Calypso had found a thing.

She didn't really know what the thing was. It was soft, somewhat, and a bit ratty, like an old cave rat's hide. But it had a thing that let her sling it around her body, and held it in place. And it could carry things!

So she took it along with her. Anything she found that she liked was quickly stored away. That glowing thing she'd taken from that odd-looking creatures... place. A shiny rock.

She was rather hoping that she would be able to use it to carry whatever she found up in the spire.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Oh, how was she going to do this?

The Spire was tall, very much so, and made up of gems and crystals. She wouldn't be able to dig her claws in like she did when she was climbing normally, but she was determined to find a way up.

After all, the crystals weren't smooth. Perhaps she could go from ledge to ledge? That wouldn't be too hard, would it?

However, her first attempt didn't go so well. Her paws scrabbled uselessly against the hard crystal, and she went skidding back to the ground.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Frowning, she planted her paws and shook herself.

Well, she would just keep trying!

The cat backed up, before running forward as fast as she could. Pushing off the ground, she leaped for the nearest ledge.

This time, she only just made it. Her forepaws clung to the ledge, and her hind paws scrabbled. Only barely did she managed to haul herself up onto her forearms, then finally the whole of her onto the ledge.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

[Origin Cave]

The Spire.

A charged conglomerate of blue crystals crackling with pure magicka that has only accumulated over the years; it is massive in scale, looming over the expanse of Polaris like a shining sentinel. It is the core, the heart. The reservoir.

So it would not be uncommon to find magic returning to it, such as that housed within the body of one such Titanium Quartz.

The closeness would make a host feel sick, to be in the presence of so much pure energy—but to touch it, to come in contact with the great mass of magicka housed within the reservoir... few have made this mistake, and most were dead now. Either from their own afflictions they could not recover from, their illnesses unable to regenerate within the proximity of the Spire, or just from being foolish or unlucky.

In the distance stood the ancient Ruby, watching with hard eyes. It might have stepped out and said something, but it considered too that it was interested to see what kind of learning experience this might be.

As for the Titanium Quartz, the moment it landed and struggled to haul itself up—sickness. Overwhelming sickness. A splitting headache, the urge but failing to retch—unable to do so without a stomach, and the pain in its eyes at the brightness of the glowing crystals.

The Spire hummed and sparked at the location. Hungry.

A faint smile touched the Ruby's lips. "All energy that comes from the reservoir returns to the reservoir." Was it calling that of the Titanium Quartz back into it? How far would the Titanium Quartz try to climb, given the side effects of the physical contact?

Calypso was struck dumb.

Sheer pain.

Her head hurt.

Agony.

She gasped for breath, feeling like she was going to vomit, but unable to. Oh, she hurt.

Her eyes throbbed from the light.

She desperately tried to move, to leap down and away, to get away from the pain.

But she was struck dumb, unable to move. She stood, rigidly, on top of of her leg, mrowling loudly in pain and digging her claws in as best as she could.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.