darkSpyro

Maverick remained motionless for a few minutes, pondering what just happened. How he wished Latnok could've seen this so he could see Angora wasn't the incompetent creature he always made her feel like. Before anyone could join the battle, Angora had intercepted this Viking-like interloper, about eleven times her own size, and subdued him with strength and magic skill.
"That was... quite eventful. Whew. Seems the shield isn't he only thing you're good at Angorita." Maverick said with admiration, startling Angora. She really expected him to say something to her for killing someone, but it seemed like he felt nothing for the life of a pirate.
"That guy was probably trying to steal the ship to maroon the ones fighting." Maverick expressed, having seen this move many times. Not that it would've helped in this case since Sere and possibly a few others could simply fly on Veris, Raclaw and maybe even Shade to get back on the ship, but in his father case, he never dealt with such creatures.
"We have to pay attention! There could be more trying to make their way here." Maverick warned, addressing to Angora but increasing his voice to make sure the other sailors heard. That burly pirate most likely escape Leoquin's assault, which meant there were probably a few others more swimming somewhere trying to get on the big ship. Maverick went on high alert as well, keeping the beagle close to him as well.

Ilasi had witnessed Shade's encounter with the pirate. The dragolet had prevailed; however, his opponent didn't go down without first implanting his weapon into Shade. Ilasi immediately sought to put herself to use.
"Please, hold still," she said, as she conjured a ball of water, which she pressed against the wound. "This may hurt a bit," she warned before moving on. As the water provided pressure, she quickly grabbed and yanked the sword out without hesitation; the pressure applied by the water stemmed any bleeding at the moment.

Ilasi was extremely startled by Shade's sudden lunge, fearful that her attempts to help Shade were leading to his retaliation. As she braced berself, however, Shade attacked an enemy behind her, dispatching him.
"Did... did you just save me?" Ilasi asked in shock. Though she was no stranger to the aftermath of a battle, this was the first time she was actually in an active battlefield. She might have been dead, if not for Shade; she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
Shade was clearly not in tue best position to be fighting like that, however. Ilasi thought of how she could help him; there was a potion she knew how to brew... but Shade would have to drink it, and he was currently unable to open his mouth. "I'll help you - I need Latnok to get back, however," she informed Shade, her tone betraying her concern. "Just hold on a bit, please."

While Angora kept watching the ship, Maverick's attention suddenly turned to the distant Shade. He was bigger than Veris, and his black coloration really standed out in the environment, although soon that won't be the case anymore. The fawn man saw the dragolet suddenly moving, although he couldn't see from that distance what was going on exactly.
"Hey Angorita. I think our Shady just joined the battle. He is on the move." he said, but Angora was taking her sentry job seriously.
"That's nice Maverick, but right now, we need to focus on the ship. Who knows how many other scoundrels are below the water trying to get on board and steal the ship." the troll remarked, wishing she could see the spectacle as well. But as she focused on the watch, Maverick smiled, glad that Shade was lending his help, and if he did a great job, the others would know he really is a nice dragon whose bad reputation is not deserved.

Meanwhile-- Sere's crew was already moving further inland, with those who were too injured staying behind to be tended to. As expected, the remaining forces were scrambled with only half of the remaining pirates willing to fight. The local defendants were easily able to take care of some of them, while those that were fleeing ran right into the coming force of Guardians-- and Raclaw. The fur dragon carried onwards alongside the others, arrow or not, and eagerly helped dispatch of the remaining pirates-- adrenaline still pumping through his blood. Risar was ready as well and between his two heavy great axes and Raclaw's tail spike... the opposing force stood little chance. One lucky pirate had managed to grab onto the arrow still sticking out of Raclaw's wing and tried to forcefully mount the fur dragon, but was quickly dispatched by Latnok before he even had a chance to do anything. Several minutes later and the battlefield stood silent once again. A crow could be heard of circling above, no doubt waiting for its next meal.

Back on the main ship, the little Chester happily stayed behind Maverick-- growing to like the hybrid and glad that he was there to protect him, at least until his beloved Raclaw came back. He appreciated Maverick's kind words and encouragement and had responded in kind with a bark. Dogs could show kindness and portray some meaning to anyone who even slightly understood the behavior of dogs, however only Raclaw could truly 'speak' to him and have a direct one-to-one conversation. He also recognized certain dog-like traits in Raclaw, something which he found somewhat odd until he was a told of bit of the fur dragon's story. And even if it turned out that Raclaw couldn't talk to other animals, *he* could-- and he could in turn translate to Raclaw. The two were a match made in haven and he couldn't have found a more unique protector.

