It It It She burst in flaming like a meteor. Tearing her way through the Aperature, the Reaver snarled with both throats. "KHAVUR, THE REAVER, HAS RETURNED," she boomed. Her eyes were wild, gleaming and sparking off of every surface. Like a city on the verge of an explosion, there was an intensity about her, a steaming and hissing sensation. She stormed the earth, deigning to make it tremble like her Master did.

Khavur attempted, quaking and growling still, to make it to some shadowed corner, perhaps to rest or cool off somehow. But as she came close enough to an object, a rock on a silhouette, something with substance... she couldn't help herself.

Her massive tail lashed against the wall, producing a plump and thick cracking noise. Both heads bared their teeth in something half way between a hideous grin and a menacing grimace.

There had been too many thoughts to parse in her head. All she could hear was the wailing and the rising chorus, the red that she could smell and taste, the imperfection.

"KHAVUR, THE REAVER, HAS RETURNED."

V-Zoisite-One heard the call, and with quills rattling with trepidation, raised their head. Their mandibles pulled back over their shoulders so the golden glow of their eyes could peer out through the darkness of Draco to spot the wild, anti-camouflage of Khavur. They had no intention of doing or saying anything, as their hatchmate stormed off to a corner...

But then, a sudden lash of motion clashed in the air. Khavur's tail thrashed out at stone, and cracked the relative quiet of the cavern. Before they knew what they were doing, they scrambled over to the stone toward Khavur, talons scratching the earth as they approached at speed. Their head swayed, struggling to keep held high as they approached, vision swimming in the urgency of the motion.

"Are--" Zoisite's mandibles clicked as suddenly they stopped, just outside of range of those toothy snarls and lashing tail. Quills continued to rattle through their underbelly, six golden eyes twisting to try and meet the two feral sets that seemed unreadable.

Magic surged, and Zoisite felt the unrelenting storm starting from the tip of their tail and flashing through their body. It was hard to tell, but immediately the feeling of agitation made her--? Made-- Overwhelming, crimson and vitrol; a flawed existence making it-- their-- armored carapace feel too tight. Wrong. The tail's mandibles snapped twice, loud and threatening, their underbelly crackling like a thunderstorm roaring to life.

Something was wrong, and in an instant, Zoisite was paralyzed by it. Did they retreat? Without thinking, Zoisite took another cautious step forward, and parted their jaws once more... But no sound came, none that could be heard above Khavur's snarling and their own rattling spines.

@Khavur

Overseer Garnet-Delta had been... napping, actually.

Upon one of its usual perching spots, tail resting just over its nose. That nap had been rudely interrupted by the sound of Khavur's entrance, but such dramatic huffing was enough to inspire curiosity, rather than annoyance. The feline stretched from above the climb, and reached its head forward to watch what was happening with crimson eyes glinting.

Hm. It seemed the-- would it be appropriate to call them the second generation?-- was getting into something. Hopefully it wouldn't need to be directly involved.

To be fair, this was its job. It was an OVER--SEER, after all. So it was really only going about its usual business, as it settled down on its perch and kept a good eye on the situation below. Privately, it hoped the show would be interesting. Usually, when the Chaos-Forge started kicking up a fuss, the collective did tend to get into entertaining scuffles, right? They best not disappoint it.

(feel free to skip delta in the future, its just gonna vibe and judge everyone lmao)

Khavur was near impossible to miss even under ordinary circumstances. But now, the crashing neon explosion, booming and sparking through the cavern, was basically demanding its attention.

Others were quick to notice, and Labradorite watched Zoisite hastily skitter over to the reaver. The crack of stone suddenly sounded all to similar to the sound of cracking carapace, and Zoisite never liked violence. it didn't think about how it should- about how fighting was practically what they were all made for. About how sooner or later theyd have to get into a serious, real fight.

Instead, it stalked over, stance tensed in the face of Khavur's aggression. Almost protective as it stood next to Zoisite. It said nothing- what was there for it to say? calm down? It hoped it would, but for now it aimed to keep collateral damage down to a minimum.

@Khavur

SOMEONE HAD APPROACHED. The snapping of mandibles, the clattering talons. Khavur's large-horned head snapped to face the intruder, her eyes blazing like her white-gold flesh. She knew right where to look. The grub, small and skittish, now grown to its full size... and yet it appeared to have remained just that. Small. Skittish. Red. "ARE--? ARE WHAT? ARE YOU GOING TO ELABORATE?" She was not necessarily screaming, but her voice was deep, sharp, and violent; a pit of brambles.

