Haven followed behind Electrum as they made their way through the caves. She pushed the stone from behind to lessen the pressure on Electrum's tail, plodding along as they grew nearer and nearer to this weird... buzzing.

Turns out echolocation picked up the Spire.

"I hear something-" Haven said, her head snapping up to face the rocks as they ground against each other, "What is that- a rockslide?"

It sounded too rhythmic to be so, but she couldn't be sure. Haven nudged Electrum instantly anyway, and backed up a bit, frightened by the prospect of danger.

Binh came a-riding down on Haven's shoulders. The gold-speckled cobra was oddly enthusiastic, though one wouldn't be able to tell with his lidded eyes and relaxed posture. Someplace new! The "Polaris"! He'd certainly be visiting a lot of new places today. His stiff head stared up at the ceiling, stalagmites and crystals passing gently as they went. The feline, the one-with-strange-magic, was being awfully bossy, but he didn't mind. The cobra was always more of a follower, not a leader.

Within some time glowing crystals and fungi started popping up, and then they were everywhere, illuminating the place to the point the air practically glowed. He stirred. Where they here? Binh craned over, slowly, and watched as a glowing landscape opened up before him. 'This is beautiful.' The world was a mix of purples, and blues, and greens, covered in glittering flora and oh-so-many-gems.Somewhere off in the distance, a massive, smooth column of blue, glowing crystals. It wasn't the gleaming city he had pictured, but the rest was certainly there. Unbelievable!

He was so entranced he almost missed the massive golem barreling over.

Binh hadn't seen one before, but it looked to be a massive collection of rocks that moved by itself. And currently, it was moving right towards one of the other gembound. The one who ate sand, the 'flesh' one. Was it ('he? she? they?') aware of what it was doing? It didn't seem to.

Binh swished his tail as Haven spoke. "The rockkss.... move." he twitched his lower body in the direction of the stone golem. "Headed for.... meeaat-creeaturre." He paused. Should they do something? He wasn't particularly good at magic, and while he did have quite strong venom, he hadn't exactly figured out how it worked completely. Plus, that required, well, getting close, and he couldn't exactly do that. And if he tried to draw attention away from it... well, that'll just put Haven and Electrum in danger.

Perhaps he just had to alert the shambler to the danger (if it weren't already aware, that is). Binh slinked down just a little lower and away from the dragonet's body and hissed as loud as he could-- a low, almost growling noise that rung out into the air. "Meeaatt--oonne, gettt awaay!"

Migraine or not, Glaive had to agree that "working together's so great! I love it." Oh - squint - she'd been too loud and aggravated her pounding head again. A soft oof escaped her, but she seemed rather undeterred. She nodded slowly at water moving, then tilted her head because - oh, oh - ! She could swim up the river, she was sure! Just... follow the shore and get in there, swimming along until she hit the waterfall or wherever it was certain to come out again!

She was just about to raise her hand to volunteer when... "'mana!" Baby blues lit up seeing the ground-dweller and her cute little coral-beard merping about. Almost immediately, the spinosaurus hoisted herself onto her hind legs and offered up her claws for some long-overdue scratches. Kaimana's surely resulting purring and softness assuaged her magically-induced headache instantly.

Then, came another one - the screeching pile of meat pitching a fit right in front of a golem. Glaive's childish need to protect everyone and make sure they were happy gave a few more rigorous scritches to the cub's ruff, and trotted off in a hurry. "Hey - um, nugget! That doesn't look very nice or food-like," she called towards Effluvium, and scuffled down low to try and scoop Effluvium up in her mouth and move it? to a safer place.

To be honest, the moment she even made to grab the shambling horror, she wanted to hurl. Aged cheddar fish? Fair play. Rotten, sentient meat? Ew. No. Can't do it. The spinosaurus retched and moved away and out of the danger zone again, almost slipping and falling with her trajectory.

Just remember, darling, all the while. You belong to me.

~ Rome was not built in a day ~

Oh no, oh no! What was going on? What's behind the big wall with all the walking rock things? She simultaneously wanted to know and could do very well in life without knowing anything about walking rock things. It did not take a genius to know that this was going to be a complete disaster. At least it would be interesting! Many were talking and all warning the meat thing, why did it have to be so gosh darn hungry all the time and then scream about it? Seriously, lets just hope these things were edible so it would shut up.

Perhaps she shouldn't have turned around to see what all the commotion was about.

There, shambling towards them, watching them (or was it?) was something she wished went back to hiding in someone's nightmares. But she was the leader here (though possibly one of the smallest) and she was sure they would look towards her for help. Obviously, why wouldn't they? The curiosity of the water was left to sit at the back of her mind, the most important part taken up by the image of Glaive-cave scratching someone? That looked uncomfortable and painful. So then why did she want to try it? There was a particular area under her chin that always needed scratching but she could never reach. Maybe if she asked nicely... No, wrong thoughts, there was something coming towards them and she was thinking about scratches? Honestly, priorities. "Uhh, I think we need to do something?" She really just wanted to hide behind the legs of those two who came with the key, she felt like the could take on this thing, but at the same time she didn't want to make herself look like a coward. Who would follow her then? Glaive-cave was trying to get the meat thing away, she had no idea why when this was all its fault, there was a slithery thing (similar to what she had seen in her visions just much much smaller) that was warning everyone but what were they supposed to actually do to make it go away? Scream at it? "Don't let it get close to you!" Adding to the cobra's warnings, though this was for everyone. Why was she worried for them? Why did she care if they got hurt? Yet, with those thoughts she was still trying to keep an eye on everyone who was gathered, what if something happened to them on her watch?

