darkSpyro

Mischief sighed. "There's a familiar dilemma. I work to hold back my other self constantly... It's a struggle. But my other personality dislikes crowds and getting caught at least, so she doesn't cause trouble in public. So long as there's someone with me, I stay in control." She thought a moment. "I don't suppose you know a way to suppress the other side of me? Maybe there's a spell for that somewhere. Something to block her control so I stay in charge of my own body." A voice in her head growled at her, causing her to jump, before glancing around and realizing it was in her head. She sighed and lay down.
Darkheart's eye twitched before she spoke to Latnok in a tone that sounded almost like she was scolding him. "Don't look at ME like that! Besides, it's only a theory, based on unusual behavior. I did see her act odd during our stressful encounter, and it could've just been her acting strangely under stress. Who knows what led her to act oddly?" She coughed and adjusted her voice back to normal. "I'll let you know if I see any more strange behavior... But I'd like you to remember to get facts together before making a judgement. If Sere hadn't been patient enough to get an explanation for my presence on board, I'd be dead. I do suggest sufficient patience to at least give her the same kind of chance I had. If after getting all the facts together you decide you have sufficient reason to kick her out, you can do so then." Darkheart left her nostalgic memories of Star unmentioned. The pup was both extremely sweet and as cute as possible, despite what was potential mental instability. And she did understand Latnok's viewpoint. He didn't want anything to go wrong if he could avoid it.

Angora was angry that Banewood didn't provided more accurate information, nor even proof that he was telling the truth.
"Ok. Then, I suppose we're done here." Angora said neutrally, getting up and leaving, totally depressed. Maverick approached her, but not even his presence was enough to cheer her up.
"Hola Angorita. What's wrong? What happened? What were you talking about?" Maverick asked beyond curious, but Angora wasn't in the mood for anything, not even venting with her best friend.
"Later Maverick. Later. I'll just tell you this; DON'T leave this ship! I'm warning you, bad island. And tell Ilasi the same. This is not a place to explore or unwind. Please, don't leave!" Angora warned, sounding dead serious enough to make Maverick listen to her and obey. He would warn Ilasi too. Whatever made Angora say that had to do with her conversation with the wood man. There was no other explanation. Maverick wanted to ask more, but he gave her some space. He knew she first needed space before being ready to vent.

Angora went below deck, but she couldn't return to the cabin. The orb was there, and she had no doubts that as soon as she entered, she would be urged to go to the island again, maybe even severely scolded for taking too long. And of course, she couldn't go to Veris. Latnok and his animals would likely still be there, with the young Guardian likely waiting for her to humiliate her and be mean to her as he did so often. Where could she go?

It was then that the answer finally came; the infirmary. Where Sand Dune, Opium and Random were. Now why didn't she thought of them sooner? She usually went to Veris or Magerick and left them forgotten. But she found to her relief when she entered the place they bear no grudges. Sand Dune hugged her, while Opium gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder and Random gave her a noogie.
"Yo Angora. Long time no see. How are you you little rascal?" Sand Dune greeted, not even questioning why she barely visited. Their friendliness was enough to make Angora feel better... but only very slightly. She had to return to the cabin at some time, and Veris still had to eat, not to mention Mischief was still in the main deck. She didn't see her, but was certain that both Shade and Maverick would keep an eye on her until she could return. The atmosphere in the infirmary was soothing, especially with that friendly trio there, but Angora would remain there for a brief time. There were still many things she had to do...

A few minutes behind Angora, Ilasi walked into the infirmary, with a small bag of supplies. She never could afford the fancy hyperspace bag Maverick had - such a thing typically reserved for highly wealthy merchants - and didn't have the capability to have one produced for her like the Guardians did. Everything she had, she had to carry.
Her eyes settled on Angora, the (relatively) unusual sight in the place. "Hey, Angora," Ilasi said cheerfully, as she set her bag down on a table and began to take out some ingredients. "Do you need care? Or are you just visiting?"

Back at Aelinon, as the days grew shorter and the air grew colder, citizens were preparing for the typically harsh winter, gathering harvests and bringing in firewood. Such a thing had been a great asset to Aelinon in its quest for liberation from dragons and orcs; once behemoths were brought into the fold, the rebel military was capable of pushing through blizzards which kept their enemies frozen in place. This same winter also made life difficult for the citizens during the season - however, Aelinon was well-adapted to hardships, and the unity between citizens only strengthened as they all worked together to have the supplies they needed.
One thing was most unusual, however. Sometime, the name of the king started being spoken of between a few people here and there - not favorably, however. Somewhere, a rumor originated that the king wasn't the actual, legitimate heir to the throne - that he was an usurper installed after the previous king passed, which some began to attribute to assassination rather than sickness. Who was spreading these rumors?

