Attikias hooked his thumbs behind the straps of his backpack like it was a pair of suspenders. He'd come prepared- a little over-prepared, maybe, but he didn't know what a Trial entailed. It... Unlocked, something of your's? What did it test? Attikias had some sort of combat in mind, not entirely certain about the specifics of it. Was it like Hydra..?

In any case, he tightened his armor as he continued around Polaris, standing tall as he looked for-- a door? Some part of his memory recalled it, about it being opened with magic? But, what if he didn't do magic? So, he'd put off actually taking some Trial, uncertain if he'd need to know magic for it.

But, this would be fine. He wanted to talk to- who was it, Emuh?- anyways, and he was already fiddling with his bracer again, worrying. Would he have to cast spells? He wasn't good at spells. He could make something (he should have made something) but maybe it was like the Collector- not a show and tell, and rather a request.

In truth, he didn't know much about Trials. But, as he stopped before the door, Attikias hesitated. He wanted to learn, but with how little magic he actually used, it set a dread in his heart. What would Emuh ask him to do? He couldn't reliably cast for them. He just wanted to get it over with, really, and he could feel his hands clasping together as he paced a little.

"Emuh?" It took a little bit to work up the nerve, calling out into Polaris proper for the being.

Fortunately for Attikias—more adept with his hands and mind than magic—the door had long-since been open. Little of it remained in sight, and it exposed a long, dark corridor that echoed Emuh's name when it was called. The silence that followed reverberated, too.

Incandescent eyes lifted from the shadows at the apparent far end of it, and whisked away with the clattering of talons. Moments later, a breeze battered the elf's face and any exposed skin, and before him loomed an owl-beast. Gaze fixed harshly on the man, Emuh hooted immediately: "WHAT?" His head bobbed and eyes narrowed, studying Attikias with no less than a discerning mind. Motes of light crawled along his iridescent-black feathers.

"WHO-HOO IS IT THAT CALLS EMUH? WHAT DOES IT WANT?" He noted the profound lack of hair with a derisive cackle. "A CLOAK TO KEEP WARM? AH-HOO HOO—"

@Attikias

Attikias was... uncertain. He didn't like the utter dark of the corridor, and as he called into it, he frowned.

He'd twisted around to get the torch he'd made from his backpack as Emuh noticed him, not seeing the eyes until Emuh was on him in moments- and he winced at the wind, startled. His head whipped around, pack open, torch in hand and he let out a small noise, stepping back. The immediate crowding was intense, and he held the torch between them, longways in half-defense.

But, he paused as Emuh looked over him. Well, this was Emuh. "I-- don't need a coat. I'm Attikias, and I wanted to take a trial." He cleared his throat before fixing his stance, standing up taller and holding up the torch. "I make things. I figure- I don't know what a Trial entails, but if it-- makes you better?-- I'll take it."

For emphasis, he opened the vent of the torch and pointed it to the ground, his other hand pointing down to it. Magic had begun to unconsciously flair, and golden bracers slowly curled around his existing ones, a halo of feathers raising from his pack. Defensive instinct, maybe?

(I DIDNT MEAN TO CAST A SPELL :cattocry:)

It was a cute spell, those feathers, but it was one that would've made the owl-beast curl a lip—if he had one. He had no care for paltry magic such as that. Neither did he for the intuitiveness of the flashlight. Creative, sure, but it was not his forte. Toxic eyes narrowed with a huff. "PERHAPS IT WILL MAKE YOU BETTER. PERHAPS NOT. EMUH SUPPOSES YOU WILL SEE."

He waved a wing. "YOU WILL LEARN SOON ENOUGH WHAT THIS IS: A TEST, A PROVING GROUND. NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE, PROVE YOUR METTLE—" Emuh made a blah-blah-blah sort of gesture, beak clacking. "SUCCEED, AND YOU WILL ASCEND. FAIL, AND..." he cackled, shrill and loud, "WELL, YOU WILL FIND OUT, TOO."

The massive owl whirled on a heel, and whisked away into the seemingly infinite darkness behind him.

As was ritual, stone ground against stone, and the very fabric of the place seemed to bend to fit whatever trial Emuh had in mind. The earth churned beneath Attikias's feet, and he would find himself briefly out of balance.

