It advanced, and watched through the dissipating field of glass as Vargas went on three limbs. Alpha was absolutely pleased when it saw glowing blood dribbling down, hitting the floor. I made him bleed, it cheered in its conscious, continuing to charge forwards, the rest of the glassy whirlwind spiking into the scuffling Overseer.

The orthoclase charged full-speed, teeth bared in a wicked snarl. He was missing use of one leg, and that meant it had a chance to knock into the other and make him be the one to fall. It barreled ahead, letting loose its hold on the glass-storm and dropping its head down much like a ram to smash all of its weight onto that one forearm.

Round: 8/10
Attempt: Knocking Vargas's other arm out from underneath him
Defense: A lot of glass, but it gets dropped a while before impact
Injuries: Just a whole bunch of smashed and bitten-ass exoskeleton

@Vargas

Alpha was barreling toward him, then, (GOOD! Vargas roared, in his mind; Press your advantage!) and he realized, almost too late, that it was aiming for his leg.

The Overseer's forelimbs were long, but comparatively thin--he was not bulky, but built more for speed. The last thing he wanted was to have a foreleg shattered in a spar. There was no time to dodge, only enough time to drop himself as the impact struck, to shift weight off the leg so at least it wouldn't shatter. Alpha's weight bore into him, beneath him, and he had no way to catch himself--so he fell, tumbling down over and off of Alpha. He scrambled for a bite, at least, gripping and snagging teeth for wherever he could get, though once again they were just a tangle of toxic quills and limbs.

At least Alpha probably still had its balance.

Round: 9/10
Attempt: Envenomate
Defense: n/a
Injuries: arm bitten, glass wounds

Vargas was in for it now - Alpha'd flung itself in full assault mode, uncaring of whether or not it'd shatter one of its Overseer's forelimbs in what was supposed to be a casual spar. For the first time, things were going its way, and the orthoclase wasn't going to let that go. It was going to prove itself, it was going to live.

Impact-made, it squatted slightly, bracing itself as Vargas dropped and tumbled. Balance maintained, Alpha twisted and scrambled out of the way of snapping - and, unbeknownst to it, venomous - fangs. The monstrous child lurched forwards, many limbs feeling for handholds on the purple behemoth and shying away from poisonous quills (it'd remembered him mentioning that at some point.) In an ideal world, it'd end up putting every bit of itself on him, holding him down through sheer mass.

Round: 9/10
Attempt: Pin Vargas down with fat baby weight
Defense: n/a
Injuries: Just a whole bunch of smashed and bitten-ass exoskeleton

@Vargas

They were a tangle of limbs--Alpha trying to clamber out from beneath Vargas, attempting (he thought? but wasn't sure) to scramble up on top of him.

He grunted, trying--and failing--to extricate himself; but at least Alpha appeared (rather clumsily--but perhaps youth could be blamed) to be distracted, now. Vargas glanced it over, and then chose a thinner section--not that any part of Alpha was thin--of limb to attempt to sink his jaws into.

He still had his venom--a paralytic sort; the question was, could he actually get a hold, this time? All else aside, that damn carapace was very useful for defense. His teeth had merely scraped over it in passing--he needed to get something into his jaws, and bite.

Round: 10/10
Attempt: Envenomate
Defense: n/a
Injuries: arm bitten, glass wounds, tangled heap of alien confusion

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Teeth hit home and Alpha gave a strained grunt, trying to yank the bitten limb back. Those fangs were hooked in fast, and the orthoclase figured it could go for its own retribution - twisting to bite whatever was closest, albeit a neck, shoulder, arm, et cetera...

As soon as it went for the motion, a searing numbness started to spread out from its leg, stiffening every muscle that it crawled through. Panic set in as it tried to flex that leg, push forwards to bite. One leg turned to two, and two to four - until it finally couldn't move any part of its body without the absolutely most extreme of efforts. Even then, it was just a twitch.

Regardless of if it managed to get its last assault in, Alpha slumped beneath Vargas, movements sluggish until there were none bar strained breathing.

Now, it was up to the Overseer to untangle themselves from this terrible game of Twister.

Round: 10/10
Attempt: One last bite to send us off
Defense: n/a
Injuries: Just a whole bunch of smashed and bitten-ass exoskeleton, uh ohhh paralyzed

@Vargas

Vargas hissed, fangs all bared--they always were, really, but moreso--as he grimaced in pain. His other forearm he had to twist and jerk a few times to extricate from the tangle of Alpha's limbs, his long forearm-spikes proving problematic, there. He had fairly savage bite-wounds on two forearms, and that was good.

