Quest: The Fiery Pit

The day that had passed since awakening the phoenix, the deer was restless. What he most often felt in his stone as a result of using his magic was quickly drowned out by the near constant humming of energy, one he couldn't understand nor describe, only knowing that it had come from the awakening of the phoenix. He feared his speech to the gathering of Gembounds may very well be leading them to their demise - the dragon was massive, insidious and careless towards the lives of others. He would obliterate all of them in the blink of an eye, cast the caves into endless flames and melt everything they'd ever known back down to the filth that layered the floor even before the Great Awakening. He would destroy them.

And yet, he'd told them to ready themselves, to find allies that would help, and to meet him at the gates of Hell where they would prepare to storm the monster. He waited there, pressed against the wall. Still a good few meters away from where the mouth of the tunnel opened up into Polaris, the group would remain hidden until they plunged into the core. It was here he waited, staring down the tunnel and occasionally peeking into Polaris. Even so, he caught no sight of the phoenix. Where is he?

Join This Quest

If you would like to participate in this quest, post with your character in this thread. Completing this quest will require some teamwork, so don't be afraid to roleplay it out! Feel free to request a GM when you feel you may be ready to proceed.

Participants:
Part One: Rafael, Timby, Usui, Damien, Dark, Tamelyn, Diamondfang (Read Thread)
Stealing Stones: Diamondfang, Nemesis (Read Thread)
Waking the Lamb: Cancer, Leon, Amaria (Read Thread)
Part Two: Baratheon, Nemesis, Tamelyn, Dark, Rafael, Cancer (Read Thread)
Part Three: Louie, Tamelyn, Arkrael, Bevy, Dark, Eeya, Delphine (Read Thread)

Dark swept into the tunnel with a soft hoot, winging his way through and using his sharp sense of hearing to guide him, as if he were a bat. But landings were never easy; he could never quite tell where the ground was, not exactly, and so when his feet hit rock he wasn't quite ready.

He tumbled forward, rolling and flailing until he smacked right up against the stag's hind legs. As if it were a normal occurrence--and it was--Dark lifted himself back upright, ruffling down his feathers and clicking his beak a few times, shaking away the dust.

He hopped back, peering up at the whatever-he'd-run-into, listening. Was it the stag? He pressed back against the tunnel wall, uncertain and afraid. The others would be just behind him, he was sure, but if it wasn't the stranger, the friendly one--if it were an enemy--he could be dead before they ever got here.

"Hello?" he squeaked uncertainly.

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ooc; will edit in table at some stage, just want to make sure Louie has a deffo spot in this buzzness <3

ic; Really now, he wasn't entirely sure why he had decided to come back here on the day they had arranged. Already he carried the scars from his first clash with the dragon and he certainly didn't need anymore. That dragon was bad news, but he had to make sure it was officially gone from Polaris. See it with his own eyes as the creature was vanquished. That fire bird thing would be useful as well, so he wouldn't do too much fighting if he could avoid it.

Also creeping along the walls, he managed to make out the shapes of Deer Dad and the smaller bird creature that was maybe Dark? Could be Bevy as well. Coming in closer, he managed to identify the bird as definitely being the gemling, "Did I miss it yet?" Snidely, he commented on the situation as he could feel the same energy that resonated throughout the area. Accentuated by the beast that had claimed his perch on the Spire. It sickened him and he wiped off that cocky smirk and frowned. "We are so fucked."

After the stag had come to Pisces and awakened the great bird that was sleeping in the lagoon below - something that he and the rest of Maji Walezi were completely oblivious to until now - the bear had found a new sense of urgency in dealing with the dragon in Polaris. The time of their intended clash was drawing near; they all knew that they couldn't allow the dragon to terrorize Polaris for much longer, lest he cause too much harm to the Gembounds, to the cave itself. He feared what would happen if he was let to cast Polaris into flame. Would the spire crumble and melt under the heat? Would the fires escape Polaris and ravage the rest of the caves? If anything, Leon wanted to help get rid of him, and so he did his best. He did what was expected of him - he ran to Cetus to alert the Children of Rot and led them back to the tunnel just outside of Polaris.

