//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty One: Grindstone // Story: Cure For a Toxin // by RadBunny //------------------------------// Friendship was…odd. Varti had never really had many friends growing up. His lack of ‘yak-ness’ alienated him from the usual ‘smash’ activities that dominated Yak culture. Toxic had been his first good friend, the eccentric Yak learning the ins and outs of how to even be one. The Yak liked to think he had a fair grasp on it all, but he was hardly a pinnacle example of friendship-making material. Perhaps that was why the current situation puzzled him so. Over the past few days, Fide had shown up with simple requests. The first was asking how exactly the reactor worked that tapped into ‘her’ leylines, specifically the crystal circuitry. The second was of how the golems around the island were controlled. Varti wasn’t sure what was more off-putting; the fact Fide seemed genuinely interested and understood everything he was saying, or the fact she still showed up at the same time each day to ask a question, not seemingly to be bored at all. It was quite confusing, but that would hopefully be solved today. “The various weapons are routed into the same type of matrix that controls the golems,” Varti explained. Usually such information was classified, but considering the island ran on Fide and her Sister’s leylines, Varti had no doubt they could find out exactly how it all worked if they wished. Apparently, his explanation was more ‘efficient’. At least that’s the word Fide used. “Fascinating. So much progression from other runic spells,” Fide mused, looking at one of the many crystal backups housed deep underground. “Spells within spells within a matrix. So much faster and more stable in terms of connectivity. It is impressive…for mortals.” Varti had to choke back a laugh at that. Her hesitation had become more pronounced, at first a genuine statement, but now almost seemed to be an inside joke. Whether or not she saw it as such he didn’t know. “I’ll take it. It took years to develop, let alone actually create with the help of actual mages. But now that we have templates, even non-magic users can create spells within the matrix,” Varti concluded, Fide nodding in thought. “May I ask you something, Fide?” “Hmm?” two spectral eyes flickered over to meet the Yak’s. “What prompts you to seek me out for these chats?” the Yak asked. He had run over the words a dozen times in his head, and they still felt clunky. “I thoroughly enjoy our talks, but I am still curious as to the ‘why’. I’m sure you could access our database, power grid, everything and learn it all.” Varti had expected many answers; what he hadn’t expect was the lack of one. Fide simply stared at him for a moment, the stern mare’s brow furrowing before looking away. “I…” The single word drifted off, Varti not entirely sure what to think. He had expected something about learning what sort of ‘mortal machines’ interacted with her leylines. Not a confused reply. After another, very long pause that bordered on becoming awkward, Varti shrugged his furry shoulders. “Well. Whatever the reason is, I appreciate it. It’s not often I get to speak with someone who understands my work, let alone enjoys it. And somecreature who is willing to overlook my social inadequacies at times.” Fide looked like she was about to say something; her head turning to glance at him, but all she managed was a nod. “Perhaps that question can be answered some other time. Or not at all if you prefer. I was just curious,” Varti mused. “I do need to get back to monitoring things. Pick was meeting with a certain guest about-” “A friend.” Varti was interrupted by Fide’s reply, the mare looking at him with something behind her eyes. The usual cocky, almost holier-than-thou demeanor she usually had was completely gone. Instead, a strange vulnerability was present despite her armored frame not changing a smidge. If anything, she looked almost… Scared. Utterly confused about this interaction. Varti’s mind felt like it was both grinding to a halt and speeding up at the same time. At once, he recognized the look in Fide’s eyes; he had seen it hundreds, thousands of times before. Every time I looked in a mirror. “A friend?” Varti repeated back; it was, after all, how he helped himself learn social manners. Repeat back a response and solidify it as a positive or negative. “To answer your question,” Fide said slowly, her gaze dropping away from the Yak and focusing on the bluish-pink crystal in the small concrete room. “I