Lesson time, then.

The Overseer (after a long moment of tugging this foot from beneath that arm, tail from under that leg, and so forth) turned and pressed one hand over Alpha's throat, pressing up beneath its chin. It was not a strong grip--it was, if anything, fairly gentle; but his booming voice behind it was clearly in full Overseer Mode, now.

"Your strengths may lie with a combination of magic and power! This is a magic to imbue fangs with venom. To paralyze a foe. If you do not already know it, learn it! For now, it has rendered you helpless!" A short, brusque laugh, and Vargas pulled away, turning to look over his own wounds. "You need more practice like this. It is not enough to be strong: it must be honed through experience. You must know what you can find, and how to do it. You will need different tactics for different opponents!"

Vargas pushed back to settle on his haunches, turning his forearm this way and that, inspecting Alpha's bite-wounds. A flare of magic, a glow of toxic green, and the worst of the little wounds began to knit together, to the Overseer's distaste. That hurt, at least a little, and it always itched afterward, too.

He looked back to Alpha. "Your strength and weight will serve you better against smaller opponents, but things like that glass--that was good!--are better against those larger than you! You must give yourself the advantage."

Vargas paused.

"Ahh-... That should wear off any time, now. When you can, tell me if you have questions."

@Orthoclase-Alpha

[Origin Cave]

Character: Vargas Age: +10 (10 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Champion) ROUND 1 Attempt: +10 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +19 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +17 Penalties: -0 ROUND 6 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 ROUND 7 Attempt: +20 Penalties: -0 ROUND 8 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 9 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 ROUND 10 Attempt: +13 Penalties: -0 Total: 158

Character: Orthoclase-Alpha Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +1 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +6 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 6 Attempt: +4 Penalties: -0 ROUND 7 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 8 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 9 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 10 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 Total: 66

WINNER: Vargas

Muscles pulled directly out of its own reach, Alpha was panicking at the mercy of the hand on its throat. Vargas had paralyzed it and - well, the orthoclase was going to leave out description for each of the extremely vivid death scenarios it was certain it'd be witnessing. Just know that not a single one had a bit of sunshine and rainbows gallivanting over the dells.

The Overseer was pushing all of that under the rug, seemingly unaffected - shoving ahead with notes and a reminder of what state it was in. Acidic eyes twitched towards him, breaths having to be dredged from down deep. It could flex its claws, loosen its jaws slightly, but any attempts at coherent-sounding speech fell flat; maybe the last was for the best. Alpha wanted to scream, cry, back away - something. To do something with itself instead of just laying here and taking advice it didn't want.

Nothing'd overwhelmed it so much as this supposedly helpful spar had - and, no matter how much it searched for why dread and fear were dancing through it when it'd apparently performed well enough to save itself, Alpha couldn't find a reason. Nothing was wrong with this. It'd fought and done enough. Vargas had taught it the necessary lessons and punished accordingly. This was how the Caves were supposed to be.

It compartmentalized dully, and stamped the resultant box with a nice, friendly sticker... maybe something with a golden star on it and long-forgotten writing saying "GOOD VIBES."

Alpha worked its jaw until it was in a moveable state, grunting softly with each pull of the limbs, trying to tuck them beneath itself and move again towards the relative safety of the tunnel wall. Its head swung like it was dead weight atop the nest of quills, tongue snaking out to swipe lazily at a shattered plate on its forearm. One arm, center-left, reached up, picking at the carapace and flicking away a bloodied piece wedged in.

Slowly, carefully - quietly - it asked, "how do I get practice when there's only you?" Still licking the wounds it could reach and taking out broken bits, the child pressed almost disdainfully, "nothing big."

@Vargas

Vargas considered.

This was, of course, a problem. There weren't all that many oversized shock-troopers in the caves.

"You are right," he declared--credit where it was due, always--"there are not all that many large fighters in the caves. I know of one-" (he remembered as he said it: Dread, wings spread, flame engulfing him)"-but it can defeat me in a straight fight. It can fly, and use magic from a distance," he explained, looking to Alpha. "And unless you can find a way to bring such beasts to the ground, you will find them difficult! Perhaps when you are fully-grown you can spar with him, but he is bestial, and may not control himself wholly. I would not trust him with you now," the Overseer added bluntly.

