76th of Ashan 719, ~04:00
Varthakh sat in the middle of the plains, surrounded by umbral traps with a few of their totems placed around them, ready to form vicious guardians. before them, laid upon the grass with enough weight to press the grass were three separate ithecal fangs. They were the Wyvarnth, the Paltharnum, and the Thiussum. All three of them together made Varthakh, the shape they currently wore. They tired of the high etheric drain that creating them through borrowing brought, and sought another method.
From Rhostus, they knew there was a way t create Gestalt totems, and they wondered if they could manage such a thing through borrowing. While they sat there in the fields, they meditated with the three and brought them into the void of their headspace.
Stood before them in an empty, black world were their three totems as they appeared on their body, mutations carried and all. They looked between the three, who stood with their eyes closed as if they were asleep on their feet. Somehow, they had to make the three of these beings into one. They tried to apply the process of borrowing and moved their attention toward the Thiussum, to establish him as their base form... Then they paused.
They turned their attention to the Wyvarnth, who was far smaller but also had far more valuable traits, like their dexterity and agility. Their poisonous fangs were also quite desirable. If they used him as the base, they would be able to enter buildings and fit in other smaller spaces... Perhaps others wouldn't find them as monstrous either? But again, the Thiussum was their ideal shape, a favorable height. They quite liked being enormous and terrifying, and the Wyvarnth couldn't offer them that.
With a sigh, they looked back to the THiussum and motioned his mouth open with a snap of their fingers. They turned their hand over then to point their claws at the wyvarnth and moved their retractable fangs and venom gland to the Thiussum's jaws. They turned their hand over and the whole Wyvarnth opened up, down to its most basic core materials. Therein, they found all their double joints and elastic tendons. with a wave of their hand, they transferred the fine motor functions from all over the Wyvarnth into the Thiussum.
They found not much else desirable on that totem. His thin skin and small stature didn't interest them at all.
They looked to the Paltharnum then and sifted through his traits. They found a number of desirable functions in that form, but again, he was the smaller of the Thiussum and himself. They took a section of the Paltharnum's scales, then looked to the Thiussum's Scales and compared them. With a squint of their crimson, slitted eyes, they determined that the Thiussum's was thicker. Still, they took thePaltharnum's razor-sharp claws and put them in place of the Thiussum's.
They dug further through the totem and found the regulator of their internal temperature, then transferred it to the thiussum. In their digging, they also found the adrenal gland that allowed them to double their running speed for a short distance, so transferred that too. Finally, they had all the traits they desired from the other three totems, and looked to their Thiussum to ensure that everything lined up and connected properly before they settled the details and adjusted his musculature to their liking. He was done, Varthakh, the perfect blend of Ithecal.
They focused all their energy on the form then and tried to make it set with their ether, as though they were pressing different metals together with the heat of a forge.
In the world around them, all was quiet, except the drift of the three fangs, pulling closer together through the grass. The more effort Varthakh put into the press, the quicker they drew together until they were touching one another. Finally, they began to press into one another with intense weight, then began to mold together into a single, large fang. As Fridgar's meditation came to a close, the fangs were completely merged, and in the place of the three totems was the one gestalt.
Slowly, the Protean opened their eyes, then looked to the weight of the singular totem in the grass before them. They'd done it, they were finally all together as one. Now, they were truly Varthakh. With lidded eyes, the totem manifested over their flawed, borrowed form and took their shape entirely. They were perfect. "It's wonderful," they said they carefully ran their long, sharp claws along their thick skin. "We loves it," they said to themselves again. "We're a force to be reckoned with," said the Protean, to which they affirmed, "we are."
It was done, so they dismissed their umbral traps and brought the ether into themselves. They were mostly replenished of the strain that it took to forge their three totems into one, though they were still partially exhausted. With a sigh, they lifted to their feet and collected all their individual totems and stowed them. They would need all their strength for the hunt ahead.
Before long, they were in the north again. Ganren had told them of a few reports of troublesome Sakarum running rampant near the mountains, and so they resolved to hunt those ones in particular. They'd delivered the Scalv eggs to Kaer Jeger and resolved to find them food while they hatched. According to the Jackal, they were ravenous and ae tremendous amounts of food, so they set off in search of large prey.
The problem with fighting a Sakarum as they were was their size. During the battle of Argos, they'd seen one bulldoze straight through castle walls as if they were mere parchment held up by sticks. They were very large and very strong, capable of crushing hundreds of ithecal their size as if they were breezing through.