The enemy force eventually fell apart completely; any semblance of leadership and organization had completely disappeared. Sere and Veris continued to look at the battle from up high - by now, Sere were mostly directing troops in the mop-up operation.
"Ensure that the casualties are brought to the ship to be handled appropriately," Sere telepathed to Latnok and Risar. "As for the captives in the ship - have them brought onboard for now and thrown in the brig. We'll figure out what to do with them later. Have our men take everything from the opposing ships; supplies, treasures, everything - and bring them onboard. They will be distributed when I arrive. Leoquin and Ilasi can begin scouring the seas for any salvage and flotsam usable to us. We will likely need to dock here for a few days in order to get the aftermath of the battle sorted out and give the crew time to rest and heal; I will seek out the leaders of this island for further details."
"Consider it done," Latnok returned, as Sere flew off. The battle was a decisive victory; but in large-scale engagements like these, almost always came at some price. Though he couldn't see all of the battle, Latnok figured that Sere saw enough of the battlefield to know that the enemy had lost any chance of sustaining a fight. He began to head back to the beachhead, to comply with the instructions granted to him by Sere.

On the ship, Leoquin slithered onboard, via one of the gangplanks on the enemy ship. The signs of battle onboard their own ship were clear; though Leoquin was hoping he had gotten all of the survivors, he knew that it was highly unlikely that he would manage to do so. "Okay, I think we did a pretty good job here..." he said, some exhaustion present in his voice despite his attempts to mask it. "I don't see any more of those guys managing to make it. Good riddance; not worth much more than catfish food. Are you all right, Ilasi?"
"Yes, I am fine, thank you," Ilasi said. "Shade here helped me out. When one of the pirates tried to catch me by surprise, he took on and defeated him."
"..." Leoquin was highly reluctant to even acknowledge that the creature might have done something good. "Don't get too comfy with him. No doubt he's only in it for his own good, trying to get the second-in-command to ease up on him."

Maverick listened as Leoquin and Ilasi got on the ship and talked, avoiding looking at them. They seemed to be bonding pretty well, something that made the fawn man quite sad. But at least the feeling mellowed down when he heard Ilasi talked about how Shade saved her. It was something to be proud about, but of course, it was very predictable of the mermen's part to doubt the action as noble and attributing it to Shade just looking to be treated better. It was quite annoying, so to distract himself, Maverick started to play with Chester.
"Hey boy, looks like we won. Raclaw will be here any moment. You'd like that, won't you?" he said, as he waved his arms so the beagle could jump and catch him. He wanted to exits the cute little doggie so he could be in his highest spirits when the fur dragon returned.

Angora remained nearby, but went to watch the other side of the ship once she saw Leoquin and Ilasi getting on board. She wanted nothing to do with them, so she simply continued her watch, wanting to enjoy the moment before the annoying mermen called her and made her life miserable again. Chances were that nobody saw her casting that force bolt and blasting off that brutish pirate all by herself, and even if the few sailors on board saw her, she didn't think they would tell. Her only real witnesses were Maverick and the beagle, but they weren't going to believe I'm and Chester was only a dog. Still, she didn't care if nobody saw. All she wanted was to get on that island and get real food and rest before heading to the unpleasant seas again.

Risar grunted, lacking the ability to use telepathy but understanding the order none-the-less. As he and Latnok returned to the beachache, the minotaur began shouting orders-- the men quickly scrambling to comply. He would personally handle the more difficult captives, knowing that few men would refuse a minotaur. Raclaw meanwhile followed Latnok, volunteering to use himself to help carry some of the casualties-- acting as a moving makeshift bed to those who were otherwise unable to walk. He retracted the spikes on the his tail artifact, so as to not risk further harming those he was carrying. The arrow had been nudged further into his wing from the previous attempt at mounting him, but it was minor nuisance at best and there were more important injuries to attend to. "T-thank-you dragon.," one of the sailors gracefully saif as he was loaded onto the fur dragon. "The name's Raclaw and you'll be alright. Just hang in there.," he encouraged heading towards the ship along Latnok and Risar. He would sure that Chester was already missing him-- that adorable precious Beagle adored him so much in the brief time they had been together.

And speaking of Chester, the little Beagle was indeed very excited at the prospect of Raclaw's return. He barked happily and jumped into Maverick's arms giving the fawn/human hybrid a lick on the face. "You're so fluffy you know-- and soft! And comfortable! Like Raclaw!," he happily barked looking up at Maverick. His response would come out as nothing but gleeful barks and dog noises of course, but very much portrayed a happy tone. He soon got even more excited as he saw several shapes approaching the main ship-- including one that couldn't be anything but the also amazingly fluffy Raclaw. He barked another happy bark. He tone of bark changed slightly as he noticed something sticking out of the fur dragon's wing. Was Raclaw injured? They weren't close enough to tell yet that it was *only* an arrow and could've been much much worse.

