darkSpyro

"Darkmatter... yeah..." Angora said shakily, not wanting to ask if that was the entity's name or simply that. Her sword was magic, so she believed she would have no trouble hurting whatever this thing was, but she was certain it wasn't going to make it easier for her. She had a hard time defeating Shade, which was in some sense, a normal creature, but it sounded as if this new threat was something more supernatural.

Raclaw listened and briefly glanced at Shade. "I know it affected you and.. I'm sorry. Whatever affected me, this Darkmatter/corruption thing, found a weak spot within my connections and tried to take over by bruteforcing its way onto a couple now temporary dormant connections. It almost worked, but Latnok was able to prevent it and I have now mentially reinforced those connections.," He then explained referring to but not directly referencing the dormant connections left by the collar. He knew it would worsen Latnok's position when it came to certain other members such as Angora. Now that he at least had some idea of what could happen, he could at least do his best to prevent it again. It didn't address the greater issue, but it would hopefully last them the day.

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Sere gave Latnok a nod of his head in acknowledgement, then turned to Raclaw. "I have some news you might want to hear."

Upon hearing Sere, he have nod indicating he was ready.

"We have a potential lead on your situation," Sere informed Raclaw. "One incident which seems potentially relevant is a Guardian who was implored by other humans to find a young dragon who had wandered off to explore - unfortunately, undead forces were believed to be in the area.
"While following tracks, he was ambushed by Xiarun's forces - a death knight and several ghouls and wights. Though he destroyed them, he didn't manage to get far before succumbing from his wounds and dying from the horrible infection a ghoul claw can inflict. Not long after, we retrieved and cremated him.
"We don't have anything more specific than that at the moment - we would need to do more thorough cross-referencing of our records. I thought that might be of interest to you, though." There was a hint of sorrow in Sere's voice, though his helmet hid any further display of the emotion. He never did like discussing the death of a Guardian, but it had to be done nonetheless.

Dex was pretty Angry because nobody really answered or cared about his big speech. But he was not going to show it, he did like the attention especially if it was him making a point. But he did not want to show he cared what they said or did not say.

" You really are a messed up group of greatures. At least my head was clear all the time." Dex said thinking about what had happend recently and not knowing how he should react to it.

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"Do worry you have all of us to help you." Orion said with a smile.

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better." Angora whispered to herself, and after hearing what Raclaw said, it made her feel worse. She had thought that Shade had something to do with that, but if it had been indeed this Darkmatter, it meant that the monster already found a weak point and was already targeting them. She briefly glared at Dex, clearly not believing what he said. What was Orion thinking in letting them all of them come? What if Darkmatter turned nearly everyone against her and Orion? Didn't this all mighty Galaxy Dragon stopped to think that?

Quote: A Guy

"We have a potential lead on your situation," Sere informed Raclaw. "One incident which seems potentially relevant is a Guardian who was implored by other humans to find a young dragon who had wandered off to explore - unfortunately, undead forces were believed to be in the area.
"While following tracks, he was ambushed by Xiarun's forces - a death knight and several ghouls and wights. Though he destroyed them, he didn't manage to get far before succumbing from his wounds and dying from the horrible infection a ghoul claw can inflict. Not long after, we retrieved and cremated him.
"We don't have anything more specific than that at the moment - we would need to do more thorough cross-referencing of our records. I thought that might be of interest to you, though." There was a hint of sorrow in Sere's voice, though his helmet hid any further display of the emotion. He never did like discussing the death of a Guardian, but it had to be done nonetheless.

"I see-- thank you for telling me. And.. and I'm sorry for your loss.," Raclaw said almost hoping for better news, but appreciating the thought none the less. He was at least one step closer to finding out what had happened and that meant something to him. Part of him hated to think that might've indirectly caused the death of another.

