darkSpyro

Somewhere in the woods, the young and tiny troll was still trapped in that net like a recently caught fish. The net was huge, almost as if it was meant for some big,mrumniant animal... or maybe large trolls and orcs.
"Hang in there Shady..." Angora whispered as she continued nibbling at the harsh ropes. Her strength alone wasn't enough to break them, and if it was meant for creatures like herself, it was no wonder. The nibbling was taking an awful lot of times, and by now, Angora was hoping that whoever set this trap was just a simple game hunter, and they usually didn't come after the captured creature until morning.
"Come on! Why won't these stupid ropes break..." Angora said in frustration. The ropes were breaking, but it was at a very slow pace. If only she had her knife. Whoever did that net has done a very good job...

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Guardian base...
Quote: A Guy

Latnok and Raclaw eventually reached the entrance of the pens. There at the entrance was another Guardian.
"Welcome," he said. "The wyverns have just had their food, so they're ready if you need them for a task."
"We have something a bit different in mind," Latnok said. "Where is Veris?"
"Godfather Sere's mount? He's closer to the end, in some of the more spacious areas."
The two moved throughout the spacious area, various wyvern noises being audible. The place smelled just like any other animal pen - not the most pleasant. Eventually, the two got near the end of the pen, where Veris was currently lying around, having a very large space to himself. Upon seeing Latnok and Raclaw approach, he became more alert, picking himself up and moving towards them.

"Hey there buddy..." Raclaw gently said as they approached. As the large Wyvern quickly became alert and started moving towards the duo-- he was prepared to face a tongue full of slumber or whatever other greeting Veris had in mind. "Hehe.. it's good to see you too buddy!," he said accepting the treatment without much fuch. "Alright, alright-- that's enough. Now it's time to calm down buddy.," he finally said with a smile and a slight laugh as his fur was noticeably wetter and stickier. 'That won't be fun to clean off later.,' he thought to himself. "Veris-- we wish to try something. You.. you could even call it a gift. This is going to help you and is only going to make your life better, but you have to remain calm.," he gently said motioning with a paw for Veris to stay put.

As Veris calmed down slightly, Raclaw looked at easily excitable wyvern and then at Latnok. "Are you ready?," he asked the Guardian. Just like with Storm before, he was about to connect to and potentially open up a line for a primitive mind. He was already preparing himself for thoughts of food, food, food, and... more food. If Veris was able to use the open connection to directly communicate with him, than a simple line would do the trick just like with Storm. If the Wyvern proved unable to access the line, however, than a more powerful link would be required with all the pros and cons associated with that. He wasn't sure how Veris would react to the new interaction and wanted Latnok to be prepared just case it was an inverse reaction.

Maverick didn't know what to do. He really wanted to help him, but he had no idea how. It the clicked to him that they were wasting time.
"Oh, what am I doing Oscirito? We're wasting precious time! Angorita! She's missing!" Maverick said terrifyingly, wondering why she would ever leave the safety of the camp. Was she sleepwalking? No, she never did that. This was very dangerous terrain for a troll, and Maverick knew she had to be found.
"Come on! We have to find her!" they young man said as he climbed the dragolet's back. Shade had much better night vision than he, which was vital for a dragon in terms of hunting. He was certain he could locate even someone as small as her, and he was certain that Shade would blend with the night sky. He just had to keep that flame of his turned off...

Angora continued nibbling away, still fearful of somebody making an appearance. She then got even more nervous when she saw a shadow over her, and she believed it was a wyvern and their rider.
"That's it! I'm doomed!" she exclaimed, as she continued to bite away the ropes. They were budging, but she still had a while to go...

Maverick couldn't see a thing. Even if they were flying low, all he could see was trees.
"Do you see her?" he quietly asked Shade, really starting to worry. Neither human's or fawn had nocturnal vision, so he couldn't spot a thing in this condition. He depended entirely on his flying friend to find the spunky little troll...

"I'm ready for whatever you're going to try," Latnok said. "As long as you're not going to collapse the ceiling or anything. I'm not quite sure Veris would like that." Veris, in the meantime, laid there in anticipation. Latnok was predicting mostly simple thoughts from Veris - though something more complex wouldn't surprise him.

The sound of beating wings became louder and louder, as two wyverns and their riders began to descend near Angora. Eventually, they both touched down. The riders, both galuds, grabbed spears and began moving towards the net, spears pointed. "Let's see what we have here..." one said.

Quote: A Guy

The sound of beating wings became louder and louder, as two wyverns and their riders began to descend near Angora. Eventually, they both touched down. The riders, both galuds, grabbed spears and began moving towards the net, spears pointed. "Let's see what we have here..." one said.

Deep inside, Angora had expected Shade to be the one descending, but it looked like it was a case alarm. She was trapped there, and she couldn't get herself free in time, and now the situation got worse now, as she feared, had those dastard galuds at her presence. She remained calm, knowing that acting hasty in her position would've been worse for her. She then tried to be as polite as possible, having learned from Maverick that if she didn't acted violent, it could avoid unecessary arguments and injuries.
"Good evening. I seem to be stuck in this net. Would you kindly let me down?" Angora asked in a meek tone, acting as if she was only a clueless but kind creature that meant no harm and that had the bad luck of getting herself captured in this complex trap.

