Published by: The Santae Team
Rampage in the Lava Caves!
Vixon and Vespera gathered as much 
sanDust as they could carry before heading back to the Flamefall Cascades to the Grusim's lair. They gingerly made their way deeper and deeper into the tunnels, unsure of precisely where the Grusim was after their time away. As they approached the opening in the cavern, they heard a low, throaty growl. It seems the Grusim had not moved much since they were here last.
"The tunnels here are narrow... and this creature is fast. There must be a safer place for us to spread the sanDust in case he keeps his grouchy disposition..." Vixon thought aloud. "Perhaps if we spread the sanDust in the Lava Caves cavern instead? Its a good distance from here, and there is more space to maneuver.
Vespera nodded in agreement and they headed for the Lava Caves. Occasionally, they would hear the lion-like roars of the Grusim behind them, and the tremors its thrashing tail created throughout the tunnels.
When they arrived at the Lava Caves, they got to work spreading the sanDust across the cavern floor.
"Vespera, look! It seems like the ancestors left a message in this cavern, too!" Vixon exclaimed.
"Be sure not to speak the words out loud this time until we are ready." After the two had left the tunnels, Vespera had explained to Vixon how the ancient text worked as an incantation. Luckily, she learned how to read ancient texts in her travels. "Beware, traveler, for the mourning Grusim's lair lies ahead. While 25,000 sanDust can tame a Grusim, the mourning Grusim requires far more. Its despair fuels its strength and agility. Do not call upon him unless your adventurer spirit is strong."
"But what does that mean? How much sanDust do we need to appease the mourning Grusim? How strong does our adventurer spirit need to be?"
"I don't know," Vespera responded quietly. "The next line of text is the one that calls him. How much sanDust do you have left? I only have about 125,000."
"I have about the same. That means we have ten times the amount needed to tame a Grusim. I think that is enough..." Vixon trailed off.
"Prepare yourself, then. I will speak the incantation out loud now." Vespera responded.
"Rmnongiu Grusim llweca pnouoyu. Neetr anerchevt fetoh raesndsontg!"
The sanDust flashed the brilliant blue again, and for a moment there was silence. Then, another feral roar echoed through the tunnels and several thunderous cracks could be heard -- the Grusim was barreling through the tunnels with its tail thrashing wildly. Vespera and Vixon could hear its paws pounding on stone but stood their ground in the Lava Cave.
As the Grusim drew near, Vespera and Vixon reached into their sanDust pouches carefully. The Grusim sprang into the Lava Cave cavern and crouched low, another growl rumbling from within.
Vixon was closest to the Grusim and threw handfuls of sanDust at the beast. For a moment, the Grusim seemed disoriented and sprang away, landing on top of a rock pile. Vespera lept up and flung more sanDust at the Grusim. The beast blinked slowly and shook its large head. The two adventurers gathered the last of their sanDust and covered the Grusim with it.
Vixon could feel his heart pounding in its chest. For just a few beats, the entire cavern was still and silent. Then, without warning, the Grusim snarled and swiped at Vespera, but a flash of fire protected her much to both of their surprise.
Vespera leaped away with a gasp, "The Sunlord's blessing! Quick, look for the Sunlord's chest, it must be in this cavern! The magic of the items protected me from harm."
Vespera and Vixon scrambled away from the Grusim's flailing scorpion tail. Each dived in the opposite direction, trying to split the beast's attention. It took another swipe at Vespera but luckily she was out of its reach. The Grusim swung its tail wildly again, this time smashing into the nest in the center of the cavern -- out tumbled a flash of fiery red.
"There!" Vixon yelled! Vespera glanced over and quickly ran to the stash and stuffed it all into her pouch.
