Cocytus dared to cast a glance over her shoulder. Surprisingly, the oilslicked Gembound still didn't look like they were catching up. But her breathing was becoming labored with the effort of swimming this fast, and she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. Maybe they could--maybe they were more of an endurance swimmer. She hoped she wouldn't have to find out the hard way.

But maybe she had bought herself enough time to pull off this maneuver. Taking advantage of a well-shaded area of water, Cocytus darted toward the shore, trying to camouflage herself as a rock. If she could just get the Labradorite to lose track of her, maybe she could find an opportunity to swim off quietly once they were far enough.

@V-Labradorite-One Round 5/maybe not 5?
Attempt: hide like a rock
Defense: hiding like a rock
Injuries: just a little tired

I'd of blown the scoundrel up
Watch his head and heart hiccup
Erupt in tinsel and blue cinders
turn August into winter

Where WAS IT?

Evidentially the gap had become big enough that it'd become hard to tell the alligator apart from the rocks. Furious crimson eyes scrutinized the river, the pebbles and rocks and nooks. Had it crawled out of the water while it wasn't watching? Where. Had. It. Gone.

Magic wasn't something it used often, but it'd learned a useful spell or two. And it knew if it focused, channeled it's now rarely used magicka, it'd be able to find the alligator. Hopefully. So it focused, and it strained, listening for the tell-tale thrum of a heartbeat.

Soon, heartbeats became to flare to life around it. The fish, who'd mostly been chased away. The stray mouse or rabbit grazing nearby. And, sheltering in a shady part near the shore, it's opponent. One it caught a glance, once it'd heart it's heartbeat, it kept it's gaze forward. Trying to hide the indication that it'd spotted them until it'd properly closed the distance. It wouldn't be able to run away this time.

Round 5/5
Attempt: Keep track of Cocytus
Defense: Big. Slimy.
Injuries: None
@Cocytus

Cocytus did her best to keep perfectly still, her heart rate spiking at every little splash and ripple of water nearby. She really wished she hadn't hid with her head toward the shore and her tail toward the river, but it was a bit late to change now. She didn't want to make any extra movements, in case Labradorite was still nearby.

She strained her ears and paid extra attention to the pattern of waves against her scales in an attempt to make up for her inability to see. But Labradorite's approach went unnoticed for the time being. Evidently, their sneakiness was serving them well.

@V-Labradorite-One Round 6/until someone's MURDERED
Attempt: notice lab's approach
Defense: rocky.
Injuries: none

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

violence

gore

I'd of blown the scoundrel up
Watch his head and heart hiccup
Erupt in tinsel and blue cinders
turn August into winter

It moved slowly, with the sort of stealthy, measured pace you'd expect from something far smaller and more earthy than itself. It made sure not to splash the water, winced every time oil dripped into the water and sent ripples and plumes of ink dispersing into the water. It hoped the current could hide all of that.

The heartbeat was nearly deafening, now. Or was that it's own pounding in it's ears? It stared into the dark, eyes straining to match the heartbeat to a shadow hiding within the rocks. The glint of a scale, a stray, anxious movement was all it took.

It struck.

All that tension. Failure after failure redeemed as it more than hit it's mark, it hit the bullseye. It'd finally done what it was capable of, finally lived up to all that potential. Finally, it did something, something more than running. Something more than fumbling and missing strike after strike.

What would've, what should've just been a tame injury, a fracture at most, was a uncontrolled crushing bite more than such a small creature should ever have to bear. To a creature closer to it's own size, it would've been survivable- a broken bone or deep gash- but Cocytus was just under a fifth of it's own size. It'd mean to grab a forelimb, but instead Cocytus's chest was locked in it's crushing bite.

Labradorite found itself forgetting this was supposed to be a training spar.

Round 6/5 (overtime bayBEE)
Attempt: Crunch.
Defense: Big. Slimy.
Injuries: None
@Cocytus (Let me know if i power played at all, but I assumed that since the whole point of this thread is to kill Cocytus, you'd be fine with a lotta damage.)

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

gore

Her eyes caught the first swirl of oil in the water too late.

Cocytus was snatched into the air, limbs and tail flailing pathetically. Her ribs crunched in Labradorite's jaws like the shells of the snails she used to eat, so fragile compared to the sheer force her attacker was exerting. Was that suffocating sensation lungs pierced by bone, or simply the crushing force of Labradorite's bite?

This did not feel like a spar. She couldn't remember if Labradorite had ever specified what kind of fight it was going to be. It felt like she was going to die. Like she was already dying. Cocytus had known that people died--that it was where the lost gems came from--but she hadn't expected to die so soon.

She tried to thrash around, snap her jaws shut on something, pry herself from Labradorite's jaws, but everything she did just brought more pain. Probably the broken bones inside her were stabbing through more organs. Internal bleeding? Cocytus didn't know. She'd never have the opportunity to study the internal anatomy of an alligator, because everything was going black and oh god is this r

Round 7/murder time murder time
Attempt: idk just thrash around. hopefully damage herself. or lab. or both.
Defense: 0
Injuries: very (exited due to unconsciousness and death... very soon :))
@V-Labradorite-One (yes! go wild!)

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

violence

gore

(impending)

death

I'd of blown the scoundrel up
Watch his head and heart hiccup
Erupt in tinsel and blue cinders
turn August into winter

The snapping of twigs. That's what it sounded like. That's what it felt like.

No wonder it'd run away. That was all it was capable of doing. It was a failure on it's own part that it'd managed to get that far in the first place.

It took notice as the struggling slowed. It's grip loosened, and then ceremoniously Cocytus was dropped back into the water. It watched clouds of red disperse, getting washed away by the current but not nearly fast enough.

Pathetic.

It'd barely even fought back. It'd just ran, and hid, like a coward. At this this time, there was consequences for it. Unlike the other times. Unlike with-

This had gone on long enough.

Time to finish up the lesson.

It couldn't.

It couldn't.

IT COULDN'T.

ITWASJUSTASPARITWASJUSTASPAR IT WAS JUST-

It watched the water turn redder and redder.

Round 7/5 (lets finally finish this)
Attempt: Crunch times 2
Defense: Big. Slimy.
Injuries: None
@Cocytus

Character: Cocytus Age: +33 (33 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +13 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +16 Penalties: -0 ROUND 6 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 7 Attempt: +1 Penalties: -0 Total: 87

Character: V-Labradorite-One Age: +10 (10 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +6 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +6 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +13 Penalties: -0 ROUND 6 Attempt: +20 Penalties: -0 ROUND 7 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 Total: 79

WINNER: Cocytus

@Cocytus @V-Labradorite-One

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

Mentions of death/decay

I'd of blown the scoundrel up
Watch his head and heart hiccup
Erupt in tinsel and blue cinders
turn August into winter

It

It stared at the crumpled, mangled form. The water became redder and redder, darker and deeper. Then it blinked, and the water was dark with oil that wasn't The Labradorite's own. In the murky, contaminated water sat pure white bone, only straggling bits of oily decomposing flesh clinging to them. It reminded it of small antelope, reduced to hide and bone. It reminded it of the Valkhand, of shouting and chaos, of YOU ARE ALL WORMS.

It returned it's gaze to the bones. Carefully digging through the remains, it grabbed hold of something. Tiny compared to the massive beast, it was a chunky of Smoky Quartz. It looked all to similar to the oily water. It grimaced.

Somewhere at the edge of Pegasus's forest it'd bury the stone. By the roots of a tree that twisted in on itself like a knot. Impossible to miss. Good, because it'd come back for the stone, someday.

But today, it wanted to be as far away from the chunk of magic-imbued rock as possible.

Exit Thread!