The galuds kept their spears pointed at Angora, and did not heed her request. "So do we just kill her?" one of them asked the other.
"Yes - wait, not yet. Some child troll - might be the one that we've been hearing about. Apparently, her owner carries her stuff, so we don't have any way of telling... oh, wait, I have an idea." Coming closer and closer to the net, until he was within striking distance, he then asked Angora "Hey - you thing. Tell me, do you know any wyvern riders? Or any mermaids?"

,aberick couldn't see anything below, but he could see the silhouette of two flying creatures just above the trees.
"Right there besides you Shade... I... I think I saw something flying." he said, becoming quite fearful. He knew that wyverns were common mounts, so he rushed Shade to investigate. He was starting to fear for Angora's safety...

Quote: A Guy

The galuds kept their spears pointed at Angora, and did not heed her request. "So do we just kill her?" one of them asked the other.
"Yes - wait, not yet. Some child troll - might be the one that we've been hearing about. Apparently, her owner carries her stuff, so we don't have any way of telling... oh, wait, I have an idea." Coming closer and closer to the net, until he was within striking distance, he then asked Angora "Hey - you thing. Tell me, do you know any wyvern riders? Or any mermaids?"

It was by this time Angora knew how lucky she was that her single action was getting known everywhere. Galuds were merciless enough not to spare even the young, so keeping her cool, she proceeded to answer the lizard men.
"I know about the Ardent Guardians and their Godfather Sere. We're friends you see. I also know of a mermaid. Can't remember her name right now, but I did encountered one." Angora said, actually remembering Ilasi's name, but she didn't want to get the overworked mermaid in trouble.

Before the galuds said anything, she continued.
"But more importantly, I know Captain Wayson. He said I was allowed to roam this land safely." Angora finished in an calm tone that almost sounded eerie, hoping she could intimidate the galuds with how much she knew and how much liberty she actually had.

The galuds, stunned, regrouped. "Hmm, so the one Captain Wayson approved is hostile. We must inform the others." Without doing much else, they mounted their wyverns and darted away.

Meanwhile...
Quote: A Guy

"I'm ready for whatever you're going to try," Latnok said. "As long as you're not going to collapse the ceiling or anything. I'm not quite sure Veris would like that." Veris, in the meantime, laid there in anticipation. Latnok was predicting mostly simple thoughts from Veris - though something more complex wouldn't surprise him.

"Very well-- let's get started then.," Raclaw said turning his attention back towards Veris. He focused his mental energy on the Wyvern and first tried simply reading Veris' surface thoughts. The Wyvern mind was different and yet somewhat similar to that of the Storm Claw. It wasn't long until simple emotions started to come in, however, ranging from the obvious anticipation to internal excitement and... hunger. Yes, indeed, the large Wyvern did constantly think of food. He looked past those thoughts however and dove deeper-- thoughts of Angora came in and a particular hairy man that had to be Maverick. A moment later, slightly more complex thoughts came in as he navigated the 'primitive' wyvern mind. 'What's he going to do? What's he going to do? What's he's going to do?! What did he mean by gift? ...Is it food?,' he soon heard in his mind. He honestly wasn't surprised to hear about more food, but also realized that was more. Compared to the Storm Claw-- Verris thought in complete sentences even if he was a little overly excited.

Raclaw briefly pondered on what to say to Verris and rather or not to do a proper link verses that of simply opening line for the Wyvern. He decided that a simple line wouldn't do Verris justice and that something more substantial would be preferred. It would also allow not only him to directly speak to Verris and vice versa, but also Latnok as well. Of course such a link would be better with the full cooperation of both parties and so he internally spoke to Verris. "Hey buddy, this is Raclaw. Everything is alright-- I am speaking directly into your mind. If you can hear me, please respond just as you would to one of your own. I can hear your thoughts and if this works-- I have a proposition for you that will change your life forever.," he gently spoke directly into Verris' mind. He was aniticating Verris' response and hoped that it would work.

Quote: A Guy

The galuds, stunned, regrouped. "Hmm, so the one Captain Wayson approved is hostile. We must inform the others." Without doing much else, they mounted their wyverns and darted away.

Maverick was a nervous wreck. He could stop Shade from attacking the galuds.
"Que fue eso Oscurito? You can't just come attacking whoever you please!" he scolded, knowing that the galuds and Aelinonians had an alliance, and this sudden attack could really damage the image and little trust they built with the latter.

Angora didn't know how to respond. She was about to ask for help when the ropes below her gave away on their own and she fell face first to the ground.
"Oh great. Now you break!" she complained, practically fighting with the net itself.
"And you Shady, wouldn't it have been easier if you've just grabbed me and fly away? These galuds are nasty creatures. You have no idea what I witnessed a few minutes ago. They're monsters! We don't want them as enemies." Angora scolded back, agreeing with Maverick. It was a hasty thing to do.

Veris looked around, somewhat startled and confused as to the voice. He didn't respond - not immediately, at least. "Go ahead, Veris," Latnok said, motioning his hands toward Raclaw. "You remember Raclaw?
Veris, not too soon after, began making various grunts and hisses. "Can you understand me?" he asked. "How are you doing this? Are you going to give me food?"
"Raclaw, what's he saying?" Latnok asked, eagerly and impatiently. "Is it working?" Latnok could only imagine all of the things Veris could be thinking of - until now, they had only had a limited number of ways to communicate with him, but now...