He focused, for a moment, on his magic--with a faint sense of foreboding. He had a spell that could bring a dragon from the sky, but actually using it was another story; it nearly always failed him, or even--cramped... CRAMPS- - and if he'd been one to swear, a foul "FUCK" would have torn past his jaws. As it was he was already sitting, so he just rocked down, hissing in pain, and tried to focus back on task.

Who else (CRAMP!)... was available-? There was Titanite, of course; but that one was--disappointingly--little of a fighter. In fact...

"There is another of your brood in another cave. Smaller than you, without all that much strength. It is useful, but its magic is not fully-developed. I can take you to it, and you can fight that one. It is large--but smaller than you are," he repeated.

"Aside from that, I think we shall have to make more of you. Not identical, but close. Soon you will be old enough to be trialled, one way or another, and if you succeed I will allow you to choose to make brood of your own. If you are like the rest you will find that three at once is a limit."

Vargas paused, thinking. The foul cramps finally released his legs, and he exhaled.

"I give you three tasks, Alpha. Four. First, spar with me whenever you are ready and willing. I will continue to teach you what I know: as I said, only experience will move you forward. Second, fight the winged beast, when you are an adult, and test yourself. Third, fight Titanite--I will bring you to him, when you are ready. And fourth, when you are ready, tell me and we will find Algol. He often asks for some foolish task or other--even for me--but it will be a good test for you; and we can ask him if he has any of the stones of the old and powerful, that we--or you, if you want--can revive. There are many long-dead Champions who would make fine soldiers for you to fight alongside, and against."

@Orthoclase-Alpha

Alpha worked its way down its forelimbs, shoulder first and spread toes next. Its tongue swiped up and down its carapace, catching painfully where even hairline fractures laid. Maybe a trip to Canis was in order - to find a proper pool of water to wade around in. It paused mid-lick down a gangly arm, and lifted its meaty paw to smooth down its quills into somewhat orderly fashion. No point in continuing to look like it'd been pummeled in a fight. Idly, it yanked on a piece of molt.

When Vargas spoke, though - it did listen. Radioactive eyes fixed on the Overseer, almost warily watching his motions even after he sat down. He'd, at least, agreed that it was nigh impossible for it to have had any prior experience fighting against beasts larger and faster than it. Shame it had to go through that - no, no, that was fine. That was for something I should have known. - to meet in this middle, where Vargas offered advice that Alpha could take.

Its eyes widened slightly at the description of such a beast, marveling at how it'd missed it and not heard of it before. Something to take on an Overseer? Perhaps, through association, if the orthoclase could defeat it, it could defeat Vargas in a straight battle. More practice with all of that glass could help in bringing down a flying beast...

Breathing came easier when it had something else to think about.

Like another of the Vargas-spawn, unheard of before, being elsewhere; kept elsewhere, even. The Sentinels weren't privy to all of their Overseer's business but... Alpha blurted, "why is it not with us? Training and fighting here?" The way its eyes suddenly lit up betrayed how eager it would've been to have a sibling to properly fight with - learn with, even. Even if this mysterious broodmate was specialized in magic, the orthoclase would have happily done many a spar with it.

It blinked at the mention of brood - quills pricking like thousands of little, expressive ears. Alpha, known for its tendency to just take information and regurgitate it later when asked about it, had at least picked up on the importance of reproduction. The point of status it provided was proof enough of something's worth. That the Overseer even suggested it might be able to have the choice to... he saw enough of something in it. Something worth using again.

Thoughts fluttering to the Gembound it'd seen, it nodded slightly. Maybe it could test some for strength and worthiness and keep them in mind for later.

Those came to a rapid halt, making room for memorizing three - no, four tasks given to it. First was sparring (and back came the wary sense of dread at repeating history), and second was finding itself in battle with that winged beast. The latter was a test all on its own, self-determined and self-managed. If it could even survive... well, that was an accolade all on its own, right?

A lot of when you are readys and if you want's were interspersed through those tasks, and for something that'd made few independent, possibly major decisions before... well, Alpha wasn't sure how to take those other than to simply jump on the opportunity that seemed the least risky considering the state of its shell. It took one last survey of its body, stretching both forelimbs out in front of itself in a cat-like fashion. "This'll come back better," the orthoclase grunted, shaking its quills out, "I can go find - Algol? In a few days, a week? And I... want to spar against you and Titanite. Learn." It seemed to fumble with the word "want." "I'll wait until I'm an adult for the winged beast."

It stared, chin tucking slightly as if looking for some kind of approval.

@Vargas