darkSpyro

"He'll be doing no such thing," Latnok telepathed to Maverick. "Angora has made deliberate attempts to breed hostility between me and others, and being that Raclaw shares a mental link with me, we can ill afford any sort of behavior which will weaken it or increase turmoil between us. I've given her a chance, but seeing as she has not changed, I'm not going to risk the mission any more than I already have. I don't care what excuse you have for her - I'm not going to risk the mission any more just for the sake of her pride and vidication."

Since Maverick couldn't respond the same way, he decided to talk with his own voice.
"Hold it just a minute señor Latnok. Didn't the deal involved Angorita to stop speaking badly about you? Well she has, hasn't she? Just look at her, in that corner without meaning any harm to anybody, and she has made good of her promise. In what part of the deal did it involved her from trying to befriend others, especially someone as gentle as señor Raclaw?" Maverick asked, starring to get tense. It wasn't easy to upset Maverick, but Latnok was really starting to get on his nerves. He seemed to have a severe obsession to have everything under his control, to the point where he even told Raclaw what and what not to do. Or perhaps his goal was to make Angora's life as miserable as possible? Whatever the reason, Maverick was failing to see any genuine nobility in the young Guardian. Was his racism and bigotry towards trolls really that extreme?

Angora couldn't hear a thing with the pieces of rags covering her ears, but when she saw Maverick speaking to Latnok and felt a tense atmosphere, she got too curious. She loosened the rags discretely just for a little bit to see if she could hear portions of the conversations. What did Latnok do this time? She know what an annoyingly good person Maverick was, but he seemed... strange this time...

"Now, let me put this in terms you may understand better, Mav," Latnok said. "Would a captain stand for a crewmate who was talking about mutiny? No. That sort of thing, depending on your company, would get you thrown in the brig, marooned, keelhauled, or forced to walk the plank. It poses a direct danger to the captain and to the mission of the ship. Angora has, on several occasions, attempted to turn the other group members against me, including spreading conspiracies about me plotting to murder her, and that sort of talk is something which creates needless turmoil in the group when we all just want the same goal at the end of the day. I am looking out for my own safety, that of Raclaw and Shade, and the well-being of the mission. Is that behavior YOU would justify? At the end of the day, I believe our safety and mission success is more important than her satisfying grudges.
"It may be easy for YOU to make excuses when you don't have to deal with what I have to deal with. But when you are connected to two other people with corruption eating your mind, the last thing you want is anything which can exacerbate those effects. Angora knows this, and yet she has persisted. Raclaw and Shade will avoid her, or I will sever the link for my own safety. There is no negotiating on that." Latnok remained steadfast, becoming more and more aggravated with Maverick essentially asking him to bend over backwards to accommodate Angora's toxic behavior. "Or do you think my experience with people who act just like her and get their allies killed is insufficient? Do you think I don't have a single shred of an idea of what I'm talking about? Give me one good reason I should treat her any differently than I would treat anyone else. Because that is what she wants, right? For me to treat her like I would other humans? Because that is exactly what I am doing. I don't tolerate that behavior from anyone. And her hypocrisy in the past has left me with very little reason to believe that she will not just avoid stabbing me in the back.

Dex made his way back, with as less noice as possible. He had something looking like a some kind of pretty small lizard bird hybrid with sharp teeth. Dex had pretty nasty looking wound in his left front paw. Which was already burned because of his paw. Without saying anything he just took his normal place and started to eat the creature.

Quote: A Guy

"Now, let me put this in terms you may understand better, Mav," Latnok said. "Would a captain stand for a crewmate who was talking about mutiny? No. That sort of thing, depending on your company, would get you thrown in the brig, marooned, keelhauled, or forced to walk the plank. It poses a direct danger to the captain and to the mission of the ship. Angora has, on several occasions, attempted to turn the other group members against me, including spreading conspiracies about me plotting to murder her, and that sort of talk is something which creates needless turmoil in the group when we all just want the same goal at the end of the day. I am looking out for my own safety, that of Raclaw and Shade, and the well-being of the mission. Is that behavior YOU would justify? At the end of the day, I believe our safety and mission success is more important than her satisfying grudges.
"It may be easy for YOU to make excuses when you don't have to deal with what I have to deal with. But when you are connected to two other people with corruption eating your mind, the last thing you want is anything which can exacerbate those effects. Angora knows this, and yet she has persisted. Raclaw and Shade will avoid her, or I will sever the link for my own safety. There is no negotiating on that." Latnok remained steadfast, becoming more and more aggravated with Maverick essentially asking him to bend over backwards to accommodate Angora's toxic behavior. "Or do you think my experience with people who act just like her and get their allies killed is insufficient? Do you think I don't have a single shred of an idea of what I'm talking about? Give me one good reason I should treat her any differently than I would treat anyone else. Because that is what she wants, right? For me to treat her like I would other humans? Because that is exactly what I am doing. I don't tolerate that behavior from anyone. And her hypocrisy in the past has left me with very little reason to believe that she will not just avoid stabbing me in the back.