Angora sighed, knowing that Shade couldn't be helped. He was just too impulsive.
"Listen, Shady, I thank you for the rescue, but like I said, wouldn't it have been easier to just carry me away? Come on man! We're in enough hot water already!" Angora continued scolding, now answering Shade's question. She knew that his hasty rescue was going to make the galuds think very badly about them now. Maverick felt lousy for having been unable to stop him.
"Well, nothing much we can do now. We must leave this place. You Maverick, they will only listen to you, so if we encounter those disgusting lizards and they question you about what happened here tonight, just say that this big lug here isn't completely domesticated" Angora instructed, with Maverick nodding quietly. He knew this rescue could undo the good image they created at the lake.
"Time to leave now! We must be on the move... again." Angora said frustrated, glaring at Shade before mounting him. So easy it would've been for him to grab the net and just carry her off, yet he chose the violent, impulsive way.

The troll remained quiet as well, being too mad at him. The galuds were questioning her and she answered like they wanted. She had been looking forward to their reaction when Shade just had to come and act before thinking as usual. But Maverick couldn't stand seeing this two dear friends not talking to each other.
"It isn't his fault Angorita. He just had a nightmare. He was very unstable." he commented, justifying Shade's action. Still, it wasn't enough to convince Angora. This horrible galuds would've wanted an excuse to hunt her down, and now they did. Somehow, she knew they had to fix the mess Shade just created.

Meanwhile...
Quote: A Guy

Veris looked around, somewhat startled and confused as to the voice. He didn't respond - not immediately, at least. "Go ahead, Veris," Latnok said, motioning his hands toward Raclaw. "You remember Raclaw?
Veris, not too soon after, began making various grunts and hisses. "Can you understand me?" he asked. "How are you doing this? Are you going to give me food?"
"Raclaw, what's he saying?" Latnok asked, eagerly and impatiently. "Is it working?" Latnok could only imagine all of the things Veris could be thinking of - until now, they had only had a limited number of ways to communicate with him, but now...

"It's-- it's working. He asking if I can understand him, how I'm doing this, and... about food. I'm going to try to incorporate him into the same link that we share. This will not only allow me to directly speak to him and vice versa, but you as well. Be prepared-- our mental conscious has long since settled and balanced itself. This... this may disrupt that balance and may take some getting used to.," Raclaw first said to Latnok explaining what he was experiencing to the best of his ability as well as what he was about to do. He then turned his attention back towards Veris.

"Yes, I can understand you Verris. And no, I'm not giving you food-- I'm giving you something much more valuable. I am speaking directly into your mind via what is called telepathy. Basically, I'm expanding my own mind and rather than simply using it for myself-- I am using its mental energy to communicate and talk directly with you.," he paused giving Veris some time to absorb the new knowledge. He knew this was a new experience to the Wyvern and that at first-- it would be a little disorienting. "As I said before, I have a proposition for you. I can form a mental link between us-- I can allow us to speak like this at any time so long as we're within range. And not only would you be able to speak directly to me-- you would be able to speak to anyone else linked to me as well. This includes Latnok and if we ever meet up again-- Shade as well. Otherwise, we can continue talking just like this just between me and you. So-- what do you say? Are you interested?," he then asking proposing the link while keeping the simpler line as a fallback plan should Verris not be willing. He suspected though that the hungry Wyvern would be very much interested in continuously talking to him as well as the others.

Latnok braced himself for whatever change was looking to transpire. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle," he said, recalling the mission to slay Darkmatter beforehand. "After what we've put up with, what's the worst Veris can do?"
Veris, predictably, had absolutely no qualms about the mental link proposition. "So I can talk with you and my humans, and you will all know exactly what I want? That sounds amazing! Please, go ahead!" He could see it now - though, for the most part, Sere and his caretakers could get a general idea of what he wanted or what he was saying, there were many more nuanced things he was unable to say to them. This would be a huge step - the possibilities were endless!

After almost half an hour of flight, the trio reached what looked like costal ruins. They were at the beach, much to Maverick's dislike. They had avoided the sea all this time, but by this point, it didn't matter where they landed.
"There are some ruins there Shade. We will rest there." Angora instructed, still being mad at him to the point she wasn't calling him by his nickname. These ruins looked like they lacked riches, and after a while of examining them, seems like no thugs were living there either. It'll do until morning.

Name: Laszur
Age: 27
Species: Galud
Good or evil: Evil (more incidentally than by intent)
Appearance: Laszur is around the size of the typical galud, with light beige skin and scaling. He is typically wearing blue wyvernhide armor, and what would appear to be a blindfold over his eyes in the day.
Personality: Highly analytical and focused, Laszur is more concerned with doing his job than receiving any sort of praise for it. He follows orders without question, and does not like to share his personal thoughts.
Weapons: A pike, tail barb, machete, and several lighter spears suited for throwing.
Elements: Light and dark magic
History: Laszur grew up in Aelinon, and has always been interested in the military on account of all of the recruiting attempts and other propaganda related to it. Having a natural gift for magic, he focused his pursuit on abilities which would maximize his stealthiness. This has given him a position as a member of the Silent Spear.