Maverick was starting to like having a dog around him. His father only allowed cats on the ship since they were cleaner, easier to maintain and more efficient in catching mice and other vermins, but not even they were safe from his wrath. The poor creatures would usually end getting kicked and stepped on whenever they accidentally made someone trip.
"Good good doggie. My dad never let me have any dogs, but now I know why you are so popular and loved." Maverick commented, not understanding the beage's language and doubting he understood him. Still, it was a happy moment until he saw Raclaw returning.
"Oh look. There's you friend...?" Maverick started to say, but he noticed his flight looked all wobbly. Was he injured? Carrying the dog, Maverick headed to where the fur dragon had landed, and Angora, having nothing to do, followed him.

"Hey Raclaw. Welcome back. Here's your friend... oh? Are you alright?" Maverick asked, noticing his wing as he put the beagle down. Angora inspected him from behind Maverick, not wanting to let her presence known.

Raclaw's wobbly fight didn't do much to reassure Chester of his suspicions and he allowed himself to be carried over to where his furry friend had landed. Was that an arrow in Raclaw's wing? As he was put down, he looked up at his friend with concern-- awaiting Raclaw's response and to have some reassurance. "I'm-- I'm fine. It's just an arrow. I got a little too close to one of their archers, that's all.," Raclaw explained looking at both Maverick and the very much worried Chester. Besides the arrow, there was also blood mostly located around the end of his tail. "Is that.. is that blood?," Chester barked eyeing the tail and tail artifact. "Don't worry-- it's not my own.," he reassured in dogspeak. As they spoke, a couple of the sailors aboard unloaded the injured sailor on his back and took them away to be attended to. The sailor in question had a shoulder and leg wound, from an arrow and an sword respectfully.

As the others spoke, men returning from the battle began to come in, with a gangplank being lowered by one of the sailors to facilitate another route for their boarding. With them, the men brought several things - some were carrying or assisting wounded; others were escorting prisoners, now restrained; still others were carrying whatever they could take from the ship that wasn't nailed down, whether it be food, water, rum, or various goods that their enemies had previously plundered.
Latnok was among them, overseeing much of the operation. As soon as he boarded the vessel, Ilasi urgently approached him. "Mr. Latnok, sir... uh, Latnok - Shade is terribly injured. There is a brew I can concoct to help him, but... he has to be able to drink it. May you please unmuzzle him?"
Latnok sighed. "Of course. Was he getting ahead of himself again?"
"No... he was protecting me," Ilasi said. "An enemy tried to attack me by surprise, but he intervened. I would like to return the favor, if possible..."
Latnok shook his head. "Collar, unmuzzle." The collar immediately released the magical restraint preventing Shade from opening his mouth.

Since Maverick knew little to nothing about healing, he decided it was better if he was just there as an assistant or moral support. Knowing the great bond Raclaw and Chester had, he picked the beagle up and put him on Raclaw's back so they could comfort each other.

While Maverick remained with Raclaw, Angora went to Shade and reassured him.
"Got injured? Don't worry. I'll help cure you." Angora said kindly, looking at her hands. She cured Latnok once with magic, but wondered if she could do it again. As she pondered on how she did the last time, she noticed Ilasi's uneasiness.

"You know, if you're too nervous, I could feed him the brew." Angora offered calm and politely, leaving all her snottiness behind, although her heart rate was fast. It was very hard to be kind to Ilasi when her anger for her wasn't completely gone.

Chester calmed down upon placed on Raclaw's back-- and the two barked back and forth. "...I'm glad you're back.," Chester said. "I'm glad to be back.," Raclaw responded in dogspeak. The tones in bark initially sounded more worried, but transitioned to more of a content tone. If Raclaw was in pain, he was trying not show it at least. Elsewhere, Risar was escorting one of the more troublesome captives.

As Angora waited for Ilasi to respond, she looked at the barking duo that was Raclaw and Chester. She scowled in disbelief, never having paid attention to the two of them until now. Were they really talking? Or was Raclaw simply repeating sounds to interact with the mutt? It was all quite bizzare to her, but Maverick on the other hand, was happy, watching them with the goofiest of smiles.
"Oooooh, you two are like, the perfect team. Team fluffy... or maybe team adorable! Heh. By the way, I really enjoyed my time with Chester. I really need to get a dog." Maverick exclaimed in the kind yet silly voice he usually used when his normal self. Now this was the Maverick everyone knew.

Ilasi gave Angora a confused look. What was with the sudden change of attitude? She figured it was most likely because she was attempting to help Shade.
"I appreciate the offer," she said. "I am capable of providing the brew to him, however. I will need time to prepare it." Ilasi left the scene for the moment, seeking the materials she needed from her room.
"We'll take it from here," Latnok said to Shade's companions. "Angora, go help the others move stuff. Maverick... I dunno. Give Shade some company for now, I guess." As he spoke, Latnok began to pull from his pack - retrieving a fruit from the Tree of Vitality and some large cotton fabric pieces. "Eat this," he said, as he left the fruit by Shade's mouth. Moving over to Shade's side, he deaped the cotton over his bleeding wound, applying light pressure to stem the blood flow for the moment.