"Hey!" The cub tried to draw the attention away from Glaive and the meat thing, she felt herself reach out and tug at a rock that made up the shambling thing (a stupid idea but it seemed like that was a theme recently) and yet she could feel nothing happen, her magic deciding to ignore her demands. If she could still get its attention though maybe one of the others could do something, she was pretty sure the meat thing couldn't run very fast unlike her so at least she had a chance of dodging it. The others could throw more rocks or find somewhere to hide or ask the big blue magic thing for help whilst she brought them time, but honestly, they have to prove their worth somehow. Time for a little game! "Leave it alone!"

YESSSSSSS yes! Pets!!! They felt refreshing and tension-releasing, like being brushed with a splash of cold water and passed over by a gentle breeze. And then, beneath the catharsis, there was a jittery feeling that was like good jitters, like a soft tickle that could make you giggle without breaking your lungs. It was the best!!! Glaive was awesome. Maybe Kaimana should get something for Glaive. Transactions, like the rambler had showed them all, were enticing to the jaguar cub.

She watched as Glaive dawdled over to a... weird lookin' thingy. And that weird lookin' thingy was dawdling over to a BIG ROCK lookin' thingy. And that big rock lookin' thingy... well, it wasn't following the cycle by chasing something else! That was a little unfortunate. Part of the fun was the cycle. Always cycles, ever turning; the rambler learning something from the jaguar, and the jaguar learning from the rambler. Something being locked under water was to be found by creatures locked on land. Glaive chasing the "nugget" and the nugget chasing the rock and that meant the rock should be chasing something else!

And it also meant the nugget was probably in danger!

"Silly nugget!" Kaimana followed along with everyone's pleas. So it wanted to eat, eh? "Nugget eat fish! Not rock." Kaimana looked around to see if there was any body of water with possible fish in it. Alas, she didn't really see any body of water near, so... she would have to run really fast and kind of far to get somewhere that had them-- wait, didn't Glaive bring fish?!

Glaive get fish! Nugget eat fish, not rock."

@Effluvium @Glaive ((attempting to interact with y'all))

Effluvium drew its head back, muzzle in a line. It didn't know what to make of the big stone walking towards it. On one hand, eat. On the other, big thing to eat. No flesh, only stone. It gurgled quietly in thought. The other gembound were yelling at it. Indescision gnawed at it. Then Glaive was there, attempting to pull Effluvium from the rock. It realized. They were all jealous. They all wanted Effluvium's new rock meat.

"Effluvium meat!" It growled, thrashing in Glaive's jaws. Glaive let it go, and Effluvium shook itself out. Now it was free to eat rock meat. It growled at Akaari as well. They were trying to steal Effluvium's food! It took a step towards the Golem, drooling as it considered the amout of food the rock had. And it was just walking towards Effluvium.

But it was Kaimana that changed the tide. When Kaimana said Glaive had brought fish, it whirled around. Free food was better than living food. It bounded back in the direction of Kaimana, wheezing and panting like a sick dog.

"FIIISH," It screamed. In Effluvium's excitement for fresh free fish, it stumbled. Its limbs weren't exactly stable, or of normal build. And following that stumble, Effluvium fell over itself, biting its tongue. Unable to hide, or to run, it rumbled a warning, although it was unlikely a golem would even notice or care.

On it came: lumbering, slow but steady, every loud clash of feet a crunch of stone-on-stone. It did not seem to be in any particular hurry--until Effluvium screeched again.

Then its pace picked up, and it began the slightly-faster-trundle in the meat-pile's direction. Its intentions were unclear, still, but it was also very large.

Gembound still have time to flee. If they do not, the ancient conglomeration of stone and magic may reach them next round... for whatever purpose it intends. It is unlikely to be conducive to their goal.

@Effluvium @Electrum @Haven @Akaari @Glaive @Sergei @Kaimana @Binh

Haven couldn't see the thing, but she could hear it and feel the ground rumble beneath her. She scrambled backward and hissed at Electrum, definitely... concerned.

"Grab the stone and fly!! That thing's gonna- I don't know but it won't be good!!"

She struggled to think, to process anything. The giant creature of stone and magic, the voices all around, the shrieking from the one creature. Her echolocation was skewed by all the input, and when she took flight, she accidentally crashed into... something. It might have been Electrum- no it definitely was.

Haven shook her head out and backed up, picking the direction where the noise wasn't coming from and taking off blindly, just trying to distance herself from the mess.

Spear gripped in hand, the bear stared at the ancient pile of stone.

"Do not stay," he warned the others, in his rumbling growl. "Go. Go! -Little meat-thing, go," he added, glancing at Effluvium. He was averse to touching anyone, what with his experience with Mother, but this thing-... Especially no. Definitely no.

Sergei backed away, keeping between the children and the golem, but he was clearly willing to flee if the rest moved away.

Sergei will flee if everyone else does. If any of the kids don't, he'll stay to defend them. Except Effluvium. He'll let that one get stomped... Sorry meat-child-

The world rocked-- not just because of Haven's nervous movements, but of the massive golem now barreling their way.

Well, this was bad.

Binh struggled to retain his grip as the dragonet scrambled under him. The crystals and glowy rocks seemed to shift all around him to the dizzying tune of stone against stone. With a lurch of his muscles (wincing visibly as his torn neck screamed in pain), he hoisted himself up and back between Haven's shoulder blades.

He was prepared for flight when suddenly-- the wyvern crashed against something, and he rocked terrifyingly close to her tangled wings. Thankfully, he didn't fall, so the young cobra simply curled around himself and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the pounding noise before him would fall far, far away.

Binh is currently riding on Haven's shoulders, so whatever happens to her will likely affect him as well.