Egress Unveiled - The Watchers ft. Ga’Morkt n Oremizume

Ga’Morkt takes a deep breath, his bright eyes burning with his determination. As an empyrian, possessing grand wings and diminutive legs, he is hardly suited for the challenge ahead. His wings are clipped by the constraints of the cave and its many obstacles, with its many spires of crystal and intimidating platforms suspended above the jagged ground below. After days of exploring this underground world, forced to rely on his cumbersome limbs, Mort is sorely missing the familiar rhythm of soaring through the skies.

This once graceful predator is now an awkward contender.

He approaches the first gap, heart racing and muscles tense. The gathered crowd of Watchers and other Outsiders fall silent, and Mort ignores the stares, swallowing down his nerves.

With a hesitant leap, the dark empyrian pushes off with all his might, using the long muscles in his wing arms to give him the most forward momentum. He spreads his wings just enough to get that extra distance- and he makes it! The landing is awkward, and his pride is wounded, but his stubborn spirit is yet to be broken.

Steady on his talons again, Mort glances around for his companion, wondering if he is faring better.

Oremizume is not doing that bad, but he would have preferred to have a contest on soft sand. After all, he loves to race in the desert, but rocky terrain has always been a bit too rough for his poor paw pads. He approaches the gap in the path flying on his legs, going as fast as he physically could.

He is, unfortunately, the only one missing wings or flap-things after all, so he will have to jump like a bunny. 

He eyes a stalactite and a couple of stalagmites, a bit too short to be proper steps, but he is reassured by their existence: if he falls, he will catch himself on those.

'Don't fall, don't fall...' He thinks, as he gets to the jumping point. He is glad that there are some crystals that lighten up the place, otherwise he would have to jump blind.

He leaps, nails scraping the rock, and lands with barely a slip with of his back legs on gravel. He hopes that the nobody counted the little slip, as that would be quite annoying.

He is not trained to be "clean" with movements, and as a result, he is almost as brutish as a puller.

Seeing Oremizume make the gap with just a little more grace than himself gives Mort a little more confidence, and he readies himself for the next leap. Each jump is a puzzle to solve, requiring not only strength but a newfound agility that felt totally foreign to him.

Mort slowly adopts a rhythm, albeit a shaky one, pushing through this course designed for creatures of a different ilk. He coordinates his wings and frilled legs for balance and forward motion, daring a flap here and there when there is enough room to help him make the distance. The faster he goes, the laughter and cheers of the spectators ring louder, mingling with his own growls of frustration and effort.

He pants and puffs, “Hah, almost.. there..!” The end of the course is just up ahead, and this bolsters his resolve. They are going to make it!

“You got this, guys!” Elysion cheers from where he watches on the sidelines. “Don’t let up!”

Oremizume follows Ga'Morkt, trying to not get left behind. It is not easy, as the length of the gaps increases, making it harder to simply jump from side to side.

His tongue is half hanging out of his mouth, and he gasps and huffs as he sees the end of the course, with Ga'Morkt at the last jump. He has another one before that, and he can see that this one will not be easy.

There aren't crystals nearby that illuminate the path, and under Oremizume there is a big black void. Probably it isn't as deep as it seems, but it feels scary enough. The Vayron gulps, with a dry and scratchy throat. He hopes to make it, or at least, to not break anything if he falls.

He leaps, and as he thought, it is not enough.

"Ugh!"

Oremizume smacks his chest against the other side's rock, grasping the stone with his white sharp nails. His tailless behind is hanging down, with his back legs struggling to find purchase to get back on the track.

He gets lucky in the end, as his left back foot catches a stalagmite, and using that as a step, he climbs back on the course's path. The pinkish vayron then starts running again, a little wobbly, as his chest hurts and his left foot has a small gash where he knocked it against the stalagmite.

One final leap up ahead. Mort gathers himself one last time, and flings himself forward. Just as he is halfway through the jump, Mort hears Oremizume smack the ledge, the sound tugging his ears. He almost looks back, tensing himself, and the hesitation causing him to instinctively open his wings in the still air. This gives him too much lift for the jump, and his back is scraped by a spear of rock jutting from the ceiling. 

“Eeaaarrrgh!” He snarls at the pain, the sound drowning out the gasps of the audience, and he crashes down on the last platform. Teeth flashing with his angry wince, he turns his long neck back to make sure his companion is still behind him. 

The sound of cheers announces their success, though Ga’Morkt feels foolish after that clumsy display.

Oremizume was looking at Ga'Morkt when he smacked his back against a stalactite, and hissed in sympathy. He then kept running, towards the last jump.

"Ugh, of course I had to scrape my back leg..."

He growls, as he tries to run faster to prepare for the jump. He is tired, and can't wait to finish that "race". Still, it isn't like removing those nightmarish beasts from the Druids garden, so he'll endure it to the end.

The last gap is close, now. Oremizume flats his ears against his skull, and takes off with a leap that has all his strength poured in. He completes the jump, but stumbles on the landing, sliding on the side and scraping himself a bit more.

Grumbling he gets up, joining Ga'Morkt as he waits for the Watchers to decide if they liked the show or not.