Mischief tilted her head. "Those aren't bad ideas, per se... But how do I approach them about this burden? I'm sure the Guardians could seal away the other personality, but I could also lose the right to be here. From what I've heard, last Zorua they let join them killed half the crew because he couldn't show the restraint to follow orders. Details are fuzzy, and I'm a bit scared, I'll be honest." The little fox whimpers in mixed fear and frustration. "A collar does sound kinda comfy..."

Maverick was still very curious as to what made Angora so uneasy, but if she talked to Banewood, he drew his own conclusion. Perhaps the wood man told her of the dangers of the island and Angora decided it wasn't worth the visit? It was the only thing that made sense.

Quote: A Guy

A few minutes behind Angora, Ilasi walked into the infirmary, with a small bag of supplies. She never could afford the fancy hyperspace bag Maverick had - such a thing typically reserved for highly wealthy merchants - and didn't have the capability to have one produced for her like the Guardians did. Everything she had, she had to carry.
Her eyes settled on Angora, the (relatively) unusual sight in the place. "Hey, Angora," Ilasi said cheerfully, as she set her bag down on a table and began to take out some ingredients. "Do you need care? Or are you just visiting?"

Angora was hoping she could have this time alone with the trio, but she should've expected the possibility of Ilasi visiting, especially when she was a healer.
"Just visiting..." she answered neutrally, though not rudely. Looking down at Angora, Random glanced at Angora, and pointed her head at Opium. He then addressed to Sand Dune, who saw what was going on.
"Oh my. Angora, what happened to your head? Here, let us help you." Sand Dune said, picking her up and examining her. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it was still a good idea to apply antibiotic and bandage to avoid an infection. Angora didn't want to give an explanations, so the trio simply focused on the curing, ready to accept Ilasi's help if she so desired.

As Sand Dune pointed out the wound Angora had sustained, Ilasi immediately began taking a closer look at it. "What happened there? Creature bite?" Ilasi asked, with the knowledge of the wound source being key to the appropriate treatment. Was Angora too proud to ask for help? That must've been it - she was hoping someone would notice the wound, but didn't want to request help herself.

Latnok gave a quick grunt. "I'll be observing her very carefully," he said. "If she even so much as reaches for that collar, she is done. I promise you that." With the attention Mischief gave the collar not being pure curiosity, Latnok had to watch out for his close friend - without any further information, however, he couldn't just have Mischief kicked off the ship. They would have to wait and see.

Maverick was tempted to talk to Banewood himself, but he looked like he was about to leave, unless he needed to talk to someone else? Maverick would wait, and if Banewood didn't leave soon, he was going to approach him himself and get some answers in person.

Quote: A Guy

As Sand Dune pointed out the wound Angora had sustained, Ilasi immediately began taking a closer look at it. "What happened there? Creature bite?" Ilasi asked, with the knowledge of the wound source being key to the appropriate treatment. Was Angora too proud to ask for help? That must've been it - she was hoping someone would notice the wound, but didn't want to request help herself.

"Not exactly..." Angora replied, not going into detail. Sand Dune looked at Ilasi and shrank his shoulders, giving a little smile to her. If she knew Angora the way they did, he figured she wasn't going to tell. Perhaps it was too embarrassing, or Angora was simply too proud to admit she was hurt. Troll skin was much stronger than a human's, so some considerable force had to be in play here. Maybe a little accident with the wyvern? But that didn't look like claw marks. Sand Dune was curious, but his job was to heal, not to ask questions unless the wound seemed severe.

Darkheart nodded slightly. "Well, it's a chance. And watching her was something that I intended to do anyway." Darkheart nuzzled Raclaw. "If she hurts Raclaw, you'll have to remove her from the ship before before I remove her from the realm of the living. As an aside, did you notice that glowing orb on her staff? Looked magical, I'm wondering what it does?" She tilted her head. The dragoness had dozens of questions about the little fox. "You two feel like she seems... Out of place, somehow?" She shook herself. "Sorry, I keep getting sidetracked. I'm a bit dazed, I suppose."

It take little to no time to heal Angora. Just an antibiotic to prevent infection and a bandage was all it took.
"Careful please. Don't cut off hair. It's the only thing that makes me look less ugly." Angora said, trolls usually being bald. She made the comment in an attempt to make a joke, but she was still too affected by her conversation with Banewood to really get into it. Sand Dune and his friends failed to see her sadness, so they dismissed her attempt as her not getting how a joke should sound.
"Don't worry. Not a hair out of place. All done." Sand dune commented, rather proud of the work even though the wound was no big deal. He didn't know much about trolls, but it seemed like they were quite similar to humans in certain aspects, including anatomy.

