It had been somewhat quiet in Attikias's little area, other than his attempts at keeping his poor hut together. It was going... Okay. The roof was stable, at least, and he wasn't worried about his daughters being smushed in the night, but it still dripped when it rained.

At least it was clear now. Taking in a deep breath, Attikias leaned back on the log he'd laid by his firepit, carefully grinding a small whetstone against the tip of a halberd. The poor weapons were rusted to hell and back, but he could still care for them, keep them sharp and out of the rain in his tent.

That is to say, he kept them in his second tent. He wouldn't dare risk his kids accidentally rolling over and cutting themselves in their sleep. He might be a bit of a hoarder, but at least he was careful about it. Speaking of hoarding, Attikias placed his hand within one of the few uncracked urns he owned, retrieving a bit of jerky to gnaw on as he idly thought. The fire in front of him was going, and he was drying out the remains of a deer he'd hunted before returning home. Its hide hung up across from him, to the edge of the camp, while he continued his work of getting this weapon into a usable manner.

He wondered if he'd ever use it. Or, even, if he'd use the knife. That damn knife- he winced when he thought of it, feeling its permanent weight at his hip. He hadn't used it on lessers, even, for cycles now. One carving was enough. One kill for it was enough.

Attikias laid the spear down on his lap as he took the knife in his hand. He brandished it before the fire, in the light of day, turning it over and studying it as he did so many times before. He had to use it to kill someday, and he had to give the statue he made to the Collector. Not a hard task for someone who didn't mind killing. But other gembounds like him, they were sentient, and he'd just remove a life if he killed them. Would they deserve it? What if they had their own families? What would become of him if he let himself murder?

He sighed as he sheathed the knife back and returned to his work. No. He'd cross that bridge if he came for it- he'd kill if he had to. He could do that. He would do that. For his safety, for his children, he would use this knife and protect the family he worked at so hard to keep. But for now, there was peace, and there was quiet. He could let himself be happy. He could let himself forget. Couldn't he?

@Tahi-shei

Tahi had been... drifting. His search was going well, his gathering of an army, but every time he started thinking he just got caught up in himself. What did Vargas mean by 'good performance'? Is it even possible for me to live up to the standards he requires, being as I am...? I'm no Leviathan. The claws, and the teeth, and the quills, and the armor -- Vargas and Alpha were apex predators. Nothing could compare to them, not really. Not even magic, Tahi-shei was sure.

He heard the shuffling of movement and the rustle and screech of fire and weapons being sharpened. His interest was piqued, and he drew closer, before he finally caught sight of... something. Tall and bipedal, with hands and teeth and hair. He inclined his head slightly, eyeing the weapons. "Hello," he greeted, drawing closer to Attikias. "Have you ever heard of a fungal infection called Mother?"

@attikias

Attikias twisted about at the sound a voice like a startled cat, his tail sticking out before he settled. Ah, a visitor! Resetting his face, he moved to a warm smile, placing his spear on his lap again. "Hello," he returned quickly, dipping his head.

He paused and kept quiet for a good moment, watching the deer and looking to his crown. Was that whatever Mother he was talking about? Tilting his head, Attikias scooted closer, squinting over at the item. It made him think of Astraea- was this being an elf, too?

Maybe later. For now, "No, I'm afraid I haven't." Was he looking for a cure? The crown didn't look painful, at least, but it was a bit more condensed than Astraea's sparse fungal patching. "Why d'you ask?"

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei offered a pleasant smile towards Atiikias. "You are lucky, then. It is unpleasant -- it is spread to a Gembound or a Lesser by force, and takes root in their body. It manipulates their mind, grows, and spreads. It is a perversion of Fungal magic -- thankfully, it does not take very exceptional Fungal magic to remove it." He dipped his head. "It is Order, the antithesis of what the Masters of these caves seek, and I have been personally tasked with gathering a group of people -- to train them, and to then deliver them to Master Vargas for further inspection. If all goes well, we would work together to destroy this infection." He eyed Attikias. "You are bipedal, and have hands for the manipulation of objects -- I am seeking Gembound with a diverse skillset, and you seem to be one of them."

