Lapis Ninety-five

Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins

Consciousness arose like a shoal of silvery fish from the dark. Vague, at first, but then rapidly coming into focus in a dazed swirl of emotion in the dark. First, there was grogginess. Then a faint sense of apprehension governed. Then Feeling reawakened in Lazuli; she felt the walls of her prison pressing against her in ways that she knew they should not.

Her body felt strange... Different.

Lazuli's sense of concern grew; she was fully awake now. Was it time for another trial?

She steeled herself, then flexed, spreading her legs, her small forelimbs. She felt the sharpness of her claws keenly scrape against soft membranes that shouldn't be hers... but were. Her hold gave way, and with an echoing crack, the royal blue chrysalis split open, leaving a pile of drenched feathers and limbs. Lazuli looked around. She could see... something... lying either side of her, trailing in the sand. She could feel them. Flex them.

The tips of enormous beige wings twitched; they shouldn't be hers, yet they were.

Lazuli slowly, unsteadily, stood upright, clumsily furling these strange new appendages either side of her. She cocked her head as she looked around, seeking out the others. All she could see were shattered shards. No strange masked figure, or excited trial-goers. She was fully, and truly, alone.

Cautiously, wondering if this was some sort of trick, Lazuli stepped towards the entrance of Hydra, standing just near enough to the entrance to feel its warmth beginning to dry her feathers, enough that she could see out onto the barren sands, though not very far. There were no tracks, or distant figures on the dunes.

There was nothing.

And for the first time, Lapis ninety-five was quite uncertain of how to react to that.

---

@Vargas

Vargas had sat--silent, still and contemplating--at the mouth of Hydra for hours. The storms weren't reaching here, and the couple chrysalises not yet hatched showed no signs of doing so. Dead? he'd wondered, but a check with his magic had still found a heart beating within.

For a long while he'd simply sat, then, staring into the desert but not seeing any of it. His mind, instead, was on the caves. Astraea had... if not lied to him, then certainly hadn't bothered to tell him the extent of the Masters' failure. Gembound, they were calling themselves. And they ran wild, clueless of purpose, of their origins, of their fates. But what were their fates, now..? The Masters seemed to serve no greater purpose, any longer; they went through the motions, hollow and fierce, yes. But to what end?

When Vargas had come to the final question--where that left him--he'd stood and stormed back off toward Canis. He'd be trapped, down here--trapped for millennia. He could let himself go savage, he supposed. Wreak havoc, and free his mind from the horror of permanent captivity. Sate his needs, his desires, at his own whims. Or he could continue to serve nothing, in the hopes that one day it might again be something.

He'd barely gotten around the bend when he heard a quiet crack behind him. He wasn't sure if his own magic had perhaps prompted it, but he had paused to listen. The cracking of crystal preceded the soft thump of a body on sand, and when he paced quietly back around the tunnel curve, he spotted a figure there, looking out--as he had been just moments before--into Hydra.

Ahh, Lapis, he thought to himself, and acidic gaze travelled over its form to stop at the new wings. Such gracious rewards for such a minor test, he mused. But one whose judgement he would never call into question--not verbally, not aloud, anyway--was the Merchant.

Quietly he stalked forward, not deliberately silent but simply by habit. As he grew near, he spoke, pausing some few yards away.

"Lapis Ninety-Five. I believe you are one of the last, if not the last, to awaken." He cast another glance over the other stones. He wasn't sure which of them had participated in this last trial, and which were still asleep from... however long it had now been.

His eyes shifted back to the bird. "Congratulations on surviving, this time."

@Lapis Ninety-Five

Lapis Ninety-five

Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins

Lazuli turned towards the sound of approaching claws, her feathers prickling with momentary unease which did not subside when she saw the source. Nevertheless, she gave no sign of being afraid. The Overseer made for an imposing figure, to be sure, but Lazuli had long ago become used to keeping her composure. Out on Hydra's sands, losing your cool could mean losing everything.

She blinked, slow and thoughtful, before after a moment slowly lowering her long neck into a low and respecful bow- a motion which might easily have been taken advantage of, had she been smaller and weaker.

But the gesture was performed, not as a show of trust, but of submission. She was not in control here, and she never had been. "Overseer," she greeted, at length, as she finally rose back up to her full height. "It would seem so."

She glanced back out over Hydra's sands, one last time, before turning back towards Vargas. At his congratulations, the bird offered little more than a small dip of her head in acknowledgement. It was hardly a compliment, hardly even praise. But for it to have come from Vargas himself was an honour, to be sure. "My thanks, Overseer."