was hoping to find a friend. I don’t…I don’t have those,” she admitted softly. “That’s Clari’s thing. I work from the shadows, too busy, not efficient or having a purpose.” In the pause, Varti took a chance to interject. “But it is fun, right?” he asked. “To find someone you can relax around?” A confused nod was her reply, the Yak mentally cheering. “You sound like me, years ago. So, not so much a lucky guess as a calculated one,” he revealed. “Friendship is tricky. Messy, full of ups and downs and one of the most inefficient social constructs I’ve discovered.” As he spoke, a bit of the fear faded from Fide’s eyes; the Professor finding it fascinating his words could have such an effect. “But for all that mess and lack of straightforwardness; it is fun, rewarding, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Varti said with a firm nod. “I am both a father to my daughter and her friend. But having peers that are friends within my work is…difficult, so I am not the best example of that.” He now took a pause, looking over to Fide. “I would though, like to call you a friend. Even if that means you still need to figure out what that means.” It was a brief slip; but Varti saw Fide’s lips tremble, eyes widening in genuine surprise. A strange eagerness was there; so much emotion hidden behind the usually impassive gaze. “I would like that,” was her appropriately curt reply, the mare tossing her mane. “I’m…sure that you need to get back to the reactor core.” “That’s the thing about being friends; they can take a priority,” Varti said with a grin. “But I won’t keep you.” He took a few steps to head back and then paused. Walking over to Fide, he held out his cloven hoof. “Friends?” She looked at the outstretched limb, and Varti had to stop himself from laughing. It was the exact look he himself had displayed many times at seeing social gestures. Not that he didn’t understand them, but not understanding why they were being offered to him. A simple hoof-bump was Fide’s reply, along with a single word. “Friends.” In a side room of one of the many laboratories on the island, a single individual twisted and twirled his body around a forelimb-sized container. The contents of the crystal flask were solid black streaked with purple, sparks of color occasionally radiating from their depths. “Try to kill my butterfly, will you?” Discord growled, sending another surge of magic into the container. “This is my plane. My chaos. And you will learn to bow and beg befo-oh, hello Picky.” Discord said, tone shifting as the Unicorn entered the room with a raised eyebrow. “Discord. You asked to see me?” the new Fleet-Commander remarked. “I assume I am interrupting something?” “Obviously. But not so much you interrupting it, but it interrupting everything,” Discord drawled. “I wanted you to be here for when I seal our enemies’ fate. This is the antigen, by the way.” “To what? The gas?” Pick asked, cautiously taking a seat. “Everything that pissant created. The gas, his kingdom, any toys he may have crafted, all of it will carry traces of Limbo on it,” the chaotic God explained. “This will aggressively solve that with the final ingredient.” “Ok, somewhat following.” “Do you like oranges?” Pick blinked shrugging his armored shoulders. “I suppose, yes?” Discord conjured up a dozen of them, the items raining down around the pair. “What about brussels sprouts? Moldy ones?” “Erg, I’d say no?” One of the offensive items dropped onto the oranges, Discord gesturing to it. “Now, what happens when a fruit, vegetable, food-stuff is moldy? What if it touches other items?” Pick’s eyes narrowed, a slight grin starting to form on his face. He wasn’t sure what Discord was planning, but he was starting to see the gist of it. “It spreads. It ruins all of it. Bad apple spoils the bunch.” The oranges followed the path of the brussels sprouts; the moldy mush then vanishing with a snap of Discord’s claws. “And so, this King has sealed his fate,” the Draconequus growled. “Onyx is a moldy Limbo-creature in this case. His essence is incompatible with all aspects of limbo and thus can be a delivery system for the antigen. The magical signature at least.” The chaotic being’s tone shifted as he spoke about Onyx, almost becoming amused. Fond could be an applicable word. “I assume this won’t harm Onyx?” Pick asked cautiously, Discord waving a claw dismissivly “Absolutely not. His help ensured that he can be safe and sound.” “That’s good,” Pick admitted, mentally sighing with relief, “so, this will destroy it all? The king, the