Maverick tension increased, but he patiently waited for Latnok to be done. He knew that he made some little sense, and he knew that on his father's ship, she caused more mutiny than he could count, but that still didn't excuse the way Latnok treated her now. Angora had a noble side that Maverick had the privilege to see, and it seems like the spirit Neo knew that too, but it was as if the world and her own pride were preventing her from making it shown. And Latnok was making things much worse. He literally just admitted that both Shade and Raclaw were forbidden to talk to her or he would mentally hurt them. He felt so upset that he didn't even noticed the creepy black fox returning.

"Now señor Latnok, I don't know what happened between you two before I joined this group, but it's clear to me that whatever bad things she said about you, it isn't the case anymore. You said so yourself. In the PAST she tried to... bring the group against you, you said? Well, she isn't doing such a thing anymore right now, is she? What's more, she followed your teachings earlier. It wasn't with enthusiasm I admit it, but at least she wasn't rude or violent to you. She tried her best. But it seems nothing is ever enough for you. What's more, you even blackmailed two members of this group to prevent them from talking to her. That is just... malevolent man. You think you had it hard from her? I did too, but that didn't mean I bullied or was cruel to her. I didn't give up on her. But if bigotry and racism is what the Guardians are all about, I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline your earlier offer. If you, or anyone else here won't have faith in Angorita, I will. That's all she will need." Maverick lectured, refusing to let Latnok belittle poor Angora any further for what happened in the past or to satisfy his need for racism. After finishing his talk, Maverick immediately went to Angora's side, wanting to prove his point. The troll couldn't look at him in the eyes. Instead of annoyance like before, she had a neutral face. She still felt too betrayed, but at the same time felt ashamed for treating Maverick so badly after he was at least trying to make her feel better against someone as controlling and biased as Latnok, even if she knew it was a losing battle.

Then, Maverick saw how poorly Angora statched away the remaining meat. It was too much for her little, unmagical bag, so being true to his kind nature, he opened up his hyperspace bag to let Angora put away the food so it wouldn't get in her way. She accepted without saying a word, and they both put everything away, including her improvised bag. He was going to be her voluntary carrier from now on.

"Do you feel that me responding to hostility in kind is racism? Seriously? It is quite clear that I cannot take your words seriously anymore, as you are fare too biased," Latnok said. "You refuse to even acknowledge any of the legitimate grievances I may have with her, and insist that I jeopardize my own safety and that of others to accommodate her. No. Simply not. I do not do that for humans, I do not do that for anyone. Now, tell me - how does that make me racist? No dodging the question. You will answer me. Tell me, how does me responding to hostile behavior in kind, when it persists despite my efforts at kindness, make me racist? Give me an honest, direct answer. Because racism means that I am treating her that way because she is a troll - which means that I would be perfectly fine with a human constantly spouting hateful, mutinous talk in an effort to turn others against me and sabotage the mission, which absolutely no reasonable person would do. So either justify your claim or stop spewing that BS of yours." Latnok's patience for the accusations had completely run out - no matter what the situation, he was not going to tolerate unfounded words. "So go ahead - give me an answer. And I will deconstruct it, and give you a perfectly justified explanation for every single thing I have done. Go ahead."

Maverick shook his head in disbelief, unable to fathom what Latnok was saying to him. Did he seriously called him biased?
"Biased? Me biased? A hybrid, an impure being like me... defending a troll? How is that bigotry?" Maverick asked, now Latnok losing every sense. Perhaps he felt so lousy at being called racist that he was trying to ricochet the fault at him.
"You're missing the point señor Latnok. Yes, Angorita may have been hostile to you, but that isn't the case anymore. Don't you get it? This is your chance to start anew, but you're living in the past. You still bring the PAST. You refuse to try new things because you're afraid she will be hostile again. You're saying that you're doing this from your own safety, but seriously, who's the real threat here right now? You're so paranoid, thinking that she will say bad things about you, when I think your actions are speaking for themselves. Angora want to try to be peaceful, but you won't let her. Then what am I suppose to think about you?" Maverick said, wanting Latnok to use whatever reason he had left. Angora was in a passive state right now, honoring the deal, not speaking ill about him or anyone else, yet Latnok still insisted on not giving her the chance. What indeed was Maverick suppose to think? The explaination couldn't be any simpler than Latnok being a biased being that hated trolls. Why else was he so hard on Angora in particular, especially when she had quit being hostile to him? What's more, he was threatening Shade and Latnok. What did that say about him?

