svarog

spireborne brute

239/250

Svarog dodged the worst of it, drawing back from his massive punch to shove himself to his right. The beam of flaring light snapped across his leg, and he howled in pain, scrambling away.

There was a stomp as Kihan--alerted to his location by his cry--turned to face him; and then Svarag was rushing forward again, leaping to grapple the monster, tusked jaws aiming to tear against thick and gleaming scales.

The very ground shuttered at their battle.

---

Svarag and Kihan are engaged in battle.

Kihan has now noticed the Gembounds, but is still Blinded for this round.

This thread is now closed to new entrants. Anyone already taking part may still join or flee the battle.

RELIC 20/20	V-LABRADORITE-ONE 20/20	CATALYST 20/20
NIDHOGG 20/20	OBIETH 20/20	REX 20/20
KAIMANA 20/20	KHAVUR 20/20	MADHUKAR 20/20

[ ACTION LOG ]

> KIHAN attacks SVAROG with STELLAR FLARE, inflicting 3 damage
> SVAROG attacks KIHAN with an uppercut for 9 damage.
> KIHAN attacks SVAROG with STELLAR FLARE, inflicting 8 damage.
> SVAROG attacks KIHAN with fists and an uppercut, inflicting 11 damage (applied next round)


> NIDHOGG scales KIHAN'S body, his claws inflicting 20 damage.
> OBIETH blinds KIHAN, causing him to stumble for 15 damage and fail to target the Gembounds.
> RELIC unfortunately misses a very brave attack.

@Opie @Catalyst (Andromeda) @Tsetse @Bayo @Aethril @Jinyi @Madhukar (Khavur, Kaimana) @Obieth (Nidhogg, Rex) @Relic

Little teeth clacked together as the reptilian behemoth shifted away from the cub. A subtle movement, almost incidental, but it made all the difference when you where as small as she. A growl of complaint left her as she circled back, hoping for another opening.

They were given time to witness everyone else's attacks land, though that only made them more bitter. The lizard clawed its way up the beast's enormous hide, carving flesh as he went; The cat remained crouched where she was, casting her spells. Though the cub could not recognise magic yet, they could somewhat understood that despite her lack of movement, she was doing... something. Something important. They thought back to the casting of bones before; entirely beyond their grasp, but meaningful in a way.

Another bright, sizzling beam snapped the cub out of contemplation, a lot more frightening up close. The way it crackled made her wonder how she ever confused it for lightning, even it seemed feeble compared to what emerged from Kihan's maw. Seeing her opening as the beast stumbled, she charged for his ankles yet again, this time out of spite.

The black Valkcat closed her eyes, feeling the hum and spark of Chaos curling along her velvet fur. Lips peeled back to further bare her dagger fangs as she condensed it, coalesced it, directed it.

Blue eyes snapped open as she sought out her target, and willed the Chaos to do her bidding.

Snap shut its jaws, she seethed, hissed, insisted. Control through greater power.

It was past time the baby tyrannosaur engaged in battle.

Tiny feet sent him in a stumbling rush for the far, far larger monster up ahead; little thornfang jaws gaped wide. Squeaks of fury that might one day become a roar escaped him.

He didn't really know what was happening, mind--no more than anybody else here did. But clearly, Kihan was the bad guy. At least--probably?

Rex wasn't sure, but it wasn't like he was going to do all that much damage, in any case. He just wanted the fighting to "STOP!"--which was what he shouted after going for a "savage" little bite at Kihan's heels.

Now that Nidhogg had succeeded in climbing Mount Kihan, he found himself somewhat at a loss. He knew he wanted to attack, but attack what? Savage to the core, he just raced up and down the armor for a moment, snapping here and there and finding only armored hide.

So at last he tried to bolt for the head and neck, to find somewhere rather more vulnerable. Those glowing points--surely they would do?

With a hiss the little chaos monster went for them, tearing and ripping as best his comparatively little maw could manage.