Angora went to help the other sailors with some resentment, hating how she was always picked up to do the harder jobs. What's more, Maverick was the one who got to stay behind and keep Shade company. He decided to keep an eye on the dragolet and the fluffy duo, offering them some conversation so they could forget about the pain while they were being treated.

Ilasi was hard at work, preparing the medicine. Some ground starfish, mixed with some enchanted watercress, an anglerfish light, and purified water mixed with coconut milk; though it took a bit of time and effort, the deed was done soon enough.
That complete, Ilasi rushed back outside to the wounded Shade. Shade... It's ready," she informed the dragolet. "Just open your mouth, and drink as I pour the medicine. It actually tastes pretty good, so don't worry." Ilasi nodded at Latnok, who moved his eyes to see her without moving from his position in any other way. "Thank you, Latnok," she said. "I appreciate the cooperation... not that you have to cooperate with me, I mean... I didn't mean it like..."
"Don't worry," Latnok said reassuringly. "Just give it to him." Ilasi prepared to pour the medicine into Shade's mouth; though ir would not make the wound disappear, it would stem the bleeding, and greatly help in its healing.

As Raclaw waited and watched Shade, he laid down-- not having much else to do. The arrow only hurt when he moved his wing and he couldn't lay his wing down in its usual rested position, otherwise the still pointy arrowhead might move or puncture something else. At a glance, it didn't appear too bad. A closer inspection, however, would reveal that the arrow had notched itself at an diagonal angle-- and that too much movement would cause its position to shift and cause more damage to the wing. It was evident that someone had already caused it to move, presumily the pirate who had unsuccessfully tried to mount him. From his perspective, Raclaw couldn't tell the position of the arrow-- but didn't want to risk further injury or make his status any worse. He shifted slightly uncomfortably as he eventually found an comfortable position. He responded to Maverick's casual conversation and passing the time.

Chester remained on Raclaw's back, both being comforted and providing comfort to the fur dragon. From his position-- he had a better view of the arrow but couldn't do much else to help nor did he want to alarm Raclaw of the arrow's position. He gave the occasional bark agreeing or disagreeing with their ongoing conversation, although only Raclaw could properly interpret or translate his thoughts. Where appropriate, Raclaw did as such-- implying that he was indeed communicating and not merely echoing the same barks of the Beagle. Elsewhere, Risar shouted orders and made sure that everyone and everything that needed moving-- kept moving at a brisk pace. "You with the glare-- keep an eye on that one!.," he shouted from somewhere nearby on the ship. "Yes Risar-- I mean sir!.," the sailor responded back quickening his pace and complying with whatever he was supposed to be doing.

While Angora helped with the equipment, she kept a close watch on Ilasi. She didn't trust her completely, but she nevertheless thought her incapable of poisoning somebody, especially if Latnok and Sere looked determined to keep him alive. She envied Maverick for getting things easily from his part, but she knew it would happen sooner or later. He was just too absurdly kind and adorable to be mad at him for too long. As Angora continued moving stuff to the ship, she took advantage of a large box she was carrying to conceal herself from view. She sat besides a sailor whose knee looked like it was munched by a giant leech.
"Yeesh! That looks disgusting..." she said to the sailor, knowing how even better looking wounds like that were easily infected. A little more and the injury would've reached the bone. The sailor looked in too much pain to talk to her, but it was evident he wanted to say something. He had many other injuries, but the wound in the knee was the worst one. Since Shade was already been cured, she put the large box down for a moment and hold her hand close to his wound, trying to recall how she healed Latnok all those months ago.
"Come on Angorita. You can do this. the little troll said, already used to Maverick's nickname. Then, like last time, he hand began to glow. With Neo living within her and the orb helping her channel her magic, she was more successful with it.

After some few seconds struggle, Angora was able to magically close up the wound, although not completely. It was very a complicated spell and doing it whole was going to drain much of her strength. Just then, Angora noticed one of the other sailors looking at the lone box, so she she discretely began moving it again as if nothing had happened, resuming her carrying work so the others wouldn't mistake her as slacking off.

With the bleeding stemmed, Latnok withdrew from Shade in order to return to the other matters at hand. With some prisoners being moved to the brig, there wasn't much to do at the monent except making sure that everything ran relatively smoothly.
"Great job, Ilasi," Latnok commended - the mermaid, despite being a non-combatant, certainly was proving her worth. "If you could do something similar for my buddy Raclaw here, I would greatly appreciate it."
"I sure can," Ilasi said confidently, her faith in her abilities bolstered after the assistance she provided Shade. "First, I'm going to have to remove the arrow. Are you ready, Raclaw? This will hurt a bit - however, I can minimize the damage it would cause."

