Others gathered quickly at the sound, even familiar faces like the baby bird-thing and following it, Eythan. Remedy arrived and greeted him, which he happily greeted her back, genuinely happy she was still alive and well. It brought back memories of Cure, but the ominous rift in the ceiling consumed his thoughts. Carni arrived soon after Eythan, seemingly annoyed but he was paying no mind to that now. He refused to takes his eyes off whatever was moving inside that hole.

It wasn't much longer before something fell out of the rift before them all, something frightening. A giant blue spider that Xerxes couldn't quite explain. Before long, it was making a beeline for the Spire and he knew they had to stop it. Carni was yelling at Eythan then to take the young bird somewhere safe after ordering him to annihilate this spider. His King took off in the air with a gust of wind and many others sent attacks towards the spider to slow it down.

Xerxes didn't have much in the form of magick, but he did have strength. A blinding light went off before him, some other magick from someone else, but he didn't let that stop him. Instead, he charged at the spider from behind with his skull tilted towards it to bash into it's legs.

Kallista was not expecting the wave of dust that washed over the group of gembounds that had slowly grew. Her eyes screwed tightly shut against the blinding light before she hesitatingly opened them, only to see a very large crystal-spider. Her eyes widened, and her ears lowered flat to her head. She watched as multiple gembounds attempted to stop it, or even slow it down. Some succeeded, some failed. She even noticed a tiny one run after the thing.

She frowned. There was no way the little creature could take that thing head on! It looked hardly a cycle old! A part of her was hesitant to charge toward the creature, but there was no way she could just leave it. Maybe she could do something against the crystal-spider when she got there? It was worth a try, at least.

Before she could think twice, she charged after it, tiny legs pumping quickly until she reached it. She shoved it out of the way, resolving to get it as soon as she was done and bringing it to one of the hybrids, and prepared to cast her magic. She felt the static coursing through her, and before she could stop to think of what such a spell might do to the crystal, she pressed her paws against it in hopes it administer at least some shocks. And then, almost as quick as she came, she began to nudge the tiny creature away. She didn't trust her abilities to pick it up and just carry it, as she was very small and the creature, though just a cycle old, was fairly big. If she were to pick it up, it'd likely drag on the ground and she didn't want that.

"Go on! Go back to your family. Get home, somewhere far away from this...thing." She hoped that would be enough.

---

words:
tagged: @Morigarra @Eythan
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Having been woken up suddenly, then seared with burning rain, then splashed in the gem with a drop of blue ooze that still sent crackling sensations throughout his entire body Xireidi was not too happy as the giant crystal above fell and crashed right behind him. The wolf was thrown off balance as he tried to jump away, watching as it sprouted legs and rose into a creature more than twice as tall as his sparring partner would have been standing up, and significantly more massive.

Gembound after gembound rushed the creature as it began to make its way toward the spire, as if they knew something he didn't, as if instinct were telling them something that he was oblivious to. If only he had gotten more time to wake up. If only his entire body didn't feel like it was on fire. If only this affront to nature hadn't appeared in the first place!

The wolf shook his head as jumbled thoughts tried to take hold. Now was not the time to regret fate, now was the time to join in with the others and act! But how?

Just as the question arose in Xireidi's mind an unknown black lion from the group began charging one of the spider's back legs. As good an opportunity as any! Summoning every once of strength he had under the numbness and pain the wolf leapt up and began to dash alongside the lion, aiming for the back leg on the opposite side. One leg being hit might not do a huge amount but two legs might be able to trip it up some.

---

"The words I speak"
The thoughts I hold
And the self I keep hidden away
tags:
notes: None

Soon more familiar faces arrived. Eythan! Then Carni! She was about to greet them both as well, sharing a look with Carni for a split second only to have the world explode around them as the ceiling monster finally fell free to the ground.

Then everything went crazy. The crystal spider shot towards the spire and Remedy took off with the rest of them, taking to the air with Carni.

CURE! Cure! There's a monster in Polaris! She sent an image of the beast to her twin, vivid and frightfully clear. We have allies here! They need us! And so she summoned her twin to aid in the fight, because she knew Cure was just as capable as any.