Banewood didn't seem to be leaving any time soon, and since nobody was talking to him, Maverick took the chance to talk to him.
"Permiso señor, if I may ask por favor, what did you and Angorita talked so much about earlier? You know, the little troll? She seemed a little sad when I left her. Is it about the island? Is it too dangerous? You don't need to say it if it's private of course, but you know, she's my friend and I worry about her. Is it the island, then I guess I understand. She was so looking forward to exploring it. We are at sea for very long periods of time." Maverick said, finding no other explanation as to why Angora would warn him so adamantly about the island.

Banewood turned his head to Maverick, his face remaining as unreadable as ever. "Angora, that's her name, I believe? I told her a truth she dreaded acknowledging," he answered, his voice being deliberately devoid of emotion. As Banewood spoke, the mouth of the wooden mask very slightly shifted - only enough to be barely noticeable, however.
"I would not divulge information about her without her permission - well, not without a good reason, anyway. The very fact that she requested the knowledge would reveal things about her. If you want an answer, I would suggest you speak with her yourself."

Elsewhere, a mastermind, invisible in the sky, slowly skulked through the air, approaching the Enduring Legacy.

Maverick could partly understand now while Angora seemed tense when talking to him. This wooden fellow was one creepy being. But his answer had been very predictable.
"I understand señor. Gracias." he said, that being one of the shortest conversations he probably had. Maverick then had this creepy feeling, though he wasn't sure if it was Banewood and his little mask slip or something else entirely.

After being dismissed, Angora looked at Ilasi, and opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came.
"I think she wants to say thank you." Sand Dune assumed, saying it for her.
"Um, yes. Thank you all." Angora said nervously, clearly jumpy. Sand Dune could finally tell something was wrong, but didn't want to press her. She looked too stressed. He and his friends knew about Angora's job in taking care of the wyvern, so he dismissed it as stress. He couldn't help but feel it was something else, but Sand Dune didn't want to pester her, and whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

OOC: Sorry about the length, guys. I just got a burst of inspiration, and before I knew it I wrote a wall of text.

Mischief pawed at Shade's head. "I still don't know... Are you sure it's possible to get their help without them taking it as me being a problem? Even Miss Angora became exasperated on learning my dark secret." She shook herself and slid down to land at Shade's feet. "I... I'm already often viewed as a monster for being a Black Mage. Certain groups of Black Mages are known for human sacrifice and other atrocious things. So of course even ones like I trained with are looked at like horrible murderous beasts who only care about power..." She adjusts her robe and hat. "I just want to be trusted... And trustworthy. I want to be able to look at a problem and have a spell to solve it, no matter what problem it is. I've even copied down spells I never expect to have a reason to use, including necromancy and summoning rituals. I doubt I'll ever have to use them, which is a good thing, but if I do I'll have them. Ironically... I can't effectively wield any sort of healing magick. If you want healing, I'm the wrong mage. Makes me more useful on a battlefield than in a town..." She paused, briefly wondering why she was using Shade as a confessional of sorts. Maybe because, despite their differences, they also had some major similarities. Pure intentions, and immense burdens. At least Shade seemed comfortable with his lot in life. Mischief looked at her primary paw, and clenched the muscles for a moment. "I wield immense power, but I rarely want to use it. It's a threat to friends if I make even a small error. But... Despite everything I have against me, I cannot give in. I will succeed in my lofty goal. I can't just give in. I don't want to live with regrets. That's why I keep fighting my other self. That's why I joined this ship to learn magick under the Ardent Guardians. And that's why I won't give up." She looked to the skies. "One of my instructors told me to reach for the stars but not forget to keep my feet firmly on the ground. I can't easily reword that and keep the impact."

Ilasi gave Angora one of her classic warm smiles - and though she considered it, she didn't squat down to meet Angora's level, thinking that Angora might interpret the gesture differently than she intended. "That's what we're here for," she said happily, as she resumed sorting through her ingredients to prepare more medicines. "Please, do feel free to stop by any time."

As the odd creature suddenly dropped on the deck, there was a bit of commotion among the sailors, some gathering around to observe while others stayed away from it. Banewood watched very closely as the scene unfolded.
"So you've finally come..." he telepathed. "Things are looking to pick up pretty soon."

Maverick was talking to one of the sailors when the commotion took place. That griffin... he believed he has seen it before, but then again, a majestic creature like that was impossible to forget.
"Know what is going on?" he asked one of the sailors nearby.
"Apparently that gryphon crash landed here. Is it gryphon or griffin? I never knew the difference." the sailor replied, though Maverick shook his head at the last comment. The difference hardly mattered. A creature just literally dropped out of nowhere. The ship could be in danger. He wondered if he should warn the captain, but suspected somebody else was already on it and chose to defend the ship if it ever came to that, though looking at the creature, it didn't seem like it meant any harm...