Quote: A Guy

Latnok braced himself for whatever change was looking to transpire. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle," he said, recalling the mission to slay Darkmatter beforehand. "After what we've put up with, what's the worst Veris can do?"
Veris, predictably, had absolutely no qualms about the mental link proposition. "So I can talk with you and my humans, and you will all know exactly what I want? That sounds amazing! Please, go ahead!" He could see it now - though, for the most part, Sere and his caretakers could get a general idea of what he wanted or what he was saying, there were many more nuanced things he was unable to say to them. This would be a huge step - the possibilities were endless!

"Other than perhaps making us hungry? Not too much-- probably.," Raclaw responded to Latnok with a slight smile not even counting the numerous times Verris' surface thoughts mentioned the word food. He could make a song out of it, if he so desired. "Yes-- exactly. Now be prepared-- what I am about to do will merge our thoughts and that of Latnok's. You will experience some of our thoughts and.. and the same will be true for us as well. You may find this disorienting or confusing at first, but our minds will adjust and you will get eventually used to it. However, it is a small price to pay and you will immediately reap the rewards.," he then ensured changing his focus to that of Veris. He focused all of his mental energy on Veris and was soon able to establish the new link in the web. Veris' thoughts would soon flood their own.

"It-- it is done. We are now linked.," he then said over the mental links, which would now also be audible to Veris as well.

Veris immediately went to try out the mental link. "Latnok? Can you hear me? How is my human doing? When are we going flying again? Did you find any more of that meat you gave me before?"
"Hey, Veris - easy, easy, slow down a bit. Godfather Sere is well. He is currently involved in plans for our next adventure. Making a ship for someone of your size and needs - not the easiest thing in the world. Don't know when we're going flying again - he'll probably take you for some exercise flights before we head out to Aelinon. And no, that place is way too far and the meat too exotic to be bringing back regularly, I'm sorry. Haven't you eaten enough?"
"Food keeps me alive, and gives me energy, and lets me do things! Food is wonderful! More food is always good!"

The trio settled down in the ruins, ready to get the much needed sleep. However, even if they were certain there wasn't civilization nearby, Angora still suggested they should sleep without a campfire. She was still angry at Shade, but let the dragolet decide whether he wanted to sleep near them. Maverick could still feel the tension, and knowing Angora, she would be paranoid and worried about what it was out there. Why else did she wander around.
"Angorita? I already slept plenty. I can keep a watch if you're so worried." Maverick suggested, with the troll giving a simple nod. She didn't care what he did. The young man was doing it more to keep an eye on Angora herself though, but at the same time to give the little troll and her giant friend some time alone.

The moon was almost full that night, no it created plenty of light at least. The sound of the waves... it's been so long since Maverick heard that. He wasn't certain if he missed the sea life. Not everything about it had been awful, yet he preferred his current life with Shade and Angora by the mile extra. Now that the hybrid was alone, it was time to pursuit his other dream. He took out a beautiful and well maintained mandolin, and drowning the sound with some leaves, he began to play.
"Don't worry mi Angorita. The world will know of your deeds, and you will be beloved everywhere." Maverick whispered to himself, knowing that good bards were able to make history known though music. It was the half fawn's new dream. Trolls were still too hated around the world, but if they only knew what Angora did, and that even a troll can have a good heart, it will make their planet a better place to live in.

OOC: Is that a surprise?

Maverick hugged Shade's snout with one arm, having formed a strong bond with him. A past Maverick would've been terrified being that close to a dragon's mouth.
"We know grandote. We know. But you need to control that temper big guy. We don't want to lose you either." the former pirate said, fearing that if Shade continued acting this hostile, some would want to kill him. Angora was still too mad at Shade for not having more common sense, but she nevertheless hugged back and patted him, loving Shade as well. She knew she would forgive him, but right now, her anger still lasted.

Quote: A Guy

Veris immediately went to try out the mental link. "Latnok? Can you hear me? How is my human doing? When are we going flying again? Did you find any more of that meat you gave me before?"
"Hey, Veris - easy, easy, slow down a bit. Godfather Sere is well. He is currently involved in plans for our next adventure. Making a ship for someone of your size and needs - not the easiest thing in the world. Don't know when we're going flying again - he'll probably take you for some exercise flights before we head out to Aelinon. And no, that place is way too far and the meat too exotic to be bringing back regularly, I'm sorry. Haven't you eaten enough?"
"Food keeps me alive, and gives me energy, and lets me do things! Food is wonderful! More food is always good!"

As soon as the link was formalized, thoughts of food immediately went to Raclaw's head. There was no escaping the thoughts now-- at least not entirely."Food, like many things, is good-- in moderation. And Veris, you should prepare yourself. Once we're at sea, we're only have what we bring with us and the tides won't exactly be ideal for fishing. We will have to ration what we eat-- that means eating just what we need to survive and no more. We can't afford to do otherwise, less we encounter a strong tide or extreme weather conditions that force us to extend our time out on sea.," Raclaw warned having never traveled at sea but still having a basic idea of the logistics involved. And Veris wasn't the only one-- they couldn't afford to overeat ether.