Raclaw gave a reluctant nod, any adrenaline in his system long gone. Chester carefully got off and remained nearby, laying down on one of Raclaw's paws as if to comfort his furry buddy. Raclaw was as ready as he was ever going to be-- and could say that he had taken an arrow now. It had also been his first large scale conflict, having joined in partly for Latnok's sake but almost having enjoyed the thrill at times-- and getting a chance to test his fancy new weapon.

While Angora proceeded to carry off material as if that has been the only thing she has been doing for a while, Maverick would ocasionally pat Shade and Raclaw, sometimes looking adorably at Ilasi without realizing while she did her work. All while the sailor that Angora healed was still looking at his knee without believing or comprehending what actually happened. A troll that was so stupidly small, and has magic on top of it? He chuckled and shook his head slowly, thinking that the magic was a way for the troll to compensate her ridiculous size. He wondered though, if he should report this to the captain or leave it like that. It's not like he was going to believe him, was he?

With Raclaw's permission, Ilasi conjured a ball of water, pressing it against the arrow to stabilize the area when she would pull it out. "This will hurt somewhat," she warned, as she grabbed the arrow - and yanked. The arrow ripped free - but thanks to Ilasi's magic, the wound wouldn't become significantly worse as a result. "Now, please hold a few minutes - I have to make another brew for you," Ilasi notified Raclaw. As she left, Latnok came with another piece of cotton cloth, applying pressure to Raclaw's wound as he waited for Ilasi to return.

Raclaw gritted his teeth, but otherwise remained calm as Ilasis yanked the arrow out. He remained still-- allowing Latnok to keep the pressure properly applied. "Well-- at least we got to test the artifact, right? I would say it was quite.. effective.," Raclaw said starting small talk with Latnok while he waited. He gave a slight smile at the prospect and tried to ignore any lingering pain. Chester continued to rest on his paw, both keeping the fur dragon still and keeping him comfortable to the best of the little dog's ability. Elsewhere, Risar kept the men busy with the remaining tasks.

Latnok couldn't help but smile. Despite all his concerns for Raclaw, the dragon had more than proven himself to be someone that should not be taken lightly on the battlefield."Well, I would certainly think that the test subjects at least found it somewhat effective," Latnok said jovially. "You did an excellent job putting that thing to use. You know, for such a big target, without the defensive countermeasures I have, I'm rather surprised that all you managed to get in that fight was an arrow wound, the way you were fighting."
Ilasi returned shortly after - she already had out the supplies for the brew, she just needed to make another batch. Rushing o Raclaw, she had the vial open, and presented it to him as soon as she arrived. "Please, open your mouth so I can give this to you to drink," she said as she held the vial out. "It'll facilitate healing of your wound. It won't fix it instantly, but it'll help."

Raclaw smiled at Raclaw's comment and opened his mouth, allowing Ilasi to pour the brew down his throat. "Thank-you. It wasn't just me though-- Damon was surprisingly helpful. I would've taken many more more arrows had he not warned me that they were coming. And for better or worse, he seems to be able to operate the artifact on his own should the need call for it.," Raclaw explained via telepathy recalling a couple moments that could've have much much worse without the foresight provided by the once living entity. It was slightly unsettling that Damon could use his own telepathy, again, to control the artifact without his consent. However, he still seemed to be mostly keeping his deal of not purposely overriding his telepathy. At least in battle, it had served to save his life. At least one question remained however-- and that was how far Damon was willing to go with the control he seemingly had.

While Ilasi did her work, Maverick was playing and making funny faces at Chester to distract himself from looking at Ilasi. He noticed earlier he was staring at her, which he realized before Ilasi could notice, or at least that's what he hoped. As he played with the beagle, he noticed Angora still carrying out heavy materials to the ship and paying attention to the scene when she could, and felt undignified not only for her hard work, but also since The Guardians were literally gathering the stuff from the ships and people they ravaged. Sure, it was only pirates this time, but this wasn't any different from them. Did perhaps Sere planned to give the materials to the island where it belonged? Maverick would ask him later on or tomorrow when the heat of the battle was over. Instead, since he wasn't helping much on his side, he decided to ask him something else.
"Señor Latnok, can I help with the carrying?" he asked politely, with a similar tone he used with Sere. It was respectful but neutral. It was only a matter of minutes before it got dark, and since he wasn't doing anything particularly important, he wanted to help Angora with her task.

"Well, tell Damon I said thanks for the assistance," Latnok telepathed to Raclaw, not quite sure if Damon would be able to pick up on direct telepathy between the two. Damon, for the moment at least, proved to be a valuable ally - Latnok hoped it would remain that way.
Latnok was interrupted by Maverick - asking for assistance in helping Angora carry goods. He spent a few seconds to think. "Yeah, go ahead, but don't even think about taking anything until Godfather Sere is here," he said. "He's going to determine how everything gets allocated."
After Ilasi was done feeding Raclaw the concoction, she returned to Latnok for orders. "What should I be doing now, Latnok?" she inquired politely.
"For now... eh, just stay on board for now, see if anyone else needs tending to," Latnok said. "Was going to have you and Leoquin salvage flotsam, but I think you're needed more here. Leoquin can handle that other stuff by himself." Ilasi nodded, and patiently stood by. She noted Maverick's occasional glances - what was he thinking? Perhaps Angora's feelings about her were starting to rub off? It wasn't something she wanted to consider now.