She paused for a moment, clacking her beak, and casting her gaze around them. Aside from a few lonely chrysalises, they were alone.

"By the fact that you are here, I assume that the next trial has not yet begun?" she asked evenly, businesslike as usual.

---

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Vargas

Vargas didn't generally bother to remember too much about the trial participants. Oh, to be sure, part of being a good Overseer meant remembering who had which abilities, and how good they were. Strengths, weaknesses, all that sort of thing. But the most important judge was always "are they still alive?", in the end. That, and it had been a long time, a long sleep; his memory was foggy and clouded with the fragments of long dreams.

Lapis, though... He racked his brain, for a moment. He remembered that they were swift, quiet; somewhat ruthless, as many had to be but not all always were. A good runner. And we'll see what sort of flyer, his mind tacked on absently. And this was the sort of thing he'd remember. Nothing of their likes or dislikes, or their fears; none of that mattered, and in truth very few would have spoken of such things to the Overseer. But he did remember one thing about Lapis: they were stoic. This bow of respect was not unlike them, and he appreciated that of them. Most of the test subjects were respectful, granted, but many were fearful. Lapis held themselves firm but showed respect nonetheless. Good.

But... There was a problem.

The next trial... He took a thoughtful breath, briefly nodding his own head in acknowledgement back, though it was just as much to pass the time as he considered the question as it was any real sign of respect on his part. Lapis was beneath him, one of many who would come and go, and he didn't particularly care about forming any lasting impression one way or the other. But what would he answer..? He was an Overseer, a figure of authority, and he balked at sharing the upper workings with the test subjects. But in the past, he'd have been busy. He'd have had a ready answer, a date for a trial, a scheduled plan, and things to work toward. But he could not say to this subject, "the caves are in total disarray. I don't know what's happening."

And Vargas, though not a fool, was not the world's most tactful creature.

He settled for something between the truth, and nothing at all. "...There is no test currently scheduled. There are storms in the caves; rains, floods. The Masters may be busy handling that." His tone was carefully neutral, non-commital. But he found himself pushing past Lapis to again lower himself to crooked haunches, staring into Hydra. When again he spoke, however, he didn't sound wistful or worried, only matter-of-fact, as always. "Have you been asleep for as long as I have--? Or have you been awake while I rested?" The triangular head turned to stare at her. "You'll find the caves much different than you remember. The Spire has changed-..." Vargas paused. He could not remember if any of these creatures knew of the Spire at all. "There are things calling themselves 'Gembound' throughout the caves, now. Many of them seem to be children. Not designed, but spontaneously birthed from stones. Loose magicka, I suspect," he added. "They know nothing of the caves, of how it used to be, and they are not under control. This will be fixed," he added, indifferently, "so do not let their lack of respect for Overseers and Masters delude you, or draw you into a similar mistake."

Again Vargas' voice held no real tone, bar solemnity. It was a warning, to be sure, but hardly a threat; simply fact, stated by a superior being to one that could be crushed, in his mind, in an instant.

@Lapis Ninety-Five

Lapis Ninety-five

Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins

Lazuli waited patiently for Vargas' answer; and his hesitation struck her, immediately, as being unusual. Although the memories of before were foggy at best, the trials had been all she had really known.
there was always another trial.

Finally, the Overseer answered.

And it... did not help. Never in the history of the caves had Lazuli known the Masters to be... preoccupied with other things, too preoccupied to do their sworn duty. Technical difficulties were just not something that happened down here. But admittedly, of the caves, Lazuli knew only of Hydra... or at least, the desert cave was all she remembered.

She moved aside, giving Vargas the space to look out cross the sands.

"...I see," she finally answered, with a slow nod, after some time of mulling it over. His question caught her off guard, yet only slightly. Her red eyes blinked once, then twice. "I believe so. The only thing I remember before dormancy..." she paused "...Was more trials. Other than that, it is all a fog. I don't remember whether you were present on the final run."

Following this, Lazuli found herself quite stuck on how else to answer. She clacked her beak lightly as she considered. "...I'm afraid I wouldn't know," she said finally, her voice even, not accusing or mourning. "Hydra and its trials is all I have ever known. And hydra, well..." Here, just a touch of morbid humour entered her tone. "...She seems as cruel and dry as ever, sir."

Vargas continued, speaking of strange newcomers to the caves. The 'Gembounds'. This was strange news, new. But there was a slight ring of familiarity to it. There had been young ones, inexperienced ones, at the last trial. Strange creatures who seemed completely inept for the purposes of the trials, and far too eager to enter them. Barely worth more than the dust beneath Lazuli's claws. And yet, some survived.