Quote: A Guy

Ilasi gave Angora one of her classic warm smiles - and though she considered it, she didn't squat down to meet Angora's level, thinking that Angora might interpret the gesture differently than she intended. "That's what we're here for," she said happily, as she resumed sorting through her ingredients to prepare more medicines. "Please, do feel free to stop by any time."

Angora nodded with a small smile of herself, glad that the mermaid was finally being nice to her, even though deep inside, she still hated when she took Maverick's time away from her. The bandaged troll left, figuring Ilasi and the trio would be busy making medicine now. New island meant potential injuries, especially after finding that man.

Now that she was out of there, she wondered what to do next. She still dreaded to return to the cabin with the orb there, and she didn't want to risk encountering Latnok again if he was still with Veris, so she went to the next best place she could think of; Dahlia's enclosure. Their bond wasn't very strong, but they got along rather well. The dirt buffalo was exited when the door opened, thinking it was Maverick, but remained submissive when she saw Angora.
"Well pardon me for not being Maverick, but come on. You don't have to hate me so much." Angora scolded, knowing Dahlia well enough to know about her disappointment. The troll realized she never took the time to bond with Dahlia, always having been too focused on Veris, so if there was a time to do it, it was now. Angora didn't know if Banewood was telling the truth or if he was just keeping her from being helped, but if he was telling the truth, the risk was too great to find out for herself. Plus after the way she was treated and how the orb messenger talked about Veris, Angora started to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, Banewood was right about everything...

Mischief had nearly tried to hide at the sudden crash. In response to Shade she responded in a voice slightly higher pitched than normal. "Captain, got it!" She took off as fast as possible, dropping on all fours. Rushing to the Captain's room, she clumsily scrabbles at the door. "Captain! Captain a... Uh... A creature has crashed on the main deck!" She didn't bother to check if he was there. In a slight panic she sat there shaking like a leaf. "Shade called them Crystal!"
Darkheart looked up at the sudden crash. "What the... What was THAT?" She stood slowly, still a bit stiff. She held herself low, having learned the ceiling is usually closer than she thinks it is. "It sounded like it came from the main deck? Did we get a guest?"

"Crystal?!," Raclaw thought outloud-- his senses picking up on the familiar presence. Chester gave a surprised sound at the sudden crash.

Sere, caught up in the final preparation of some documents before heading out, was on high alert after Mischief's news. Putting aside his writing equipment, he nodded at Mischief, and began scrambling for the deck, spear in hand.
Once there, Crystal was impossible to miss. Sere immediately rushed towards her, but relaxed the spear, seeing as she was barely conscious and likely injured. "What have you come for?" he pressed, cautious but open, and having his combat prescience active.

Leoquin had also been observing the events on the deck. He was looking forward to a fishing trip, but things were looking to be a little more dicey than he thought. Initially startled, mentally groaned upon seeing Crystal on the deck. "That thing again?"

Latnok was able to pick up on Raclaw's own senses. There was no mistaking it - the thunderbird was back, despite Sere's doubts and warnings. "We can continue this conversation a bit later," he said, as he rushed out to leave the pen.

Banewood simply stood in place, bringing a wooden arm to the more human side of his face, with skin in a darker tone - more comparable to some trolls than anything particularly human. "It seems that we will soon all be on the same page," he responded, his gaze impossible to clearly identify with his pupils being hard to make out behind the wooden mask.

"It's-- it's a long story. Crystal is an old ally who has since caused us much trouble in the way of unwanted battles and many resulting deaths. If she's here, then the others might need me. You.. you should come along.," Raclaw said prepared to follow but pausing at the last second. He was now both a mated and owned dragon, with loyalties to both friend/owner and mate alike. This would no doubt become a subtle balancing act that would require his attention, but the ship could be in immediate danger. Perhaps Darkheart could become an vital ally again, as she once was to Latnok during a previous mission.

Mischief bounded after Sere, and was left to stare at a slightly crumpled avian beast. The crash landing clearly hurt, but that didn't keep Mischief's fur from standing on end. She listened to Crystal as well as she could. Ishulgites? Our common enemy... Even if you're right, stay out of my head! She briefly argued with her other personality. Finally the crueler side quieted, allowing Mischief to focus on reality. It seemed like things would be heating up. She offered a brief prayer, begging that she wouldn't end up relinquishing control out of desperation. She couldn't afford to lose so much progress.
Darkheart nodded. "I will not allow circumstances to separate us again. You are too precious to me. Losing contact again just might finish breaking me." She followed Raclaw. "I will follow you to the ends of the Earth and beyond. By extension, this means I have to work with Latnok, since you two are never far apart." For reasons that still aren't entirely clear to me because we keep getting sidetracked, she noted with some frustration. This just wasn't her year.