He dipped his head. "I will be teaching those who wish to learn some fungal magic with which to protect themselves in Orion, a couple of weeks from now. If you are amenable, we would greatly appreciate your aid."

@attikias

Attikias's smile slowly dropped as Tahi-Shei gave context on what Mother was. A mind controlling fungus- and his eyes glanced to the deer's crown again, wondering silently. Had the deer been able to purge its effects and work undercover? That would be smart- smarter than Attikias would have thought, anyways, and he tilted his head in thought as his visitor continued.

He was unaware of any cosmic battle of Order and Chaos. Simple existence was his forte, with his family and his home, but bringing the Masters up nearly immediately brought Astraea to the forefront of his mind. He and Vargas- he would support the two of them, finding no reason not to so far. Were they chaos, then? No, that sounded like it should be an important noun. Chaos. Making the mental distinction in his mind helped solidify the story he was being told.

With the information of training and delivery, Attikias refocused his eyes on Tahi-shei and dipped his head back. "I would be honored. I can help with combat, too- I don't have claws or anything, but I know how to work with weapons, and I can teach others who can hold things about that, too." The elf's eyes drifted up to the swaying branches of the canopy. What would it be like, if this Mother would corrupt them? It was enough to send a shudder down Attikias's spine. How much of his life would be different?

He let out a soft, faintly whistling sigh from his nose. Quickly, his gaze dropped back down to Tahi-shei. "Will Master Astraea be involved? I can spread the word, too- not to him, if he does know, but uh- to others in Eridanus and the rest of the caves. I'll have to let my family, know, too." And here, he was starting to go on a tangent, bringing his hand up to his chin and glancing away. He was quiet for a moment as he mulled on a question.

Eventually, he glanced back to Tahi-shei. "How dangerous will this be?"

Attikias didn't want to leave his family, but he didn't want their lives to be destroyed if he didn't involve himself in this gathering. He'd have to do this. For them.

@Tahi-shei

He felt a strange sort of warmth spread through him, pleased at his assessment of Attikias and his willingness to help. He nodded at the assertion -- "Using tools is useful, and I am sure there will be others with some level of capability to use them."

At the question about Astraea, he made a noncommittal noise. "Honestly, I am unsure. I assume Master Vargas will seek him out, because Astraea has shown distaste for the infection in the past and his magic is similar to but more powerful than mine. But I cannot speak to his intentions beyond what would be logical, so if you come across Master Astraea, I would not mind your telling him." He cleared his throat. "I'm terribly sorry, I've just realized that I haven't introduced myself yet, and that may become relevant. I am Tahi-shei Deimos, seeker of knowledge and practitioner of the fungal element, although Tahi is alright if you're in a rush." There was humor in his tone, and he dipped his head to Attikias again.

"As for danger..." He sighed. "Well, there is certainly risk. There is a possibility that our allies could be turned against us by the infection, and I have very little idea of what specific defenses lie in the heart of the Hive." He considered, for a moment, bees. Madhukar's bees, to be specific. "But Master Vargas told me that the guards tend to be distracted by messes, and I plan to bring a strong, united force along with me." He offered a smile. "I will tell you that there is certainly risk of being returned to your chrysalis, but I have no idea beyond that. However, I will promise you that as long as I am still conscious, I will not allow any of my allies to leave with the infection. I will not let them be taken, even if that means I must return them to their stone." His tone turned grim, nearly apologetic. "It is... a sloppy method of purging the infection, but it works in a pinch." He recalled Madhukar.

She had been wise to zap him, of course. That didn't mean that static shock hadn't made him a little jumpy lately.

@attikias

Attikias smiled with thought at the idea of teaching others about weapons- other than his children, at least. The pieces in Monoceros's tunnel needed use, after all, and this may be the perfect opportunity for them."I'll bring my stash." His head nodded to the side where he kept his small pile of rusted tools.