Latnok decided that he would speak instead of continuing to use telepathy. "Bias doesn't have to involve bigotry - your cooperation in the past means you are predisposed to favoring her, instead of looking at situations more objectively. Here, let me share my view of the situation.
"I have a troll who has been bad-mouthing me and being hostile to me, and to a lesser degree, others, from the very beginning. She talks about me when she thinks I don't hear, she returns kindness with hatred, all of that good stuff. She has given me reason not to trust her. Now, what am I supposed to do? Keep giving her chances, despite every single experience I've had on the matter showing me that that doing such a thing is pointless? After a while, when you keep doing the same thing and getting the same result, most reasonable people realize it's not going to work and stop trying. Where my own safety is concerned, I cannot afford to take chances like that. I know all too well what happens when you take a chance on someone hostile, counting on their good will. Never again."
Latnok thought back to his folly, of letting an imp escape, only to have the same imp activate a rock trap and kill his allies. He had no intention of ever making a similar mistake ever again.

"Talking when she thinks you don't hear? Oh, you mean like muttering? Well, that's better than having her yell her on top of her lungs her discomfort. Or what, did you honestly expected her to keep all those emotions bottled up?" Maverick expressed, believing Latnok was overreacting. Angora was naughty, and yes, even hostile from time to time, but compared with what he has heard about other trolls, she was a very gentle creature. What was Latnok suppose to do? Maverick's patience and kindness with her paid off once, but it seems Latnok refused to be the same way. Before he had a chance to reply, Angora broke her gloomy silence.

"So that's it then! Latnok has been talking bad about me all this time, hasn't he?" She asked Maverick but not letting him reply, instead turning to the Guardian.
"My my, how quickly you were to dishonor your deal, didn't you? What did you tell him? Or better yet, what did you show him? Probably the most convenient parts to you, didn't you?" Angora accused in an eerie voice, still with the same neutral face as before. In the short while she has known him, Latnok has become too predictable.

Her speech startled Maverick. He knew Latnok was going to retialate, so he quickly grabbed her by the hand.
"Come on Angorita. Let's get out for some fresh air, shall we?" Maverick said as he pulled her outside the cave, wanting the two of them to be as far away from each other as possible. Angora didn't even struggled. Despite her neutral face, she was actually grinning inside. Not only has Latnok shown how dishonorable he was, he also broke his promise to Godfather Sere. Latnok just couldn't let go of his hatred and paranoia.

Throughout the whole thing, Raclaw had heard the whole telepathic conversation thanks to both his telepathic abilities and the pre-existing link-- one of the key topics of the ongoing conversation besides Angora herself. He remained quiet once Latnok had interjected, not wanting to make things worse for himself or anyone else. Instead, he merely looked down and thought about what the also ongoing conflict/standstill between Latnok and Angora had now boiled down to. Not only was Latnok not to speak to Angora and vice versa-- he and Shade were forbidden to speak to Angora as well. And so he remained quiet about the subject, even after Maverick quickly pulled her out of the cave. 'Perhaps one day.,' he merely thought to himself.

The moment Angora said a word, Latnok cast a personal silencing spell on her, not caring to hear her anymore, having known that she would jump at the first excuse to be free of the deal. She couldn't help herself - but that didn't mean he had to put up with it. He simply watched as the group left the cave.
"Latnok... what is this all about?" Godfather Sere asked.
"Maverick asked for an explanation," Latnok said. "I gave one to him. Angora, of course, took that as me violating the deal - but I didn't really have any sort of a choice."

Maverick quickly took Angora out of the cave and then behind it, wanting her to be away from the group and it's tension. Angora didn't have anything else to say to Latnok, so she didn't noticed the spell. The two of them sat on the ground, quiet for a few minutes. It was Maverick to spoke first.
"Well now, señor Latnok has... issues. That much is true. He did indeed showed me images of you being rude to him. Heh, but they were tamed compared to how you treated me." he said in a joking matter, wanting to make Angora smile, even if it was for a few seconds. Latnok was quite a sensible man if he took that rudeness so badly. He saw Shade behind him and got scared for a moment, but then he attributed his presence with concern.

"Look Angorita. Somebody is here to make you feel better. You see? I'm not the only one that likes you." Maverick said, rather nervous around Shade despite being convinced he meant no harm. Angora however, simply ignored him, feeling too depressed to talk to anybody.

Everything went silent again, with Angora remaining with the same, expressionless face, and once more, Maverick was the one to speak.
"I'm sorry I didn't believed you. And... I'm sorry for abandoning you. But hey, you have my full support now Angorita. Forget about the Guardians. I don't want to be part of that world anymore. You and I, we're all we need in the world now." Maverick encouraged, meaning to keep his word this time. He didn't have his father or the crew limiting his actions anymore. He was the master of his own life, and now that the heavens were kind enough to reunite him with his long lost friend, he meant to take advantage of this second chance.