"I-- I am glad to hear that. I never want to be without you again and I am sure that you/Latnok will work well together.," Raclaw said with a smile although he could also sense Darkheart's doubt. There was still some explaining to be done, such as his legal ownership under Latnok and the full capabilities of his own collar. He was confident that things would work out for the better though; both Latnok and Darkheart seemed content with the current arrangements for the time being at least. Chester barked something as they soon met Latnok on the deck, to which Raclaw offered a simple nod and a smile in return.

Risar, already on deck, stood along Sere and prepared himself for anything. Thus far... Crystal only represented trouble to the Enduring Legacy.

Darkheart's eyes gleamed, the tall and lean dragoness standing protectively. "I will not allow any harm to come to you. And I will not make the mistake Star did."
Mischief glanced around, jittery from the crowd. Her eyes met Darkheart's, and she immediately looked away, not liking the look of barely tamed fury. The vixen paused and murmured a spell to improve perception. When her eyes opened again they'd turned red, glowing subtly with magic for a few minutes as she scanned the deck for danger. After satisfying her worry about being in immediate danger, her curiosity overwhelmed her fear, and she approached Sere, standing beside him. Under her robe she gripped her staff, ready to attack anything that gave her reason.

As the events on the ship unfolded, the mastermind focused its efforts on scanning the minds of those on board - looking for one individual in particular. It wasn't long before he found the relevant individual.
Angora.
"YOU MUST LEAVE TO THE ISLAND," it forcefully telepathed. "TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THEY ARE FORCING OUR HAND."

Leoquin gave a slight shiver upon hearing the name again. The Ishulgites are not to be trusted. But that was the group Audax was (by the small lead he currently had) caught up with. What was happening? What was going to happen?

Sere gave a grunt and a sigh. "The Ishulgites. We've been learning quite a bit about them lately. Fortunately, I have someone else to corroborate your statements. We are planning to do something - details yet to be sorted."

Maverick tried to take a look at the commotion, but too many sailors were in his way, seeing everything. He could hear talking, but not all of the words were clear with the overlapping voices of the witnessing sailors. Apparently the creature's fate was being decided. He stopped to look at the black dragoness, remembering her as Raclaw's mate that left. When did she returned? It didn't matter. It looked like something else far more important was going on around that deck, and something didn't feel right in the atmosphere...

Quote: A Guy

As the events on the ship unfolded, the mastermind focused its efforts on scanning the minds of those on board - looking for one individual in particular. It wasn't long before he found the relevant individual.
Angora.
"YOU MUST LEAVE TO THE ISLAND," it forcefully telepathed. "TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THEY ARE FORCING OUR HAND."

Angora heard some sort of sound above her earlier, though she couldn't pinpoint why. Dahlia's enclosure was further down where Veris' pen was, so she couldn't associate the event with the sound. She soon grew curious and was about to investigate when Dahlia became very restless.
"What is it with you?" Angora asked, but the buffalo did nothing but cower and bellow. Something was really disturbing her.

It was then, at that very moment that Angora heard the voice inside her mind. Was this a joke?
"Are you kidding? Get out of my head! Please! Listen, I thought about it really hard and I don't think you can help me with my plea. I want Shady to be happy and free, but if the collar is removed, he could become destructive again, and Maverick already has a great life ahead of him..." Angora said, deciding to keep her little conversation with Banewood a secret. She wanted to say more but decided to pause to see what the telepather would answer. It didn't sound like the orb's voice. As she grabbed her bandaged head, she couldn't believe how she was detected all the way down there. Wasn't there a moment of peace for her anymore? She really had thought that with the orb away, she wouldn't be pressured into going to the island, but somehow, she was still nevertheless reached. Why the obsession? Why did this society wanted her so badly? Is it because of what Banewood said? If that was the case, then she could be a danger to everyone...

Darkheart would've sworn she felt something, and looked up, eyes scanning the skies briefly. Quietly, she asked Raclaw "Love, just now... Did you sense something? Or was it just me?" She was half trying to alert the others if it wasn't her imagination... And half just trying to see if she was imagining things.

