darkSpyro

The dragoness tried to hide tears. "I-I-I'm sorry about that. When the flashbacks hit, they hit HARD."
Star sighed. "Tell me about it."
"You be quiet. You've done very little of use. Let me at least feel a little like I've earned some pity." She rolled onto her back, pulling Icestorm to her chest to return the hug.
Star grumbled. "I didn't mean it like THAT."

"Yes, we invented it," Latnok answered Angora simply, all care of the troll's opinions on their actions completely exhausted. Relieved that the dragon has calmed down, he put the collar into his bag.
"Well, now that that's over..." Vellune said, seemingly unfazed by the turn of events, "what have you called me for? In regards to Godfather Sere's mission?"
"That is correct, Adjudicator," Latnok said. "I am here for equipment for myself, and some of my allies need their stuff looked at."
"Good. On the Godfather's mission, I have seen to it that we have our more... fun equipment provided for you." At that moment, the Hunter Latnok had spoken with previously brought what seemed to be a heavy, metal box. "Go ahead. Open it."
Latnok did as he was ordered. The box opened to reveal two axes, two daggers, and many arrows. The axes and daggers were each made of different metals - one each of phoenix steel, the other of silver. The arrows were also similarly designed, though there were more phoenix steel arrows than silver. Most notably, the fletchings on the arrows were vividly colored - phoenix fletchings. "You really are pulling out all the stops on this."
"We don't know what you'll be up against - better them than you. The other supplies will be readied for you as well. Now, what do the others need?"
Latnok turned towards the others. "Star, Raclaw, show him the stuff you need to have looked at.

Star pulled out his gadgets, seemingly summoning them from thin air, before handing the ones too rusted to work. After several seconds of deliberation, he added his ChronoModifier to the pile of broken machinery, hoping to get the time-travel device repaired. "DON'T mix any of the parts on that last one with the rest, it could cause a black hole or worse."

Angora watched as they all messed with their strange trinkets, and was being too much for her.
"Do you really need all these thingamajigs? We have a long journey ahead! You don't need to weight yourself down so much!" she commented, not willing to wait for anybody. If somebody got left behind because they're carrying too many stuff, she was simply going to leave them behind and continue her own pace.

Vellune laid out all of the gadgets on a metal sheet on the booth. Through each one he waved his hands over, and the objects turned red, as if they were heated, though they were still at normal temperature, or as normal as they could be in the environment. He then took a hammer from the wall, which he proceeded to swing at each gadget - as if he were swinging a hammer at a monster's face. Ironically, rather than the objects breaking, they only vibrated vigorously, and the corrosion on the metals on them seemed to reverse.

When he attempted to use the same magic on the ChronoModifier, however, he received a rather unpleasant jolt. Once, twice again, he attempted, and received the same jolt. "Unfortunately, I cannot seem to work the same magic on this item, at least not without unpredictable consequences. It seems that something with it is rendering it incompatible with the reactive magic I am using. That is rather odd - I haven't had a similar experience before."

OOC: Just going to double post to make sure this gets seen.

Latnok simply replied to Angora, "That is what the bag is for." Leaving his older axe and dagger on the counter, he took the phoenix steel axe and dagger and put them on his belt, while putting the silver equipment, as well as all of the arrows, into his bag without issue. "I trust our magic. Don't pretend to show concern for me - if I get weighed down, you should have no problem leaving me behind."

Raclaw waited for Star to finish, before presenting his own 'problem.' The issue of his past and his collar wasn't exactly something he wanted out in the open with the group, but he supposed he had no other choice. And part of him also worried about Angora would think, having seen one of the collars and its association with the humans. To some degree, he cared for the troll and didn't want to lower his reputation with her any further then he already had. Still, now might be his own chance to find out and to make sure nothing was truly wrong with the artifact after their previous encounters.

OOC: You can just edit the above post and avoid the double. It gets seen when a post is edited.

"Your magic? Hah, I'm willing to bet those weapons are made from some creature parts. You humans can't make any magic of your own." Angora said coyly, not knowing what those weapons were made of, but if they contained magic, she had no doubt some innocent creature was slayed for the sake of empowering them. It was no mystery Angora seemed to enjoy expressing her dislike for Latnok.