One foot came up to rest on the log as Tahi-shei spoke on Astraea, his arms and head resting on the raised knee it provided. "He does owe me a favor. If I find him, I'll let him know." His fingers drummed on his calf as Tahi continued. Oh- names! Right, cripes, he didn't even tell his. "I'm Attikias," he spoke with a matching humorous tone, head tilting. "Attikias Elenya, with no title, or Attik for short." Something about giving out his nickname as jokes had seemed to stick to him, it seemed.

He grew a bit more serious as Tahi laid out the possibilities. His tial gently swept across the dirt behind him, and he thought on this, thinking of what he could bring. What he had to tell his family. "I have things to make a mess with," Attikias provided. He could take some pebbles and put them in a bag, scatter them out for the defenses to organize...

His head came up at the possibility of being chrysalized. He'd never been hurt enough to warrant it, but it certainly seemed better than losing himself and every thought of his family to Mother. "I understand." His words were soft as his hand tensed over his knee. "If you need to chrysalize me, I wouldn't hold it against you or anyone else. I'd rather die than somehow bring harm to the people I'm helping." His head dipped back. "'Course, we won't let them get that far, will we?"

He grinned, devilishly, though joking in his tone as he let out a small laugh after the bit was done.

"Is there anything else I can do for you here? I could try and see if one of my weapons might work for you- but, uh, I haven't found any really compatible without hands other than small things like knives." He brought out the blunt, stone tool at his waist for example, turning it over in his hands before presenting it to Tahi-shei. "Though, I'd think biting would just be easier in the long run. I've never really had to think about it for myself, 'cause, y'know." He pointed to his face and clicked his teeth. No muzzle to latch onto anything made it hard to really do any damage with bites, even if he had an omnivorous mouth.

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei nodded sharply at Attikias being owed a favor. Well, Astraea had, thus far, appeared to be an honest creature -- if a bit mysterious. Tahi-shei was fairly certain that if Attikias could track him down, that was one more tick in his favor. Briefly, he considered how it might have been amoral or unethical to take credit for Attikias's achievements, but then reasoned that Attikias was in some ways an underling now. Then, in a moment of self-aware bemusement, he wondered if Vargas had ever gone through exactly the same thought process, only to promptly beat back the mixed feelings at comparing himself to the Leviathan with a metaphorical broom.

"A mess would be an excellent distraction," he admitted, in a tone that he hoped communicated that he hadn't thought of that. He had, of course, he was pretty sure Vargas might have mentioned that to him outright, but he also wanted to encourage his allies as much as he could.

He laughed with Attikias, and nodded. "No, certainly not." Tahi-shei had already promised himself that he would not, under any circumstances, let one of Vargas's war band escape with the fungus having taken hold. He would purge them if he could, or chrysalize them if he had to. "I won't let you hurt anyone," he promised, his voice sincere. "I won't leave anyone behind." The only way he was abandoning anyone was if the Hive somehow killed him.

At the offer of tools, he smiled, but shook his head. "No, thank you. Most of my magic works best from a distance; I'm not exactly suited to close combat. In a pinch, my antlers are a force to be reckoned with." He cleared his throat, and glanced back towards the entrance of Eridanus. "In any case, Attikias Elenya, unless you have further questions, I should probably be going -- there's much to do for both of us, after all. Though we can chat sometime else, if you'd like."

@attikias
/exit tahi-shei, unless attik has more questions

Attikias nodded in turn as Tahi-shei seemed to approve of his idea, already formulating what kind of things he could gather up. Scattering pebbles could work, but what about things that had clear matches? Then they'd be stuck finding those matches and organizing those instead of just shoveling rocks around.

"And I'll do the same," he spoke on not leaving anyone behind. Tahi had denied weapons, and he sheathed the knife again, nodding once more in understanding. "'Course. If anybody else needs them, feel free to offer for me." Attikias started to stand as Tahi-shei glanced away. "I don't mean to hold you here, though, uh- no other questions."

He'd already started to figure out just what he needed to do in whatever order he needed to do them in. "Good luck," he offered, before parting ways- though, parting ways was simply to his workbench.

Still. The conversation was over, and Tahi-shei was leaving. As he said, they both had work to do.

;exit attikias