Sere nodded. "We will keep doing what we can. If this Guardian is related to you, it will mean two things: you probably lived in a more remote area, as undead sightings would be very sparse there; and, not having been with other dragons at the time of his passing, there is a possibility that your parents are alive, but would have had no means of tracking you if you were anywhere other than they originally knew you were. Any records of his involvement with you would have been kept with us; as his involvement in the program would have been tracked by him individually, you would have effectively been 'lost' to us.
"Granted, this is much conjecture from just a death log. There are no names - the data is kept impersonal, as it is mainly to track trends. Just how many Guardians, the incident, causes of death, means of disposal of their bodies, and any notes of the situation. We will see what we can find in due time."

Latnok was listening to Orion as well, to get a better idea of what he was up against "So a shapeshifter? We've got a tool called the resonating chime that-" Oh, yeah. That's right. "You know what, Orion? I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, but this place sucks," he said jovially. "Regardless, if it lives, it can die." At the same time, he hadn't lost track of Dex. "Remember, you try anything, and you'll have an arrow in you even quicker than last time, and this time it won't just hit - it'll explode," he telepathed.

Star felt a rush of gruesome enthusiasm. "Shapeshifting doesn't fool me. Never try and trick a trickster. Hey, Orion, do you think I could salvage his body to power my ChronoModifier? After all it-" What? What was he saying?! "What on earth am I thinking?! What is wrong with me?!" He shook his head and starting murmuring an old prayer for protection against attacks on the mind. Not that he was religious, or needed it (being a Dark type gave him immunity to mental effects unless he willingly lowered the protection, which he had earlier when Darkheart was transmitting the telepathy), it was just traditional among his Clan. "I swear, that's not something that would ever occur to me right now!"
Darkheart murmured. "You lowered your protection against mental attacks, and nearly paid a price for it."
"SHUT UP! It's friggin' TERRIFYING to be hurt by what you're normally immune to!" The little fox was still in Latnok's bag, but didn't care about volume. His lapse in caution had resulted in a terror he hadn't felt since he got the scar.

Latnok chuckled. "Well, you wouldn't be the first one to be terrified by that! Take ghosts, for instance. The more nasty ones, like poltergeists, for instance. Some feel they can harm people with impunity. They change their tune pretty quickly when they realize we can identify them no matter where they try to blend in or hide, and strike at their ethereal forms. Trained hellhounds, oddly enough, can also sniff them out and chew them up like they can anything else - not one of the better ways to go. Very satisfying to see them feel the same sense of terror they inflicted on others. Anyway, enough of that little tangent. Make sure to keep your guard up here." Latnok could still feel the corruption trying to eat at his mind - but he was in good spirits, and would not fall this time.
"And as for this guy... well, if he transforms into anything we've ever fought before, he'll die like anything we've fought before," Latnok responded confidently. "We'll use him as a prototype for our updated monster slaying guide."

Quote: A Guy

Sere nodded. "We will keep doing what we can. If this Guardian is related to you, it will mean two things: you probably lived in a more remote area, as undead sightings would be very sparse there; and, not having been with other dragons at the time of his passing, there is a possibility that your parents are alive, but would have had no means of tracking you if you were anywhere other than they originally knew you were. Any records of his involvement with you would have been kept with us; as his involvement in the program would have been tracked by him individually, you would have effectively been 'lost' to us.
"Granted, this is much conjecture from just a death log. There are no names - the data is kept impersonal, as it is mainly to track trends. Just how many Guardians, the incident, causes of death, means of disposal of their bodies, and any notes of the situation. We will see what we can find in due time."

"Well-- I appreciate you trying and I know you'll do all in your power to eventually find something. You didn't have to do anything, so I appreciate it. Thank-you.," Raclaw said with a graceful nod. After what had happened with Latnok, he had more respect for the Guardians than before-- despite the past.

"If this Darkmatter is a shapeshifter and has a mental presense, than I might be able to detect its presence. It may be to disguise its true form, but it can't hide from its own thoughts.," Raclaw then said looking at the others. Unlike Latnok-- he was a mind reader and would be able to detect stray thoughts.

