The area before the den suddenly exploded into violence, with screams and yells ringing through Cetus's mist. Azrael snarled as something whipped past his face, glinting claws just missing his eyes. He whirled around to face the attacker - the tiger, raising a claw to strike back, but it was right then that the two bears fell upon her. They would not need his help, most likely.

The seal, though - nobody was tackling the seal. Reji and Pallas were nearby, trying to force it to eat, but they were small. Ice was forming around its body, but it was weak. With a roar, he surged forward, throwing out his arms to grab at her mouth and hold it open, using his weight and size to his advantage and overwhelm her. But the ice was slippery underfoot - he couldn't reach her before his balance was thrown off and he was forced to step back.

Tethys was not going to allow these punks to take her down. If she was going down, she was taking one or some of them with her. She trashed about, trying to get her jaws out of Azrael's hold. She was able to do so, and aimed her jaws at Reji's face. Yes, this was the leader of this sick and twisted group. Now, her face would be taken as punishment. She wasn't messing around. She would not eat that disgusting fungus. She noticed Zelk attack Orlaith too. She also heard what Aqua had said. It seemed that half of the kingdom was brainwashed literally into obeying this group. She and Orlaith were the only ones who were free of will. Tethys was either going to break or take away Reji's face. She would suffer the consequences.

Orlaith was very pissed off at this point. She attempted to aim her claws and fangs at one of the bear's eyes, but ended up missing. Sergei's paws hit her front right leg, and she roared in pain. It seemed it was severely sprained, broken. But despite this she still held her own. She still stood, ready to even die at this point if she had to. She gave the bear a horrifyingly threatening look. She growled out some fearless words. "I swear, whatever you have planned for us, in the end we will KILL all of you." That was no threat, it was their ominous future.

@Lamia

Once the ice had started to form around Tethys, Lamia began pulling herself forward as fast as she could, trying to chase them outside. She took a breath - one of the last she had stored away, before she stopped right at the entrance to the den. She could see them, they were all in front of her, fighting fiercely. She couldn't do that, she couldn't help, but the instant she saw what Tethys was doing to Reji, as her mouth snapped forward, Lamia threw herself into action.

Figuratively.

Her webbed hands clawed against the mud and her bulbous eyes focused intently on Tethys's mouth. The next time it opened, to speak, or to bite, she'd freeze it open, sending as much magic as she could into the attack.

@Pallas

They had conglomerated on the seal, even as roars rang out from Orlaith's predicament. Hopefully no Children were around to witness this.

With Pallas's paw right against Tethys's lips, the moment her jaw opened (despite the thrashing provided by her shaking off Azrael), he dragged his paw along with it and pushed in his arm up to the elbow to shove the piece he offered directly into her gullet. His other slapped against her muzzle ineffectively as he braced to get in further.

There was no way of getting between her and Reji, but he could play his part anyways- and he gave a frantic acknowledgement to her through the line. If she managed to dodge and survive, she should go for Orlaith- they could handle this.

Even if Pallas risked losing his leg. The end result mattered here; Tethys would be an excellent asset to use, after all, and he would not let her get away.

@Aquamarine

Aquamarine watched the entire battle go on with her eyes, trembling to stay out of it. The real her tried to break free, but failed again. Aquamarine was only here to serve mother, and mother only. She stayed away from the battle for her own safety. All of this was for the good of mother. Mother was the only thing that mattered. She hoped Tethys and Orlaith would see that too. The child was very frightened, hoping for Tthys and Orlaith to calm down.

Zelk had to stop Orlaith from leaving. She needed her friend to obey mother, just like the rest of the hive. She reared up on her hind legs, slamming her front paws on her back attempting to hold her down. Whether Orlaith liked it or not, she was going to stay. She was going to obey mother. Mother was here for the benefit of them all. If Tethys and Orlaith couldn't see that, then that was their fault. She would never allow them to defy mother, no matter what it took.

@Game Master Dark

Gore Warning: Highlight pale text for full content

The mind of Mother continued to pour through them, like blood through veins, like waves through water. "YES," she was encouraging them; "You are doing well... you are protecting us..." Warmth. Love. Gratitude...

Reji, however, was not hearing any of it. Her mind was suddenly severed from the rest of them, her link snapped after a brief flash of bright agony. Her head, and the halo gemstone atop it, was crushed in the leopard seal's powerful jaws in an instant; her skull-shaped face split and bled with a horrid crack, the real skull beneath suddenly exposed beneath flaps of muddied blue fur. Her small body collapsed immediately into the mud, limp, as the mud around her stained quickly blue with her strange blood.

rolling for Reji's damage: 1-4 death, other failure = chrysalis, barely successful = severe injury, successful = bad wound, crit success = wound

Sergei growled, shaking himself and blinking rapidly, at the brief flash of pain and the sudden, hollow absence of Reji. Mother's reassurance was running hot behind it, and it was hard, for a moment, to focus.

Rage, slow to kindle in Sergei, rose; in a moment it was a conflagration. He roared, pushing up on his hind legs and bellowing into Cetus. Zelk was holding the tiger down and his urge to tear claws for her neck was thus held back--it wouldn't be right, not while she was helpless... He slammed back down to all fours, and then slapped a heavy paw for her nonetheless. A few slicing scrapes, a warning...

"YOU ARE NOT TO BE MOVING," he cried, and the anguish was clear in his tone.

Legion buzzed up and away, frightened at the snapping jaws, terrified by the conflict of Mother's orders and their own inability to do anything effective. They were frantic with it, and spun a bit into the air, hovering.

Reji's fall left the swarm flicking back, frightened, and realization hit it. Legion reached through the Hive's link.

"We will make sure no one else comes," the swarm cried. And quickly, the mites fled into patrol, circling, making sure that no one was spying from the darkness.