"This is private - just telepathy between us," Latnok telepathed to Vellune and Raclaw.
"Very well." Vellune grabbed the collar from Raclaw, analyzing it for a few moments. "This seems like one of the power restraints we have designed, though an older design, perhaps two, maybe three decades old."
"So... he met with a Guardian, then?"
"Potentially. It would seem to be from the same time period we were doing certain experiments - government-sanctioned, of course. Seeing how dragons fared if they were to grow up with humans - keeping them in check in the cases it didn't go well. Though perhaps this has gone through more than one generation. It is brimming with stored power."

Meanwhile, Latnok turned to respond to Angora. "You would be right. Phoenixes. Prideful creatures. Brazenly try to deny others space. Some considered themselves infallible. Thought they could just keep getting up if anyone tried to stop them. They were wrong."

Star looked on as Vellune brought out the hammer, at first in horror as he swung, then in utter confusion. When Vellune attempted it on the ChronoModifier and failed spectacularly, Star sighed. "Maybe the design is the issue. It's designed to be able to handle the dangers of Dark Matter and antimatter for use in time travel, so it may be too complicated even for your... 'Magic'..." He sort of played with the word in his mind. "I MUST perform some experiments with it... I can't STAND when my science can't explain something..."

'So... what does this mean for me? And if I was part of some experiment, do you have records or something on where I came from? ..My parents? ..My place of birth? ..Could they still be alive?," Raclaw rapid-fired questions over telepathy as they inspected the collar. It was strange feeling not wearing it, after having done so for so many years of his life. He knew that he was found and he knew that he was dropped off onto what became his home/family, but this was the first time he was finally hearing about why. And what of the life he could have lived otherwise?! He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the whole thing, but continued listening. Part of him wondered if he could have lived a normal dragon life without questions and without restrictions, if it wasn't for the humans. Another part of him would always be grateful for the humans provided him though regardless of what he learned.

Quote: A Guy

[i]Latnok turned to respond to Angora. "You would be right. Phoenixes. Prideful creatures. Brazenly try to deny others space. Some considered themselves infallible. Thought they could just keep getting up if anyone tried to stop them. They were wrong."

It would seem Angora would be more pleased with the fact that she was right. However, her response was another one.
"Oh yeah, phoenixes. I heard they have a humongous ego, worst than that of dragons." she said, having heard quite a lot about them despite never seeing one in person. Many people were fascinated with the fact that they could return from the dead, which would explain why they boasted so much. She didn't seem to notice Latnok was distracted with something else as well.

"There may be records in the library," Vellune responded telepathically, "but searching through them would be rather time-intensive. If you wish, I can have the librarians investigate, but it would have to be something relayed to you later. Vellune then raised the collar up. "In the meantime, I will unlock its power for you, in order to allow you to more effectively assist us - the second function. I see you have done some tampering with it already, which is quite impressive." Vellune gripped the collar in his hand, and the it gave a dull glow. "Now, instead of siphoning your power, you should be able to call upon all of the energy stored for decades, in whatever way you dragons manifest such things. You would be wise to exercise restraint, though - too much power will ravage your body. Consider it an act of good will. Make sure you keep that safe." He then tossed the collar over to Raclaw.
Addressing Star, Vellune replied "That particular magic I used, well, let's see if I can describe it.. basically, on a level so small that not even the smallest creature can see, the smallest level possible for any material, it removes the impurities from the corrupted metal, using the energy I provided by swinging. Perhaps that might have something to do with it."

"...wait, did..." Latnok responded to Angora, somewhat taken aback.. He was expecting more of her usual hatef speech, not a non-confrontational response. "Nevermind."

OOC: If this phone undoes stuff I type one more time, I'll throw it against a wall. Not that it's do anything, this phone is ridiculously durable, like the Nokia of smartphones.

Star actually yelped in terror. "D-d-don't try it again! We're lucky you didn't blow the place up or make a black hole the first time around! The ChronoModifier still has some antimatter left in it from my last use of it!"

