Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

self harm

(brief, vague)

Fornax faded. Kaimana's world filled with steam, with snowcapped rocky crags dribbling molten rock. The clouds billowed, and before her, a great creature stood: bipedal and of extremely heavy build, coated in white and pale blue fur. An almost mole-like face--tapered, with tiny black eyes--and with long, ice-encrusted whiskers, stared forward at another figure.

This figure was all in black, with horns twisting back from a white-painted--or was that -masked?--face. Its cloak shifted as it lifted its arms, the mace laid across them, spined with wicked black points and gleaming green. New. Freshly-forged.

"I do not know how much it will truly help," the voice of the masked creature offered, quavering; the white creature--despite its size--jerking a little, whiskers trembling as if afraid of something. "It will slow them. But should they strike you... their venom is still far more potent. Remember, if they bite you..."

"Then I will end it," the white creature answered, its voice surprisingly soft, high-pitched, "rather than become one of them." Clawed paws reached out, and took the mace.

The vision dimmed, and Fornax slowly returned.

@Kaimana @Comet @Esther

Kaimana began to narrate the moment the vision had faded.

"I saw a memory clearly. I will tell you before I forget the details." She took in a deep breath. "A big furry creature that stood on two legs-- white and pale blue fur, snow on the whiskers. Little black eyes. I will call them 'the snowy one'. They were talking to a masked-- probably masked individual. White mask against all black, they had horns. I will call them the 'masked one'. This, I believe, was the moment this weapon was given to its owner." A thought occurred to her then. For now, she would dismiss it, if only to continue without getting off track.

More solemnly, she went on. "The masked one was worried about whether or not something -- I assume it was the mace -- would 'truly help'. It seemed as though this snowy creature was off to fight several specimens of a kind beast whose venom could turn a person into... 'one of them'. They snowy one was going to use this as a tool for such a deed." That is probably when the reason behind Kaimana's drop in mood would become most obvious. "I... something the snowy one said... I do not think it bears repeating, but it led me to believe that the bone pile beside which you found this weapon... probably once belonged to the snowy one that I saw." Kaimana grimaced.

What kind of a beast... That snowy creature speaking to the masked one had seemed afraid of whatever monsters it had been about to fight. What kind of beast could invoke that kind of fear in a creature like that? What kind of beast could turn others into beasts like itself with just a bite? Was it still... "I do not know what this weapon does, but now at least I know what it was made for, and that it was not granted to its original owner by the likes of the Collector. Do either of you know that name?" She looked at both of their faces for possible tells of an answer. She wouldn't be surprised if they did or if they didn't. "And a third thing I suppose we have all learned: Ursa may be incredibly dangerous, housing deadly monsters that should not be messed with. If you go back there Comet... all I ask is that you be careful. I know I cannot stop you from doing what you do, but I will plead with you to do everything in your power to not get hurt..." She didn't want to say the last part. She didn't even want to think about it. She wasn't going to. It wouldn't happen. Comet knew her craft. Reckless and wild as she was, she always came back, she was always okay, and that said something. Kaimana had to believe that at the very least.

Quietly, Kaimana wondered to herself if that brave snowy one's stone was still around... if there was still any magic left inside of it. She had seen the past memories of stones directly, and none before had truly tugged her heartstrings in such a way as this. 'You were brave, and you did your best.' It would be worth a look in that bone bile, perhaps. She wouldn't mention it to Comet. She did not want to give this crazy little pup any more crazy adventuring ideas.

@Esther