"I don't need your trust - just your compliance," Latnok telepathed to Shade. "You will return here, or I will take it as a sign that you have no care for the strain the mental link puts on me, and I will sever it. I pray it doesn't come to that." Latnok wanted to show that his words weren't empty - he began moving to a more separated part of the cave, to minimize the interference others may provide should the situation call for the action.

As Shade almost walked out and Latnok threatened the delicate balance that were the telepathic links-- Raclaw merely remained where he was and gave a slight sigh. He had hoped that it wouldn't have come to this once again and that ether Latnok or Angora would manage to see some sense. He glanced at Sere and discretely sent the Godfather portions of the previous telepathic 'conversations' if they could even be called that. Based off his observations, Latnok was growing more and more unstable-- and becoming more of a control freak as a result. Raclaw didn't know what else to do and Sere deserved to know what was going on.

"Things haven't changed -- If I sense the slightest change in the link with you and me, or even suspect that you're speaking with the troll out of my presence, I'll take that as a sign that you have absolutely no concern for the the integrity of the link, and I will sever it.," Latnok's voice could heard as if experiencing an audible-only memory. "Angorita may be moody and bitter, but she's a good lass deep inside. Try talking to her from time to time my fluffy amigo.," Maverick's voice could be heard next. "Raclaw and Shade will avoid her, or I will sever the link for my own safety. There is no negotiating on that.," Latnok's voice could then be heard again. He then looked away from the others, not wanting to publicly add fuel to the fire.

Sere was mostly reviewing his notes and practicing the replicated spell during the chain of events. What he had assumed was just the usual was apparently taking a turn for the worse, unbeknownst to him. "Thank you for letting me know," Sere telepathed to Raclaw. "I will take care of the issue."

Sere made his way to where Latnok currently was, meditating. "Latnok, will you tell me what the meaning of all this is?" Sere said calmly. Despite his authority, he didn't feel that he could afford to be rough - Latnok had clearly grown more extreme as a result of the corruption, and there was no telling how he would react to anything, not even an order. "I know of what is happening. Tel me the truth."
"I know exactly what that troll will do," Latnok said. "She is untrustworthy. She has shown reckless disregard for the mission, and I cannot afford to take the risk of myself falling. I know when to cut my losses."
"Think about this for a moment, though," Sere said. "Raclaw is a free dragon - the blessing we gave his collar shows as much. We have a strict rule - once we grant the dragon the blessed collar, we no longer have any control over them. And Shade - we have promised to help him. He must remain sane in order for us to do that. This... control you are attempting to exert. It goes against that."
"Godfather Sere... I have two goals, like all the rest of us," Latnok said. "Complete the mission, and make sure we all get out of here. Now, I have to-"
"What part of severing the link helps with that?" Sere asked.
"It would only be temporary," Latnok said. "Just to encourage them to honor their word. I can't take risks with them."
"But think about this, Latnok," Sere said. "By doing this, you are substituting one risk for a much greater risk. Who is to say that you will be able to reestablish the link before Shade goes rogue? And even then, who's to say that the corruption would not be much worse than it already is? I know you are burdened - I need you to think. You are dedicated to the mission - there is no doubting that. But the corruption - it is obviously pushing you to extreme ends which, in the end, run contrary to that."
"Then what am I to do about Raclaw and Shade?" Latnok asked. "You heard Angora - just me answering Mav's question was, to her, a sign of the deal being broken, something which I figured she had no intention to honor. I cannot trust her."
"Then trust me," Sere said. "How about this - you give Raclaw and Shade the benefit of the doubt, just for now. Should you feel they are actively turning against you, then fine - do what you have to do. But give it a chance. I feel that they would be more sympathetic than you may think."
"...I'll give Raclaw a chance. I'll take it easy on him. Shade, though, has just shown hostility to me. I will be watching him [i]very closely. Should it come to it... I still have that dragonbane dagger I prepped when I first came in here."
"Very well. I cannot ask you to destroy it - we do not know what the future may hold. But pray, hold off on it. And if it is any consolation... my efforts to replicate the spell are improving. There is a non-zero chance that I may be able to put it to use in the final battle."
"You know I don't like taking chances..." Latnok said. "But you are right. I'm starting to lose my mind somewhat. I'll ease up for now."

Sere and Latnok walked back out into the front portion of the cave. "Take it easy, Latnok. Have a dragon brew," Sere said, tossing one to Latnok, who caught it. He took a few sips, and begun to feel more energized and alert.