—
The lights came into bright refuse a moment, then dimmed, and the man would find himself standing on... air? No, the ground was rough and solid, and there was a clear crystal barrier before him. A slit, no larger than his forearm and barely large enough for him to put his hand through, sat about knee-height. Next to the opening was a raised pedestal of stone; a sunken impression of a circle lay atop it, barely the size of his palm.

Before and under him lay a dimly-lit maze. The winding corridors had a labyrinthine feeling to them, with many wrong turns and dead ends. From there, Attikias could see a number of pitfalls, gleaming-sharp steel teeth, stones primed to fall, scurrying bodies, et cetera…

At the far end of the maze, something glittered, half-obscured by a canine's head held low. The creature was a mangled little thing, barely discernible as purple with greenish accents. It sobbed quietly, occasionally lapping at the stump of its right foreleg and sniffling. As yet, it had not noticed Attikias, too mired in a agonized misery.

@Attikias

Attikias blinked hard for a second, trying to gauge Emuh- was this-- did he need magic? His jaw set as he grit his teeth, shutting the torch off and hooking it back to his belt.

But, perhaps it would make him better. Standing a little straighter after his concerning glance, his hand followed Emuh's wing- it moved much like Attikias's hands did, when he was into a conversation, and yet. Yet, there was something about the bird, something that, as they spoke, a rising sense of unease came into Attikias.

And then, he was gone. Attikias took a hesitant step forward to follow, but he was gone, and-

Attikias squeezed his eyes shut, feeling as though he were stumbling in place and yet not moving at all. The Trial was beginning. Giving it a moment, Attikias flashed his eyes open when the bright light hit his eyelids, and he gave himself a moment to adjust. Blinking hard, he took in the room, kneeling down- crystal? His eyebrows furrowed as one hand ran over the surface, before he raised it up to the wall. An opening, it looked like, and briefly he reached his hand through to feel for it. Something needed to go there- he needed to place it there?

Standing, Attikias took a small step back, looking below him. It was... intricate, and Attikias's eyes went wide as he traced the myriad of walls. 'There's no way I'd make it through all that,' he figured in his mind, trying to trace pathways through. He'd get lost, certainly. How did he-

He raised his head when he noticed the alien being. 'Oh.' His heart dropped. 'Oh, no...' Was this being alive, trapped in here, damaged for his Trial? Or was it fake, an illusion of magic warped in by Emuh's will? Either way, Attikias took gentle steps forward, his weight light on his feet as he approached, hands out to show that he meant no harm. Of course, he couldn't even harm them up here- they had the floor (or, their ceiling?) between them.

Instead, he resorted to talking. "Hey," he uttered out, his voice low as he knelt on the crystal. A gleam, and from this angle, he could see-- something. Did he need that, for the Trial? Was that the goal of this..?

Waiting for a moment, calculating what he needed to say, Attikias watched. They were hurt. That much was clear- and they were wallowing. Which- that may be fine, with here to... What, comfort them? Steeling himself before taking on the warmest expression he could, Attikias pressed one hand down on the barrier and smiled warmly to the strange being. "Hey, hey there," he cooed, "it's alright. I'm here," he promised. A gentle tapping of his fingers, and he waited for the being to look at him to continue- or, if not, he'd keep going anyways after a few moments.

"My name's Attikias. We'll get through this, okay? I think I know a way for me to help, but you're going to have to move-- can you do that?" Despite the warmth of his voice, there was a fear in the back of his mind- even if he'd comforted many beings before, this was-- different. What could he do, if they only went further into despair? "It will hurt, but I promise you I'll make it better. There's an opening-" and he pointed behind himself, towards the barrier with the slot. "And there should be a way up. You'll have to listen to me to get out, okay?"

"H-huh... ?" Dim, green eyes lifted to regard Attikias as he spoke. They widened a moment, despite the glassy layer of tears over them, and their quivering head tilted just slightly to the side; how was he floating there... ? Kneeling? But, the creature was distracted again with their missing leg and injury.

The man spoke again, at least, drawing their attention once more. Large, ragged ears pricked forwards, and then pinned backwards. A wary look was plastered across their face, despite not being humanoid at all. Whale-eyed, inky lips drawn into a wobbly grimace, head cowering lower. "Hey, hey there, it's alright. I'm here." "Who—" was a half-baked question as he spoke and answered that question with more assurances.

Somehow, it was convincing enough.