Vellune was perexed by Star's reaction. "So what exactly is it that could have happened, and why?" Was it the way I swung the hammer? Meanwhile, Latnok quivered his new arrows.

Star tried to explain. "I-I-if antimatter makes contact with regular matter, both are wiped from existence, since they are physically incompatible... And then we'd ALL die..."

"That would be a most horrific occurrence," Vellune said blankly. "We will be more careful in the meantime. Is there anything else that anyone here requires of us?"

Quote: A Guy

"There may be records in the library," Vellune responded telepathically, "but searching through them would be rather time-intensive. If you wish, I can have the librarians investigate, but it would have to be something relayed to you later. Vellune then raised the collar up. "In the meantime, I will unlock its power for you, in order to allow you to more effectively assist us - the second function. I see you have done some tampering with it already, which is quite impressive." Vellune gripped the collar in his hand, and the it gave a dull glow. "Now, instead of siphoning your power, you should be able to call upon all of the energy stored for decades, in whatever way you dragons manifest such things. You would be wise to exercise restraint, though - too much power will ravage your body. Consider it an act of good will. Make sure you keep that safe." He then tossed the collar over to Raclaw.

'Thank-you and please.,' Raclaw telepathically replied gracefully taking the collar back. As he slipped it once again around his neck and made sure that the fit was just right-- he felt the surge of untapped potential go through his body and awaken his abilities like never before. "Woah..," he briefly said in a quiet tone as his eyes ever so briefly changed color. At first, the collar was limiting his abilities and then merely tolerating them. The collar went from a heavy weight around his neck, to a familiar weight, to.. to something almost freeing. He felt as if he could do anything, but quickly limited the energy surging through his body taking Vellune's warning into account. 'Restraint.,' he thought to himself.

He also quickly realized the potential the collar had if someone else had managed to get a hold of it-- and made one minor visible change on the collar itself. "Mri'kul," he muttered to himself and the silver adjustable buckle on the collar seemingly dissolved into itself. Where there was once a silver buckle that allowed for easy adjustment and removal-- there was now nothing but a seamless surface with only the single unadorned D-ring remaining in the front. For better or worse, it was part of who he was-- and he couldn't see himself without it. He merely shook his head when Vellune asked if anything else was required. And with luck, the librarians would eventually find something containing to his parents. Or so he hoped at least...

Vellune and Latnok looked on, seemingly satisfied with the situation regarding Raclaw and his collar. Fits just like a shoe, Vellune thought. It was in that moment that he recalled something quite important.
"One more thing. For collars that have been shared between more than one dragon, there tend to be some latent memories, the strongest memories - those of experiences with extremely strong emotions, such as intense happiness, anger, fear, excitement, et cetera. Though I have not been able to confirm this myself, once the restraint is removed, the new wearer, from what I have heard, may see some of these memories, should they be in a similar state of emotion to what triggered the memory. Whether this helps you pinpoint exactly what relation the previous wearer has to you, if anything happens at all, I do not know. But we have Guardians spread throughout several parts of the world, and I will make sure that Latnok gets updated with any information we uncover in that regard."
Latnok simply nodded to acknowledge that he understood. "Well, then, are we all ready to go?" he asked. The heat was unpleasant, though he could tolerate it - nevertheless, he was itching to leave and finish the mission.

Angora took the word, and as usual, she didn't seem very happy.
"Not quite yet. Just how hot is this place we're going to?" she asked, seemingly more concerned about the temperature than the possibility of dying.

"Why don't you ask Orion or Neo that?" responded Latnok. "My business in the forge is done, and seemingly the others are as well. All we have left to do is to get out of the cave network. Should, at the very least, be cooler than here."

Angora didn't like his attitude, and she was still upset with Lrion and Neo for what they put her through. She just wanted this mad quest to be over with and be left alone.

OOC: Didn't see it. Oops.

Darkheart whined at Icestorm, squeezing him like he was a dragon-shaped stress ball.