No, Varthakh hadn't the luxury of taking the threat lightly, despite the euphoric sensation of the dream that clung to them. They let Reiner loose, their Lurker of the plains totem, who they suspected would be allowed free rein quite frequently in Fridgar's homeland. At once, the pale giant assumed their form and begin to grow massive. Their scales split in the wake of skin then sank into their flesh as they grew massively. Thro ground made way for their weight and sudden additional width as they transformed over the course of a mere thirty trills. Two long horns sprouted from their forehead and flowed backward over their long, flowing mane of platinum hair.
Their loincloth and Blindfold were both assimilated into their form in tandem with their transformation and were stowed so that they could keep the remainder of their family safe, but close in case they needed them. They cast adapt, which covered the giant in the thick armored plates of the Solghannon. Once they were wrapped in their protective natural armor, they began to draw runes of speed into themselves. Both their arms, their legs, and their torso were drawn with runes of speed while they drew a rune of touch into their head, then diffused its effects to their whole body.
At once, the world around them lit up with the additional information of texture and feel. The rune of touch was for something different, however. Fridgar had once seen the Sakarum burrow beneath the ground rapidly and leave a massive hole in its wake. They wanted to feel the earth and search for its tunnels. Perhaps it would lead them to the Sakarum? Or at least near? They kneeled and pressed their palm to the ground. There, they felt and searched through the ground beneath in search for a tunnel. When they found nothing, they lifted their palm and struck the ground firmly, sending a tremor of motion through the earth.
Despite their keen sense for vibration, they found no head nor tail of the Sakarum's tunnel. They stood then and moved some distance closer to the north before they repeated the process and searched carefully, but found nothing again. It was only on their fourth try or the third time that they'd moved a considerable distance that they found something. Far below the earth was a burrow, likely the tunnel of the prey they searched for. So, while they kneeled on all fours, they crawled along the length of the tunnel and followed it all along the mountainous region.
Soon enough, they felt the end of the tunnel draw near, and they realized that the Sakarum had either surfaced in the crater that was left in its wake, or it had duck into the ground in this spot and they were at the wrong end of the tunnel. They carefully felt over the hole when they found the footprints of the monster, all with their toes pointed away from the exit of the hole. That was all the confirmation they needed; he was this way.
As low and quiet as possible, Varthakh began to crawl along the trail they'd found and drew themselves closer tot heir target, or so they thought. All of a sudden, the world began to shake around them, and Varthakh braced suddenly. They quickly gathered their senses and sought the source of the vibration while their blind eyes scanned the area. Then without another warning, tremendous force slammed into their ribs from the left and sent them hurtling across the mountain range. The Sakarum had found them.
Varthakh sat in the middle of the plains, surrounded by umbral traps with a few of their totems placed around them, ready to form vicious guardians. before them, laid upon the grass with enough weight to press the grass were three separate ithecal fangs. They were the Wyvarnth, the Paltharnum, and the Thiussum. All three of them together made Varthakh, the shape they currently wore. They tired of the high etheric drain that creating them through borrowing brought, and sought another method.
From Rhostus, they knew there was a way t create Gestalt totems, and they wondered if they could manage such a thing through borrowing. While they sat there in the fields, they meditated with the three and brought them into the void of their headspace.
Stood before them in an empty, black world were their three totems as they appeared on their body, mutations carried and all. They looked between the three, who stood with their eyes closed as if they were asleep on their feet. Somehow, they had to make the three of these beings into one. They tried to apply the process of borrowing and moved their attention toward the Thiussum, to establish him as their base form... Then they paused.
They turned their attention to the Wyvarnth, who was far smaller but also had far more valuable traits, like their dexterity and agility. Their poisonous fangs were also quite desirable. If they used him as the base, they would be able to enter buildings and fit in other smaller spaces... Perhaps others wouldn't find them as monstrous either? But again, the Thiussum was their ideal shape, a favorable height. They quite liked being enormous and terrifying, and the Wyvarnth couldn't offer them that.
With a sigh, they looked back to the THiussum and motioned his mouth open with a snap of their fingers. They turned their hand over then to point their claws at the wyvarnth and moved their retractable fangs and venom gland to the Thiussum's jaws. They turned their hand over and the whole Wyvarnth opened up, down to its most basic core materials. Therein, they found all their double joints and elastic tendons. with a wave of their hand, they transferred the fine motor functions from all over the Wyvarnth into the Thiussum.
They found not much else desirable on that totem. His thin skin and small stature didn't interest them at all.
They looked to the Paltharnum then and sifted through his traits. They found a number of desirable functions in that form, but again, he was the smaller of the Thiussum and himself. They took a section of the Paltharnum's scales, then looked to the Thiussum's Scales and compared them. With a squint of their crimson, slitted eyes, they determined that the Thiussum's was thicker. Still, they took thePaltharnum's razor-sharp claws and put them in place of the Thiussum's.