gas…” “The King will be weakened, but that’s not your concern.” Pick shook his head, standing up to look at Discord. “Wrong. We’re going to be confronting him eventually. It is my conc-” Pick’s words grew heavy on his tongue until his mouth clamped shut. Discord’s eyes flashed red as the room spun upside down and inside out. The heavens inverted to surrounded the Draconequus, power crackling around his paw. “The King is not your concern,” Discord said, his voice disturbingly even as it built to a thunderous roar. “Not yours or Toxic’s. Not those two leyline-mares, and not Celestia or Luna’s. He is MINE.” And just like that, the world returned as it should be, Discord coughing as he winced, levitating a simple soda down to Pick. “I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me,” he admitted, appearing genuinely apologetic, Pick waving off the soda. “Urp. I suppose it’s expected with how-oh boy, lets-stomach is still inside body, that’s good,” the unicorn grumbled. “Even with this new body I can feel sick without having a biological stomach. Fantastic.” “It’s a sore subject, Pick Shield,” Discord said, now settling on the ground. “Our opponent has forced me to confront things within my life that are oddly powerful. I apologize for my lack of decorum just now. It was not nice of me.” Having the God of Chaos apologize was an odd feeling indeed, but Pick waved off Discord’s words, even if he secretly was filing them into the ‘rare moments I won’t ever forget’ category. “I know of what things you speak. I’m not an idiot, and I won’t hold it against you in the slightest. Just, no more of that, please. I get the point. But how exactly do you plan to rival this…King of Shadows? Doesn’t he nullify your magic?” The grin on Discord’s face made Pick’s skin crawl. “That, my dear stallion, is a trade secret for now.” After sending the container off with Pick for analysis, Discord ducked into his pocket dimension with a puff of banana-scented mist. Examining the frozen figure in front of him, the Draconequus put on a few finishing touches. The near-copy of Onyx was malleable like clay, and Discord couldn’t help but chuckle. “A copy machine is all I needed. An empty shell needs a crab to fill it…” Discord growled. “But I can’t be the one to shatter your current home. But I can wait.” The thunderstorm literally made the rocky cave shake. Whatever the gas was outside it was apparently affecting the weather, SMAL stating it was producing incredibly variable magical surges, interacting with anything and everything. That was a simply as the entity had been able to put it when Gelliana woke up in the middle of the night. She had settled down next to Toxic and tried to sleep. Eventually stress and mental exhaustion took its toll and the gryphoness faded away into sleep. When Gelliana woke, the stone underneath the sleeping pad still shivered with booming echoes. The air temperature had dropped dramatically, and her uneasy sleep and restless dreams still lingered on her consciousness. And yet. Cracking her eyes open, the gryphoness scooted a bit closer under the warm blanket that SMAL had draped over herself and Toxic. Somehow, everything seemed so much less imposing. She wasn’t sure why, but… With an abrupt realization, the gryphoness found out. During the middle of the night, clearly the two of them had shifted about. Laying partially on her side, Gelliana realized that Toxic’s forelimbs were wrapped firmly around her torso. The stallion’s muzzle was currently buried in her headfeathers, his breathing smooth and steady. Without much warning, tears began to stream from Gelliana’s eyes. With her diminutive size, past trust issues with males as well as the current situation, feeling safe was a rare luxury that was fairly fleeting. Yet as she closed her eyes and snuggled a bit closer, the gryphoness felt, against all odds, just that. Safe. Even in his sleep, Toxic’s forelimbs tightened. The stallion mumbled something, nuzzling her headfeathers before letting out a content sigh. Gelliana hadn’t known she could feel this safe. And yet in a foreign land, trapped inside a cave with a poisonous gas outside… The stallion stirred to wakefulness, the fact he was still nuzzling her head making Gelliana blush rather furiously. His breathing quickened, and the fact he made what sounded like a soft, *eep* nearly made the gryphoness burst out in laughter. Very carefully, he began to retract his forelimbs; at least until Gelliana reached over to hug them close. A soft huff of amusement was Toxic’s