Pride turned, nudging at Mercurius. Some of his sternness seemed to leak away at the appearance of the gentle lion, and he strode alongside him--he didn't think his friend would be super comfortable in a large crowd of strangers.

When the plant-threaded ring shifted and turned, he eyed it up and down.

"I don't know what this is. Or if it's dangerous. But if they're trying to open it, I'd rather be here in case it is. Thank you for coming--I suppose, one day, I should learn how to tend life instead of simply combatting it."

He bent forward, nosing the fourth ring. It left a red stain on his nose--dark, reeking of copper or iron. "Blood?" he hazarded, his brow furrowing.

He reached out his magicka, taking a step back, tentatively pushing it into the fifth ring.

"How have you been?" he asked, meanwhile.

The fifth ring was hesitant, the stag's perhaps too-weak push of magic taking a long moment to take hold. But the red color making up its warm and sticky surface began to pulse, shoved with energy, until a rhythmic throb overtook it. As if propelled by beating heart it began to edge around in short, double bursts--thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP until at last it slid into place, and shuddered to a silent halt.

The warmth went cool, the red turning a dull brown, and the ring went still.

@Aure @Pip @Soumak @Null @Seshat @Dip

A warm smile tugged at his features as Pride drew closer. Leave it to the stag to pick up those hints. Mercurius lifted his head a little, knocking his cheek lightly into the stag's shoulder appreciatively. His magic'd worked well enough, it seemed, and his part was done - so he could get to that much-needed chit-chat.

"Ah, if it comes to be dangerous - I trust you to take care of those who stay behind. I'll protect the children," he hummed softly. "My lessons are always free," Mercy added with gentle humor, "and I would be happy to teach you."

Pride bloodied himself a little, and sent the fifth ring on an ominous twist 'til its seal pointed upwards. Mercurius shuddered, but clung to the casualness of catching up.

"Your dragon friend seems to have acquired quite a family in Monoceros. He's two children, and I believe one of them has a child of his own. They visited us... ah, some time ago - to warn us about this... pair of beasts, and possible others in Canis and..." he paused with a laugh, "finally demand payment for protection." Moonlit gaze fixed on Pride, "and you, Pride? Azizos told me some time back that the Seven were doing well in their numbers again."

Where was that child of theirs, anyways?

@Pride

Wilder's chrysalis was well-hidden in the bones, but enough of in a flat area to not warrant any danger upon reemerging - and Aure was all the better for it.

Compared to when he'd left, the hybrid was in a much more savory mood. That sparkle was back in his eyes, and he trailed after Kerberos and Pride a little while after, listening here and there and simply watching the proceedings until -

Ah, that sixth ring.

Same as before, he reached out with a flush of fungal magic - the type that he actually seldom used, due to its... destructive? nature. Eythan'd said something about Giggle using it on him before, and... the thought of it made Aure grimace. That time might've necessitated harm, but not this. This was just moving that ring, revealing whatever was beyond.

"Ahh, well enough," the stag agreed amiably, stepping back--answering, first the bit about the numbers. But the rest--"Payment. I suppose I should speak to them--and ask them about this threat?" he added, glancing to Mercurius. He could create the big and glittering gemstones, and he also, now, held interest in whoever this was in Canis. Was it a threat to their allies, too--the Bonebound? "Aure--do you know anything of this?" he asked, mildly, peering ahead at the bird-hybrid tampering with the rings. "No one is threatening your group, in Canis, are they?"

Content Warning: Gore/Horror (light gray)

The sixth ring stayed still, at first, as Aure's magic spread. Fungus then bloomed along its span, and the flesh-like substance that made it up began to bubble away. He would feel the energy flowing through him, as this ring was reduced to nothing but a skeletal circle of bone-like webbing.

And with it came glimpses of disjointed memories.

A greeting--light, playful. The light shafting down on a gray face with four bright, round blue eyes. They were running, then--a dozen of them--but not in fear. Playing. A long span of dirt stretched out ahead of them. Then they were resting, tucked into the shade beneath the trees, night falling.

