Fire, fire - death and... destruction. Reduction to mere nothing. Aure's hold on the mental link waned, but he held fast because there was seemingly more. The roar of this being's power dulled at the more recent memory, but it's abrupt ending left the young King breathless.

Letting go of the mental link was like releasing a white-hot blade.

He - forgot to breathe for a moment, bright eyes staring distantly.

Giggle left at some point, and the hybrid whipped around to watch her exit. Tragically, he was torn between staying here and listening and - going to be with her, even in silent company with plenty of conjured lights.

Aure swallowed, feathers puffing out and smoothing in forced composure, and he nodded. "That's - horrifying. You saw all of that... firsthand?" He shuddered in quiet solidarity, "I'm sorry." Wings tucked harder against his sides. "But... tell me, yes."

@Pride

Pride stared worriedly after Giggle. Had he been alone, he'd have gone after her--but he trusted Aure to know his mother better than Pride knew her. If the young King felt it best to let her go, then he would take Aure's cue.

He blinked back down to the hybrid. It took him a moment to remember the last thing he'd said, and then he blinked again, getting his mind back on track. "Ahh-... I apologize--will she be okay?" and again, he glanced, half-distractedly, after the damaged seer.

He looked to Aure again, afterward. "The Overseer has stated his belief--though he may, of course, be lying to me--that unless he begins a genuine push to return the caves to 'how they used to be,' we may all be slain in this manner, or something similar, I think. As to what they used to be, I believe that was more rigidly militaristic but I may be misinterpreting. What he wants now, is for us to obey when asked; to offer gemstones, primarily, when demanded. He has explained that we must have soldiers and scouts ready to be taken by this being, I think. For what use, I do not know; I can only presume wars outside this cave. But that is what he wants: our children, I suppose, made by their magic, in exchange for our continued existence. I think," Pride added, more quietly, "the alternative is all our deaths. But we do have a choice; we can offer this, and go along with it for now; and hope that he never asks for our stones. It will not be a pleasant life but it will be a life. Or we can kill him," Pride added, far more quietly, watching Aure closely. "We can kill him. We can do that, and take our chances with what comes next. With what returns to the cave. Neither is a good option," he added, softly.

"Or we can refuse, of course, and he will try to kill us, in turn. He is already threatening the dragons, as you know. Which is why I asked to speak with him, to begin with. But if you think we ought to compromise, to survive, well-... We will need to call a meeting, yes, with everyone. To try and lay it all out, what is on the line; to explain to them the risk we're taking, and why we need to cooperate. If, if, we choose to do so. It's why I've come to you first, at least in part; I'd like to know what you want to do."

Pride paused, watching Aure closely, and he found that he wondered what the young King thought. Whether, by some miracle, Aure might have some way out of this that Pride himself had not yet seen.

@Aure

"She'll... be fine," Aure tried, voice faltering a little bit, "I'll go after her after this." There was an unspoken let's make this as quick as possible, there.

The old ways - the young King deflated a little further at this, gaze suddenly fixing on the bones. He interrupted gently, "these all belong to the dead from that time. I've talked to Vargas and - he said that they're the culled, the rebels, the defective, the useless." Indicating with a wing, he exhaled sharply. "There's hardly anything good to find in them." Back on track, though - "I don't think that's a misinterpretation."

Vargas, though... he was asking for - what? Child soldiers? In exchange to keep living? Aure balked at that - if only for the immediate visual of Damask that brought up. Assassination received an equally sort of... recoiling sensation in his conscience. He'd avoid death if he could, even if it was that of a relic from long-dead times. He shook his head gently, taking the more logical approach to it than the clear moral problems that came from killing another sentient being, "if he told us about this, he might know more about this - being."

Talking first, at least - the young King could get along with that. Compromise in a bit of a... town hall, if you will. "Our views might conflict but... perhaps we can all come out better for it. I can't justify letting him demand stones and us making children for - war. Not on my conscience. There must be a better way like... your Seven. Voluntary training. Or... reviving old stones." Anything but breeding like cattle, as was implied.

Meetings, meetings - "would it be best to host it in that arena? In Orion? It'd be open, with plenty of room between... the dragons and Vargas and his own." Lots of space for the rest of the caves to gather, too.

@Pride

Pride sighed, softly, and nodded, but it seemed a troubled sound, not an irritated one.