response, clearly happy to doze for a bit longer. She had always wondered what this would be like; waking up like this. Mentioned so many times in books and only present in the briefest of comforting dreams. But this? Gelliana didn’t realize how much she had wanted this feeling of security; the romantic tales only scratching the surface. Such a simple thing, and yet if this was how she could wake up every morning, Gelliana was willing to punch the Shadow King himself if that’s what it took. Funny enough, even that thought wasn’t accompanied by the slightest bit of anxiety, only a warmth in her chest. I’m not scared when I’m with you, Toxic. I know you’d do anything to keep me safe; and don’t think I won’t do the same. The fact Gelliana could see her armor glowing only solidified that thought. If this was what her life could be like after all of this was over; what wouldn’t she do for that? Toxic’s body felt like a ground up hayburger. Every breath he took made his sides ache, and that wasn’t even addressing the dull throb in his bones. Yet at this moment, the stallion was happy as could be. The last thing expected was to wake up with Gelliana wrapped up in a sleepy hug, but he wasn’t about to complain. The fact she clearly didn’t want him to move just made it all the better. If Toxic was being honest with himself, the fear was growing at an exponential rate at the back of his mind. The sudden onset of his throat feeling raw and the weakness coupled with the pain made him feel utterly useless and exposed. But a moment like this just made that all fade away, everything hurt a little bit less. Eventually, Toxic had to move, his forelimb falling asleep as he indicated such with a wiggle, Gelliana exacerbating the problem by poking the limb with a smile. He could feel her smile at that. While he was only able to lever himself up to a partial, upright laying-down position, Gelliana smoothly scooted over to look her stallion up and down, eyes narrowing in concern at seeing his limbs shiver ever so slightly. Toxic opened his mouth to say something; but nothing came out. Just a painful wheeze. Fantastic. I go from having my voice hurt others, to having no voice at all. “Can’t talk?” Gelliana asked calmly, Toxic shaking his head as a part of him began to panic. The abrupt kiss that suddenly occupied the stallion quickly shut down those fears, the gryphoness making him blush a bright violet as he stared, Gelliana grinning after they separated. “Fair’s fair. You made me speechless with your kiss; guess it’s my turn.” Toxic’s jaw hung open at her teasing, the stallion then letting out a silent, wheezing laugh. It hurt, but it was worth it. Thank you. The gryphoness grinned rather proudly at being able to lighten the mood; and Toxic felt like she certainly deserved such. Her expression softened as Gelliana walked a bit closer, reaching over to gently lay a set of claws on Toxic’s shoulder. “You hanging in there?” she asked softly, the stallion nodding once. What wouldn’t I go through for you, Gells? His expression must have betrayed something, because his special somegriff looked away bashfully, a blush sparking onto her cheeks. Not able to move other than his limbs at a snail’s pace, Toxic slowly reached over to move Gelliana’s claws to his cheek, then flopping down as his energy was spent. Before he closed his eyes to doze, he got to see his gryphoness nearly melt into a puddle. How he loved making her do that, seeing the affection blazing in her violet eyes… “Love you too, Tox,” she whispered, reaching over to tug an emergency blanket over him. “You sleep, I’ll study. Probably want to let SMAL scan you first though.” Toxic nodded weakly, the entity popping into view on hearing its name called. That was new. “SMAL? Oh, perfect,” Gelliana relayed, the mare nodding once. “I detected that my assistance may be needed?” she asked, the gryphoness gesturing towards Toxic. “Can you scan him? Just to make sure nothing has changed?” Gelliana asked. Her ears perked upright as SMAL nodded, walking over to run a magical beam over him. Oddly, the entity seemed almost preoccupied. Her eyes moved move, seeming to constantly take in the new surroundings rather than the usual, laser-focused vision of before. Even the golem’s movements were different; an occasional tap of the hoof, a twitch of the ear. “With your permission, I can possibly send a distress beacon that is undetectable,” SMAL said calmly, thunder still booming overhead. “I can time it to the discharges from the clouds. It would be a