Khavur hardly left time for a response before shifting her other head to face the Labradorite, who was now beside it. Hovering protectively, it would seem, as Khavur would. Seeing the juxtaposition, the reflection of some part of herself that she now barely recognized... was infuriating. "AND YOU? WORDLESS?" Trying to be intimidating? It wouldn't work, not with Khavur. Khavur who knew the Zoisite's real face, who saw the Labradorite's true nature. Bubbles. So flimsy they would destroy themselves on their own. A snort of disdain, Khavur's eyes looked away from either target. They scanned the area instead. "COWARDS." She readied her wings, stalking away from the Labradorite and the Zoisite. Beginning to circle them.

"YOU SIT AND WATCH. YOU GROW WITHOUT CHANGING. YOU WAIT AND OBSERVE..." Khavur's glare was unwavering. "...AND YOUR WEAKNESS WILL CLAIM YOU." She held the barbed tip of her tail towards them as a thief holds a knife to one's throat -- an obvious threat. "IF YOU SAW A WORLD FULL OF BONES..." Eyes landed on the Labradorite, ...OR DEAD MICE..." they switched to the Zoisite, "...WOULD YOU FEEL DISGUST? OR WOULD YOU HUNGER LIKE YOU WERE MADE TO?"

They were monsters. They were created with more purpose than Khavur could ever hope to attain. And yet, they SQUANDERED it. They KNEW their power and IGNORED it. Did they know how stupid they looked? Titans among ants, titans with all the edges and perils of the greatest mountains, and yet as harmless as clouds? They posed no threat. They had known more growth and change than Khavur ever would. It was repulsive. It made her jealous.

She lunged for the Zoisite, who kept its mandibles open and its words locked away. Her killing arms outstretched, she wished to reach it, to claw madly at its. Who would dare to block the path of the claws? They were like spears of diamond, built to pierce and tear the armor away until all that was left were bones, like the ones in Canis, and the ones in Draco. The ones that laughed at jokes and clowns and failures. The audience that watched the players...

Current Level: Fledgeling
Round: 1/?
Attempt: Claw the Zoisite's face with her killing claws.
Defense: Just physical passive ones like armored plates and quills.
Injuries: :)

@V-Zoisite-One

The Zoisite was frozen, hardly aware of the Labradorite coming to their flank but for the faint sound and smell-- a flicker of red in the corner of one of their six golden eyes.

Talons dug into the stone underneath as the shared emotions flared, infuriated, but the Zoisite did not dare breathe, much less answer as Khavur snapped at them. Where had this come from, out of no where? Had Zoisite missed something-- the nagging sensation like worms had crawled under their armor and burrowed through flesh. As Khavur began to circle, Zoisite shifted, keeping their eyes locked upon their hatchmate, silent but for the storm in their underbelly.

The magic faded, but Zoisite found the sensation did not; the frustration boiled under its skin. Cowards? How could Khavur say that? Was Zoisite a coward?-- In an instant, Zoisite's thoughts jumped instead to protect the image of Labradorite, refusing the notion that any of the others were cowardly. Tail snapped again, whipping through the air, and a split second later they remembered Labradorite was close by. They had to be careful not to lash out at the inky black shadow at their side, especially as they twisted around to continue facing down Khavur.

Weakness, Zoisite thought, working up the courage to fire a comeback, to say something to shut down Khavur before she? continued. We aren't weak. You aren't--

Everything happened in a blur.

Khavur lunged, claws swiping down and wings furling behind with the roar of motion. Zoisite's head snapped down. Vision squandered, but pincers and hard armor put out like a shield.

Claws flew over head. Panic, anger, shock. Reacting, the monster that Khavur saw came in a flash of instinct. Limbs pushed forward, and jaws parted wide, and as quills felt the air shift-- prey present-- the vice snapped shut.

@Khavur




Current Level: Pupil
Round: 1/?
Attempt: grab Khavur with mandibles (and hopefully don't slice something off--)
Defense: quills bristling and armor plating
Injuries: emotionally? just the beginning, folks!

It was fury unlike any other.

It felt sudden, out of nowhere, like an explosion. Or had this been slowly brewing, and you never noticed? It hadn't talked much to Khavur outside a few encounters. If it had, would it have seen this coming? Or was this truly sudden, a chaotic explosion of anger with no real cause?

Cowards

It waswasn'twaswasn't wasn't a coward. "I AM-" cut off by the rest of Khavur's rant, Labrodorite instead let out a silent snarl. Khavur's anger was infectious, it seemed. Even Zoisite snapped it's tail in anger, narrowly missing Labradorite's legs. It took a single step back, but it refused to flee. If you're not a coward, then prove it.

