If Howl did not have a rock in his mouth, he might've said something like 'Ah'm gonna put ta ting in ta ting!' Instead, all the hybrid could muster as he clambered up to the top of the pine was just a muffled, "mmfngngh!" Not that he was too chuffed by the idea of a big dragon coming up out of nowhere and talking to him. Fortunately, this one didn't seem to predisposed to fiery antics or lurking on a hoard of gold and untouched treasures. If anything, the air grew frosty when it came near him. Unconsciously, his fur fluffed up, trying to stay warm.

Unfortunately, the sneak thief's target was now stomping away from him. 'Ah, shee-it.' Well, there goes any good chance of making it onto the rock shithouse's back. Besides, if he fell, the dragon would catch him right? It seemed altruistic enough. Clutching his jaw a little tighter around his special rock and honing the mental willpower mania provided, Howl wiggled his haunches and sprung out much like a cat from a balcony. His claws met rough stone, and he immediately scrambled to get all four of his hands and/or feet on it. Okay, step one completed. He didn't really give a shit where the golem was headed, since he had no concern for the wellbeing of others --- others were just tools, sometimes. Howl just respected some tools more than others.

Hopefully that dragon would just telepathically know to provide air support, because Howl sure wasn't in any position or ability to bark commands. He was just here to get the best sparkly rock off of this pile of them. For what benefit? Not even he knows.

Asimona watched the monkey but didn't hear any response. She frowned and looked away instead focusing on the golem. It's sudden change of movement surprised her and a moment later she realized that it was changing directions. It was heading back towards the chrysalis. Asimona growled with frusteration, leaning back so that she could back out a bit until she was in front and above the golem again. She inhaled deeply, preparing to blast the golem to the ground when the monkey suddenly went flying out of the tree and grabbing onto the golem's body (?). She released her breath with a snarl. She couldn't attack the thing now and risk the monkey getting hurt!

Instead, she recklessly pulled her wings close and dove down towards the mud, pulling them out just in time to cushion her landing and keep mud from going everywhere again. She touched down between the golem and the chrysalis and opened her jaws, letting out a loud challenging roar. Not that the golem could hear it, of course, but she could at least try and slow it down until she found another opportunity to attack.

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Game Master Dark
notes:

The golem stopped the moment Howl leapt on it--and flailed, one stony fist flinging about. Its boulder-arm was not made for flexibility, however, and all it did was stagger back. There was a slow grind as it began to reshift its entire shape--threatening to crush Howl in its rotating stones--and then Asimona landed before it, in the mud, with a thump.

It paused again, facing her--as if trying to decide what to do. Whether to deal with the monkey clambering on its stones, or the dragon before it.

In an apparent decision to do both, it lumbered forward at what was, at least for a golem, high speed--aiming to crash into her, and to take Howl with it. Given its speed, they had a couple of seconds to react...

@Howl @Asimona

It didn't take a genius to see a near-death experience. The golem lurched forwards underneath Howl, on the warpath to absolutely obliterate him using the big silver dragon. 'Oh, hail nah!' His mind interjected, and he immediately hunkered down closer and scrambled away from any possibility of getting ground up into sneak thief putty. That was priority number one. Priority number two was getting away from any place that would throw him into the dragon and possibly anger it.

Howl, with a warbling, almost anxious sound, began to scramble every way he could to avoid the golem's smashing antics. His bicolored eyes peered this way and that, keeping an eye out for the hole he was trying to put thus dumb pebble in. Instead, during this process, the hybrid lost his grip on one hand and was bodily flung off of the golem. He shrieked as he flew off a few feet, landing in a crumpled heap of mud and fur.

fuck you, howl.
@Asimona

Asimona gathered her breath again immediately after the roar, preparing for something, whether a breath of ice or another attempt at a blast. And as the golem bore down on her she had to make a choice. Would she save the monkey as he fell? Or would she stop the golem from hitting her? She couldn't hesitate - she had to be fast. And, of course, she then immediately hesitated.

That hesitation was the wrong decision. Before she could react, the golem was slamming into her. She only barely had the time to pull her head away. With a loud grunt, she was thrown back and she felt, and heard, a loud crack as one of the scales on her chest broke. She cried out in pain, which was quickly muffled by mud as she splashed into the dark murk again. She was paralyzed there, for a moment, her brain still trying to process before she tried to struggle to her feet. Her chest was sore and she wondered if it had broken a rib as well. She was standing right over the chrysalis now. She couldn't hesitate anymore. If the golem was going to keep charging forward, she had to do everything she could to protect it and the hybrid inside.

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Game Master Dark
notes:

The golem plowed forward. Asimona was struck, but it had not yet reached its goal.

One hefty fist pulled back--a giant stone, really--ready to plummet down into the helpless chrysalis below. Or into whoever stood before it.

The golem seemed to be--like most of its kind--still moving slowly; and the mud appeared to have tangled its movements somewhat. There was time... but very little.

@Howl

Oh, shit! This was it, baby! The golem was bent over, in prime position to have a rock thrown into its chest. Absolutely nothing could go wrong here, and Howl would go home with all sorts of pretty treasures and maybe a dragon girlfriend to swoon over him. Eat ass, Dread! Unheeding of the muck currently coating his hands, the sneak thief stuck his fist into his mouth and pulled the shiny, rune-covered pebble out.

With the glowing stone tucked in his fist, he slogged forward in the swamp and ducked beneath the golem's makeshift chest. Howl had to squint in the shadow of the colossus but he was pretty sure that he had found the hole missing a pretty rock. He had the gall to hoot at the golem, too: "eat dick, rawck-shee-it-let!" Then, with way more force and dramatic effect than necessary, Howl hurled his hand forth and --- quote unquote --- 'plonked that shit right in there.'

Now, hopefully his manic thinking actually ended up paying off.

@Asimona

Asimona wasn't sure what the monkey was doing. All she saw was movement and the flash of a glowing gem as he reached forward. She tried to do something, anything, a blasting breath, ice to stop it, but magic wasn't flowing through her. She couldn't do anything. So she stood in front of the gem, a protective shield between her and the creature inside, and prepared for the golem's strike.

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags: @Game Master Dark
notes:

The golem rocked its fist back for its strike. It started forward, and then Howl settled the stone directly into the creature's chest slot.

The fist slowed in its forward movement--aimed at Asimona, yet creaking, shuddering... and when it hit, it was the barest of gentle taps.

The golem froze.

The runes glowing across its surface flickered and went out, and the rock monster fell still. Its boulders collapsed abruptly, in a heap, each massive stone thunking into the muck with a splash--and there it lay.

@Asimona @Howl

As soon as the stone seemed to magnetically slot itself into place, Howl's hand flew to his chest as if it had been burned. The golem shuddered to a stop, and the sneak thief knew he needed to get the hell outta dodge. He bolted away in the muck with his tail arcing high over his back. Well, as fast as he could when he was elbows deep in mud and stagnant water.

When all was said and done, and the golem had fully collapsed, the manic hybrid pounced onto the pile of rocks. He sifted through a few, tragically finding that they were, in fact, far too large to feasibly carry in his mouth. As far as he knew, there would be no way to break through solid rock, and that brought a scowl to Howl's face.

Without even a glance spared towards the Mookaite embedded in the earth or the big dragon, Howl vaulted from the golem to the edge of the swamp. He had no commitment to either of them. For all he knew, he did all of the work. They should appreciate the hell out of this mysterious figure that had victoriously saved them. Besides, his mania said he had other places to be.

Well, off he went. To somewhere he wasn't sure about quite yet, either.

;exit Howl
@Asimona