simple data packet, but I believe it could be detected by the Organization’s sensors even through the barrier, and thus, Varti. He could decrypt it and get our location and status. Shall I proceed? I have run dozens of successful simulations. Zero failures to transmit in a background-energy pattern, and almost zero chance of successful decryption if intercepted.” Toxic nodded weakly, Gelliana following suite. “I mean, it can’t hurt,” she admitted. “As long as it doesn’t give away our position when you send it. It’d be good to let others know we’re still alive.” “Confirm, director? A nod will suffice,” SMAL said again, Toxic managing a firm up and down movement with his head. “Confirmed. I will begin transmitting. The message will be spread out over many minutes. Professor Varti will be able to decode the message, and I will implement random scattering over the next few hours of similar energy patterns.” “Um…can you simplify that for me?” Gelliana asked, SMAL then smiling almost apologetically. “I will hide the message in the storm and move outside the shelter while broadcasting. I’ll keep sending random pulses of magical energy over a period of hours, to prevent the enemy from suspecting it’s a transmission instead of random magical fluctuations,” SMAL then winced. “I apologize if that is still too wordy. Hiding message in lighting. Faking lightning over hours. Better?” Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh softly at that. “Much better, thank you SMAL.” “Beginning transmission. I will check back for a brief moment every five minutes; my presence may appear to be invisible. I have to transmit in other locations.” She then paused, and Gelliana could have sworn a slight smile twitched at the golem’s features. “And…you are welcome.” SMAL then vanished. Gelliana let out a soft huff in thought as she did so. “She seems perkier,” the gryphoness mused. “You said she can only mimic emotion, right? She’s been acting weird. Not in a bad way though. I guess she’s learning how to act?” Toxic could only manage a shrug, eyes then narrowing as Gelliana winced, a thunderclap making the rocky cave shake. She didn’t say anything for a few moments, the gryphoness then walking over to sit next to Toxic. “I guess I never told you the reason I hate storms,” she admitted, Toxic’s head moving back and forth ever so slightly; both in an answer but the stallion clearly not wanting to pry. “I don’t want to wear you out if you’re feeling cruddy, Tox. But when you’d like, it’d be nice for someone else to know,” Gelliana swallowed the lump in her throat at that. “Have someone else be able to understand.” Despite not being able to talk or even move Toxic refused to stay silent, at least figuratively. Catching her eye, Toxic moved his hoof up and down. “…is that you nodding?” Gelliana asked, Toxic moving his hoof again. “How about one tap for yes, two for no?” Tap. “Well, at least we can sort-of talk. Isn’t there a spell that could make it easier? Maybe once SMAL gets back? I know magic would affect the poison. I guess we can check?” Yes. Another thunderclap, and Toxic looked at her with a tired smile, tapping his hoof. “So, story time? It’s not that big of a deal, rather anticlimactic compared to what you’ve been through.” That got Toxic’s eyes to narrow, his reply making Gelliana sniffle. Yes. No. Clearly her stallion wasn’t about to let her dilute her own experiences with comparisons. “I was a chick and we were visiting Ponyville,” Gelliana said, scooting next to Toxic a bit more, the comforting rise and fall of his side’s making her usual back-seat fears fade. “I got too curious for my own good and got lost. I wandered into the Everfree and a thunderstorm got me all turned around…” Another thunderclap, this one hitting a bit harder as Gelliana forced the words out. “I wandered around for hours. But when it started to rain, that’s when I ran into some Timberwolves.” She collected her thoughts, the gryphoness finding it almost therapeutic. She had only told a few creatures about this. It was a fine line to walk, many not understanding why even years later it had such an impact. Gelliana reached her right limb over, claws parting the feathers to show a long scar up her forelimb. “That’s where the first one snapped at me. I’m amazed it didn’t break my bone in two,” she whispered. “There’s another gash on my side. Healed up to nearly nothing now, but still there. I somehow managed to get away and hide underneath some tree roots.” Toxic’s green eyes were wide with concern, his gaze drifting