Ignoring Angora's contempt, Latnok observed the others. Those two better not waste our time with their games, Latnok thought, in reference to Icestorm and Darkheart. Compassion was not something Latnok had in spades, and seeing it given so gratuitously almost disgusted him. There was still unfinished business, however, as he intently walked up to Darkheart. "Do you mind explaining to me what the hell that was all about?!" he demanded. "Do you want to get us killed?!"

OOC: Whoever designed this phone's autocorrect should be shot.

Darkheart glared at Latnok. "Do you have any idea what kind of HELL I've been through? I sincerely doubt it. You were at least accepted by your own group. Me... I'm considered evil on sight thanks to these markings... They're known as the "Mark of Wickedness" in most places."

"Well, you think-" Latnok started, but cut himself short. Remember, the mission. Antagonizing his allies was not something he could afford to do.
"Okay, listen. Maybe I haven't had it as bad as you - but my life was no cakewalk either. I was born a ba... an illegitimate child. An accident. No one wanted me. No one wanted our backwater village. I ended up leaving for the city, where I became a street urchin living on scraps. Still, no one would have anything to do with me other than an odd job here or there. I was never really good at anything - except hunting. Hunting and surviving.
"That's why I joined the Guardians. To be worth a damn. I had skills that would serve me well. Even now, they are the only ones who will accept me - between the burn marks on my eyes from the ritual, the subtle skin changes, and all of the scars I've acquired, I'm marked for life. I will never know any companionship besides the other Guardians. I will probably die in battle, like every other Guardian has. But, regardless of the past, or the future, I've managed to survive this long. Those people, those things I once feared, I no longer do. I know I can overcome them. I HAVE overcome them. Everything which has tried to kill me since I've joined - things I would fear before - they are now dead. You need to have that confidence too - that you can kill whatever tries to come for you, even if it troubled you in the past."
Latnok detested giving any sort of motivational speech - he made an exception, like for many other things, in order to fulfill the mission. He highly doubted it would do anything, but it wouldn't hurt to try, he figured.

Angora looked at the two of them in both amusement and annoyance. She was willing to bet everyone thought she would be the one picking up fights, but look who were the culprits.
"Alright you two! Knock it off! Seriously, you can't be more pathetic than this!" she scolded, Darkeart and Latnok getting on her nerves. It seems the human ouln't get along with anyone, which made her believe even more that Ltnok was going to betray them once this dangerous mission was over.

Latnok had stopped caring about anything the troll said a while ago, when she had shown to be completely obstinate. "Could you please keep it down? Grown adults are trying to have an important discussion on life and death matters."

"Grown!?!" Angora said frustrated, her greenish skin actually acquiring a reddish color.
"Just how old do you think I am? " she asked, containing her need to yell to his face.

Darkheart growled. "You think I lack confidence in my combat abilities? I destroyed my hometown without even using half my full force. My issue in combat is NOT making it so I'm the only one left in one piece afterwards, so I'm usually holding back. Believe it or not."

Latnok, giving Angora a hand wave, did not want to waste time speaking with her - he simply telepathed "Your age, much like your contempt for me, is not my concern." At the same time, he turned to answer Darkstar. "Exactly. What do you have to fear? If anything, your enemies should be traumatized by visions of you. I will be honest, though, I am not in the best position to understand. Fear is somewhat unnatural to dragons - big, powerful creatures generally don't need to express fear, and it is a mysterious, surprising emotion for them. We humans, on the other hand, live in fear. For us, that is good, as it keeps us alive. I have lived with fear so long that it doesn't bother me anymore. It's what keeps me alive." This is as far as Latnok wanted to go, after observing the previous negative reaction. He intended to dismiss the matter should Darkheart continue to be unreceptive to his words.

Angora was having enough of Latnok ignoring her, but of course, standing at much less than three feet, it was only natural for someone like her.
"Ugh, again with the stupid telepathy!" Angora muttered to herself really quietly, before speaking again in a much higher tone.
"I don't know why I'm here helping you all! I got the enchanted lantern with the freaky armor and the magic sword, and some bizzare deity living in the equipment, and yet here you are treating me like an insignificant, muddy beast while I listen to all your petty argument! I don't know why I should listen to that Neo guy any longer. I should just leave you alone and hope you die!" Angora commented furiously, meaning every word. She didn't care about anyone in there, not Darkheart, not Star, not Raclaw, not Shade, not even Orion, and especially not Latnok. Whatever Neo saw in her, nobody gave her a chance to show it.