The stag said that they would meet here, and sure enough, Leon came running in to see him lingering against the wall. Dark was there too, and a fox - was that Louie? The bear skidded to a halt, panting as his orange eyes turned to the burned fox. "Louie?" He huffed, blinking, and then looked to Dark and the stag. "A few others are coming, from Cetus." He added and shuffled closer to Dark. "You should try to stay as far away from Raheerah as possible." The bear spoke to him, lowering his head. It was kind of obvious, but Leon wanted to stress the importance of Dark's safety. "But if you find yourself in danger, just speak to me. I'll come and find you." He added.

@Dragon @Ghanyarah

The alligator that strode up behind those gathered, his skin dull black-green and ridged with spiky scutes, was only three cycles old. He hadn't yet reached his full growth of sixteen feet in length and about a thousand pounds in weight, instead reaching around eleven to twelve and just over seven hundred pounds.

He was still pretty damn large, but as he broke into a near-trot to peer around Leon and into Polaris, he realized that he was nothing but an ant.

And he grinned, toothy jaws parting wide.

"A challenge!" he growl-hissed, large, ridged tail sweeping to and fro over the floor. He turned, looking back to Ghanyarah and the rest, amusement glittering like fire in his dark eyes. "He is not as large as our father. Not as long as Aquarian. But he is large. I still say that I will kill him."

Dragon seemed downright cheery, an energetic ferocity thrumming from him, the sort of thing that he hadn't really exhibited since his youth. The idea of a fight was exhilarating, and the more injuries and scars he came out of it with, the better.

Looking back toward the cave, he flicked his eyes over the fires burning throughout Polaris, the vast wings of the dragon, and the Spire.

Some day, I will be so large. Some day, it will be I setting such fires.

It didn't occur to him that he needed wings to be a dragon--though they'd certainly be nice to have.

Maybe he'd kill this one, he mused, and take its wings instead.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura aka rare . edited by banshee and dark }

Ghanyarah was quick to scamper in behind Dragon, holding his head high as they made their way from Cetus to the tunnel that would lead into Polaris. They followed the bear, although Ghanyarah didn't exactly know why his brother had agreed to come help - sure, glory is a tantalizing reward, but was it really worth trusting a stranger and potentially dying in the face of an apparently massive threat? Aquarian had spoken of Raheerah as a creature of pure chaos, unyielding before anybody. By the sounds of it, their chances of success were... slim. But, Ghanyarah would follow Dragon into the flames of hell and beyond as long as there was the promise of a reward. Even as long as there was a small chance of survival.

As they reached the group, Ghanyarah leaned in and peered over Dragon to witness the inky black beast that they'd be fighting - the dragon, perched atop his spire and casting flame to everything he saw. He scuttled back and flickered his eyes between the group before focusing on Dragon again, who seemed more than enthusiastic about fighting the beast. He was so sure that he'd kill the monster, but Ghanyarah had his doubts. He wouldn't voice them, of course; he remained silent, adhering close to the alligator's side while casting his uncertain gaze to the others. He'd noticed the owl - the one that did something to his gem shard. The komodo flicked his tongue, but made no attempt to interact with him. It was probably best that the owl didn't know that it was Ghanyarah's shard. He only narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned his attention back to Dragon.

table and code © chelsea of ORIGIN

bathed in flames we held the brand uncurled the fingers in your hand

Fisher had tagged along after Dragon, taking a careful distance, but he soon arrived in the place that was practically filled to the brim with familiar faces. Louie. Leon. His eyes fell on the massive deer, mushrooms brimming his antlers and shoulders-- who stared on into Polaris with such convinction. All this for the King of Blood?