Meanwhile, she'd flown above the spider, much faster than the smaller Carni but his wind certainly helped. She swept to the side and gathered rocks in her front talons, sweeping back and up in the same fluid motion to forcefully fling them down at the crystal beast's front end. She couldn't do much but maybe a lucky hit would stall it?

The stones rained down on the target without fail and she swept to the side once more to reload, whilst trying to keep pace with the beast all the same.

RRRUUUMBLE! CRAAACK!

The rather sudden and very loud noise filled Felina's ears. What was going on in The Caves? Well...she'd find out!

The runty female bobcat followed the disturbing sounds. When she reached The Spire, she stopped short, not believing what her eyes saw: A towering, blue-colored spider! There were a number of Gembounds attacking it!

She immediately recognized Carni. The rest were unknown to her. Felina's first impulse was to help her fellow Gembounds. All of them.

She felt something beneath her four paws. The ground was sending a rather odd feeling against her pawpads. A few pebbles started forming. They were gently vibrating against her feet. Felina, didn't make any kind of connection between the vibrating pebbles and herself, totally unaware that a spell was being cast.

As if directed by a command, the pebbles flew off the ground. They started an upward arc, then hovered over the huge blue spider. Finally, they came down quite quickly and suddenly towards the arachnid's head, attempting to distract it.

Suddenly, a barrage of betrayal started to come at the being from all sides. It didn't feel the attempt at the vine-binding, moving right through it; it slightly felt one of its legs buckle, but it had seven others to work with; it didn't feel the pecking of the child. However, its rush to push through all of this came to a halt when the raven sent a blast of radioactive energy straight for it front-side. Its body fell backward, and in the moment when it tried to scramble for balance, its back legs were taken out from under it. It crashed onto its rear, a shock from more than the impact surging through its body. Angered, it kicked in the air with its long front legs, only to be beaten back by rocks and more rocks. Why!! It had a delivery to make!! Why were these greedy creatures stealing from it!?

The Magicka Spider is incapacitated for 1 Round!

Tukluk does 1 damage to Magicka Spider.
Amras does 7 damage to Magicka Spider.
Morigarra does 7 damage to Magicka Spider.
Ableon does 20 damage to Magicka Spider.
Xerxes does 17 damage to Magicka Spider.
Kallista does 10 damage to Magicka Spider.
Remedy does 12 damage to Magicka Spider.
Felina does 18 damage to Magicka Spider.

Xerxes, Xireidi, Morigarra, and Kallista take 10 damage from Albeon's Pulsar and feel sick.

Magicka Spider has 408/500 HP.
There are 3(+1) of 3 rounds left.
+1 Magicka Spider currently incapacitated.

Xerxes has 90/100 HP.
Error has successfully fled the battle.
Remedy has 100/100 HP.
Amras has 100/100 HP.
Morigarra has 40/50 HP.
Eythan has 100/100 HP.
Kallista has 90/100 HP.
Carni has 100/100 HP.
Tukluk has 100/100 HP.
Xireidi has 90/100 HP.
Fortune has 100/100 HP.
Albeon has 100/100 HP.
Felina has 100/100 HP.

Feel free to join in at any time!

