These creatures surely had not been created. Were they an accident? Their judgement was so poor it worried her. The Caves would never be safe, would they? Would there never be peace? The piebald deer spoke, mentioning the Beast's friend who he was trying to summon once more. With a cackle, the centaur lowered her bow and held both pieces of the weapon in one hand, while throwing a nimble arm out toward the armor that lay against the wall. A spindly finger pointed out as her voice rang, "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS 'FRIEND'!" Honestly! They didn't ask anything of him! Did he really look so safe! Some shadow-black creature with eyes so green they could be the very cause of radiation poisoning, a slow and methodical slaughter these poor sheep had lined up for! She withdrew her arm and raised her bow again, pointing it straight at her adversary. "And there was a good reason he was alone. Did none of you stop to think of that?" She growled, but was interrupted by his hideous roar.

"Traitor!" she howled, fingers tense against the far end of the arrow, "I broke the cycle of an endless turmoil, and endless production of hate and chaos!" The three-headed creature had turned with his back to her, but she wasn't counting sides anymore. She stepped forward to stand beside him; if these creatures were so easily wooed by a monster of a Beast, she could play the game too. "Our crimes," she hissed slowly, regretting every monstrosity she helped create. Perhaps she didn't regret every creation. Her last had been chaos-free; she purposefully botched the creation process and left her own ingredient out of the mix. The creature was curious at best, but by no means hellbent and hardly angered. It would probably be hurt or saddened before it would be angry.

"Fine, you want me to tell them!? We created MONSTERS, THAT STILL ROAM THESE CAVES," she roared, stomping a forefoot and releasing another hiss. "WHERE I WANTED TO STOP, YOU TWO KEPT GOING," her voice bellowed, echoing against the tunnel walls. "And to stop you, I had to kill you," suddenly, her voice dropped into a quiet, seething hatred. "..and I'll kill you again."

With that, she let loose another arrow.

Though she hadn't chosen the peridot-tipped arrow on purpose, the glistening green was all too perfect as it sought the Beast with unmatched precision. It was sudden and she hoped to catch him off-guard; but her arrow always hit its target. It scraped against his gem before sliding into the side of his flesh. Without wasting a breath, she pulled another arrow from her quiver and docked it. This one was sapphire, though she couldn't recall who it used to be anymore.

The deep rumbling in the pit of his chest grew, a thunderous echo that spilled from beneath his cackling as he loomed over the Gembounds, watching, waiting for an answer - he hadn't even noticed the Gembounds beneath slowly growing uncomfortable with his deceitful silence, wickedly green glowing mouth broadening in a manic grin.

Then she said it.

The truth. What had happened all those years ago was suddenly revealed for all to know, a secret long lost now laid bare. His voice cut off, the cackle no more than an echo through the cave before stillness fell into the air as he loomed, hanging over them all, round eyes and jagged grin bearing into the centaur. She spoke of what had transpired so long ago and he was frozen, remembering. Remembering how she had wanted to break away from their task. Remembering how she had killed them. He was one half of a whole and she had killed them.

The arrow was a high pitched whistle in the stillness, splitting the air before colliding with the gem in his chest; the shock of it caused him to drop the serendebite again. A loud TING emanated from the impact but before he could even look down, the arrow had already sunk into his shadowy flesh, blackness splitting from the injury. The Beast's eyes wavered on his fresh wound and the arrow sticking out of his body, before he looked back up at Jupiter. That was all it took for him to lose himself, tearing his jaws wide open - wider than they'd ever been - to produce an ear-splitting shriek. The Beast lunged forward, gripping the earth with his claws to thrust him faster, closer to the centaur, to try and grab her and tear her apart with his bare hands.

Beast vs Jupiter
Round 1/5

Beast currently has 235/250 health.

All Gembounds present may pick a side and join in the fray. Rolls made towards either Jupiter or Beast will detract from their total health. Each round will consist of 4 posts, not including Jupiter or Beast's posts.

He had been watching, observing from the shadows. Witnessing a new creature emerging from the shadows, he could hear speech, the uproar of other Gembounds. A strange weapon was pointed at the beast, spades on the end of sticks embedded into the wall. Azazel was perched upon a ledge in the room, what appeared to be the nose of one of many faces carved into the wall. Carmine eyes glowered from beneath a helmet of ivory. What this creature... or a woman, perhaps, spoke of... was chaos. Terror, and creation reigning through the caves. Azazel had always been quite naïve, but now knowing both sides of the story, he thought. This Beast had made demands as soon as the young gembounds had offered to aid him. When The Bone King, Makyna, and Bevy had presented to him the stone... he had demanded the other pieces. Back then, he had been so young, so stupid.

Now he was not. As soon as the centaur-esque beast ceased speech, Azazel rose his own voice, making himself known. "I was among the crowd of us who helped The Beast. We were all young, then... and perhaps we still are. At least I know better, I have learned." Looking to the lioness, he pleaded quietly. "Don't you remember when we gave him the stone. He didn't even thank us. He simply demanded the rest of the pieces." The Bone King turned his head down, spreading his wings so he looked more menacing. "That bastard... he used us!" These words were spat with thick venom, almost ending in a hiss.