As Angora waited for an answer, she pondered on what to do next. Clearly, she wasn't going to be left alone until she went to the island. Deep inside, she wanted to believe Banewood was lying and that, like Maverick, Shepherd and his society were simply good people who wanted to help merely out of the kindness of their own hearts, but she knew from experience that not all people did things out of kindness alone. Many expected something in return. Maverick was a special exception that she was lucky enough to meet. Plus she was a troll. Not exactly a creature everyone would be so open to help, especially since most of their reputation was well deserved. Whether Banewood was right or wrong, the risk of finding out for herself was too great. If the society weren't the kind people they painted themselves to be, it meant that she would be captured and used while Shade and so many other creatures would be killed. It was just too much to think about. She firmly wanted to believe it was all a lie, but the way they expressed themselves about Veris, not to mention rushing her to go to the island when they told her she could take her time added the possibility of truthfulness in Banewood's words.

"YOUR DECISION HAS BEEN NOTED," the voice replied to Angora without hesitation. "DECISION IS ILLOGICAL. MORE FAVORABLE FUTURE FORSAKEN OUT OF OBSEQUIOUSNESS AND FEAR. DEATH IS HIGHLY PROBABLE IN THE TURMOIL TO COME." The telepathic voice had no hint of intonation, being completely monotone.

With their shared senses, Latnok was able to, through Raclaw, sense what Darkheart was referring to; the familiar presence of a mastermind. Though its mental signature had become more subdued through repeated iterations, those who were especially prone to sense mental signatures could pick up on the general presence of one.
"That thing again. Which means there's a chance that the ishiuds aren't far behind," Latnok noted cautiously, as he prepared himself to grab one of his weapons, should the need arise.
'We may not have the opportunity to ignore them," Sere answered - prepared to grab the resonating chime to nullify the soldiers' adaptive armor, should they appear.
"They undoubtedly know they've been revealed by now," Banewood said, as he approached more closely to the others. "I used to be able to pick up on those things... they've become impossible for me to track lately, but I also know where we can find things to make us harder to follow."

Meanwhile, not too far on another island, a root burst forth from the ground...

Just when Angora thought things couldn't get any worse, the telepather had to throw in a most awful word.
"Death? Is this... a threat!?" Angora demanded to know, almost not hearing the stranger due to Dahlia still bellowing in terror.
"Easy! East there girl! I'll solve this!" the troll said, pulling the panicked buffalo closer. She realized now what she had to do... or rather, what she must try. Angora has seen the Ishulgites in action, what they were capable of.

Angora waited for the dirt buffalo to calm down before leaving the enclosure and getting into a dark corner nearby to continue talking.
"Don't hurt anyone! Please... if... I go with you, I won't bring Maverick... but... if you have me, will you not hurt anyone?" Angora asked, knowing it was a humongous risk, but she had to know what the death part meant. She suspected it was a threat, but she had to be absolutely sure. She wasn't planning on going anywhere, but if that was a way to save everyone, she would take it. If there was another way to save everybody, anything, she would do it. However, she wasn't willing to support their extinction plan if that really was their intention, so she had to think of another plan...

Sere pointed to a nearby sailor who happened to be passing along. "You. Fetch Ilasi," he ordered. "Tell her to bring her supplies."
"Aye aye, captain," the sailor acknowledged, heading off to do just that.

Soon after receiving the notice, Ilasi was packing some medicines - including some of the ones she just made - into her satchel, and was very rapidly out there - approaching the thunderbird more cautiously once she drew near. She immediately went to work, beginning a quick scan for any obvious and severe injuries.
"What happened?" Ilasi asked Crystal. "Where does it hurt? Any sort of poison or infection?"
Leoquin looked on as Ilasi took to treating the thunderbird. Things must've changed if they were now patching her up - undoubtedly in connection with what was brought up recently.

"ACTIONS ARE IMPENDING," the voice responded blankly to Angora. "THESE ACTIONS MUST BE TAKEN TO NEUTRALIZE THE THREAT TO US. NEGOTIATION IS NOT POSSIBLE. YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO LEAVE THE SHIP IN ORDER TO AVOID HARM."

Angora frowned. It was a warning to her... but not the others. The voice was vague in it's response, so she had to interpret the words.
"Neutralize? Are you serious?" Angora asked, disappointed and upset on how her would be saviors would act this way.
"And did you tell anyone else about this? You... or rather the one from the orb, I don't even know if you're the same, but they wanted me to bring Maverick to the island, but Shady wasn't mentioned at all. And then the horrible things that were said about Veris... that IS a death threat, isn't it? And why do you want me to save myself? Hmm? Why the interest? I am NOT going to abandon anybody! The Guardians would probably, but not me. There are good people here. Few, but they are. Why do you say negotiation isn't possible? Why are you consider killing? Clearly there's another solution for whatever disagreements you have with anybody here!" Angora confronted, believing more and more in Banewood's words. This wasn't like the kind of people she expected them to be. They wanted her to be happy... or so she believed at one time. Angora wasn't going to abandon anybody, friend or not. While deep inside she didn't care about what happened to the Guardians, especially Latnok, she didn't want anybody hurt, even less die. As she talked to this individual, she headed to the main deck, practicing her shield magic. Whatever attack came their way, she had to try make it as big as she could...