Star snickered. "As I noted before, shapeshifting won't work well on me. Never trick a trickster! And I think I have some tips for the monster slaying guide myself! Ehehehe!" At Orion's comment he shrugged and buried himself in the bag.

'Must be cozy in there.,' Raclaw thought seeing Star disappear back into his knapsack. He looked forward towards the cave. "It beats staying out here.," he then said-- not exactly looking forward to the pending downpour.

Angora had been busy scanning her surrounding, paranoid after what Orion said earlier. If this shapeshifter could turn into anything, then it could be anything in there. After the Galaxy Dragon gave the warning, she listened and followed the group to the cave.
"Quick question... is this storm... that thing?" she dared to ask, knowing that a storm wasn't technically a thing, but she wasn't certain if this entity was powerful enough to transform into something as shapeless as a storm. She had embraced storms before, but Orion quickly pointing out that it could kill them was concerning.

Latnok and Sere didn't need to be told twice - they sprinted toward the cave, Veris following along. Veris was visibly rattked by the storm - inclement weather was very unpleasant to him and limited his ability to fly. "Eh, nothing to write home about," said Latnok. He was glad that Star was seemingly taking advantage of his tarp and staying dry.

Angora tried to accommodate herself in the seemingly small space, ending up close to Veris.
"Hey." she commented casually to the wyvern as she witnessed the storm. This looked like a hail, or small comet storm. One thing Latnok got right, this place really sucked. She always thought this place was going to be a big, snowy mountain with the occasional blizzard, but it was far worse than that.

Veris, though obviously very unnerved by the weather, nonetheless lowered his head down to meet Angora at eye level, giving her a soft gaze, and let out a soft hum. He seemed to slowly be calming down again.
"So, Godfather Sere, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't wyverns in general hostile towards most other mountain-dwelling species, trolls included?" Latnok asked.
"Yes, they are," Sere said. "I guess he's realized how important it is to exercise restraint here. Or it could just be the weather. Nothing to overthink." Sere wasn't really concerned - wyverns could be fickle creatures. All the better that he wasn't hostile towards anyone.

Raclaw stayed towards the back of the small cave, ending up near Veris and Angora. He agreed with the others-- and wouldn't exactly recommend the place . Between the cold rain and its outside magic cancelling effects, it wasn't exactly the funnest experience.

The troll didn't seemed very pleased with that fact, but seeing it with her own eyes, she knew it would be suicidal to navigate through the storm.
"So... this is place that the dark thing calls home. How appropriate. Trying to make the elements eliminate it's enemies to avoid confrontation itself." Angora commented casually, never imagining how much she was going to hate this place. She then heard what Sere said to Latnok and felt really proud. She didn't know much about wyverns, but if it was true that they were hostile towards trolls, this was some major improvement. She didn't know if it was because of the boar or something else, but she was glad. She pitied the poor creature so much, deprived of it's freedom and almost all it's will.

Star looked out and grinned. "I've seen storms like this before! Thundurus and Tornadus would cause them for fun until Landorus made sure they toed the line! Metaphorically, anyway. The don't have feet in their 'Incarnate Forme'."
Darkheart groaned, shivering and curling up. "Ugh... The one type of darkness I dislike..."

"So... anyone got any stories?" Latnok asked.
"Well, besides the story I told about my encounter with Shiavara earlier, no," Sere said. "None that immediately come to mind, anyway. Walking out there would be suicide, though - any magic barrier you put up wouldn't be feasibly maintainable for more than a few seconds before you had to drop it. I don't really know anything to do..."
"Well, this is as good a time as any to rest, at least," Latnok said. He was still somewhat tired from the incident with Raclaw, though he tried not to show it.

Angora lied down to do exactly that, trying not to touch Veris or Raclaw. She had no interest in sharing her story, so she remained as silent as ever, wanting to sleep on the storm. At least she was sleeping near Raclaw and received some of the warmth from his fluff. She didn't feel very comfortable with Veris being so near her too, especially considering whom his master was, but nevertheless didn't acted on her uneasiness, and instead focused on trying to sleep...