To his dismay he found only more armor, and his hissing of frustration gave his fury away--and his impotence.

Aethril had fallen far behind, though not by accident.

Early on, she had grown bored. She trailed behind at a distance and scanned the crowd, half-assessing them the way any architect might assess a tower. The mannequin-like creature left an ill taste in her mouth for reasons she could not place, or perhaps reasons she could not be bothered to. Obieth and Nidhogg were both works of art in their own right, of course-- had Vargas created Nidhogg? What was he thinking when he created Khavur, however... --the leopard was, of course, among her favourites too; the hyena and raptor, less so.

It should be noted that her thoughts quickly came to a standstill when the floor was swept from under her and she went ricocheting down a waterslide. She yelped, and she twisted her body around to scrape her fingers against the rock underneath like a cat trying to slow its own fall; but ultimately, she fell in a heap in the sand and spent an unfortunate time trying to find her shoes while the others forged on ahead.

She was cursing herself, of course, for not noticing where she was walking: but alas, it is what it is. It was all quickly forgotten when she realised which room she'd fallen into. The Hand had never been to Lacerta; she knew of it, certainly, and knew of its guardian. The latter was not of any concern to her, however-- not yet. Like a rich woman parading the Amazon, she took her damn time taking in the sights.

Aethril only bothered to pick up the pace when she heard roaring and the sounds of combat: and even when she arrived, she perused from a distance: she studied Svarog and Kihan's little toussle, the others running in to help. Often, these things would light the little spark of Chaos in her heart. Oh, how she would have loved to turn the tides one way and watch the struggle: how she would have loved to set everything alight in violet flame, or break the ground apart from under Kihan's feet. But... Aethril was far more interested in jungle exploration.

Such is the way of Chaos, she supposed. Even she had very little control over which whim took her whenever.

So, the click, click, click of her heels announced her presence amidst the combat. A spark of chaotic magic and-- ahh, gone. Also such was the way of Chaos. This failure to summon a spell did not, in fact, stop her from marching forward.

A glance between Nidhogg and Obieth and orders, curt and sharp, enough. Come, and further on she went. Stop, to Kihan-- and then, she was speaking loudly and clearly. "Have you such little else to do? Calm yourself."

She eyed him up and down-- wary that he may lash out, but caring very little --and frowned. "Kihan, yes? You have more pressing priorities than defending from..." she peered over the crowd, for a time. "Half of them are younglings. Have some sense."

BOSS ENCOUNTER:

KIHAN, SCOURGE OF LACERTA

kihan

son  of  skahan  ,   scourge  of  lacerta

416/500

The blasts of starfire from his jaws, searing white, were suddenly cut short.

Svarog had clashed against him again, though Kihan's larger body was barely staggered. When the next swell of magic began glowing from his maw, it was abruptly halted by a swirl of black clapping his teeth together. The magic burst out in white sparks and smoke, fading, and the gargantuan beast let out a muffled roar.

He kicked with furious irritation at the various, tiny creatures that were clambering to attack him--crawling on him, nipping at his ankles--but it was the sudden command of Aethril's voice that gave the monster pause.

He did not speak--perhaps he could not, even were the magic no longer clamping his jaws shut (which it was), but he did slow, pausing to eye Aethril. A low, growling rumble rolled from his chest and shook the earth underfeet, and he blinked and shook his spines, like a dog just waking up.

A dog that had just been leashed.

He eyed over the children--who thus far he'd ignored--and then snarled at Svarog. He did not attack further, though. The yeti had come to waken him? To guard this land, again? Then... he would do so. The predators would need to be kept in check, intruders destroyed, but-... Svarog was no intruder, then.

Kihan shook himself again, and--as his jaws at last came undone--let loose a final bellow before simply standing there. This was his domain; but these creatures could leave whenever they saw fit.

svarog

spireborne brute

239/250

Svarog pulled back, blood staining his tusks now, as the Valkhand stepped in. His small eyes cut to her, then back to Kihan; and when the larger beast glared at him he thudded fist to chest in challenge.