"WE ARE THE WILL OF THE MANY. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO ALLOW FLEETING MORALITY TO INTERFERE WITH THE CREATION OF THE NEW WORLD," the voice responded to Angora. "IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU FOCUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LONG-TERM, ON THE GOOD OF THE MANY, AS OPPOSED TO A FEW INDIVIDUALS AND ANIMALS. YOUR TIME IS SHORT. YOU MUST LEAVE FOR THE ISLAND TO AVOID HARM. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY IF YOU ARE ON BOARD."

With Crystal's direction, Ilasi realized that this wouldn't be a simple patching up of a wound. There would likely many injuries, and time would have to be taken to identify and treat them all. She knelt and began working on one wing - it wouldn't proceed quickly, but it was a start.

In the distance, a dark cloud of sorts could be seen - it was indistinguishable at first, but one who was using a telescope would be able to make out various creatures. Their velocity would bring them to the ship in less than an hour.

Angora wasn't convinced. The individual just further disappointed her. She had so many expectations for these people, and they destroyed it like Veris did with food.
"What kind of world requires the murder of many?" Angora asked, not using the word extinction to avoid drawing suspicions to her conversation with Banewood, though they probably knew already.
"You, or at least someone in your society, said to me that they wished my happiness. That they will help it. Well, what would make me really happy right now is if you stop whatever it is you're planning." Angora stated, almost sounding as if he was challenging him. She asked once why they were interested in their happiness, and they answered in quite a heartwarming way, but now it was time to test them. See how truthful they are, or if they were indeed just a bunch of manipulator a as Banewood as warned.

Maverick was among the first to notice the cloud, but having been a pirate, he was used to seeing the weather... and there was something odd about this cloud. He looked for a telescope in his hyperspace bag and looked, and it looked like... bats? Maverick made his way out of the crowd of sailors, sometimes pushing, in order to make his way to Sere.
"Eh... capitán? I think you better take a look at that." Maverick said with a trembling lip, lending his telescope to Sere and pointing towards the cloud...

Angora was now near the stairs leading to the main deck. What she was going to find there she didn't know, but this was a desperate situation, and if Banewood was right and these people weren't what they seemed, it would mean her little test will fail, and somehow, she had to help...

"FEAR AND RESISTANCE TO CHANGE ARE OBSTACLES FOR YOUR FUTURE," the mastermind answered ominously. "WE MUST SEVER YOUR TIES TO YOUR OLD ACQUAINTANCES IN ORDER TO REMOVE ALL OBLIGATION TO THEM. ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE ABLE TO ACCEPT NEW IDEALS AND A NEW FUTURE.'

Sere gently took the telescope offered by Maverick, bringing it up and looking at the cloud himself. There was no mistaking it...
"They're coming. Looks like they have made the decision for us." Sere slowly put the telescope down, handing it back to Maverick - and soon switched to his combat mindset.
"Consider us your allies for now. All men, to battle stations!"
Leoquin took the initiative to get to and strike the alarm bell, sending a resounding ring throughout the ship. Men were soon scrambling for their weapons and armor, as was Leoquin himself.

Ilasi looked out to the cloud being referred to. As she did - she recalled those horrid memories of men being mowed down, turned to nothing, and Maverick being taken away from them. The very thought of it panicked her, though she tried her best to avoid showing it, though she couldn't do a particularly good job of it.

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Darkheart would've sworn she felt something, and looked up, eyes scanning the skies briefly. Quietly, she asked Raclaw "Love, just now... Did you sense something? Or was it just me?" She was half trying to alert the others if it wasn't her imagination... And half just trying to see if she was imagining things.

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With their shared senses, Latnok was able to, through Raclaw, sense what Darkheart was referring to; the familiar presence of a mastermind. Though its mental signature had become more subdued through repeated iterations, those who were especially prone to sense mental signatures could pick up on the general presence of one.
"That thing again...

"I sense it--," Raclaw said at the same time as events soon escalated. If one was paying attention, it was almost as if the two companions sensed the same thing at almost the precise moment. The cloud continued to approach; both Risar and Raclaw prepared for battle with the later 'expanding' their tail spikes and allowing the golden metal spikes to project from the otherwise originary looking tail band. Chester stayed behind Latnok and the others, knowing very well that he was not a creature fit for battle much less *this* battle. He was a mere hunting dog-- not a farrious wolf ready to punce!