And then screaming, twisting, attempting to escape; but clawed limbs and agonizing magic held them gripped, their body ripping apart in impossible, swift pain, and they were dying... their organic material pushed, reformed into a new shape, preserved around a strange stone ring-

The sixth ring then began to grind open, the flesh that had made up part of its spongy nature wholly dissolved. Its bone-structure aligned to point upward, leaving the seventh its dull, porous, pale green-gray.

"Good, good," Mercurius chimed with a dip of his head. The Seven'd been struggling for a time since their king's hibernation, but it was wonderful to hear that things were turning around for his people.

"We had a stash of baubled things from the tunnel to stave him off - but it might be wise to leave a... ah," grasping, grasping for the word, "a tip, for the wait."

His gaze turned towards the stock-still Bone King, ears pricking back slightly. Is he breathing? A shove of magicka - and a glimmering orb of light drifted in front of Aure. Bright eyes blinked once, and stared at it as if it'd suddenly blinked into behind. Mercurius pulled it slightly, dragging the hybrid's gaze to him, and asked softly, "are you alright?"

No response.

The gentle lion turned to look at Pride, briefly explaining: "Dread said something of them having - a number of eyes and spines. One was called... Orthoclase-Alpha? It attacked his son. The other was - Virgin - no, no, ah - Vargas. They are both large and seem to be threatening them." Mercurius rocked into a slow plod towards Aure, plopping down silently next to him and watching him carefully - humming reassuringly.

cw for panic and aure throwing up yet again

This magic hooked in deep this time - and he was thrust out of reality for those fleeting moments it took for the flesh to be decomposed.

Oh - A brief glance of a dozen creatures, frolicking, resting, how sweet... Warmth settled in his breast as energy fed into his being.

Night fell and - Aure shook. It was cold, and he couldn't pin his ears or tear his gaze away from the torturous throes that utterly destroyed him - them? them. The warmth of the magic fled, a dozen or what he thought to be spirits clinging fast to his gem now. Bile rose high in his throat, burned like acid and - he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding in his chest, rabbit-kicking rhythm stealing precious air away from him.

All the voices around him were muffled by the sound of blood and screaming and theywereinsomuchpain and nowthey'reinmegetthemoutgetthemOUT. Wing-claws scrabbled at his collarbone, his chest, his stone, an automatic gesture finally disturbed by a sickeningly warm feeling on them and a thin line where he'd managed to break skin.

Bright eyes finally stared over at Mercurius, Pride - the rest of them - and he answered honestly, "no."

Aure promptly twisted away to eject whatever might've been in his stomach.

Serendipity watched in silence, wondering, but no other possible conclusions could come to her head about what lay beyond the door. The only thing she did know, and remained confident in, was that whatever was there would be easily dealt with considering how many people were here.

Her head turned to watch Aure fly in-- without the cat, it seemed --and move to one of the rings. It seemed like he had it handled-- until he started shaking and promptly threw the contents of his guts up onto the cave floor.

Dip paused, pushed up from her squat, and made her way over to the hybrid, setting down next to him and rubbing his back. A lifetime spent with her sister had taught her how to go about petting feathers, at the very least-- she smoothed the downs on the back of his neck back without harming them.

However, she proceeded to misread what, exactly, had happened. "Still thinking about your girlfriend, huh, bud?" Her voice wasn't without deep, gentle sympathy-- in her mind, this was a perfectly logical conclusion to come to. Clearly, Aure had been reminded of what happened to the cat when he cast on the ring.

Horror? No, not here, folks.

Pride turned, peering. He wasn't sure which question Aure was answering--whether someone had threatened Bonebound, or whether he was all right. Judging by the sudden puking, however, it was likely the latter.

"...Aure?" he tried, peering from the hybrid, to the rings, to the hybrid again--had magic backfired? "What happened?" There was concern in his voice, and he stepped over toward him--with a glance back toward Mercurius.

The look was enough--Pride was not a comforting sort. This was way out of his depth, and his gaze said, "help?" Mercurius would be better-suited to-... whatever this was.

Girlfriend, or otherwise.

@Aure