"Don't worry señor. I'll just carry stuff." Maverick assured, turning around, rolling his eyes and smiling mildly at Latnok's still lingering harshness. Seems like he was still too paranoid and angry to treat them politely. It didn't mattered to him, since this was still a thousand times better than his father's ship. As he left, he couldn't help but to give another glance at Ilasi, blushing and hair standing on an end. As much as he tried to avoid it, he just couldn't help it. He still felt sad for having Ilasi probably still upset with him and interacting with the rude Leoquin, not to mention her practically admitting not approving of him and Angora's friendship, but nevertheless, he couldn't help feeling something. As he proceeded to help with the equipment, he did like Angora and hid his face with the boxes, pots, cutlery and jewels he carried to avoid eye contact with her.

Not far from there, the sailor Angora healed was starting to get up. His knee had some tissue damage, but it could heal by itself and the chances of infection were far more lowered than before. Having a troll that could use magic made him very uneasy, so he felt like he had to report something to the captain even if he probably knew about her ability.

"Don't worry-- I'm sure he already knows.," Raclaw telecommunicated doubting there was much that Damon couldn't see, hear, or otherwise pick up on. He suspected that part of the reason that Damon was placed in his collar was to keep an eye on him and that there was very little he could do without the entity knowing. Damon was seemingly at the heart of the collar-- far beyond that of the command structure and buried so deep to the point where not even Raclaw could directly interpret the once living entity's thoughts. On the flip side, Damon *could* interpret Raclaw's thoughts and even though he could no longer entirely prevent the fur dragon's abilities; it was evident that he still retained some control or influence over his telepathy. This meant that while Damon could help manage his connections for him and even use his own telepathy to help protect him in battle-- Damon could theoretically do the opposite as well and limit the use of his telepathy if he really wanted to.

"T..Thank-you Ilasi.," Raclaw gratefully said as the mermaid finished tending to him. As he rested his wing once again on his side, he knew that it would take some for the wound to completely heal and that his flight would likely remain slightly impacted at least for the time being. It was no matter though-- they would have to spend a few days at dock anyway and it would presumably be some time before they got into another large scale conflict. As he was healed, Chester looked up at him and senses that he was feeling somewhat better. "Does.. does it still hurt?," Chester asking with a combination of barking and whining. "A little-- but I'll recover. You don't have to worry about me.," he re-ensured the little Beagle via dog-speak. Elsewhere, Risar was waiting eager to work the pair. His two now bloody great axes looked even more intimidating after the results of the recent battle.

As the last of the prisoners were thrown into the ship's brig and the last of the goods were being brought up, Latnok was able to identify Veris in the distance - heading towards the ship. In response, he ordered men to clear an appropriate landing zone for the wyvern. Soon after, Veris began his descent, Sere in tow.
Veris lowered himself, allowing Sere to dismount. Though Veris had a few scratches here and there, he was protected from the worst of the combat by a combination of his scales and Sere's defensive spells.
"Latnok, what's the situation report?" Sere inquired, immediately on getting on the ground.
"We are currently appropriating whatever we can from the enemy vessels," Latnok answered. "Casualties are being cared for appropriately. Though we have many casualties, fatalities are relatively few, and most of our men should be in fighting form after a brief respite. Enemy casualties, in contrast, are total - those who aren't prisoners are dead. Ship has taken some minor damage, but nothing irreparable. Prisoners are in the brig awaiting your decision, and goods are on dock awaiting assignment as you see fit."
"Excellent - just what I like to hear," Sere said. "I've been in talks with the inhabitants. Though they habe no doubt sustained many losses, the central island holds most of their key infrastructure, and they have held on to that. We will be good to take a few days to recover here, and assist them as needed. They will be taking the captured enemy vessels, as well as anything on land that can be salvaged; everything on the ships will be repurposed to suit our needs."
Leoquin came slithering as soon as he was aware of Sere's presence. "The plan worked just as you sait it would, sir!" he exclaimed. "I was able to handle most of the stragglers; some made it to shore, however. It seems that the crew managed to handle them."
"Great job, Leoquin," Sere said. "Remember this moment - I might need you for a similar task in the future."
Leoquin took a side glance at Maverick - he was glad that Sere had him stay on deck. No doubt he would have been a liability in combat.