OOC: Mobile post-- sorry fir it's shortness.

As Sere resolved the situation, at least temporarily, Raclaw was very much relieved. "Thank-you.," he telepathically thanked Sere and walked away from the others-- briefly wanting some space and time to think. He found an empty corner and laid down, only occasionally glancing at the others. He would wait 'till the party was ready to move untill he attempted any such commications with Angora.

Behind the cave, Maverick was still trying to get Angora to open up to her. He didn't know the dragon's name behind him, but he correctly assumed that was Shade. Was it him, or was he even bigger than Veris himself? It came as quite a shock. Nevertheless, this had to be Shade. It fitted him.
"Oye Angorita, I know you already ate, but maybe you can have these fish sticks to vary meat?" Maverick offered, hoping to get a response. But Angora simply went silence again. She felt so imprisoned in that group. She was certain that if she tried to separate from the group, Latnok would simply come to find her like last time. He didn't like her, but he couldn't leave her alone either.

Maverick then tried again.
"Then, should we play a game? Come on, like old times..." he asked, once again meeting with an eerie silence. Not even his own father was ever able to bring her this down. He was more about threats rather than insults, something that she could handle, but Latnok's constant belittling clearly shattered her. If only he had appeared sooner. Maverick looked at Shade, wanting to see if he had any solutions. This was the first time he has seen the dark dragon this up close, and he was as scary as Veris, if not scarier, but he really seemed to like Angora. If someone as intimidating as him could like her, he had no doubt that the rest did, and that Latnok was the only exception.

Latnok slowly approached Raclaw. "Well... I'm sorry, Raclaw," Latnok said. "I've started losing my senses somewhat. But no - I won't stop you from talking with the troll if you so desire. This does not, however, mean that I trust her - I do not see someone who is mentally prepared for the challenge; rather, I see a petulant child, who doesn't have the mental strength, the determination, to be reliable in any sense despite her responsibility, with absolutely nothing I can do to address the issue except pretend it isn't there. I will do what I have to - but that does not include depriving you of the freedom you've earned."
Sere nodded. "With Dex having returned, everyone is accounted for, and our supplies should all be ready. We should move out any moment." Sere could see how important it was for the group to get the mission done as soon as possible - as much as he would like to prepare, to refine the spell further, it was evident that the corruption was taking its toll on the three who were linked. "Veris, let's go. Latnok, ride with me." Veris laid down, to facilitate Sere and Latnok mounting him.

Raclaw glanced at Latnok as he approached and a look of heaviness could be seen in his eyes, as if he had been under some pressure for some time-- and was only now just showing it. "T-thank-you. I appreciate that-- and I understand. I know the stress you're under and appreciate what you're trying to do. I know that your actions were not entirely your own and I know that you were only trying to protect us-- and me. I don't expect you to instantly start trusting the troll. I wouldn't expect that, but I appreciate you respecting my choices and my freedom. Just know that whatever views or feelings I may have on you or the Guardians-- is strictly that of my own and that.. and that I have more than enough experiences to form my own thoughts and opinions.," he then said with a heavy heart seemingly understanding or at least sympathising with the Guardian. As he got up and prepared to leave the cave, the look of heaviness in his eyes seemed to lift and the fur dragon now seemed more relieved than anything. It was a talk that needed to happen and it was as if an heavy burden had been lifted from his chest.

Latnok and Sere were fully mounted on Veris. Latnok downed the last of the dragon brew, tossing away the vial. The wyvern moved out of the cave, Guardians in tow.
Sere noted the group gathering around, and stopped Veris. "We have to get moving now," Sere said urgently. "The corruption is clearly eating away at the group. We have to get to the source of this as soon as possible." Sere subconsciously began petting Veris, who hummed with pleasure.

Maverick had the silliest and most adorable face one could imagine. Shade was such a scary looking dragon, yet there he was, nuzzling the tiny Angora in such a gentle matter. It made his heart all mushy.
"Aww, isn't this a pretty picture? You see Angorita? You have friends. You're not alone anymore you dummy. Now you have two having faith in you." Maverick said ecstatically, not feeling nervous around Shade anymore. He was still intimidating, but such a gentle action made him lose his fear.