An arrow flew, and Azazel saw only a monster lurking in the shadows. Jagged teeth bared, eyes narrowed. An ear-splitting shriek escaped those ugly jaws, and the monster further morphed into something terrible. Azazel covered his 'ears' for a moment so he didn't go deaf, and was left with a ringing noise in his ears. "Is this what you hid from us? A personification of the damned?" As soon as the monster reeled down onto his forearms, Azazel ruffled his feathers. He had picked a side now. It was with the side of justice. Inhaling, the Ave flapped his wings and hovered above, inhaling deeply. With the force of many gale winds, Azazel bellowed out. "Die, demon!" His intent was to blow that bastard away from the one who had hopefully opened everyone's eyes... right into a vulnerable position. Surely something so spindly was also so very fragile...

Azazel has sided AGAINST The Beast

Again, she spoke sense. Who was his friend? He had never offered any sort of explanation, only demanded help. No thanks, no manners, just demands and they had all done it without hesitation from the goodness of their hearts. Then when the centaur spoke even further it seemed to click for Makyna. He had used them... to bring on even more dangerous creatures and more hate. It even seemed to click to Beast as he stopped laughing and stared hate at the centaur. It seemed as if what she spoke was true then. Makyna knew who she would side with now.

A low growl formed in her throat as Aza'zel spoke to her and forced even more reason into her head. She said nothing but instead nodded in agreement with him. She understood now and she wouldn't be fooled again. "Keep low, keep still. I won't leave you." She said to the small bundle beneath her. It was then that she saw the angered beast screech and lunge towards the centaur. Teeth bared the lioness acted. With her magic it was easy to stay over the little cub but interfere with the fight as well. She focused on her magic and launched a spell at Beast one that would hopefully help to throw him back towards the wall and away from the centaur as well as pin him, if she could.

---

words: 229
tagged: Quest
ooc: Makyna is sided with Ms. Centaur.
muse: 6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Thinking is this!"

weeping shades of indigo

shed without reason

Anxiety swelled within me, pumped my heart in rapid succession. The situation escalated quickly, and I could not see until the lioness stood up to expel magic I've never seen before. Everything was happening so fast, but I did as she said, and I did not move. However I was ready to move with her should she need to move. It was in these times I wished I was older, had more magic, so that I could contribute. But alas, all I had were my sickening vibrations. But I would be so brash to run out and attempt to use my own magic on the beast - because it was clear he was the enemy here. The lioness had been tricked. They all had! I felt terrible for them, wanted to reassure them it would be okay but what did I know? The bird which came from his shadowy perch spoke in riddles to me, but it seemed the lioness knew what he meant. I wanted to help so badly. But I would not dare move, and I didn't want to perform my spell from beneath the lioness, for fear of it taking affect on her. For now, I'd watch in sheer terror and still ready myself to move if need be. If it comes to it, I would attempt to help out in some shape or form, but as a little lion, it was impossible. I was but a mouse compared to the massive creatures which started this war.

"spoken words."

@tag
xxx.
muse= 10/10
Sorry ky if I powerplayed D8

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

Tamelyn Thunderhoof And I will fear no darkness

Tamelyn laid her ears back and glared a challenge at the centaur as she laughed in her face, but said nothing. Beast and the strange creature shouted back and forth at eachother again, until they finally revealed their crimes--they had created the monsters that roamed the caves. Green eyes went back to the Beast, widening, then narrowing.The golems, and everything? They had blighted the caves with those things?

When the fight began, for once, Tamelyn chose not to join. Part of her still sympathized with the Beast's loss of his friend. Surely he had had a good reason for wanting to resurrect them. But there was no way she was going to help him after that revelation.

But the centaur was coming off as a stuck-up bitch, and there was no way she was going to help her, either. The fawn noticed the lion cub huddling nearby, and moved to stand beside him, prepared to defend him and any other neutral Gembound if the fight spilled over.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa, image and modifications by FennecFyre

A bird had flown in, screeching about all of the things she wanted the others to understand. She couldn't focus on him for long as her attention turned back to the creature she had hopefully wounded. The arrow sat firm against her bow as she watched his reaction, but before she could take another shot, the Beast cracked his jaw wide open and deafened her.

Her ears fell flat as she threw her bow over her shoulder, hissing a challenge to him as he lunged forward and prepared for physical combat. He was faster than he looked and had a grip on her shoulder and head before she knew it. While he didn't have as much strength as his counterpart, the force of his attack caused her thin skin to tear between her shoulder and neck. A mild gash was all he had time for; she pushed her arms against his to free herself, pulling her body back to try and minimize any more damage. The string of her bow that was resting on her shoulder now dug softly into her wound, causing more pain than the necessary.

He was buffeted by the attack from one of the other Gembounds present, and she took this opportunity to cause her own damage. With the sapphire-tipped arrow still in hand, she reached up and aimed to shove it so far into his neck that surely it would cause him a considerable amount of pain. She jammed the arrow in as far as she could before letting her arm fall to her side; moving it so suddenly caused the string of her bow to nestle even more into the laceration he had caused. Even so, she wouldn't take her bow off - she wouldn't put it anywhere else. She winced, shoving at him with her left arm.