They dug further through the totem and found the regulator of their internal temperature, then transferred it to the thiussum. In their digging, they also found the adrenal gland that allowed them to double their running speed for a short distance, so transferred that too. Finally, they had all the traits they desired from the other three totems, and looked to their Thiussum to ensure that everything lined up and connected properly before they settled the details and adjusted his musculature to their liking. He was done, Varthakh, the perfect blend of Ithecal.
They focused all their energy on the form then and tried to make it set with their ether, as though they were pressing different metals together with the heat of a forge.
In the world around them, all was quiet, except the drift of the three fangs, pulling closer together through the grass. The more effort Varthakh put into the press, the quicker they drew together until they were touching one another. Finally, they began to press into one another with intense weight, then began to mold together into a single, large fang. As Fridgar's meditation came to a close, the fangs were completely merged, and in the place of the three totems was the one gestalt.
Slowly, the Protean opened their eyes, then looked to the weight of the singular totem in the grass before them. They'd done it, they were finally all together as one. Now, they were truly Varthakh. With lidded eyes, the totem manifested over their flawed, borrowed form and took their shape entirely. They were perfect. "It's wonderful," they said they carefully ran their long, sharp claws along their thick skin. "We loves it," they said to themselves again. "We're a force to be reckoned with," said the Protean, to which they affirmed, "we are."
It was done, so they dismissed their umbral traps and brought the ether into themselves. They were mostly replenished of the strain that it took to forge their three totems into one, though they were still partially exhausted. With a sigh, they lifted to their feet and collected all their individual totems and stowed them. They would need all their strength for the hunt ahead.
Before long, they were in the north again. Ganren had told them of a few reports of troublesome Sakarum running rampant near the mountains, and so they resolved to hunt those ones in particular. They'd delivered the Scalv eggs to Kaer Jeger and resolved to find them food while they hatched. According to the Jackal, they were ravenous and ae tremendous amounts of food, so they set off in search of large prey.
The problem with fighting a Sakarum as they were was their size. During the battle of Argos, they'd seen one bulldoze straight through castle walls as if they were mere parchment held up by sticks. They were very large and very strong, capable of crushing hundreds of ithecal their size as if they were breezing through.
No, Varthakh hadn't the luxury of taking the threat lightly, despite the euphoric sensation of the dream that clung to them. They let Reiner loose, their Lurker of the plains totem, who they suspected would be allowed free rein quite frequently in Fridgar's homeland. At once, the pale giant assumed their form and begin to grow massive. Their scales split in the wake of skin then sank into their flesh as they grew massively. Thro ground made way for their weight and sudden additional width as they transformed over the course of a mere thirty trills. Two long horns sprouted from their forehead and flowed backward over their long, flowing mane of platinum hair.
Their loincloth and Blindfold were both assimilated into their form in tandem with their transformation and were stowed so that they could keep the remainder of their family safe, but close in case they needed them. They cast adapt, which covered the giant in the thick armored plates of the Solghannon. Once they were wrapped in their protective natural armor, they began to draw runes of speed into themselves. Both their arms, their legs, and their torso were drawn with runes of speed while they drew a rune of touch into their head, then diffused its effects to their whole body.
At once, the world around them lit up with the additional information of texture and feel. The rune of touch was for something different, however. Fridgar had once seen the Sakarum burrow beneath the ground rapidly and leave a massive hole in its wake. They wanted to feel the earth and search for its tunnels. Perhaps it would lead them to the Sakarum? Or at least near? They kneeled and pressed their palm to the ground. There, they felt and searched through the ground beneath in search for a tunnel. When they found nothing, they lifted their palm and struck the ground firmly, sending a tremor of motion through the earth.
Despite their keen sense for vibration, they found no head nor tail of the Sakarum's tunnel. They stood then and moved some distance closer to the north before they repeated the process and searched carefully, but found nothing again. It was only on their fourth try or the third time that they'd moved a considerable distance that they found something. Far below the earth was a burrow, likely the tunnel of the prey they searched for. So, while they kneeled on all fours, they crawled along the length of the tunnel and followed it all along the mountainous region.
Soon enough, they felt the end of the tunnel draw near, and they realized that the Sakarum had either surfaced in the crater that was left in its wake, or it had duck into the ground in this spot and they were at the wrong end of the tunnel. They carefully felt over the hole when they found the footprints of the monster, all with their toes pointed away from the exit of the hole. That was all the confirmation they needed; he was this way.
As low and quiet as possible, Varthakh began to crawl along the trail they'd found and drew themselves closer tot heir target, or so they thought. All of a sudden, the world began to shake around them, and Varthakh braced suddenly. They quickly gathered their senses and sought the source of the vibration while their blind eyes scanned the area. Then without another warning, tremendous force slammed into their ribs from the left and sent them hurtling across the mountain range. The Sakarum had found them.