Angora remained motionless, uncertain of how to act, when she suddenly spoke at last.
"You threaten me twice. Remember?" Angora said in a sour voice, reminding Shade of the times he menaced her life when she was trying to help him. However, before he had a chance to reply, Angora smiled, and spoke again.
"Kidding, kidding. Just kidding. I know I kinda asked for it back then. I did tried to help you, but I guess I provoked you as well." Angora said naughtily, having wanted to misled Shade into believing she held a grudge with that first sentence. Now with the joke being made, she got up, feeling with an air of confidence.
"Hey Malo, come on. Let's train. Let's make some spells!" Angora said as she got Neo's blade out.
"Angorita...?" Maverick said, rather awed by her sudden change in behavior. Shade being nice to her did wonders.
"Angorita... I don't know anything about magic." he reminded, knowing it will be impossible for him to train her or be her sparring partner.
"Who cares? I already have magic. I only need... the motivation." Angora said with a wink, knowing that if somebody could make training fun and worthwhile, it would be him. Maverick was beyond confused at both her offer and sudden behavior, but nevertheless accepted her offer, glad to finally see the spark he though was gone when he abandoned her. They were so exited, they didn't even noticed Veris leaving the cave.

Seeing as he didn't yet have everyone's attention, Sere patted Veris three times; on cue, Veris roared. "We are done here," Sere announced. "We need to move on, as soon as possible, before the corruption destroys us from within."
Latnok heard Maverick speaking, though he could nit hear Angora due to the silence he had on her. Something about magic... probably more talk about last night. Not his concern. Maverick had already shown his bias.

The pair sighed, having looked forward to the practice.
"Ah yes, right on cue." Angora said rather bitterly, thinking the move was concocted the whole journey right at that moment just to annoy her.
"It's alright Angorita. We can still practice wherever we're going." Maverick said cheerfully, not wanting Angora's wonderful mood to vanish like that. He even offered to carry her so she wouldn't have to exhaust herself by walking, but she declined, preferring to walk and knowing how much she weighted him down.

Raclaw walked along the others, remaining quiet for the time being. Even though he now had direct permission and an reassurance that neither Latnok or Sere would attempt to assert an similar means of control on him again, he was still somewhat hesistent to speak to Angora so soon and felt as if the Troll could use some space. However, he at least wanted to make it known that the matter had been resolved and that she could at least approach him-- when she was ready. "You don't have to worry about Latnok getting between us anymore-- and you can tell the same to Angora when she's ready. The matter concerning Latnok's will on who I can or cannot speak to has been resolved. The stress of the corruption was getting to him and I'm sorry you had to hear that. And while he may not instantly trust Angora, he won't deprive me of my earned freedom ether.," Raclaw said to Maverick via telepathy letting the hybrid handle things at least for now. He would welcome any such conversation should they start, but he wouldn't be so quick to start one. At least not yet.

Maverick and Angora followed Shade, but the tenacious little troll dared to climb the black dragon's back, wanting to test just how much he meant those previous words. Maverick went white as a sheet, knowing he could never be capable of doing something like that. As he tried to get out of his awe, he heard what Raclaw said.
"Thank you for telling me. But don't tell Angora about it. I don't think she knows what he intended to do to you guys." Maverick said with his mind, but also mouthing his words to be clear the message was sent. He wasn't against being spoken to telepathically like Angora, but he did felt quite uncomfortable with it. He felt like his mind and private thoughts could be invaded, so he tried to keep his head empty. But his major concern was Angora. Knowing her and her dislike for Latnok, she would probably be furious to learn how he tried to take control of two of the members' activities. He wouldn't have blamed her though. Maverick thought it was awful how he tried to take control of the dragon's actions like that, as if he was the only one with any kind of authority. The former pirate was usually very kind and patient, but he strongly disapproved of many of Latnok's actions. Even so, he didn't think he was a bad man, just somebody with too many issues and a strong personality.

As Veris carried Sere and Latnok, the latter was looking for something to distract him from what had just happened. Looking in the sky, he saw a lone bird - nothing spectacular. However, it would make for some good target practice. He grabbed his bow.
Nocking an arrow, Latnok activated his combat prescience, and began tracking the bird's path. "Steady..." After a second or two of aiming, waiting for Veris to be in just the right spot, he loosed the arrow - hitting the mark, just as he had predicted. Before the target could hit the ground, Latnok pulled the arrow to him, with the corpse on it still.
"Nice shot," Sere said, having watched the whole process.
"Thanks," Latnok said. "Haven't gotten in my practice today, so that will have to do." Not wanting the bird to go to waste, he began biting into the bird, eating it raw and spitting out the feathers as he went along.

Quote: Felines

"Thank you for telling me. But don't tell Angora about it. I don't think she knows what he intended to do to you guys." Maverick said with his mind, but also mouthing his words to be clear the message was sent.

As they continued to walk, Raclaw simply nodded-- indicating that he understood but not intruding upon the hybrid's mind. He knew that many, such as Angora herself, didn't care too much for the idea and he generally tried to respect others' privacy. Unknowingly to Raclaw, the fur dragon's corruption had increased ever so slightly from the most recent ordeals and now sat at a new record of eleven percent.