"I... I think," they hiccuped, "I think I... can stand." More a platitude to themselves than anything. Shaky limbs and body did not make it an easy task, but... sure enough—they hauled onto their feet, favoring the injured foreleg and one in the back. They wobbled where they stood, heaving. "D-do you promise... ? It... it h-hurts. I don't know if... if it'll be good or bad. I don't know how I got here—" Their voice cut off with a wincing wheeze, and they screwed their eyes shut. "I'm... I'm scared. W-where do I go?"

Quieter, still, just barely perceptible: "please don't h-hurt me..."

1/3

@Attikias

Attikias nodded down to them, leaning down further as he planted his hands on the floor. They were getting there, and he smiled and nodded encouragingly more down as they stood. "I promise. It will hurt, but I know what it's like- you'll have to hurt more to get rid of it, okay?"

He shook his head. "Don't think about the bad, okay? Think about the future, about how you're going to get out of this, about the good parts. I'm here- I'll help, every step of the way, okay?" He glanced back, looking over the maze- it was... expansive, and he traced outlines, blocking out ineffective paths in his mind.

He looked back down at their other words. "Go this way, I think. I'll go slow- can you follow me?" Kneeling back up, he watched- they said something, and while he didn't hear, the tone wrenched his heart out. He frowned, briefly- they had to get out of here. "You're doing very good," he injected in an encouragement, peering down and nodding.

Steeling himself, Attikias stood and turned, looking out over the maze. He'd have to lead them through this, past all the traps, past everything to the end. A path was starting to form, but was it the right one? "Take a right here," he said as he stood over an intersection, pointing to the tunnel.

Throughout all this, he tried, so hard, to project an air of confidence. He had to know what he was doing. The being didn't, and he had to be there for them- he had to.

@Game Master Navy

The... future? Glassy eyes furrowed, if only with a faint hopefulness. Good—oh, good. The canine's ears perked up, and they nodded unsteadily. "I'll—I'll try." To follow, that is.

It was difficult, given the need to glance up for directions and then down at their own two feet for any unseen traps or snuffling noses and claws. But, they made steady, wobbling progress. Attikias would direct them down any intersections, any roads taken. Their hiccuping sobs grew quieter as they went.

Yet, they slowed down, gaze flicking to and fro. "W-what's that?" The sound of something scurrying? Gnashing teeth? Hooked claws? The canine cowered down. "I'm... I'm tired. What is that?" They stopped entirely, glancing halfway to Attikias and whatever indiscernible noise they'd heard.

2/3

@Attikias

He'd wait, ever present, watching and giving time to look through roads. "You're doing good," he kept on, trying to smile down to the stranger. They were getting into the rhythm, and he kept on, looking ahead and peering past a wall they could not.

When he glanced back, they had trailed behind further than he'd realized. "Are you okay?" He asked, gently, before- what's what? Attikias's head tilted, and he focused, listening.

It sent a curl down his spine.

"There's not much farther to go. If there's something I can see it from here, and I'll tell you where it is, okay?" He knelt for a moment before knocking on the barrier, offering his warmest face down to the being.

"We're almost there. I believe in you- you've made it this far, okay? We'll get through this."

"Are you okay?" Were they? They shifted their weight where they stood, uncertain. No... ? Yes? Their head bobbed just slightly, quivering in their stance.

Attikias was a soothing presence, though, and they—desperate in their pain and to escape from it—fell easily into it. He was a sort of... safety blanket against troubles, and they hadn't been hurt again so far... ? They hobbled forward again, steeled. "O-okay." Then, again, they followed every instruction, every guiding motion. Dimly lit eyes would flicker up as the man spoke, and then fix back downward.

After one more period of back-and-forth, the creature fixed their sights on a slope, and with a backwards glance toward Attikias, started to haul themselves upward. It brought them to the long-ago-mentioned slit in the clear gemstone barrier, and they snuffled against it. Their gaze fixed on the pedestal, and they muttered softly, "w-wh... what's that? The way out?" Inky lips pulled into a thin line. "I... I don't see a door."

Their voice wavered, but they glanced down at the object around their neck: a gleaming, circular piece of gemstone the size of the elf's palm. "D... do you need this?"

The canine braced themselves against the glass, slumping back down with a tired, ragged sigh. Their apparent necklace was easily in reach.

3/3

@Attikias