"I believe some were present at the trial," she recalled. "Unfamiliar faces, seemingly unfit for the task. Some perished, but there were survivors." She flexed her claws against the earth, raising herself slightly further upright. "I did not speak to them. I did not think they were worth my time."

Vargas' warning stirred little reaction other than a solemn bow of Lazuli's head. It went without saying, really. But notheless, the great bird took it to heart.

"Duly noted, Overseer."

---

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Vargas

Vargas was silent for so long that it might not have been clear, at first, whether he'd been listening at all.

But at last he turned and glanced to Lapis, thinking.

"Given the circumstances, you are free to wander the caves, for the time being. I am certain that one of the Masters will turn you back, if you go somewhere you should not. I don't know the state of Cetus but I would avoid that one, if I were you," he added, dark humor in his voice. "But perhaps here is an opportunity for you, Lapis Ninety-Five."

Vargas pushed up, toweringly tall, turning to stare down Lapis. "Go among these 'gembound,' learn what you can and return. Report any dissent, and tell me what you learn. Perhaps there'll be a reward in it for you," Vargas added, tone indifferent. Lapis could perhaps be spared a trial or two in the future, or given the freedom to breed, or even better living quarters.

Vargas was rather behind the times, but he didn't know that, yet.

His tail lashed once, behind him, as he awaited a response. No chit-chat or idle talk, from him, now; just business, and nothing but.

@Lapis Ninety-Five

Lapis Ninety-five

Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins

Lazuli paused, processing the 'opportunity' that Vargas had offered her. It was a... first, to be certain, and she found herself hesitating, lingering, wondering; could it be a trick? Perhaps she would leave, only to be dragged back and accused of treachery for going where the Masters would not allow.

She had never, ever, been allowed to leave Hydra before.

Perhaps someone had set this up, specifically. It could be why none of the others had yet returned. Perhaps what lay beyond the tunnel was the real trial.

Lazuli slowly tilted her head as she examined Vargas. "Are you certain, Overseer?" she asked finally, stoic and careful. But as Vargas continued, his intent seemed to become clearer to her. If it was as Vargas said... even if these 'Gembounds' were not dangerous, then the situation must be direr than the Overseer would care to admit. She remained silent as he asked her to go among them, to find out all she could. Report any 'dissent' as he put it.

She did not need any further hesitation, and bowed her head almost immediately in acknowledgement. To be given a reason to leave Hydra was reason enough for her to believe that it wasn't a trick.

"Yes, sir," Lapis ninety-five said, as she straightened up to her full, towering height. "You will not be disappointed."

---

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Vargas

Lapis' hesitation was not important enough to Vargas for him to take note. Somewhat impatiently, he responded. "Of course I am certain." She doubted him..? "Now go--err. As soon as you are ready," he amended, remembering just in time that she'd only just emerged. Perhaps she needed a few minutes to stretch, or whatever the lesser creatures might require.

As for her reassurances, the Overseer eyed Lapis over and answered simply--a threat lurking clearly in the words--"I know you won't."

Vargas pushed up, turning and stalking back toward Tunnel P without a single glance back. His clawed limbs scuffed dusty sand up where he walked, but he paid it no mind; he had other things to consider, for the moment. Hopefully Lapis, at least--always swift, and now with wings, to boot--would prove to be the scout that he hoped. A little large, perhaps, but he wasn't sure just how hostile the caves were to such creatures. Perhaps it would be good that she could defend herself in order to return with his information.

Meanwhile, he himself would not sit idle. He, too, had investigations to undertake.

exit Vargas
@Lapis Ninety-Five

Lazuli took a moment longer to examine the overseer, blinking slowly. Finally, she bowed her head one final time in acknowledgement. "Yes, Overseer," she answered, as she straightened up.

Her mind still reeled with the possibilities and a hint of disbelief. In all her cycles, this was unheard of, as far as she knew. Such a technical calamity that even the masters were stumped, was almost enough to... scare her. Almost.

Lazuli wasn't about to let her trepidation show, though; after all, she had not even seen the situation, yet. Not that she had ever seen the wider caves before. Now was the time to scout. Now was the time to discover. Now was the time to investigate.

As far as Lazuli was concerned, this was the perfect opportunity to stretch her legs. She didn't linger long, after Vargas had gone, strtching out her wings until their tips brushed against the tunnel walls, before breaking into a steady trot. Her joints only ached for a moment, and her feathers soon dried out. Soon she slowed to a walk, airing on the side of caution as she pressed away from the world she knew and into the unknown.

-exit Lazuli-

"When I speak."

When I think.