Veris seemed rather unhappy at the news, though tolerant. "If I have to... but there will be lots of food when we arrive, right?"
"Hopefully," Latnok said. "The weather is supposedly a lot better once you actually reach the archipelago. That will, at the very least, be more conducive to fishing, and there will probably be wildlife for us to hunt."
"Okay, then... I'm sure my human has good things planned, however! He always looks out for me - he won't just let me starve!"
"He is having a ship built to accommodate you," Latnok said. "There is only so much we can do, though. Hopefully whatever talent we can hire in Redwater will be quite useful in that regard."

Laszur had been given one task - find the group who had, despite supposed approval from Sere and Wayson, attacked his brothers. Once that was done, he would have carte blanche to deal with them in whatever manner would be appropriate. The human and troll wouldn't be too big a concern - the dragon, however, would. However, based on word on how the dragon has acted so far, he had an idea...
His wyvern had trailed the group for several miles - in no small part thanks to Shade's large size, as well as his ability to bend light to render him and whatever he was touching invisible. Though this rendered himself and his wyvern blind, he compensated with his own magical sight, guiding the wyvern. Eventually, he touched down a few miles away.

In the ruins an ocean away from that place, the trio was making themselves comfortable. Angora was forgiving Shade, cause she knew that if she hadn't investigated the galuds, she wouldn't have been captured by that stupid trap, and Shade wouldn't have had the necessity to save her. He was just too loyal to her. Just when she thought Maverick could be the only person to ever consider her a friend, then came this humongous dragon that would protect her with his life if necessary. She even felt guilty for receiving this much love, when they were creatures out there like her who only received hatred and murder for something as simple as existing. Maverick on the other hand, watched with a gentle smile as the two of them bonded and rekindled their friendship. It made him so happy to know they had someone like Shade as part of the family. But the reality remained that Angora was a troll, a species that was still too hated around the world, and only a selected few knew about her heroic deed. That wasn't right. With mandolin in hand, Maverick took out a piece of worn paper. It had lyrics in it. It was written in his own hand. To be a great bard, not only did he needed a catchy melody. He needed catchy lyrics too, which is what he has been working on. Holding the incomplete lyrics, he started to read and play the mandolin gently, trying to create music;

The Troll World's Voyage

Come the troll with a stroll,
a mission on a roll,
on a quest to save the world,
with a sword to impale the fiend
that would've ended all the green,
and would've left us with no field

How can a troll be a savior?
Just do yourself a favor...
Such a story to believe,
You may think is too extreme,
But alas by all the means...
even a troll can mean well...

Maverick read as he tried to create a catchy melody that would go well with the lyrics. He wasn't a fan of what he wrote, but the rhymes were very catchy and they told the truth. The lyrics were still incomplete, but he wanted to finish this very week. The world's deserved to know the truth, but most of all, what Angora did for them. Trolls could be horrible creatures, but if a few good hearted like Angora existed, it was worth seeking them out.

Laszur had eventually found some tracks - faint, but enough to be made out, and the various minute environmental disturbances supplemented them. Though he was quite far out of Aelinon territory at this point, he hoped that would be advantageous to them - certainly they wouldn't expect any pursuer to move this far, this quickly, and even if they did, they would probably expect to be able to see them.
Though galuds typically operated in groups, the members of the Silent Spear were trained in solo operations, in addition to their usual teamwork. As the tracks became more and more fresh, Laszur activated his invisibility and sound dampening - rendering him virtually undetectable to most things which weren't magical attempts to detect him, as long as he was careful not to leave tracks.
As he neared, he heard a most peculiar sound - a poem of some sort? Don't quit your day job... he thought to himself.
There they were - unmistakable. He had gotten this close - he just had to be careful. He had the pre-written scroll ready - now it was just up to executing the plan properly...

As Maverick continued to trifle with his mandolin, Angora was listening to it, finding it touching how hard Maverick was trying with the music. A pirate turned bard? Who has ever heard of that? Nevertheless, she was moved by how much he wanted to make Angora's noble deed known. She would've continued listening... if it wasn't for the cold goosebumps she suddenly felt. She felt as if something was wrong. She looked at her surroundings, but there was nothing but small animals like crabs and turtles out there.
"Something wrong Angorita?" Maverick asked, noticing her uneasiness.
"It's nothing. I'm just... paranoid tonight." Angora replied, feeling awful. She attributed her uneasiness with the lousy experience she had tonight, so she sat besides Shade again, keeping her eyes open just in case her hunch was right this one time...

The group was uneasy, Laszur could tell, but they had no idea what was about to happen. The classic disappearing act - used to great effect to capture key enemies of Aelinon and inflict fear and paranoia on them. Laszur got closer and closer, until his tail was within range of Maverick. As soon as Angora had her eyes off of him for even a moment, he reached out with his tail in an effort to wrap it around Maverick's neck, wishing to choke him enough to cause brief unconsciousness, but not kill him. At the same time, the light and sound blocking effects would come into play. If successful, what happened to Maverick would be a complete mystery - he would seem to have vanished into thin air.