"Time to get to safety! We'll need to gather more sanDust and return to tame the creature. If we tame the mourning Grusim, we'll bring the Grusim species back to Santae! Until then, let's share this treasure with all of the adventurers that have been gathering sanDust to help!"
sanDust to help Vespera and Vixon!For every Alpha Tester who uses your username as their referrer, regardless if they are approved or not, you will receive one ticket to enter a raffle for the chance to win an exclusive Divine Natural Wispyr Figurine. We will be raffling off ten (10) figurines. But that's not all -- if you refer five (5) testers and you are guaranteed to receive your very own Wispyr Pet!
The contest will run until Alpha Applications close on 28th July, and winners will be selected one week later. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to earn this Rare Exclusive Pet!
Thank you and good luck!
Published by: The Santae Team
sanDust in efforts to help tame this mythical beast, they have a limited amount of sanDust per hour, so make sure to keep checking with them to help tame the Grusim!
Fossileater, DorkyWerewolf, boo_wompus, Elrisae, SilentSushi, Wrentries
Merovingia, Copeh, HylianRose. ShinPurple, sylveondreams, Hanzo
Reminder:
Our amazing 
Moderator superbearwars' Rap Battle is still ongoing over in the forums! Enter for a chance to win a Divine Pipsqueak Drava Figurine, or a Glitched Pet Name Certificate or a 5 sanCash Coin!
Enter by 20th of July at 2 PM Santae Time (SST) for your chance to win!
Published by: The Santae Team
The Grusim in the Lair
When Vixon and Vespera arrived at the Flamefall Cascades together, everything had appeared normal. They had a giant stock of sanDust that they had collected from fellow adventurers as they made their way to the caves. Unsure of exactly how the sanDust worked, they spread it generously as they walked through the tunnels and deeper into the caves. However, once they reached the cavern with the Grusim paintings on the wall, Vixon felt the difference of the energy in the cave.
The energy in the cavern had a charge to it, not unlike the Lava Caves when they discovered the Harlowin, but not quite the same either. The heat in the cavern felt more intense than it had been when he was last here. Vixon waved Vespera over to the opening and pointed inside without saying a word. Vespera drew a sharp breath -- when her eyes had finally adjusted, she could see the large lion cat restlessly pacing in the distance.
"It seems angry..." Vixon whispered to Vespera. "I can see much more of it, and its come out further than it had when I was here before. I wonder why it hasn't completely exited its lair? I know the sanDust is doing something, for the air is different in here. Charged."
Vespera paused. "The sanDust that we spread across the tunnels must be doing something. Let's keep spreading it here in this cavern. The ancestors must have chosen this place for a reason to paint these murals on the walls. Hopefully we are far enough from the Grusim that by the time it reaches this cavern, it will be as friendly as the tales say."
Natural Grusim
Vixon nodded and they got to work spreading their sanDust across the cavern floor. After a few minutes, Vixon noticed something curious. It seemed like the sanDust was gathering itself into specific shapes on the floor? The more sanDust that he added, the brighter certain piles seemed to glow.
"Rmnongiu Grusim nirail, reegem nito awen rlwod, mutroyie aohesmc."
The moment Vixon finished muttering the foreign sounds into the smog filled air, the sanDust forming the letters flashed a brilliant blue. The pair heard a ferocious roar and the sound of paws rapidly hitting stone. Vespera and Vixon held each others' gaze for a moment before they ran for the exit. As they scrambled --
SLAM!
They looked back to see the Grusim right at the mouth of the opening. It let out a feral roar that ended through snarled teeth. It's scorpion tail thrashed, causing the entire cavern to shake.
Vixon and Vespera stood slowly, unsure what had stopped the Grusim.
"I'm out of sanDust." Vixon lamented.
"Me too," said Vespera. "That's probably for the best. This Grusim still seems quite agitated. I think we need quite a bit more... We should leave and come back once we have a comfortable supply. Once we have fully lured the Grusim out of its lair, we will need even more to actually tame him!"
"Yes... I agree. It is good that we have gotten an idea of just how formidable this beast is!"