After a few more bites of the bird, Latnok was satisfied - he tossed the rest to Veris, who gladly scarfed it down without a second thought.
"I will be getting some sleep," Sere said to Latnok. "I take it I can trust you to manage Veris?"
"Of course," Latnok said. Sere quickly settled and began sleeping as Veris carried the two. Latnok patted Veris, and Veris brought his head over. "Looks like it's just you and me for now, buddy," Latnok said to Veris. "Don't worry, though, I've got your back - quite literally."

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“You can climb aboard too if you want. I don’t mind having passengers” Shade said looking back at Maverick.

"Eh, no, I'm good." Maverick said nervously, preferring to walk with his own two feet.
"Seriously Malo, this paranoia of yours is irritating! Get here!" Angora said as she pulled him to Shade's back from the ear, with him being unable to snap himself free. He remained motionless when he sat down, feeling as if he was on a big, scaly hill. Seeing Shade this up close, he started to realize that this dragon may indeed be bigger than Veris. He never saw him too close, Shade being always a reclusive, so he never really noticed his size until now. Angora made herself comfortable, but Maverick was still too wary. Shade was her friend, not his. Dragons were something he still haven't gotten use to, so he couldn't help feeling that way.

"Come on Malo. Ease up. How many chances like this will you get in life?" Angora assured, with Maverick relaxing just a tiny bit more. He did wanted to ride a dragon. It wasn't through flight, but at least that was some progress. Perhaps he could ask either Shsde or Raclaw for permission later on. He wanted to see how the skies were like from up above.

Despite the pace being much quicker by dragon, Shade still walked rather slowly for his side, perhaps to prevent them from falling? Either way, as they walked and Angora got more comfortable, Maverick was doing a lot of thinking. This Shade dragon really seemed to like Angora, and according to him, she helped him a lot before. That was something Maverick was quite proud of. Who could've guessed that someone like her could help and befriend such an intimidating creature like him? It really demonstrated how Angora, under all her moody, rude and bitter exterior, was just a helpful creature who just wanted to make friends. Why couldn't Latnok see that side of her?

Latnok thought of the battle ahead. No doubt that Angora wouldn't have the mettle to handle the fight if she couldn't even handle some criticism. What, then, would they do? Sere was making efforts to replicate the magic; but how successful would it be?
He thought of the Void Breaker; a powerful magical artifact, said to have the power to destroy gods, housed in Vonterr, a massive fort formed by pulling and shaping the ground from the earth itself, in the nation of Aelinon, the nation of which Redwater was a part. Vonterr was the site of the final battle of the Great War of Liberation - a last-ditch effort by dragons and those under their command to break the rebel forces. However, deliberate misinformation led to their attack when the weapon was prepared; they had thought that it would need a few more days to charge. The weapon was activated; the white beams shot by it caused devastating chain reactions in magical creatures, those being the dragons, which effectively destroyed them from the inside out with their own magical energy.
Latnok thought of that; perhaps, if it were to come to that, the world would stand a chance; however, that would be very, very costly, should it come to that. There had to be a more reliable method...

Angora, wanting to have peace, ignored everybody in the group, especially Latnok. She knew he didn't have an ounce of belief in her, so she was quite happy to have Shade and Maverick supporting her. She didn't knew about the rest, but didn't cared. She leaned her head on the back of Shade's neck, dozing off and just wanting to enjoy the moment before she had to face this supernatural monster that will want to kill her and then the world. She saved the world from Shade once, and now she had to do it again. Was this some sort of sick pattern? Nevertheless, she tried not to think too much about it and enjoy life as much as she could.

Maverick was a little calmer than before, but he couldn't get comfortable. Even though he wasn't as afraid of Shade as before, he still felt quite uneasy, and feared that if he got too comfortable, he would fall off. Shade was a tall dragon, so a fall from that height could hurt. As he silently waited for the dark colored companion to reach his destination, he still couldn't get out of his amazement the fact that he was traveling with dragons, and many subspecies at that. Many storybooks he read usually pictured dragons as these giant, fire breathing reptiles that would always burn a villain to the ground and hoard treasures. Now he wondered if that was even true for some, and if not, how such absurd stereotypes came to be?

Latnok looked back at the rest of the group. A motley bunch of neophytes, as far as he was concerned. Trained Guardians would have gotten this mission over ages ago. However, that was, unfortunately, outside of his control.
He noted that Angora had fallen asleep on Shade's back. Extremely risky, without the proper support that he and Sere had to avoid falling off the wyvern. Was she just trying to impress Maverick? The slightest disturbance could cause her to fall off - such as a sudden attack, or him severing the mental link, undoubtedly causing Shade to lose control, which would be the perfect excuse to plunge the dragonbane dagger into his nape and be done with the whole corruption business...
No. He had to stay focused. Those thoughts would lead the mission astray. "Hey, you," Latnok telepathed to Maverick. "It would probably be in your best interest to babysit the troll and make sure she doesn't fall off and break her spine." He didn't bother looking back - he knew Maverick had no reason not to comply.

