Quartz Five-Two-Four shook its neck. So they were to participate in the trials once more. It had expected this. It glanced at the other emerging gembound, gaze neutral. It did not mind the Agate's brashness, for it had learned to be wary for the quiet gembound. The plotting ones. It would say nothing however-it'd keep to itself. For now, atleast. Until it understood each better. Until it knew or remembered how their potential foes or allies ticked.

"Quartz Five-Two-Four, Ru, ready to participate." It said. There was no other choice but to be ready. It resisted the urge to paw the ground nervously. "I hope the rest of you are as well."

Many more Gembound came, the Chrysalises holding the Champions hatched.

But it was Vinnie's voice that caught his attention. The fossa whirled, twisting to look at the bird that he knew. His fur bristled, before flattening, and guilt rolled in his chest. 'No, Vinnie,' he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

"I'm sorry Vinnie, but... I can't let them go in alone. There's some really young Gembounds, I'd never forgive myself." he shook his head, "But if I come out of here, nothing would make me happier than to meet your Bonebound."

@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE

"Young?-YOUNG?" Vinnie cried, distraught. "Buddy you're the youngest one HERE! These are all old bastards--you're gonna get yourself killed," he croaked, miserably.

But the fossa's mind was made up, and Vinnie followed him reluctantly to Hydra's entrance, his wings sagging and his head hanging low.

He couldn't let him go alone.
________________

exit Vinnie

Something large skidded to a stop next to her, and the familiar voice that boomed in her ear startled Skeena enough that she toppled over, landing on all fours.

She whirled to face Mother, fur standing on end, beyond startled. Oh, oh no, that was Mother. Thoroughly chastized, she flattened her ears and lowered herself to the ground--despite being an adult several times over, she felt like a little Gemling in that moment. "I..." Mother was right, she wasn't sure what she had been thinking.

"I'm sorry Mother." she finally said, slinking after her.

"You go in there, you'll end up dead," Giggle said harshly after Vinnie, but he'd already taken flight, out of her range. Skeena, though, was agreeing with her, and the hyena's relief was nearly palpable.

She pushed forward, to the chicken chick that Eythan was blocking. She didn't know this one--but it was time to move them all out. "Come on, you can come with us," she told the chick--and then, in some half-forgotten instinct, tried to just pick the chick up in her jaws as if it were a cub, to carry it back to safety.

________________

ROLL THE BONES

exit Giggle

@Kalama @Eythan @Skeena

The hybrid gulped as she watched Vinnie fly into Hydra, a pit curdling in her stomach.

But Mother was going, then, grabbing the young chicken in her mouth, and Skeena scurried after her, sparing a moment to look back over her shoulder at those who were vanishing into Hydra.

Kalama's path to victory and glory was suddenly barred by a clawed foot. A clawed foot that she was distinctly familiar with.

"Its not stupidity. I could do it!" Kalama half protests, grumbling beneath her breath, a bit wary of openly going against her teacher. Her eyes glint as she tries to devise a way to sneak past his foot and join the league of champions brave enough to face Hydra. Sure Eythan might be mad at her at the start, but he'd get over it once he saw how absolutely awesome she looked coming from Hydra as the sole winner. She's finally decided to sprint past while Eythan stopped paying attention, when the hyena approached her.

"Wait, what? I'm not going with--" She begins to protest, and then she feels teeth close in on her ruff. Not even a second later shes in the air, being carried away by Giggle. Kalama lets out a high pitched twitter in fury, kicking and flailing with her legs and wings as she's unwillingly carried off, letting off a long-winded string of the closest thing she knows to expletives and insults.


Speech. Thought

Exit Kalama

Amazon watched with wide eyes as a number of creatures began to break from the crystals that were lined in front of them. What is this?! She looked to and fro, at all the strange creatures that had appeared, at all the others that had stepped forward. Her eyes passed across the giant green lizard near the back and her stomach luched.. She had not seen Greed for a long, long time. Livius had told her that she was a traitor to the seven...and Amazon could not help but be relieved. But seeing her here now, she wondered what all had happened.

She frowned, but didn't speak, instead turning as some of the gathered began to follow the Merchant towards the cave beyond. She was afraid, but she knew what she was doing this for. For Luster, Livius, Pride, the Seven...all of them. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

*exit

As many of the chrysalis before them popped open, Asimona grew concerned. She did not know the purpose of any of this - why had a new cave opened up now? Why were old creatures being brought back, to seemingly fight through the desert again? One of them hopped up to her and she looked down, arching her neck to stare at it. She frowned, a little confused. "I...do not have a number. I am called Asimona. I have a Diamond," she added, helpfully. She looked over the little thing. It was very strange, and she wondered if it was built specifically for the purpose of the trials.

She sighed and turned back up, watching the Merchant and many of the others as they began leaving the tunnel. A glance back towards Canis, before she steeled herself and followed.

*exit

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

tags:
notes:

This was annoying. Reseda was growing impatient. She didn't care about a bunch of rocks or the dusty relics that crawled out of them. She cared about the trial, the reward she was going to get. She narrowed her eyes and finally came out of the shadow as the hyena left. No chance for her location to be known now. A plan was rapidly forming in her head, although she did not know how it was going to work, precisely. Whatever power she would get, though, this was going to be a new opportunity.

Quietly, she slunk forward, ignoring the champions and the other gembounds, and followed the Merchant into Hydra.

*exit