"Have you grown so weak separated for so long?" she growled in a low, crusty voice, now cradling her right arm in a slightly bent position. "Pathetic." Although, she would never pity them - any of them. It just wasn't in her. She pitied the Caves for the disease that had spread through it. She pitied the creature she created solely in defiance. But these creatures? She pitied none of them.

They were a plague.

She would cure the Caves if she survived.

Beast vs Jupiter
Round 1/5

Jupiter currently has 483/500 health.

He gripped her, and as soon as he made contact, he tried to tear her apart. He had to - he needed to destroy her so that she could no longer interfere with what remained of his life. He had lost everything because of her, and now it was time for her to face the same fate.

The beast grappled with her until she had pushed him away and reached around with one of her arrows, stabbing it deep into the back of his neck. The creature threw his head back at the pain that, like electricity, throbbed and burst through him - a resounding shriek bled from his lips at the sensation. At that moment, a large, red bird had dove into the scene, screeching and shrieking about injustice before delivering a blast of wind that lifted him from his feet. Another unseen force too had plucked him from the centaur he attacked. The combined force of the wind and the telepathic attack, as well as his opponent shoving him away, had sent the beast careening through the air, tumbling over himself until he was pinned up against the opposite wall. It was the strength of united beasts that held him cemented and vulnerable, and he struggled against the weight of the magic, snarling.

She dared to mock him. She knew what this paltry existence was for him. Weakness, emptiness. The expression on his face was nothing but pure malice, and though the two Gembounds had helped in the affront, his eyes were only for her. The centaur. Jupiter. Their partner. With a surge of strength, the beast lunged forward, breaking the bonds of Makyna's telepathy. He used one hand to wrench the arrow from the back of his neck, causing ropes of inky black blood to spew from the wound and speckle the ground.

His long legs launched him forward as he threw his weight at the centaur, planning on crashing into her and driving the arrow between her ribs.

Beast vs Jupiter
Round 2/5

Beast currently has 188/250 health.

All Gembounds present may pick a side and join in the fray. Rolls made towards either Jupiter or Beast will detract from their total health. Each round will consist of 4 posts, not including Jupiter or Beast's posts.

@Tamelyn @Niru @Makyna @Azazel

take me home where the restless go

reckless 'til the day i rest my bones

αριστερά . κέντρο . δεξιά

The bow wielder did not answer his question. She said some things that his brains tried to process as quickly as they could, but then began to shout-- and against his command, against his urging, she attacked the Beast once more. He backed away, fur bristling, as he watched the events unfold. Her words, her tone, rang with those that he tried and tried to use.

She wanted to eat kill him so he couldn't hurt them. It was a brave notion, one that the massive hellhound tried to live by-- yet she hadn't said she wanted to be his friend. Perhaps she was only protecting herself, after all, and that was not a good enough reason to seek someone's end.

The voices rose up around him, screeching and shouting and crying-- his three heads working frantically to understand the situation as it fell around him. Kerberos managed to spot the lioness and deer standing over a cub, protecting him from the violence. Awareness sparked in the hellhound and he let loose a vicious, three-pitched snarl as he lunged forward into the fray.

As he moved himself close enough, he heard the venomous tone of the centaur and felt in his bones that they were both wrong. Somehow. Jupiter wasn't doing the right thing: vengeance clouded her, swallowed and choked her.

Kerberos knew that there should be no teeth here. And he would make sure that no one died today. His six eyes slammed shut as he tried to get between the pair and tapped deep into his magic, the red glow of his energy bursting from his paw.

... And the world was pushed away from him, in a violent blast of crimson magic. His body ached, but held, at the forceful repel of matter, and he promptly plopped to the ground after, gasping for breath. It was the strongest dispel he had ever managed, and he hoped it would be enough for them to see sense.

The fight was not stopped when she, Aza'zel, and the centuar managed to knock away Beast. He was pinned to the far wall for a while but he managed to break the mental hold she had on him. Everyone flew at each other again and there was nothing she could do about. Sure, she could actively get involved but what about the cub? Who would protect him? It was then that she noticed the deer move to stand beside her and the cub. She cast the doe a grateful glance and was about to speak with her until she felt her body thrown violently away. It had done an insubstantial amount of damage but it was still aggravating.

She knew that the dog had done it and knew that he probably wanted to break up the fight. However, he'd only separated her from the cub and probably riled up everyone in the process. Ky looked around, searching for the cub and deer and once located she would shout to them, "Doe and cub, cover your ears! I'm going to try and stop this fight." She probably wouldn't succeed but it was worth a try.

The lioness crouched down and built the magic up within herself. After it built she stood up quickly and opened her mouth in what she hoped was a supercharged roar. Unfortunately, it was just a normal roar but hopefully it would catch everyone's attention.

---

words: --
tagged: Quest
ooc: Makyna is sided with Ms. Centaur. She's trying to stop the fight.
muse: 5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Thinking is this!"