Maverick wasn't surprised to hear his mind being talked to again. But he was, however, surprised at the fact that it wasn't Raclaw this time.
"Don't worry. She survived years without me. And a fall from this height wouldn't cause her much harm." Maverick said with both his mind and mouth, wondering why Latnok was even concerned about Angora's well being. He wasn't worried. First of all, Angora was dozing off, not napping or sleeping, and Maverick lived with the troll long enough to know just how sturdy she was. They were very resistant creatures, and the fact that Angora was still alive after all these years proved how resilient she was.

Latnok, lacking Raclaw's mind-reading capability, was unable to receive Maverick's thoughts, and though he was not looking at Maverick, he could hear him, though the distance between the two made the words somewhat difficult to discern. "I'm no mind reader," Latnok said to Maverick. "If you have something to say to me, speak up so I can hear you. If it's more complaining on behalf of your princess, however, save it, I have better things to hear." Latnok had half a mind to silence Maverick as well, though he intended to save it for when his protests grew incessant.

Having understand him, Maverick spoke up, repeating the most important parts of his previous message.
"She did well without me. She is sturdy and needs no babysitter." the hybrid said, calm but in a louder voice. He didn't want to mention Angora directly. She could tell they were talking about her, but decided to just continue lazying around and ignore whatever subject came up. Maverick was in a more docile demeanor than before, slowly understanding that Latnok's dislike for Angora is most likely justified. She did rubbed people the wrong way, but even so, Maverick suspected there was more to it than just that. Perhaps Latnok had some horrible experience with trolls that made him racist to them without realizing it? Maverick didn't like when Angora was belittled and insulted, but he had to accept that not everybody was willing to accept her like he did.

As the group continued onwards-- Raclaw laughed slightly at Angora and Maverick's interactions. He was glad to see that Angora was helping Maverick get over his fear of dragons, something that applied to near half the group including himself. It was evident, however, that he was much easier for the human/fawn hybrid to get over-- being both smaller and fluffier than his scaled counterparts. He imagined that some saw his kind as more of a big dog with wings vs that of your typical dragon. It also helped that he was naturally more tame and gentler, compared to most dragons who were raised in their natural environments-- and by their natural dragon parents to boot.

His thoughts wandered back to his childhood, where he had been accepted by both his humans parents and the village they sometimes visited. He recalled the face of a elderly woman who liked to give him cookies and a street dog who once asked him what it was like to fly. Although he spent much of his childhood on the farm, he didn't spend all of it there and the village had only been initially shocked before quickly adapting to his occasional presence. He also recalled a little boy petting him like a dog; something he didn't actually mind although he wouldn't publicly admit to anyone. He found the act of being petting somehow oddly relaxing. It was traits like this that made him less dragon-like and more... something tamer. 'Good times.,' he thought to himself.

Angora's carelessness soon turned into uneasiness. She felt the eerie atmosphere, and when she looked at the sky, it looked as if there was an Armageddon on the way. She got even more nervous when she saw the storm claw leaving.
"Hey Galaxy guy. Just what is going on here?" she demanded to know, feeling as if her nerves were controlling her instead of the other way around. Maverick could also feel the atmosphere around them, but he believed it was just a bizzare change in weather. This was a strange place after all. Everything felt different, and now that they reached this darker area, even more so.

"Very well-- farewell Storm. I appreciate everything you've done for us and wish you the best.," Raclaw telepathically wished the Storm Claw farewell.

"Stormclaw is leaving us now. From here on out, we're on our own.," he then announced giving a nod to Storm and looking at the others.

The troll's uneasiness soon turned into annoyance.
"An item? Really? We already gave something to enter this place!" Angora complained, finding it unfair and absurd how they once again had to give something to enter another area. Did they have to give something to leave as well?
"It's alright Angorita. If you don't have anything, I can give you something from my bag. It's full of junk and thingamajigs anyway." Maverick said, willing to part with more stuff without objections if necessary. He had tons of stuff that he was certain he wouldn't miss or were never going to be sold, and if this new gate was like the other one, it wouldn't mind the kind of object given.

"Oh oh, you can give something from your own body? Did it also applied to the other gate?" Maverick asked, having been willing to part with his items, but if he could avoid that, then better. He then took a piece of hair and suggested to Angora to do the same.
"I barely have any hair. Come on! I want to keep it all! Can't I at least give a piece of cloth?" Angora asked Orion, wanting to know if she could offer one of the pieces of rag she used as earplugs earlier.