down as he managed to drag his hoof over slightly, Gelliana picking up on the gesture and thankfully taking the offered grip. Her own claws shook slightly, but much less than usual. “That’s how I spent the night. Covered in mud and rain hiding from wolves as they tried to find me. They eventually gave up, and when the storm stopped some search and rescue unicorns found me the next morning.” Another thunderclap, another slight wince. “I’ve gotten a lot better with them. Now it’s more of an annoyance unless I’m having a bad day. But I guess dealing with that sort of thing isn’t as weird as it is when I tell a typical pony.” She let out a soft laugh at that, Toxic’s curious gaze looking at her with a slightly raised eyebrow on his face. “And to that end I’m glad you are not a typical stallion, in many ways. And…that’s it.” Still unable to talk, Toxic traced two letters on the ground. T.Y. “If anyone should know, it’s you,” Gelliana whispered, taking a deep breath and letting it out, her shaky claws subsiding. “Besides, didn’t I promise to help you enjoy sleeping? You said that you’d return the favor with thunderstorms. Not sure your plans for that.” The pony tapped his hoof in agreement, clearly in thought. But the abrupt look Toxic shot her made Gelliana’s face immediately fluff, a rather sly, roguish grin sliding onto the pony’s features. “W-what is that look for?” she stammered, Toxic looking away innocently, a blush now darting onto his cheeks ever so slightly. “Oh, don’t you act all innocent now!” Yes. “I have nothing to do here but think while you’re sleeping. You are not helping, you evil, evil stallion.” Turning to look at her, the smirk returned briefly as Toxic grinned. Yes. “Stars above. Now I know you just like to watch me fluff up.” Yes. Not that she’d tell him quite yet, but Toxic could pull off the roguish smirk really, really well. Her own blush probably conveyed that well enough though. The figurative straw the broke the last of Gelliana’s composure was when Toxic’s gaze drifted from the gryphoness’s eyes and ever so briefly, flickered across her torso to over her flanks- and then back up to her gaze. A quick darting look that all males took, at one point at another. Except now, Toxic knew she had watched him do just that, and he then met her gaze without even a flicker of hesitation. The confident grin as he looked back at her made the gryphoness let out an incoherent squeak, Gelliana’s face burning as she snagged a canteen, promptly dumping some of it over the pony with a glare as he sputtered. “You….” She began, shaking her head and promptly emptying the canteen to join the stallion in cold-water misery for a moment. Toxic was laughing even as he winced in pain, scrawling two words on the ground on his exact thoughts on the matter between silent cackles. ‘Worth it.’ “For you perhaps. And you deserved that cold shower,” Gelliana grumbled as she toweled herself off, gently doing the same to Toxic’s wet face. The heated joke had certainly lightened the mood, but Toxic’s expression shifted as she dried off his face, eyes becoming softer and more caring. There was another flicker of an emotion behind his eyes, however, as the pony struggled to move himself to be more comfortable. The pony’s gaze darted away, his demeanor shifting to be more reserved, more subdued as the amusing banter faded. The realization made Gelliana almost physically jerk in shock. He’s looking for a distraction, anything to not think about things. Toxic, you haven’t had anyone to take care of you like this before, have you? You’re still scared, that’s what I saw it in your eyes for a moment. You just don’t want to stop and think. You’re not alone, not this time. The curiosity in Toxic’s gaze made Gelliana shake her head, the gryphoness careful to not scrub too harshly. “I guess it’s obvious when I’m thinking?” Yes. “Just….” Toweling the last of the damp fur on Toxic’s neck, Gelliana sat in front of the still-prone stallion, frowning as his limbs twitched with phantom shocks of pain. “I guess I just realized that you’ve never really had someone to take care of you. Not like this,” she admitted. “Maybe I’m wrong, but somehow cuddling up to Varti when you were injured didn’t really mesh with what I know about you.” A soft huff of amusement left Toxic’s mouth at that. Yes. “You said you’ve never been sick- and to that end I have been curious how you discovered how you were immune to all this. But in the times, you were hurt, tired, or just needing some help, there wasn’t…” No response