Set before the events of Fire in her veins
Kalama's chrysalis ended up in Canis,somehow. Whether it was moved, or she just had chrysalis powers. She was simply there. A lumpy stone of greyish banded flint. Kalama awoke with a start. She kicked against the wall of the chrysalis. Wait--she kicked! Her legs, they worked again! They-theyed been broken in the trial. The memories of the events flooded back. The strain from before was no more. No more cold gnawing at her skin. No more legs that throbbed with unending pain. She let out a relieved chuckle from within her chrysalis. She'd survived the trial! She tried to reflect on what place she'd been in. She'd been...been with that horse thing, Ivory, at that time. They--Ivory.

She was going too slow. And Kalama..she ended up one of the last. She'd only gotten there by the time a few other gems were chrysalized. And Imp, her rival of all people got there before her. Imp was blind. This. Things werent supposed to turn out like this. Anger bubbled within Kalama. And rage overflowed. She screamed, kicking out against the chrysalis.

Kalama didn't think as she hit her toe against her chrysalis. She just did it. And like most poorly thought out ideas, it backfired horribly. Her foot landed, fourth toe down on the wall of her chrysalis. But the force of her foot didn't stop. Her foot continued, until the toe crunched under the combined weight and strength of the chicken. Kalama screamed once more. This one wasn't a cry of rage. but one of agony. "Stupid chrysalis, stupid trial, stupid foot!" Her tusks grated along her beak with every word. And wait--tusks?

The universe seemed out to get her. To thwart Kalama and her plans at every turn. But at least the egg fairy was on her side. It was some comfort. She'd have to find and thank the egg fairy in person some day. This chrysalis wasn't one of the egg fairy's devising, no. It was clearly the Masked Merchant who put her within. Yeah, the Egg Fairy would never hurt her. Kalama would show the Masked Merchant who he was dealing with!

"You think you can take me, huh rock!? I didn't ask to be chrysalized! Ill break you! I have the power of Masters and the Egg Fairy on my side!"

Unwilling to risk her toes once more, Kalama lashed out at the stone with her wings.

Her wings battered against the chrysalis ineffectually. She hadn't even noticed that her ribs ached, and before she could think on it, the object causing the pain fell, thunking gently against the bottom. Something had been tucked into her armpits. She thought for a moment. Oh! Her trophy! The worm stone! Her treasure. But Kalama had more important measures Kalama's wings were too weak, it seemed to be of any service. Was she the problem? Was she the reason why she couldn't break out of the chrysalis? No. It was the chrysalis who was wrong. "I'm not done yet!" Kalama said, growling. She refused to believe she was beaten. She could survive a trial but not break from a chrysalis? No, the fight had only begun! She curled her injured foot in in preparation for the next attack.

"You're dead chrysalis! You cant keep me from the outside forever!"

He was happening past--and he knew this chrysalis; one of the Champions whose stones he'd watched for half a cycle as they reformed.

This one was flailing. Struggling. Quizzically he approached, and with a short, sharp movement, drove clenched claws for one side of the flint. Who thought this was a good idea for a stone, anyway? he asked himself, bemused.

A crack, and he flipped the large shard away, leaving an opening.

"YOU WERE STUCK," he shouted in, loudly (in case there was goo in its ears), and then he turned and stalked away.

immediate exit vargas

Kalama prepared herself to attack the chrysalis once more. She counted down. A few seconds of break,to prepare herself for the next attack. On the outswing of her foot, a crack broke the relative silence of the chrysalis. A shard of the shell peeled away. Vargas's massive face entered her line of sight. Violently green eyes glowing. It scared the chicken half to death. She let out a peep of fear. Vargas had the audacity, the sheer audacity to declare she'd been stuck. The rumbling voice gave her pause, and it took Kalama a second to gather her words.

"I-I wasn't stuck! I didn't need your help!" But Vargas was already gone. Kalama grumbled, getting to her feet. Her right foot was in a world of pain. But it hadn't been as bad as breaking both her legs. This was a mercy, comparatively. That didn't mean it didn't strike her with pure pain every second. She hobbled out of the chrysalis. A thought struck her. The shard--she'd forgotten it! She limped in place, turning around. The light illuminated the empty egg well enough. Kalama could see the shard of diamond. Kalama stuck her head inside, grabbing the shard of diamond. She shifted it until it sat comfortably in her teeth. Oh--she knew!

