listen when Emuh instructs him to stay still - he's already tired enough from magic use, no need to use more.

Something happens, and Aran nearly bows over. The pain only lasts for a few moments, but something's changed. He feels almost... Weaker, somehow. At the same time there's something new as well. Odd, he'll have to test this out later.

He almost says something insulting to vilify the strange owl, but he's pushed out of the door before he can make a retort. Well, he passed at least. With one last glance behind him, Aran decides to go find a place to rest.

Exit