But no further attack came.

His task complete (if disappointingly short), Svarog turned and headed back, intending to shuffle home. He didn't like this place.

It was too hot.

Lacerta is now fully unlocked for all future visitors. LIFE FINDS A WAY is now complete, and Gembounds may exit as they wish. All Gembounds who have participated will shortly be given the Quest achievement.

After exiting this thread, Gembounds may post in Update Me to claim the spell Stellar Flare, which will also be unlocked in the shop later today:

Stellar Flare

High Intensity Offensive. A superheated blast of energy is sent outward from the user's open mouth, capable of disintegrating, igniting or cutting into most surfaces. This beam is visible and can be any color the user desires.

Corrupted characters can instead claim 250 magicka.

@Opie @Catalyst (Andromeda) @Tsetse @Bayo @Aethril @Jinyi @Madhukar (Khavur, Kaimana) @Obieth (Nidhogg, Rex) @Relic

Her nip met air again as the beast caught wise to her tiny assault on his ankles. Another growl, another try- she dismissed the click of heels on rock as background noise, but the voice made her pause her offense. Both pup and reptile looked to the blue lady, the one that had fallen behind, out of notice. Kihan, as she knew him now, seemed to listen to her. The pair of dueling titans stopped, and the yeti began to shuffle away. "Oh." Was really all it took? It could count as a battle won, she supposed. Her jaws itched selfishly still, but there would always be another fight to find (Nevermind that her chances of defeating the behemoth had always been miserably low).

Unable to keep her anger in her confusion, she looked around to her company, gauging reactions. The conclusion to this adventure had abruptly arrived, it seemed. She'd have to find Bayo and take her leave, but she still had questions, namely: "How'd you do that?" She turned, gaze expectant, to Aethril, thoroughly unaware of her distaste for the cub.

Done-! It was... done!

The big thing (upon which he was clinging) stopped at Aethril's command and Nidhogg, very much not liking the fact that it was no longer really distracted, scrambled hastily down.

Like a ferret he noodle-bounded over to her, jaws hanging wide and dark tongue lolling. He hadn't realized she'd arrived but now he was fawning again, though part of him sort of wanted to sink teeth into her calf (just to see what would happen). He eyed that a moment, then was distracted by her shoe before scrunching down into as much of a "heeling dog" position by her left side as he could manage.

The effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was far taller than even a very large dog, and had the build of a long snake.

"I still love you," he whispered, though he still sort of wanted to bite her, too. Not in a weird way, just... to see if he could.

For once, some sense of sense stopped him. He wasn't sure he could get away with it, not with someone who could command Kihan with a few words. Not... in general, really.

Obieth stepped back, cruelly satisfied with having snapped the monster's jaws shut. I did that, she thought, proud. She revelled, for a moment, in this new memory: in the wisping of sea air that brushed the tops of the palms, at the massive beast--his scales gleaming and glinting in the bright light--shaking himself; at the tang of blood lightly on the air. But when Obieth turned to look around, to take stock of the rest of the room, she spotted Nidhogg racing to Aethril's side.

A spike of alarm joined a thick red-hot surge of jealousy in her. FIRST the fuck of all, that was HER spot. Second, she wasn't entirely sure--from the blatant brief predatory glances Nidhogg displayed--that he wasn't about to attack Aethril outright. He was weird, for sure, but Obieth did not trust him.

And she was Aethril's bodyguard.

Her idle stalk turned into a hasty trot, nearly a run, as she hastened after him. "Not so close," she hissed, ears pinning and eyes glaring. She wanted to shove him out of her spot, but that would be... unseemly, so she just came up alongside him and stared, tail twitching.

If he moved one claw out of place, she'd ravage him. Even if he was far larger. He was, she deemed, far too much of an idiot to be worth much in a fight--but she'd never give him the chance to prove her wrong.

@Aethril