Raclaw had waited for Sere along Latnok and the others-- and was glad to hear that the island's key infrastructure had remained intact among all the chaos. He observed as the last goods were unloaded and was shocked/impressed by just how much of it there was. They had amassed quite the collection of loot and although almost none of it was likely to do him any good, he was proud of himself for not only having taken part in the battle-- but also having done exceptionally well arrow wound aside. He honestly hadn't expected to do as well as he did and yet... he had managed to do actually quite well thanks in part to Damon's continued assistance. Chester was next to Raclaw as usual, while Risar was nearby on the deck.

As Maverick and Angora helped carry the remaining goods, the former was overhearing the Guardian duo while hiding behind the equipment to avoid looking at Ilasi and blush again. He was very glad to hear that they planned to help the inhabitants of the island recover, although he didn't find it right how they salvaged the dead's stuff's like vultures. He believed it should be distributed among the islanders, since most of that stuff was probably belonged to them anyway, but he didn't trust Latnok Sere's mood, but since they were going to remain there for days, he would make the suggestion once they stopped being in such hot water. As he thought that, he was also thinking about the prisoners. What would happen to them? While Angora didn't care, Maverick as a former pirate believed they, or at least some, deserved the chance to reform themselves. He feared for their future. He knew that it was up to Leoquin, he would probably throw them overboard to be fed to the shark, but what would the Guardians do? Would they leave them prisoners to be trialed on the island or someplace else? Or will they be excecuted? The question was making Maverick very uneasy.

While Angora didn't care about the prisoner's fate, she did her share of overhearing, mostly Leoquin. Seems like the idiot didn't realize he missed one of the pirates and managed to swim onboard, nearly causing a fatality. A bulky pirate like that could've easily taken on Maverick and the sailors that remained behind. It was one of the times she was thankful for having brute strength, although she could've used magic from a beggining, she proved to herself she didn't have to rely on it all the time. She wanted so badly to tell that cocky mermen about his oversight, but she knew he wouldn't believe her and her most likely witness were Maverick and the silly beagle. The beagle couldn't talk (not their language) and he wasn't going to believe Maverick, so Angora remained wuiet, not wanting to give that jerk more fuel and excuses to bully her.

Latnok and Sere continued to talk for a brief period, concerning actions to be taken in the immediate aftermath. When they were done, they dispersed to issue orders to the rest of the crew.
"Angora, Maverick, Leoquin, Ilasi, Risar," Latnok called out. "Angora, go help the islanders clean up the battlefield. Maverick, get our men food and drink. Leoquin, stay on board for now; after you eat, you can salvage the flotsam for a bit, see if you find anything useful... actually, nevermind that, we'll work on that tomorrow. You'll need sleep. Just hang tight. Ilasi, help the wounded as you can, and be ready to go to bed soon. Risar, stick around for a meal, then get some sleep; you fought pretty hard out there. I have some prisoners to speak with." Leoquin and Ilasi nodded, acknowledging their orders.
As they dispersed, Leoquin started a conversation with Ilasi. "So what was it like on deck?" he asked.
"A few stragglers came on board, but the others fought them off," she said.
"Well, good on you guys. Did Maverick do any fighting?"
"No, he didn't have to."
"Of course he didn't..." Leoquin said sarcastically.

"Sure thing señor Latnok." Maverick answered without objections, heading to the kitchen and then the cellar to get the food and drinks. He noticed Leoquin approaching Ilasi and starting a conversation, though he didn't hear what they were saying. He simp,y accelerated his pace in order to stop watching them. It still made him sad that the sweet Ilasi would talk to such a rude jerk like Leoquin, but never did anything to stop them. She probably feels very comfortable around him due to being the same species, and Maverick wasn't going to take that from her, not to mention that he still believed she was still angry at him.

When Latnok gave the order, Angora didn't say anything, but gave a small smile in return, glad that she was going to leave that infernal ship for a while. She missed dry land already, so this was an order she didn't rebuffed. She felt a little bad for Maverick for being given the thedious and monotonous task of feeding the crew, but she knew he wouldn't mind. Right now, she wanted to enjoy feeling soil at last.

With the orders given out, Latnok began strolling to the brig. The brig, while not the most spacious part of the craft, had room for quite a few prisoners, as fitting for an Aelinon warship. Latnok made sure to have his footsteps echo as much as possible as he entered. He began approaching one of the prisoners in the cells, who seemed too demoralized to feel much else.
"You. You're going to answer some questions if you want to live," Latnok asserted.
"Y-yes sir," the prisoner mumbled. He didn't have even small injuries on him - he obviously didn't try to fight.
"Why did you guys come here?"
"For plunder, sir."
"Of course you came here for plunder, do I look like some sort of idiot? Pirates don't usually pick hqrd targets like a fortified island - you guys came in force. No, tell me why you pirates were really here for." Latnok stood with his arms crossed, staring the prisoner down through his faceless helmet, indicating that he didn't intend to go anywhere.
"I... some sort of magical weapon. A scepter or something," the pirate said. "That's the rumor I heard on board, anyway. Captain didn't tell many of us the details."
"Where's your captain now?" Though Latnok would definitely not be surprised if he was dead, he would be a useful asset if alive, so he figured he'd give it a shot.
"Most likely dead. He was on one of those ships that burned. Those of us on the beachhead were the vanguard."
"...okay. Thanks for the cooperation. Wish it was usually this easy." Latnok was done with the prisoners, for now anyway. He would let Sere determine what to do with them. He made his way out, slamming the door to the brig.