"Agreed.," Raclaw said mentally drained from the previous incident and the day as a whole. Between acting as a mental conduit, resisting the effects of Shade's corruption, and now fortifying his own connections in attempt to hold off the pending darkness-- his mind was now more active than it ever had been before. And unlike Latnok, he didn't have meditation or some other mean of regaining his strength midway through the day. As Angora lied down, so did he. His soft fluff kept him warm despite the cold stone floor-- and he felt sorry for those of the party who were used to more comfortable accomidations.

Reaching into his pack on Veris, Sere pulled out two vials - one with a black compound, one with a white compound. He poured some into his hand - a highly viscous substance, almost a paste. He then smeared it onto the ground, and poured the white substance on it. After thorough mixing, the compound became solid and shapable. Shaping it into a small brick, he then shot a small fireball at it - the compound caught, burning bright blue and warming up the confined space somewhat.
"So Orion, the hell made you want to live in this wonderland?" Latnok asked sarcastically.

Star looked through the rain, or attempted to. He sat away from the others, right at the entrance. Memories flashed through his mind, of his father telling him the story of how Landorus punished Thundurus and Tornadus so severely for their mischief that they remained settled for a hundred years. He smiled a little at the memory. As much as it hurt... He needed some comforts from his past.

Angora looked at Shade, and was happy, he was calmed for once. Even she could sense how peaceful he was feeling at the moment. Even though she tried to sleep, she couldn't being to worried about this dark entity. She listened to the conversations quietly, ocasionally looking at the storm and keeping an eye on Veris and Raclaw. For the former, she made sure to hide her bag full of boar meat below her arm, not wanting the wyvern to beg for more. The rest was for her, and perhaps Shade if he needed it.

As Shade settled down-- so did Raclaw as the exhausted fur dragon took advantage of the peace and let his mind go blank. His eyes soon shut and it wasn't long until a feeling of pure bliss could be felt over the mental link.

"I will be taking this opportunity to meditate," Latnok announced.
"Very well," Sere acknowledged. "I will remain awake and alert. Veris, rest." On command, Veris laid down, curled up, rested his head, and shut his eyes. Soon, he began breathing more slowly, deeply, and loudly, evidently having fallen asleep. Sere sat down by the fire, having pulled a journal from his pack, and began writing important information down. "Hmm, this could be a potential training ground..."

Even though Angora wanted to remain quiet, Sere's command appalled her to no end. She couldn't stay silent with this outrage.
"Seriously? He has command for something as simple and natural as sleep? How much willpower did you take away from this poor creature?" Angora accused, not wanting to imagine how much misery and torture the wyvern went through to be this obedient.

Darkheart growled at Angora. "It's an order to make sure they sleep when there's an opportunity, not just when they're worn out. If you don't sleep at the opportunity, you'll be exhausted during the battle. And Wyverns aren't exactly sentient anyway. It's more like a dog than a dragon. Or a hawk. We've gone over this before, you know."

Angora still being silenced by Sere, Latnok decided to answer instead. "I don't know if you're familiar with how any military organization, but when you're in the field, you sleep as ordered, not whenever the hell you feel like. The wyvern is no different from the rest of us in that respect. I would highly recommend you stop trying to find random things to pick fights over and just go to sleep yourself."

Before answering Latnok, Angora replied to Darkheart first.
"Even dogs have enough willpower to sleep on their own. A schedule is alright, but an order for something that should be done naturally? That is just so wrong!" Angora pointed out, angry that Darkheart got into the conversation when the question wasn't addressed to her. Now look who was butting in into private conversations? With that done, she turned to Latnok.