from the stallion other than having his ears flatten. “I’m just glad to make up for lost time.” That perked her pony’s ears right back up, the gryphoness leaning forward to rest her head against Toxic’s. “Even if you do make me fluff up with those special looks. And don’t make me get the canteen again.” Toxic simply pressed back against Gelliana’s head a bit, a soft huff leaving his mouth as he then flopped back to the ground, energy mostly spent. “Maybe you are too tired and sleepy to dwell on things, but no more teasing, for the most part,” Gelliana stated, waggling a claw at the pony. To his credit, Toxic now did look slightly apologetic. “It’s nice to have someone to joke about that though. I’m…huh.” Head tilting in curiosity, Toxic watched as Gelliana couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “I guess when it’s someone I love, those sorts of jokes aren’t so bad. I didn’t even think how there was a more negative set of memories associated with that. It’s just you being rather cheeky. Not some gryphon being, well, unpleasant.” Toxic’s eyes widened; clearly, he had forgotten that bit of information to, but a claw gently tapping his nose forestalled any further thought. “Guess it just takes time and the right creature to move on from past stuff, huh. Or at least have someone there when trying to move on.” Drawing a sharp breath, Toxic shook his head, breathing quickening slightly. Pulling back to look at him, Gelliana saw his green eyes shimmering. Clearly her words had touched something a lot deeper than she originally thought. “I’m here regardless,” Gelliana whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.” She saw Toxic’s jaw clench, a flicker of fear in his eyes fading to a warm affection. “Hello.” Having practiced many, many times, Gelliana had reached over and wrapped her claws around the nearest combat knife within a few heartbeats. SMAL’s voice echoed around the cavern, the mare blinking a short distance away as the gryphoness halted the beginnings of a strike, her feathers sticking out in surprise. “Apologies. I will announce my presence next time. I am checking in with a status update. Gas has been detected on the outer reaches, and it has begun to rain. How it is dispersing through the rain, I do not know,” SMAL reported. “Well, it’s infused with chaos magic. The stuff could travel on microscopic carriages for all we know,” Gelliana remarked as she set the knife back in its place, SMALL actually nodding in agreement. “A fair assessment. I also wish to report that I have detected movement. It is erratic but following a standard search pattern. I am unable to detect any heat signatures or any sort of life signs from said locations, however. It is still many miles off.” Toxic let out a tired huff at that, a frown on his face as his eyes closed with a frustrated snort. “I will resume transmission. Is there anything that I can do before breaking contact?” “Could…” Gelliana’s voice paused, the gryphoness shrugging. “Is there a way to have Toxic be able to talk? Like, a magical link or something? Communicating in yes and no phrases is doable, but…” SMAL let out a thoughtful hum, actually looking pensive. Trotting over to one of the large crates, SMAL retrieved two crystals, running a beam over the first and then the second. With a simple flash of arcane energy, she split the second crystal in two, continuing to scan it as the mare walked back over to the pair. “I have modified the spell of the dream linking gem,” she explained, clearly not picking up that Gelliana had no idea what she was talking about. “Place this gem next to the Director’s body, and next to yours. It will allow you to communicate. The spell is set to cycle every ten minutes to avoid saturating Toxic’s body with energy. It should not affect his recovery.” “Uh, ok,” Gelliana said cautiously, taking the gems and looking at them. “So, do we just, think what we want to say? Some sort of telepathic spell?” That’s when SMAL realized the gryphoness was completely lost, nodding once. “Ah. You were unaware of that gem?” she asked, watching as the gryphoness shook her head. “The dream gem was meant to forestall nightmares, a gift from Emperor Thunderwing. A copy remained in the emergency supplies as per Toxic’s wishes. The root of the spell is what will connect….HEY!” The mare abruptly jumped aside, her form seeming to copy itself as another, familiar individual stood where SMAL had recently been located. “I’ll modify the spell using the armor,” Fide stated, looking over in surprise to