"If we were weak, we wouldn't be here." Because it was true, wasn't it? Weakness was purged from the forge, one way or another. It turned as Khavur did, refusing to break it's gaze. Refusing to stand down, refusing to do anything that would insinuate weakness.

The tension built with every insult, with every snarl and glare and threat. Building and building and building-

-and finally, a release.

A flurry of movement from all parties, all at once and hard to keep track of. Claws flew through the air, pinchers, clacked on nothing, and Labradorite launched forward. It was only looking to stun- because maybe if it was forced to stop, then maybe it's thoughts would catch up with the wildfire ravaging through it.

Then maybe it would stop spouting the harsh truth these horrid insults.

It's head connected with the side or upper body of one of Khavur, but the blow was pitiful. The only thing it truly accomplished was proving Khavur's point of it's weakness.

Current Level: Fledgeling
Round: 1/?
Attempt: Headbutt to try to stun Khavur
Defense: uhhhh does goop count?
Injuries: aaaAAAAAA
@Khavur

The way her fire seemed to spread around the room, burn within her littermates as well... was exciting. Promising. The Zoisite's agility made Khavur grit and bare its teeth even harder, somehow, in what could have almost been a smile. And the Labradorite, circling Khavur in turn, now given words by wrath? Yes! This was almost the monsters they were to become!! Unfortunately, the Labradorite was incorrect, misguided as Khavur had been. Their failed attempts at attacks and rebuttals proved Khavur's own suspicions to herself. Master Vargas should be grateful, Khavur was doing his work for him.

Both of them were in an arm's reach. Damaging one would likely damage the other emotionally, only making them angrier. Khavur wanted to damage them both simultaneously. In that case...

The Reaver began to spin one direction, its spiky, cherry-slicked tail acting readied like a baseball bat. Khavur swept low, as to hit the Zoisite's side first, possibly throwing it into or towards the Labradorite.

Current Level: Fledgeling
Round: 2/?
Attempt: Tail whip Zoi, possible throwing into/towards Lab
Defense: Just physical passive ones like armored plates and quills.
Injuries: :))

@V-Zoisite-One

Pincers snapped shut on nothing, the force practically jarring the insectoid's head. The Zoisite froze for a moment, a single panicked thought firing in between instinctual behavior: Why are we fighting? This was their hatchmate, their fellow--

Khavur was moving again. Quills rattled furiously, head twisting clockwise, giving a sideways view without exposing their eyes too much. Their body twisted into a crescent shape, their false eyes on their tail gleaming as both sets of mandibles bared.

There wasn't enough time for rationale. The Reaver spun, and out came that whip-like tail. Retreat simply did not enter the Zoisite's mind as instead, talons scored the stone bellow and musculature braced for impact. To their credit, there wasn't enough time to do anything else... But it wasn't enough.

Crunch.

Tail struck carapace. Hard.

The Zoisite was knocked from their feet and tossed aside like they were nothing. They tumbled, their world spinning, right toward Labradorite: a whirling roll of quills, sharp edges, and hard armor.

@V-Labradorite-One




Current Level: Pupil
Round: 2/?
Attempt: block the tail and stand ground
Defense: quills bristling and armor plating
Injuries: cracked carapace

"Quiet now, huh?" It snarled at Khavur's lack of response, eyes flaring like angry red coals. It wanted this to stop. It wanted Khavur to stop attacking and stop speaking and stop everything.

And it wanted to stop being weak.

Khavur turned, readying it's spiked tail, glistening with cherry-scented faulty venom like blood. Labradorite grimaced, preparing itself for the hit. Hopefully it could run out of the way, or somehow lessen the blow, or-

This time, the crunch that rung out WAS a cracked carapace, and before it could worry about Zoisite's injury, it had to worry about the mass of quills and armor rolling right towards it.

It managed to step out of the way in time, though it was still grazed by Zoisite's quills, leaving a couple cuts and scrapes on it's legs. "STOP!" It growled, drops of oil flying in all directs as it's tail lashed.
"What are you doing? What are you trying toprove?" It'd step over where Zoisite had landed, a barrier in between the rampaging reaver and the injured insectoid.

Current Level: Fledgling
Round: 2/?
Attempt: Don't get hit by a tumbling Zoisite
Defense: Oil, general defensive posture
Injuries: Some small cuts on it's legs
@Khavur