Angora reached the main deck when she heard that last message.
"Sever ties?" Angora repeated, before processing the rest of the sentence. No... he couldn't mean it. He couldn't possibly mean what she thought he was meaning, was he?
"Now hold it just one minute. This is madness! How come killing so many make the world a better place? I swear if you dare hurt them..." she began threatening, but as soon as she saw what was going on in the main deck, she knew it was time for action. Everything was so confusing, and at first, she thought they were being attacked by the beings on the ship, but after seeing them closely, she could see they were... dragolets? One in particular caught her attention. Was that Shade's mother? Even with her armor, Angora could recognize her from the self projection she did once to meet with them. After all this time, she finally decided to appear? Just when things couldn't get any worse, but there was no time to be upset or distract herself. In desperate madness, Angira started to yell.
"WE'RE GOING TO BE ATTACKED!" she repeated constantly, unaware that she was a little too late. Everyone was already being aware of that.

Maverick received the telescope from Sere.
"How can we attack them capitán?" Maverick asked, seeing that they were too many of these creatures. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them, which was far more than the number of crew members. Maverick didn't remember of them, but something about them filled him with pure terror, so much that he didn't hear Angora's voice at first, echoing among the battle ready crew members...

The approaching storm led Mischief to draw her staff and focus. She cast the perception spell again, her eyes again taking on a blood red tone. "Dear lord. What is THAT?!" She felt herself practically boil over with fear. Based on Shade she'd trust his kin, thankfully so did Sere, but those things in the storm cloud... She had a feeling they weren't friendly. She couldn't help a slight smirk. "Well, I do want to Evolve. Guess this works... Just wish we had something less dangerous..." She howled briefly to psych herself up for battle.
Darkheart growled, the clouds being familiar. "If they think they can win... They're wrong! Let's tear them to pieces!" She paused and gave Mischief an odd look. She just howled??? Why? She shook herself and focused. Dark energy ran down her limbs and focused into claw extensions as shadows twisted around her, obscuring her location. "There will be... No... Mercy!" she snarled.

"Did she just..?," Chester said via a whine/bark as he looked at Mischief with a funny look. Raclaw looked at Darkheart-- impressed at her talents, although his and Latnok's shared senses would still theoretically allow them to detect her now known presence.

Angora had missed Shade and Zera's first meeting, so it was quite hypocrite that she would choose a time like this to help her son. But they were there now, and they needed all the help they could get. As Angora watched the cloud, trying to pinpoint what it was, she could see some of the sailors with telescopes, and many were as white as a sheet of paper.
"Those things! Look look!" one sailor said, as he let one of his companions borrow his telescope. This one recognized the now closer creatures.
"Oh no no no NO! It's those bugs! The ones that killed many of us!" he said, with the owner of the telescope growing pale as well. Impossible to forget those creatures, especially what they did. How could they win this battle? The last time, a few survived because they were called off after Maverick was kidnapped.

That brief description was enough of a reminder for Angora to know what they were dealing with. How to forget the day she thought she lost Maverick, and the way those bugs devoured those poor sailors.
"This is madness! I know you're still there! This is ludicrous! It's ridiculous and unecessary! Call off those things! Pl... Please!" Angora said to the messenger, wherever he was. She knew they were somewhere on the ship, though they were good making themselves invisible. While saying the word please had been hard for her, she hoped it would be enough. It worked for Maverick many times, though she accepted the possibity of there people being crazy, and that no plea would change their mind. She got ready to use magic, especially her shield, and as the giant bugs made their way to the ship, she tried to find Maverick among the crowd. She wished to protect everyone, but Maverick... and Ilasi as well, were her top priority. Shade at least had his armor and his already hard skin, so the humanoids needed more protection.

"YOU ARE ADVISED TO LEAVE FOR THE ISLAND IN ORDER TO AVOID POTENTIAL HARM," the voice reiterated in monotone, emotionless. Whatever it was, the intention was clear - there was going to be a fight.

The swarm in the sky consisted mainly of soldiers and striplings - the smaller creatures which completely disintegrated men. Sere had been preparing for this moment - he had noted what seemed to help in the previous battle, and had a most devious plan...
"All men! Armor on, now," Sere commanded, loudly above the turmoil. Last time, the attack had been too sudden for the men to prepare; this time, they would be more protected. "Veris and I have some business to attend to."
Veris was wide awake and alert after the ringing of the alarm bell. He was eagerly waiting at the door of his pen when Sere opened it. Needing no cue, Veris lowered himself, allowing Sere to mount. The two took off to the sky - a few minutes before the swarm arrived, Sere had some preparations to make...

Banewood, in the meantime, manually broke off his wooden arm with his human arm. As the arm visibly began to regenerate, he set the wood down and began to etch runes into it.