Unfortunately for the trio, the plan worked. Maverick had been too distracted with his music to pay any attention to his surrounding, and the sound of the waves drowned out whatever sound Laszur was making. Laszur managed to abduct him and he had no time to react to the object suddenly surrounding his neck and choking him to unconsciousness. Angora was looking at the distant forest when her young friend disappeared. It was seeing the piece of paper with the lyrics flying into view what made her realize what happened. She grabbed it and look to where Maverick had been sitting... only to find nothing but his mandolin there.
"Maverick? Maverick! Come on, this isn't funny! I'm not in the mood for hide and seek!" Angora yelled in frustration, believing he was simply trying to p,at to make them forget about that lousy day. She then inspected the mandolin to see the fall had scratched some of the back. He would never be that careless with the instrument. It was then that she really started to get worried.
"Shady! See if you can see Maverick from up there!" she instructed, starting to look everywhere herself...

Meanwhile...
Quote: A Guy

Veris seemed rather unhappy at the news, though tolerant. "If I have to... but there will be lots of food when we arrive, right?"
"Hopefully," Latnok said. "The weather is supposedly a lot better once you actually reach the archipelago. That will, at the very least, be more conducive to fishing, and there will probably be wildlife for us to hunt."
"Okay, then... I'm sure my human has good things planned, however! He always looks out for me - he won't just let me starve!"
"He is having a ship built to accommodate you," Latnok said. "There is only so much we can do, though. Hopefully whatever talent we can hire in Redwater will be quite useful in that regard."

"We all have to make compromises. No-one is going to particularly enjoy the voyage and we're not exactly sailing on calm waters, but we'll do what we must and we'll try to make the voyage as comfortable as possible.," Raclaw added thinking of himself in particular. It was going to be cold, dark, and rainy-- and it would be the first sea voyage he had ever experienced. Regardless, it was the only way and there was first time for everything.

Meanwhile, with Maverick out of commission, Laszur hoisted him onto his back and began walking quickly - he couldn't afford to sprint just yet, as the disturbance it caused in the environment could give him away. Though Maverick wasn't light, carrying captives was just another routine task. The group was looking to disperse, so he would be perfectly set to sprint once they were out of range. His wyvern was hiding in a cave - it would not be visible from the sky, and he would be able to restrain the captive from there, before strapping him to the wyvern.
Somewhere out of immediate sight range, but in a visible place nearby, Laszur dropped the scroll case he was carrying - a message for the other two. The message read:

This is a message from the Silent Spear.
Your friend is now a prisoner of ours. If you wish to have him returned, you and your mount will come to Orcford in no later than a week's time.
There, you and your friend will answer us for your attack on Aelinon, under false pretenses. Failure to appear will mean that his life is forfeit.

Silent Spear


"Okay... well, I will try to be as ready as I can be," Veris said. "Thank you very much for your help! I will do what I can to help you and my human with what you need!"
"Okay, that's done... do you have anything else in mind, Raclaw?" Latnok asked. "I'm sure Godfather Sere will be quite pleased to know that we can communicate with Veris and know exactly what he is trying to say now."

"You're very welcome.," Raclaw said via the links. As he and Latnok proceeded to walk out of the Wyvern pens, his mind merely came up with blanks upon being asked the question. It wasn't as if their day hadn't been productive after all-- he had finally gotten a means of carrying things, had found a new favorite activity in the form of Angleball, and had even enabled cross-species communication with Veris. "I had nothing else planned for the day, so I'll let you decide. Is there anything you wanted to try or haven't done before? I'm game for anything if you are.," he simply said with a smile giving Latnok the choice to select something of his own choosing. And at the end of the day, just his presence alone in any such activities would prove to be a boon to both him and the Guardian's image. Part of him wondered how Dex was cooping with his decision to stay and how their former companions were dealing with the real world.

When Maverick didn't responded, Angora was a nervous wreck. If this had been a joke, he would've make himself seen. He never would've joked in a way that would terrify his friends.
"Shady...! Please tell me you found him!" Angora said in a shaky voice, as she scanned the area like a maniac. She carefully examined the area, using the light of the moon to aid her. At the distance, she saw what looked like a rock... but that wasn't there before. She went to investigate, and found out to her horror that it was Maverick's hyperspace bag. In his rush to take him away, Lazsur made Maverick drop his precious bag. Angora knew too well Maverick never went anywhere without it, and this detail is what finally confirmed the horrifying truth. Someone had taken away Maverick.
"Maverick! Maverick! Malo! If you can still hear us, please scream!" Angora yelled to the distance, with tears eyes. But when he didn't answer, she grew depressed and desperate.

"YOU OUT THERE! WHOEVER HAS OUR SWEET MAVERICK, RETURN HIM AT ONCE! HE HAS DONE NOTHING TO YOU!" Angora yelled, the echo over passing even the waves. Why was everything going wrong for them lately? Their life had been so pleasant before, and everything changed once they set foot on that infernal country. Why couldn't they have peace?

Quote: A Guy

In the infirmary, Bier found Dex, as the report said he would. He shook Dex lightly, not wanting to startle him but needing to get his attention. "Dex, this is Adjudicator Bier," he said. "Word of your success has spread rather quickly. Now, what happened? I'll draw some energy from our tree here to facilitate your healing - it will take a moment, however."