"I imagine myself a protector, Aure; none of these options are protection. But I doubt that old stones will do it. He was very clear on that much, but we can gather. I warn you--if it is a meeting, I told him I would present his demands and try to convince others and I will need to try and do that. Warn the Bonebound. Take this time to plan, to find another way, if you can--to propose it then. Let us say... three days from now? In that arena, certainly, if you wish; it isn't a bad idea. Speaking of the dragons--do you have any idea how I might convince them to meet without a fight?"

...Alternatively, using them to kill Vargas wouldn't be a bad idea, either. He didn't say that, though. For once, Pride was wavering, truly wavering; he didn't know which was the right course. If what Vargas said was true, then killing him might be removing the only decent buffer between Origin cave and a very, very dark force.

"Otherwise, we may have to leave them out entirely. I also... wanted to offer to train any young ones you might have, or older, even; we have a new generation in the Seven. A few new members. I was... thinking individual tutoring or combined training. It seems a little stale, given what else is going on, as an offer--but it stands," he finished, grimly.

@Aure

Aure did not know what, exactly, he imagined himself to be - except for perhaps also a protector, for his family and the Caves, if called upon. Killing, submitting, none of those worked against the impossible power facing them. None of those protected those that couldn't themselves.

"The Bonebound and I can... cast magic on bones and see their last moments of life. We may be able to tell what they looked like, search for... viable stones -" the young King faltered, "but I hate to return them to the life they were finally freed from." Even if the original spirits were tied to their bones, there was always a ghost of them in the stone. How else would he be so uncannily like his father, dead for years? A soft hmm escaped him, already trying to dance through whatever ideas they could present and -

Ah, the dragons. "They've every right to come but... a fight will help no one. I'm sure of that. If it comes to be a battle, there will - hopefully - be enough of us there to get in-between them." Right? Aure and his mushrooms, fending off dragons and Vargas-shaped beings from all-out war.

"I do not know how you'd convince them to come, though - you know them better than me. Would they take an offer of a truce? Neutral ground for them." (He was pretty wrong about that, not that either of them knew. All this conflict had started in that arena.)

Aure gave a small smile at the stag's offer, at least, "I have a daughter - if she's up to it, I'm sure I can direct her to you. She's a bit of a prodigy as far as magic goes. Uses it in much more creative ways than I could hope to..." Warm, fatherly gushing. "Although..." his voice grew a little quieter, milder, "individual tutoring might be best."

@Pride

For a moment, the young King's idea brought him a rush of hope--of course; they could look at the bones, find viable subjects-... But his addendum brought that crashing down. "A fair point. It's hardly any more moral to hand them strangers, or the long-dead, than our own stones. Someone will still need to suffer," he said, grimly. "Vargas was talking about... rewards, motivation for cooperation. But that doesn't do anything for the children that result, does it-?"

He sighed, and shook his head. "I'll see what I can do. For the sake of the peace I will sound as though I'm advocating for Vargas' plan--but please, if you think of another way... push it. Ask your Seer," he added, glancing grimly back up toward her. Toward where she'd gone. "I'll have to speak to the dragons separately, I suppose. Play it by ear."

And then, softer, eyeing Aure quietly: "Of course. Would you like me to come here, to work with her; or would you like to send her to me?"

@Aure

Someone had already suffered, but it was -

Hm.

Rewards, motivation to cooperate - what could he even offer but the need to give stones or die? Aure shook his head, "or the children that already have - if any." His gaze moved to the entrance of Tunnel P, idly wondering if... that Desert Rose had any part of this. They barely knew one another, but surely he must know by now that it was - unnatural, the way he'd lived before.

"I'll - try to think of something different," Aure called softly, "and I hope that your talk with the dragons goes well." Both were genuine, delivered with another small smile.

And for Damask - "I'll ask her and let you know."

@Pride

Pride dipped his head, a short and sweeping bow, though bereft of his usual aloof elegance. There was a faint and distant sadness tainting every motion now, as though it hung heavy, a weight across his back.

"I will see you at the arena in three days, then, unless I see you before then," he answered, offering a brief, soft smile. These decisions... they'd seemed so simple hours ago.

Now-? Not so much.

"Until then, be well."

He turned, and paced away, and even his walk, for once, seemed burdened.

exit Pride
@Aure

"See you, Pride," Aure returned the nod of a head, though with a more suddenly antsy air - not that this did not hold any particularly upsetting implications, nor that he'd fully-recovered from such an... onslaught.

The wyvern thrummed with a particular need to go to his mother, ensure that she would be alright.

"You be well, too," he offered mildly, and fluttered to his mother's den with a phosphorescent light in tow.

exit aure