She could make another one of her. A familiar! That'd be cool, right? If everyone knew she had created a gembound, able to fight. Stronger than any out there. The idea was intoxicating. Kalama summoned her magicka from within. What would she name this? What could you name the fusion between the coolest gembound to walk the caves, and a giant death worm? Kalama dropped the stone, gently.

"Alright stone, your name will be Big Death Scary Kalama," she pressed her beak against the stone. "The second."

Kalama felt the energy flow from her. At first, the stone seemed to reject the life. It showed no signs of recieving any of her energy. But she still felt drained, tiring with ever second that passed. Whatever stopper had prevented her from imbuing the stone with her life gave out, and the stone seemed to hum with energy. Satisfied, Kalama removed her beak. She looked around, checking to see if Vargas truly was out of sight.

Kalama couldn't see Vargas, no. But maybe she could sense them. Kalama reached out with her magicka, trying to detect the other gem. But the magic seemed to reverse, slamming back into her. A massive headache made itself known almost immediately. Kalama stumbled, feeling vertigo. Perhaphs she shouldnt try so much magic. Not after being in her chrysalis so long. Kalama groaned. She sat, injured leg held out. Resting against the stone. Waiting for it's chrysalis to form.


--CHANGE OF PLANS NO EXIT WE CRYSTAL HUNTIN BOYS

Kalama stood up. The chrysalis wasn't forming that fast. This was slow, and dumb. Kalama grumbled, annoyed. "Grow faster!" She said. Kalama stood, glaring at it. "What kind of kid grows this slow? Big Death Scary Kalama the Second, you suck." She kicked the stone. She'd come back later. Perhaphs Vargas went to tunnel P? Kalama needed to find Vargas. Tell him that she totally didn't need his help. And yell at him for breaking her legs.

She spared a single glance back at the stone. It'd be fine without her. Yelling at Vargas would only take a hour or two. And with that she trotted off to the entrance of Tunnel P. She'd barely gotten near the tunnel before she was assaulted with its' sheer heat. Sand spilled out, swallowing bones in their path. She sniffed the air, darting her gaze around. Flicked her tail.

"Vargas?" She shouted. "I didn't need your help!"

There was no Vargas. But a crystal sat in the sand. A dot of magic in her vision. Kalama dunked her head into the hot sand, digging with her mouth.

Her beak nosed something hard. Kalama clasped on to the crystal, and pulled it out. She shook the sand from her face and eyes. Did Vargas die? Was this his gemstone?

"Varg?" She mumbled around the gemstone in her mouth. No, that didn't make sense. A gembound as large as Vargas must have a gem at least as big as him. Kalama was simply alone again? Good. It gave her more time to train atleast. Kalama dropped the gemstone, a safe distance away from her broken toe. She reached out with her magicka again. No Vargas. Another shard of gemstone. This one's magicka was pretty weak. She rooted around for that one as well, placing it next to her first.

Then it hit her--had she killed Vargas? Or maybe Vargas left, screaming in terror. Yeah, that made sense. Kalama was pretty scary, after all. She'd beaten the snow worm by herself! But...if Vargas had died. That meant she could take his gemstone for herself. Make a huge, unbeatable gembound. She needed to try. Kalama reached out with her magic. Another stone, this one weaker than the two she'd found before. If Vargas did drop his stone. Kalama wasn't going to find it here. Kalama grumbled, tucking the three she'd found under a wing. She should get back to her diamond.

The stones are three, but all of former survivors of Hydra.

The first is a Pupil-level Jet, belonging to a white-feathered creature perhaps the size of a large hawk or an eagle, with a reptilian face and bat-like fingers in the wings beneath its feathers. Its hind feet were hooved, its tail long.

The second is a Fledgling-level Actinolite with information as-yet unknown.

The third is a Fledgling-level Legrandite belonging to a massive bipedal beast with hooved hind limbs, long-taloned forearms, sweeping fingerless wings that could support it in a glide, and an anglerfish-like face with multiple dangling antennae. Its entire body was covered in glistening scales.