As the tree started to give energy to Dex he slowly woke up still feeling pretty week. "Yea the mission has been done" Dex said with a weak voice looking at his Necklace
"I was unfortuned enough to run into an old enemy. Had to ran the whole way back here without stops." He then continued slowly getting more energetic as the tree gave him more energy.
"When my healing is ready I would like to talk to Sere. There is something he might be interested about". Dex then said giving only a short look to Bier and then looking at the necklace again "Damn you Sapphire. After all this you are still the first thing that comes to my mind, what have you done to me....." Dex thought still very confused about the feelings he had

Angora looked at the scroll, and he a very poisonous look to her. The veins of her face and muscle started to be visible. She was so full of rage she almost looked like the demon. She wanted to tear that scroll until it was practically disintegrated, but she knew they needed it to let the monsters that did this know that they got the message and also to make sure they didn't forget the place we had to visit. In her rage, Angora couldn't stop crying either.
"Galuds! I just know it! Those devils! This Silent Spear... Shady, we can't go to a place like that without being prepared. We don't even know where this Orcford place is, so the first thing we have to do is go to the nearest town and ask for information. Get a map if necessary. You're right! They will pay... but we can't barge in there without a plan." Angora explained, being too obvious she was containing her urge to scream her head off. She was certain that what transpired that night was the cause of this mess. Both she and Shade were the only ones at fault, and Maverick, the only one who was innocent of everything, was the one paying the price. Why did life had to be so cruel?

Somewhere out there, the captive Maverick was still unconscious. Even if his pirate days, he was scrawny, and could be easily overpowered if he was ambushed or captured. His agility and intelligence is what always helped him survive, but none had worked tonight. As he forcefully slept, he started dreaming, but it felt more like a faint memory than anything else. In the dream, there was red haired baby. He had hair nowhere but his head. He was looking up... at his mother. She was placing something around his neck.
"This little golden chain will protect you in your journey mi vida. Even if I have to leave, your mommy will always love you." the women said kindly to the baby, showing such large amounts of love, it engulfed the whole room.
"You will do great things mi vida. You will change the world. You may have the blood of a pirate, but you have the heart and soul of a fawn. Life will not always be easy mi cielo, but you'll get through. You'll have friends. You'll have a family. You'll have people that love you. I know you will. The world isn't a pretty place my sweet Mavi, which is why it will need people like you..." the woman concluded, singing the most beautiful lullaby that could ever come from a voice. One would believe it had come from an angel. And then just like that, the woman vanished. The baby was left with so many questions. Why did she left? Why did she leave him at the hands of his merciless father and let him live that awful pirate life?

"You are free to head to Godfather Sere's office whenever you feel you are ready," Bier said. "It isn't far from here. Once you are done speaking with him, come back here and we'll see what artifacts you have found. There is one in particular we are looking for; you may keep the rest." Bier was giving Dex a look-over, ensuring his wounds were healing properly; there would be plenty of time to explain everything later.

Laszur, far enough away, began sprinting with Maverick secured. It wouldn't be long until the captive regained conscousness; though he could just strangle him again, he would prefer to have him restrained, to minimize the injury potential. Finding a grotto some distance away, with appropriate cover, he gently let down the captive, facing the ground.
Taking some rope he had prepared, he first secured the captive's arms together, then proceeded to do the same with his legs. Then, with a piece of thick cloth, he made a tight wrapping around the captive's mouth, gagging him.
Though Laszur was well-trained for this sort of job, keeping up the invisibility while sprinting with that sort of weight was exhausting; he would take a few moments to rest.

"There's nothing in mind that I can think of that needs doing," Latnok said. "We can just take it easy for now - perhaps have some dinner with us, then we can go to sleep. We'll be doing a lot of waiting." Latnok was filled with anticipation at the mission; there were so many unknowns, but it would be a great learning experience.

"Alright-- that sounds good.," Raclaw said with a nod. Raclaw was also looking forward to the mission, knowing that he might find his parents or at least Julian-- and that at least meant more answers. For instance, there was still the question of the collar entity-- and who or what exactly had been placed inside his collar. It had been sometime since either he or it had spoken to one another and under previous circumstances, he would've had to purposely trigger such an interaction. That was before the collar unlocking and modifications, however, and who knew what rules applied to it now? He wanted to know-- no he needed to know. After all, regardless of rather or not they found his parents, he still had to live with it.

Angora put away the scroll and Maverick's beloved mandolin in his bag, and now everything secured, both she and Shade flew away, trying to find the nearest town possible that wasn't the one they last visited...

While at the grotto, almost an hour later, Maverick began to open his eyes, only to find the image before him looking nothing like the beach ruins where he was rehearsing. Last thing he remembers was something coiling his neck, and the rest was a blanc. It was becoming clear to him now that his friends were not with him, and the harsh reality that he's been kidnapped. He was all tied up and gagged, all his freedom driven away from him. He looked around to see he was responsible for this, screaming as loud as his restrained mouth could. Why would anyone wish harm on him? Was it somebody's jealous boyfriend? One of his father's former enemies that managed to recognize him? He was scared, not only for himself, but for his beloved friends as well. He couldn't even imagine the pain and sufferings they were feeling for not having him around. He was beginning to think Angora was right. They made a terrible mistake coming to that place.

"Thanks" Dex said quickly jumping up feeling already much better. He quickly made his way to Sere. "Hello anybody here?" Dex said not seeing Sere immediately.