It was then that he felt the heat, washing down the tunnel. His copper eyes cast into the unusually violet glow of Polaris, and he flinched away immediately. Fire roared deep in the heart of Polaris, red and orange casting black marks across the greenish blue of the Spire... He had to force himself to look away, to stare into the brightness of the flames, and as he looked up to the point of the Spire, that was when he saw.

Their enemy was not the King of Blood. No, it was a million times worse.

The beast was huge.

King of Fire.

"We're gonna fight that thing? How?" He asked, daring to raise his voice enough to catch the ears of anyone nearby. Despite the fear that crept into his heart, he stood tall, alert, and most of all, ready. He didn't now how they would win, but... He supposed someone might have a plan.

@Black <3

From just behind the lumbering alligator came the slowly crescendoing sound of trotting hooves, and once the source stumbled to a stop beside Dragon, it squealed, a war cry. Czernobog was only two cycles old, but the boar already weighed in at a hefty one-hundred and fifty pounds - not counting the rather ticked off crow that sat atop his head. The piglet's tail wagged as he paced back and forth beside his father, snorting and huffing impatiently, glancing between all of the gathered creatures with little interest. Kill him. At the order, the beast's attention snapped back to Dragon, and with a nod, Czernobog turned to stare at the flames engulfing Polaris - and at the massive beast that had created them. Black eyes narrowed, and the boar scraped a hoof against the stone floor in challenge, ears flicking back, spittle falling from his lips, a bullet waiting in the barrel of a gun.

"Kiiiiiiiill!" The boar glanced up at his loud-friend, who had miraculously sustained her hat-position throughout the travel, and grinned, eyes bright with the fire of the hunt. "Chuuuuuuurn. Roooooot. Kiiiiiiiill." Another restless snort, and the piglet nosed at Dragon's shoulder, trotting in a circle around the alligator, as if urging his leader's lust for victory on.

Black came up at a swift but lumbering trot, as if his joints weren't quite in place--the gait of the mastiff. He moved up alongside and slightly behind Fisher, pendulous ears pricked up, likewise peering into Polaris. His thoughts echoed his brown friend's.

That is not the dragon we fought.

At the memory, and at the size of this far larger beast, the pain flared up in the scars at his neck. He let out a soft, deep growl.

"It is not the same dragon," he declared, shifting on his paws, peering tensely inside. "But I will fight it." He left the rest unspoken: that he would fight it for Fisher. To protect Fisher, and whatever Fisher valued--if that were the safety of the caves, then Black found that worth fighting for, as well.

He took up his stance beside his friend, ready to guard him and to fight for him, without another word.

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enna . ratchet . calypso . anan
sweet and soft . bright and cheery . critical and melodic . childlike and loud

i'm a songwriter who's put my childhood memories and teenage angst into songs

Bevy fluttered into the tunnel after having set up all of her things. Her heart was pounding, but she found to her surprise that a fairly large number of tough looking gembounds had gathered. Half of them she didn't recognize, but there were plenty she did.

"I've got the medical station set up," she announced, "If anyone gets too injured to fight, make sure they get back to this tunnel, back here so I can heal them. And if there's any young gembounds that hatch in Polaris, send them here too-- okay?" She couldn't fight, she wouldn't be strong enough to. But she could do this, and so she would do it. Trembling, she flapped over to Dark and the lead buck that had awoken the cold pheonix-- where was the massive bird, anyway?

"Stay safe, alright? And do your best. I have faith in each and every one of you," she told them firmly, though her words were quiet clearly pointed at the owl she had seen grow up from the time he had hatched.

Everything said that she wanted to say, she gave a nod to Leon, passing glances to Fisher and Louie, and then she flew off back to the area she had set up for the injured. Hopefully they wouldn't need her help-- but even thought she didn't look closely, she had caught a glimpse of the fires that raged in Polaris. She knew that it would take a lot for them to escape unscathed.

.Enna

consider this an exit to THIS THREAD unless someone has a question or something to say to bevy in this thread <3 GOOD LUCK NERDS!!!