Amras "Good job everyone!" Amras shouted as the coordinated attack went through. "Press the attack, we can't let it destroy our home!" There were a lot of talented gembound here, and a more concentrated gathering than he'd ever seen before. It seemed that the magic of this beast's appearance had caught just about everyone's attention. Worry crossed the gryphon's mind as the noted the baby bird he'd seen earlier as well as a baby monkey who both seemed to be trying to attack along the larger ones like the lion, Remedy, and his sparring partner. Both small breed cats were displaying impressive magic but the real prize for pure magical ability had to go to the raven that had managed to flip the whole thing over with some kind of energy beam. Not wanting to waste the advantageous position the spider was in Amras clapped his talons together in front of him and began to build energy between them. As he did so he adjusted his flight path to land with back paws directly in the middle of its abdomen. He would try to cast the spell the moment he landed and kick off, hopefully using some of the kinetic force to send him airborn again while maximizing the damage to the body and the eight legs all at once. With the energy between his taloned hands stabilizing and his flight path set the gryphon began to distribute half the spell energy across the surface of his body, taking on a faint white glow. He'd only recently solidified this technique, hopefully it would work in the midst of battle. Sadly, this meant he wouldn't be able to use it as a surprise attack in the next sparring match but this was more important at the moment. Unfortunately, as he got close to the spider its innate intense magic energy sheared into the shell of shaped energy he had formed around his feet and legs, which in turn rippled across the rest of the energy and destabilized the spell, sending weak waves of kinetic force every direction with no effect but to wildly ruffle his fur and feathers. The gryphon landed on the spider and jumped back up into the air immediately, releasing the bond between his two hands but performing no attack in doing so. Pouch 1: Black talc stones x7 (medium) Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Quartz sphere x1 (large, soft glow) Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Absolutely everything was happening at once—it was disorienting. All there was to draw him out of his momentary stupor was the distant voice of someone he hadn't heard in such a long time. Her soft words, gentle as always, ebbed and flowed through his mind. They slew all worries that she had been looking for his role in the fall. "Too long," he murmured softly, tucking his beak into the nook between her stone and horns. "I can't let Carni fight this thing without me at his side," his wings sagged with the disappointment of leaving her so soon. "Please... can you take Mori—" as if on cue, the lump flew out towards the chandelier-beast, warbling a war-cry and finding himself narrowly missed by the pulsar of a raven above.

In an astoundingly blinding feat of speed at the sweet, sweet bengal's command to take the cassowary home, he gathered up the chick in his beak and brought him before the duiker. Gently depositing him at her hooves, he nodded. "He isn't meant to be here—it's my fault—but can you take him home? Carni and I'll make it."

As he took to the air, he called out, "I promise."

Approaching on swift wings, Eythan noticed that the gembound collective had managed to shift the spider onto its rear. The monstrous thing reared upwards, flailing its limbs that weren't spent supporting what was doubtlessly massive weight. An idea darted through his mind and he swooped low. "Break its legs!" He suggested loudly to the others as he gathered some of the sharp residual shards from the initial impact. Then, he dove for one of the spider's legs (one that was holding it up, hopefully), shards outstretched.

Crazy shit was going on around the tiny marmoset, but he was too busy cursing and clutching his collarbone where his Gem was. He’d gotten a critical failure on that spell and now his gem was throbbing and stinging like someone had snapped him really hard with a rubber band there. He rubbed the spot furiously, which didn’t do anything to help, crying out in pain and frustration. Finally, he managed to open his eyes and focus again. And now he was angry. “Stupid spider!” he screeched. “We’re gonna kill your crystalized ass!”

Plantcharm had failed him the first time, but he still couldn’t find a better way to use his magic on this thing… Would Blinding Beam even affect it? He wasn’t sure it had eyes… So, his best bet was to try to trip it up again, or use a vine to grab at it. Unless… Well, he wasn’t sure what the hell it was made of, or if it was even technically alive… What if he tried to absorb its energy or something… The thought of absorbing crazy crystal spider energy didn’t appeal to Tuck, but it was either that or just let it get away — and everyone knew that couldn’t happen!

He’d made up his mind. He would try to absorb its energy… somehow.

Eythan, she realized, still held so much love and devotion to his brother's safety even after the fall. Not even bereavement could sway that love. Her heart nearly swelled in seeing his desire to fight alongside his brother because he just wouldn't let him fight something alone ever again. The hybrid's brief departure brought something that he had apparently found precious and dear to him—a cassowary he regarded as if he were his own son—and a simple request. Home.

A hoof left the ground for a moment, concern making her body go rigid in its stance. "Eyth—" but the rosetted boy was already headed for the air. "I'll be waiting," she called as wingbeats grew distant beneath the din. Despite all her worries, Fortune had faith in the twins. It was simply that she didn't want to wait.

But she would have to.

Her gaze turned downwards to the little lump at her hooves. Immediately smitten, she cast forth a little magicka to form a window to the cassowary, just as she had Carni and Eythan. The mycelial world knew every facet of the gembound world. A little spritz of spores were subtly sprinkled about the chick's back and all was done. "Come, little one. Someday, you'll be able to fight with the others," she murmured, delicate hoof gently prodding the chick.

@Morigarra