Back at Castle of the brotherhood Sapphire was talking to an old man. He had been beggar, but was now working in the Kitchens for the brotherhood. He was a nice man and Sapphire thought he might be able to help him. "So you need to know How to write. Well I am not excellent my self, but I think I can help" the man said with a smile." That would be great. Thank you so much! Please come to my room when you have the time" Sapphire said. "I will come after the next meal" the man said

After some time Sapphire did already do kind of Okey. "How you learned to use your paw like that for writing, I never would have thought that" the man said. Sapphire did not think too much and said " It was another fox pretty much like me. I watched when he wrote so I took the technique" She said giving a look to her necklace and the ring in it. The man quickly knew what was happening " So Thats Why you need to learn How to write. You want to send a letter. I bet he is quite handsome to make you go through all this trouble" the man said. Sapphire quickly blushing " No..... he just.... inspired me ...and". Sapphire said before the man interrupetd her "Dont worry I will not tell anybody. In here nobody tells me much, and I dont tell much to others. I just make sure there is food to eat. I hope you find him" The man said with a gentle smile. Sapphire just nodded, and so the two continued what they where doing.

As Laszur rested, he noticed his captive finally reviving. "You and your allies are guilty of perfidy," he explained, "and of an unprovoked attack on military personnel. The punishment for both of these actions is death. However, you will be kept alive for now, as long as you and your allies cooperate. You are headed with me to Orcford, a fortress at the former border of Aelinon. Your allies will be there in a week's time. There, you and they will answer as to why you have attacked us." Figuring he had had enough rest, he once again grabbed and hoisted Maverick on his back, and began moving to his wyvern, stealth activated - the side effect which would render Maverick blind, with no light coming to his eyes.

As the days went by, Latnok and Raclaw continued to bond. Raclaw's presence in the stronghold was becoming a norm, and much of the garrison knew him by name, though completely shaking off his appearance as a pet would take some time. Finally, the day came - time to move out to Redwater.
Latnok moved along the stronghold. Finding Raclaw's room, he knocked several times on the door. "Raclaw, we need to meet Godfather Sere. We will be leaving today."

Sere, meanwhile, had several things to worry about. He had heard from Aelinon that those he entrusted had attacked them - the mess would take no small amount of time and effort to clean up. Word of Maverick's capture had not yet gotten to him - he was, however, expecting no abundance of mercy for such an action. Dex had, however, come in to his office, so he would need to get back to that matter.
"Hello, Dex," Sere greeted. "How are you doing? What can we help you with?"

"Fine now thanks to your tree. It is kind of great How Well it heals. So I am not going to take much of your time, but I thought you might want to know about few things. First I was unfortuned enough to run in to a dragon named Blue. He is one that really likes to kill and leads the group known as brotherhood of assassins. They are rivals of the League of assassins I am part of. For some reason he is obsessed to recruit me. Just a warning if he ever comes close to your men, they should be ready for him and knew who he is (Dex tells about Blues looks to Sere). Then another thing when I was with Blue we run into Angora, Maverick and Shade. They looked like they really had had some trouble before Blue wanted to give them more. I managed to save them from Blue, but we really had no time to talk. I just thought you might be interested about this. And if you happen to see or talk to them in anyway I would like you to clear my name for them. Even thought I attacked Blue, they still might have the erong idea. And if they talk it out too much some league members will hear that, and think I have joined with Blue. Dex said with a really serious voice.

When the galud explained, Maverick suspected he was talking about Shade's attack that very night. He had an explaination for it, but the galud didn't let him and took him away without removing the cloth from his mouth. He was now a prisoner, and he was terrified on what awaited him Orcford place...

The days went by, with Shade and Angora going from town to town, with the disguised troll gathering maps and information everywhere. The two of them felt so helpless, so empty without the company of the happy, innocent Maverick. Their hatred for the galuds and the Silent Spear grew, knowing the biggest monsters now weren't dragons, or orcs, or trolls. It was them! Their absurd politics and rules, and their dastard, unjust genoscide of species everywhere. They dread to think what Maverick was going through. Was he being tortured? Was he in a damp, dark cell? Was he being treated like a slave? All the thoughts were too unbearably painful. Neither Shade nor Angora could sleep or eat well those days. In the day following their departure from the ruins, Angora had picked up her old, magical staff and removed the orb, the source of the magic, and made a necklace with it.
"Well my friend. Looks like we'll have to rely on each other again, like the good old times. Can I trust you will save me when the time is right?" Angora said, remembering the times the orb acted only when things were too desperate. She had always treated it as if it was a conscious entity, since she believed that it acting on it's own meant that it had a will. After she was done with it, it was somebody else's turn;

"Neo... I... I know we haven't talked since I defeated that Darkmatter... and I don't even know if you're still there, but I need you. I promise for Maverick's sake that I will try to resolve this matter peacefully, but I swear that if they had done something to him, they well bleed! They will ALL bleed! Even the young ones!" Angora said, too full of poisonous hatred.
"Please let Maverick be alright. And if you can contact the Galaxy dragon somehow, do it too! Maverick is a gentle, innocent soul. He deserves none of this crap! Is this why I saved the world? So that monsters like them could continue exploiting it?" Angora asked, crying without console. She was so full of rage and regret that for the first time, she was doubting saving the world was a good idea. She had been so happy with him and Shade before... but she should've known happiness never lasted for a troll...