While Maverick distributed the food and drinks, Angora helped with the cleaning and healing of the islanders. Many of them were startled by her appearance, but the feeling didn't last long. After all, they had dragons and a minotaur, so they weren't surprised that they had... whatever she was. After a while of lending a hand, the children of the island came to see her, nothing strange to her, except they soon started to drag her away to inspect her better. Once again, children were fascinated by her, a fact that frustrated Angora to no end. Why did she seemed to attack children so much?
"Kids! There is work to be done, so leave me in peace!" she demanded, upset but not getting violent with them. After all, they were simply curious brats. Even though the surprised children obliged, they continued following her, seeing what she was doing and asking her many questions now that they knew she could talk, none of them which she answered. Even though deep inside she loved the attention, she was also very annoyed by it. She wouldn't have minded very much if only the kids just shut up and stopped invading her space...

Upon being given the order-- Risar gave a nod and stuck around on deck for a meal, which Maverick had soon distributed to the bloodied minotaur. He gave a slight huff and a nod, a simple gesture, and proceeded to chow down. He watched as Raclaw kept Latnok company; the little Chester in stow right alongside the fur dragon. 'Impressive fighting that one.,' he thought as recalled just how much the tail-spiked dragon had done and having only received a single arrow wound in the process. Risar, himself, hadn't been injured at all. However, he had armor and a tough skin that not everyone could pierce-- assuming they managed to get past his now bloodied great axes at all. "Hey fur dragon! Impressive fighting out there!," he complimented upon Latnok, Raclaw, and Chester's return from the lower decks. "Thanks!," Raclaw called out. The duo or trio would no doubt want to relax a little bit, before something else happened. Raclaw's wound looked better at least and had obviously been attended to no doubt by the talented Ilasi.

Risar recalled the fur dragon's previous conversation concerning Latnok-- and the fur dragon's feelings towards the human. He wondered what would become of the trio after all was said and done. Assuming they found what they were looking for on Falcon's Beak and the mission was a success... would the trio split up? It was clear that Raclaw had a special status among the crew, acting more of a friend to the Guardians rather than someone who had merely been hired. It was also clear that he had a purpose for coming along with the Guardians and that despite being a free dragon, he had grown very close to the Guardians-- or more specifically one of the Guardians in particular. Part of him fondly recalled the relations he had with his own old master, to whom he had grown accodomed to before accepting the opportunity for a free life. In some ways and despite their than difference in status, he had almost considered the man to be a friend. This was the same man who had taught him common and how to properly enjoy the many fine tastes of wine.

"You were a force of nature out there," Latnok responded to Risar. "You looked more like you were reaping wheat than in a life-and-death fight. No doubt worth what we're paying you. Speaking of which, Godfather Sere still has to account for everything we've taken from the enemy and distribute it accordingly. No doubt the men will be happy about that." Knowing Sere, he always had the well-being of his men in mind - he had little doubt that they would be happy with their share. But Sere's men weren't the only ones here anymore...
"Hey, Mav," Latnok called out. "Go give the prisoners some food when you're done."

"Ok señor Latnok." Maverick answered with courtesy, not feeling angry at Latnok, but still resenting to some degree how he still treated him and Angora. While the little troll helped with the wounded and the cleaning on the island and avoiding the annoying children, Maverick continued distributing the food among both the attenders and the wounded, feeling rather nervous around Risar but not letting it show. When he got to Leoquin, he treated him respectfully. If he had some sort of resentments or dislike for someone, the fawn man was far much better at dissimulating them than his bitter, easily readable friend. He got to Ilasi next, and even though he still blushed at her presence, it wasn't as intense and noticeable as other times. He kept giving fold and drinks for the rest as if he has been doing that all his life, looking at everyone in a polite way but not looking for any conversation.

"Risar train hard-- Risar fight hard.," the minotaur responded with a snarl-like grin. He clearly enjoyed the art of combat, even if his 'art' was mostly just outright overpowering over anything unlucky enough to have to face him. If there were a physical representation of it, it would be a quickly executed masterpiece called '50 Shades of Red.' Raclaw gave a slight smile at the Latnok's comment, equally impressed by the large minotaur.

"No doubt. The spoils of war are certainly plentiful to say the least.," Raclaw commented on the sere massive size of some of the stacked piles of goods. It was no wonder the Guardians were so readily armed and prepared for any challenge they faced. With everything they had no doubtedly amassed over the centuries, not many forces would even stand a chance against them-- and he was glad to be able to call them his allies.