see SMAL glaring at her. “Hmm. Interesting.” “You! You should warn me. My core has been continually destabilized by your appearance!” SMAL stated with a seemingly fair amount of animosity. “I created a subroutine to detect your interference for now.” “I was unaware. I will give you warning next time,” Fide said dismissively, her words seeming to make SMAL actually prickle with annoyance. “In short, Gelliana, I will have the gems use a more fluid system to link you both. As you said; just think what you want to say, and the other individual will hear it. I’m sure Toxic will have questions when he wakes up.” Indeed, the stallion had fallen asleep just after SMAL’S report, his limbs twitching every now and again. “There is a deeper level of the spell I won’t adapt yet. It involves communicating emotion along with thought. I can leave that as a rudimentary option in a very basic form. Simply tap the crystal until it changes from blue, to green. Green means the emotion-sharing aspect is active, blue means it’s words only.” “Um, ok,” Gelliana stammered, Fide smiling kindly. “A lot to take in. But considering this spell is related to the armor I gave you, I thought it best to explain it to you.” Fide then vanished with a curt nod, leaving SMAL looking genuinely frustrated. “What an annoyance,” she muttered, Gelliana letting out a tired huff. “I thought you can’t get annoyed?” the gryphoness mused, setting the crystals aside to settle down and close her eyes as the gryphoness processed the abrupt dump of information. What Gelliana didn’t miss, however, was how SMAL’s eyes widened at her words, the golem looking at her hooves in clear confusion. “I cannot get..” SMAL muttered to herself, head shaking before vanishing to resume the broadcasts. Gelliana made a mental note to mention that to Toxic. Of all the things they had to deal with, an unstable golem was not high on the gryphoness’s ‘I hope that’s next’ list. A soft whine caught her attention, Toxic’s hooves stirring in his sleep. Seeing his jaw clench made Gelliana’s already surface-level emotions froth to a boil. The gryphoness scooted over to her stallion, settling down next to him and running her claws through his mane gently. It was an alien experience for her, and that was aside from the crazy location they were put in. Just the fact there was somecreature there who needed her help… As Toxic snuggled closer even as he dozed, Gelliana’s thoughts abruptly shifted. Not just needs, but wants me help. I can’t imagine how much stuff this is dredging up for you, Tox. Being helpless, relying on someone when you’ve been the shield for so many; that has to be so hard. Admitting that you need my help has to be such a huge thing for you. “I’m here for you regardless, Tox,” Gelliana whispered, concluding her thoughts out loud. “Just hang in there.” - The Bringer had to stop a shiver from running down his spine. The creature that stood in front of him was barely visible in the darkness of the mountain fortress entrance, multiple red and yellow eyes looking at him with a fierce, barely-contained hunger. “Sectors one through seven have been cleared. A lovely smattering of deer was all that was found,” the gaping, tooth-filled maw said with a rather malevolent chuckle. “Leave some wildlife intact,” the gryphon muttered, waving a set of claws at the elongated head, the little of the creature that was visible in the dim light. “Our master says anything that can be eaten in one bite is not to be touched. We will not disappoint Him,” the creature replied, voice grating across the ground like a sheet of metal on gravel. “I’d hope not. You were created by Him. Continue the search. The storm is a lively one and will continue for some time. You will be protected from the sun after that,” the Bringer stated. “That is good.” The creature then paused. “We sensed odd magical disturbances. The storm is magic, is that not correct?” The gryphon nodded, waving his claws in a so-so gesture. “They have absorbed remnants of the gas as well as our engineered clouds now that the backup facilities are online. We have not seen any pattern to the various disturbances, but if one emerges, investigate.” “Understood.” The creature then darted off, propelled by its six legs at a rapid, sure pace even down a near-sheer cliff face. The Bringer shivered, scrubbing his feathers with a set of talons. Throughout the entire exchange, no matter where the serpent-like head looked with most of its eyes…one always remained fixed on him. And it was always boiling with hunger.