Grinning to himself, Alastor gathered up some of the shards from the fallen crystal, pausing to examine some of the fragments and their beauty before moving into the final chamber. He peered around the room, eyes eventually settling on the crystalline throne with a robed figure seated upon it. Alastor stopped, staring warily at the figure as it spoke to him. He glanced back at the fireflies blocking his way; he was trapped in this room with this strange being. It threatened him, tempting him with the promise of freedom in exchange for something else. The dire wolf silently cursed himself for not turning back sooner when he had the chance. "Hey! What the-?" he cried out when the fireflies flung themselves into his fur, and then the unknown creature began to glow with an aggressive light.

The figure's demands stopped Alastor's heart. He stared in horror, smile gone from his face entirely. It wanted his fertility? Was that even possible? Was any of this possible?! Black eyes clouded with drear and his heart tightened as it plummeted into his stomach. He glanced back at the wall of fireflies blocking his only escape, remembering how they had stopped him before. He swallowed hard. Alastor's mind turned to Lurid, to the beautiful wolf he had been promised to for life. All those years, all those plans... They were in jeopardy of being thrown away... all because this thing demanded the only means he had to create in this world. The only good he had left. A soft laugh started within Alastor, quiet at first, then quickly growing until his raucous laughter echoed around the small chamber.

"Monster? You wish to talk about monsters? You know nothing of them. How could you? An all-powerful being, immortal I'm guessing too, hidden from the world. Do you want to know what a real monster is? I've seen them, and I've lived with one. I spent every minute of my life in fear that one day the monster would hit me just a little too hard, or I'd go a little too long without food because he withheld it from me. I watched and listened as the monster beat every one of my brothers and sisters until they were nothing but bloody pulps of flesh and bone. I barely breathed at night, afraid that if I did, even the slightest cry would set the monster off and I might die. Do you even know what fear is?" Tears had formed in Alastor's eyes now as the dam burst inside of him, something that had not happened to the brute in years. But the manic wolf never stopped smiling once his tirade had started. "Accuse me of any crime you want, but don't you dare call me a monster when you demand of me my one last chance to make something good, to give another wolf a family. Otherwise, you are as much a monster as I am."

His piece said, Alastor dug out the crystals and gems he had been carrying, scattering the indeterminate amount of gems across the ground in front of him. Compared to his chance at having a family—his own family—no price was too great. "If you want an offering so damn badly, take everything I have. Take it all! But I will never permit you to take the last thing I have to offer to the wolf I have been sworn to."

Choice: Offer something else (all collected items)

"Speech" — Thoughts

Kì̶̦̹͔̠͇͂̄̀ng Fire̴̢̡̝̹̭͚̲̫͔̔fly Guy

You speak to the being. It buzzes around as if bored at your words. Fireflies drift in and out of the cloak. You eventually finish you spill and the creature straightens. “You offend me, wolf. You wander here and insult me! You say you are not a monster and yet you approach my brethren with anger in the caves. If you were to procreate, who is to say you wouldn't raise them to be monsters as you? What will you give me for compensation? The objects you found in my cave? No... Your fertility or perhaps you will keep your fertility, but with the risk of monstrous birth defects in your litter? Tell me, wolf, which is it?”

How do you respond?

• Offer your fertility
  
• Accept birth defect curse
  
• Attempt to flee
  

Now it was Alastor's turn to respond in turn. "And now you offend me. Approached in anger? Wrong. I could have killed all of your brethren, yet I chose not to. You make assumptions of me while toying with the very lives of others. If you didn't want anyone entering your cave, maybe next time remember to shut the front door." He scoffed and shook his head. "You have given me no reason, no incentive to take you up on any of your demands. I refuse to play your game." Alastor leered at the being, grinning, heart pounding in his chest. "Close the door behind me on my way out."

And with that, Alastor sprung, kicking off against the ground and attempting to hurl himself through the fireflies blocking the way. They had been an effective barrier before, but he hadn't had the motivation to break through them the way he did before. His very future was on the line this time. He had to get out, he had to! Lurid was waiting for him; his future family was waiting for him! He was not surrendering his right to procreate willingly, not on his life. Nobody could make him, no wolf, nor floating bug thing, nor any god benevolent or otherwise. If he was in a losing fight, he was going down swinging—or in this case, retreating.

Choice: Attempt to flee

"Speech" — Thoughts

Kì̶̦̹͔̠͇͂̄̀ng Fire̴̢̡̝̹̭͚̲̫͔̔fly Guy

You try to escape- they’re just bugs! You lunge, but find yourself stopped by a wall of buzzing critters. The creature on the throne bellows, "Which is it? Or shall I take more?”

How do you respond?

• Offer your fertility
  
• Accept birth defect curse
  
• Attempt to flee (2)
  

EDIT: Edited to signify 'more' rather than 'both'

Much to his dismay, the bugs held strong. Alastor stomped his feet on the ground with a snarl, letting loose a scream of rage that echoed throughout the cave system. Defeat crushed him, the wolf's shoulders slumping as he resigned himself to his situation. He was trapped. Piercing black eyes fixed the robed being with a look of hatred, wanting nothing more than to her into it, but something inside him told him that would be a worse decision than the other two. "Fine! I'll take your damned curse! Just... don't take my family from me," he growled out, striding back to stand before the being. He smiled at the creature, raising his head defiantly, ready to take whatever came with his head held high. His paws swept up the gems across the floor; if that offering hadn't appeased him, then he was keeping his finds. "Do it. Let's get this over with so I can go home."

Choice: Accept birth defect curse

"Speech" — Thoughts

Kì̶̦̹͔̠͇͂̄̀ng Fire̴̢̡̝̹̭͚̲̫͔̔fly Guy

You give in, defeated. The being laughs, the other fireflies laughing in unison causing the air to buzz with a laughter so deep you feel it in your chest. "Good choice, wolf," it said. "Now you will give birth to a little monster like yourself." Fireflies surround you, flashing a blinding light and when you can see again you find you are very far from where you began. The cavern is steep, dark, and mysterious as it opens towards the surface. You breathe in your first breath of cool, fresh air and let the wind ruffle your fur. As you get your wits about you, you have only one question left in your head: Is this… Descensum???

// BAD END(?)

Descensum- The End!

You come away with your life, at least, but what else did you manage to do in the Spooky Cave?

How did you do?



The Final Result!

• (Wolf-specific) Shoulder cut (minor)
  
• +50 gems [Added to Credits - nyx]
  
• (Wolf-specific) Cut paw (minor)
  
• (Wolf-specific) Scar on left eye (permanent)
  
• (Wolf-specific, but can be IC transferred) Battle accessory in crystals (Your design with staff approval!) [Used here]
  
• (Wolf-specific) "Monster pup" (Each pup in your next litter will have some sort of minor glowing mark. This mark can be in any color or shape but must be visible on every pup)
  

Thank you so much for playing! I hope it was fun and that the risk vs reward was as enticing as it may have been frustrating. I appreciate you sticking with it to the very end and I very much look forward to next year!

Event Staff Iko