"This is not an arguing, it's an observation, but of course, you think so I'll of me it's no wonder you confuse the two!" Angora stated, saying nothing more. She looked at the sleeping Veris and wondered if, after the mission was over, he could shift his loyalty to her. Angora didn't wanted him as a pet or a mount (even if it would be nice), she simply wanted to release him of this oppression. She couldn't stand seeing such a magestic creature being reduced to something less than a dog, and during this journey, Angora has grown unexpectedly fond of this wyvern.

Darkheart spoke in a complete deadpan. "You have a talent for seeing the worst of people. That is an ability that will make it hard to get along with Star and me, all things considered."
Star stared out into the storm. "Geez! This is a storm that the two would be proud of! Too bad Landorus isn't here! He takes the power from wind and lightning to infuse the land and make it incredibly fertile! Farmers in particular love him."

"Well, then, observe this," Latnok said. "In the field, we sleep as ordered. If you don't, you have people sleeping when they should be awake, alert, and doing their job, or we have incidents where some people are way more tired than they should be because they stayed up during their watch when they should have been sleeping. The wyvern is no different from any of the rest of us Guardians in that respect." Latnok took a dig at Angora there, referencing the last night, to help reinforce his point, not too concerned as to how she would receive it as long as she understood.

Angora glared at Darkheart, giving her a quick response.
"Well, it has kept me alive. I'm seeing the worst because everybody else does..." she gave a quick glance to Latnok.
"... and seeing the worst, I can be more cautious, cause everybody wants to hurt a troll." Angora finished, her voice almost breaking with that last sentence. She then looked at Latnok and the image with indifference.
"That's fine and everything but won't a simple schedule be enough? You don't have to give an order for something that should come naturally." Angora expressed, believing that Sere should've stick with getting Beris used to a certain sleep time rather than having a direct order. Angora found that to be simply horrible. Wyverns couldn't be that weak willed, could they? Afterwards, she went silent again after Orion scolded them yet again.

"The situation in the field can change at a moment's notice," Latnok said plainly. "The unexpected can happen. Schedules aren't feasible when they have to change so often. Back at our base, the wyverns sleep when they want, if they're not being trained or put to use. Out here, though? When we're on the move? They need to sleep when it is best for everyone, and their leader determines that." He figured that there was no need to escalate anything if the troll seemed to be reasonable.

Angora didn't respond to that final comment, not wanting to turn this conversation in yet another bicker. She took one last look at Veris, obviously still not convinced by Latnok's claims, but she said nothing, at least this situation not being as bad as the previous ones and not deserving further argument. Still, she believed a wyvern was intelligent enough to sleep by itself, even under circumstances like this. Not all hope was lost though. Both Latnok and Sere has seen Veris being kind to her, when according to the older human, has never happened before. That should mean something to them, does it not? Angora has never seen a wyvern before, or even read about them, but she found them truly fascinating, and felt disgraced with meeting one that was treated as nothing but a pet and an attack dog.

By now-- Raclaw was sound asleep with not even a single worry to keep his mind awake. In fact, he was actually dreaming as his subconscious drifted back to simpler times. As he slept, his body instinctively made slight moments akin to a dog running in his dreams. His body moments didn't look stressed though, but rather quite the opposite.

In his dreams, a younger Raclaw was running through tall grass alongside the same furry canine as seen before. In the distance, his human family was watching and he had not a single care in the world. The dream shifted and he was now flying over tall trees; his eyes keen on a single deer that was running down below. Suddenly, he flew down as the wind whistled along the tips of his wings. With one fell swoop, he soon caught up to the deer and made his very first kill without the help of another. The dream shifted yet again and he was now happily feasting on cooked venison alongside his human family-- both excited and hungry at the same time. At least in his dreams, Raclaw was seemingly at peace.

Angora, being unable to sleep, was on high alert, and the screeching noise didn't go unnoticed.
"Please tell me that was the wind?" she asked Orion, the storm being bad enough to have something lurking about in that mad weather.

"So, other creatures besides that Darkmatter thing?" Angora asked, unable to believe this forsaken place could harbor any life.