Darkheart sighed. "I'm not scared of that... I'm scared of returning to my insane and half-feral state from before. Iceheart is the first... "Friend"... I've ever had. And my enemies who battled me and aren't dead or consumed by my dark magic are VERY thoroughly traumatized. I don't show mercy in combat, and I can see only one reason I would: Caring about the foe, such as, say, it was Iceheart. The only beings I've fought and willingly shown mercy to were..." A choked sob... "My hatchlings... All of them cursed by one of the foes I used the Shadow Corruption on, the first one actually... Without me around to control them, a being afflicted by my Shadow Corruption goes rogue... The images of my ruined nest are the result of what I went through, and others had it worse..."

OOC: Just noticed I somehow kept misreading "Icestorm" as "Iceheart", somehow. I'm surprised none of you caught that.

Darkheart snuggled into Icestorm. "It's just that... Well... Hope is terrifying."
Star grumbled and turned his headphones up, commenting "Such sappy melodrama... Giving your heart to someone only opens you up for heartache..."

OOC: We don't notice in regards of reading the story without giving importance to the mistakes.

"Well don't you go crazy on us. Creepy shadowy already tried to annihilate us all and we don't need a sequel." Angora said to Darkheart, referring to Shade. Everyone had been talking for a while about corruption and darkness, and Angora was going to have none of it. She already had more than enough with Shade.

Latnok was absolutely taken aback by what he had heard from Darkheart. Never knowing any sort of connection with non-Guardians, let alone a mate, he could not empathize with her at all. And this business about mercy? He never needed to show mercy to anyone, except in training. "I'm sorry to inflict this on you. My compassion for others left a long time ago - I will never feel what you feel. Let's not talk about this again - just know that we're counting on you when the die is cast." He continued to ignore Angora, having become completely desensitized to her grumpy nature and constant complaining. "Very well, Galaxy Dragon. What's the plan?"

OOC: I hope you all know that you guys are the reason I only get 5 hours of sleep before work, because that's when you're all online.

Darkheart bared her fangs. "My life has made it near impossible to NOT be ready to fight and kill at any time. As such, you can afford to count on me being ready for a fight."
Star rolled his eyes, and put his gadgets back into the hammerspace of his mane. After some deliberation, he asked Latnok "Could you make sure to remind me to dismantle my ChronoModifier later, after we're done doing whatever-it-is? If I don't remove the antimatter it'll become even less stable, and if I take the ChronoModifier apart I might be able to replace whatever burned out."

"I'll make sure to do that, that sounds a bit dangerous," answered Latnok. "Now hop back on, looks like we'll be moving out soon. I estimate that we may have about an hour or two before nightfall, though. We will have to plan for the watch rotation, unless any of you are fortunate enough to not need sleep."

Star hopped into the bag, landing inside with ease after starting on the ground.
Darkheart raised a paw. "I don't need sleep unless I completely exhaust all of my magic. Which is almost never."

OOC: A Guy, it's not necessary to post so often. Don't deny precious sleep.

By this time, Angora developed a neutral expression about everything going on. She was no longer upset or trying to pick up a fight. She was so tired of everything, and since getting her old life back wasn't going until after this infernal mission was over, she tried her best to be polite.
"Well, leave that violent enthusiasm for when we find a real threat." Angora said to Darkheart, trying to get on her good side. She didn't want anyone arguing or turning against each other due to collective differences. As for Latnok, she still didn't like him, but was going to cease expressing her dislike for him. And if he was going to ignore her, then so will she.

OOC: But I like posting. I really need sleep now, though, good night.

OOC: I wonder if anybody likes how Latnok has a Backpack Zorua? Also, my last post today.

Darkheart nodded and rolled upright, then shook herself.
Star sighed and allowed himself to sink into the backpack, up to his nose. I wonder if I should copyright my ChronoModifier and sell some to people? … And 'forget' to add warning labels about the dangers of time travel and careless handling of antimatter. The Zorua didn't like people, at all, especially if they were less intelligent than usual, since he abhorred idiots.

"Space?" Angora asked, not hearing anything about space. She only heard they were going on a hot place, nothing else. There was no way she would leave the Earth just like that.

OOC: I like it, think it adds an interesting dynamic. I'm waiting on redwes to post.

Quote: A Guy

Vellune and Latnok looked on, seemingly satisfied with the situation regarding Raclaw and his collar. Fits just like a shoe, Vellune thought. It was in that moment that he recalled something quite important.
"One more thing. For collars that have been shared between more than one dragon, there tend to be some latent memories, the strongest memories - those of experiences with extremely strong emotions, such as intense happiness, anger, fear, excitement, et cetera. Though I have not been able to confirm this myself, once the restraint is removed, the new wearer, from what I have heard, may see some of these memories, should they be in a similar state of emotion to what triggered the memory. Whether this helps you pinpoint exactly what relation the previous wearer has to you, if anything happens at all, I do not know. But we have Guardians spread throughout several parts of the world, and I will make sure that Latnok gets updated with any information we uncover in that regard."
Latnok simply nodded to acknowledge that he understood. "Well, then, are we all ready to go?" he asked. The heat was unpleasant, though he could tolerate it - nevertheless, he was itching to leave and finish the mission.

'I see... well I suppose I shall find out soon enough. And thank-you.,' Raclaw telepathically replied still feeling a little conflicted on just how much the humans had affected the course of his life. He had been raised by humans and he owed them for that-- and it was thanks again to the humans that he was just now beginning to find out more about his true past. On the flip side, those same humans were also responsible for putting in that situation to begin with. It was possible that the alternative could have been a lot worse... and that the humans had somehow saved him from a worst life. It was also possible that he was taken from a better life-- and that his true parents could have been killed or worse. And then there was the whole ordeal with an previous dragon (previous dragons?) having worn his very collar before-- his parents or some other dragon soul whose course in life had been forcefully changed beyond their will? With or without the telepathic link of their current conversation, it was obvious that he was conflicted about the whole idea... but yet somewhat grateful at the same time.

'Tell me-- are there any other surprises that I should know about? I know about the power siphoning and now about the power storage. I know that certain attributes of the collar can be changed or altered upon the use of the certain commands-- a feature I suppose that was originally designed to be used by your guardians. I also know about the potential to control the collar from long distances; something that I am currently in control of but am also capable of giving to another if I so choose. Through the use of experimentation and research, I have discovered various commands and functions that be executed via ether telepathy or direct touch-- the later of which you demonstrated just now. Lock, symbol, teach, enhance, presence, track, free, obey, claim, release-- these are the commands I know about plus another which I shalt not mention as it is a very dangerous command for me to use. Please-- are there any others that I should be aware of? Or any additional functions that could affect me now or in the future?,' he then asked trying to prepare himself and learn all he could while he had the opportunity.

Meanwhile, he was glad that the others stopped fighting and planned to address the others as soon as he was fully satisfied with the ongoing conversation.

Vellune looked down for a few moments as he rested his chin on his hand, in thought. "There are some other commands - most of which will not be relevant to you. Quicken - wakes the wearer up from sleep, unconsciousness, or other things of that nature, though you will most likely need a Guardian to use that command in that scenario. Light - exactly what it says. Reveal - lets Guardians near your position pinpoint your location. Hide - unlocked with the activation - protects you from attempts to locate you other than sight - such as smell, hearing, magic, et cetera, perhaps helping you if you were to become wounded with enemies tracking you. Link - allows the wearer and a Guardian to share thoughts and emotions as if they had the same mind and act in unison. Besides that, there are commands which are disabled upon activation, which are reserved for prisoners. Like previously mentioned, you can draw on its power directly, but don't overwhelm yourself."
"Excellent," Latnok interjected. "I'll make sure he uses it safely. I know it might be a lot to take in... I can somewhat feel your uneasiness. But you will get used to it. Raclaw, are you ready?"