darkSpyro

Anna smiled, turning to the rest of the group, eager to be off, suddenly remembering just how hungry she was. "I'm definitely going after some food!"

She could tell she'd made a very good impression on the dragon. He was no doubt asking so he could be sure to go with her. Normally, she'd hate the feeling of knowing she'd not be left alone, but in this case she didn't mind. True, dragons were one of the only creatures she was close to on her home world, but it was more than that. Something about Marco seemed to call to her, begging her to be his friend. He needed someone, and perhaps so did she.

"Good idea. I vote food. How I hope they have spinach." Marco said exitedly, unaware that it was unusual for a dragon to love vegetables so much.
"So, where do they keep it anyway?" he asked Anna, though he expected the answer from anyone. The library was a big, unfamiliar place to him. It was like being lost in a labyrinth. As he waited for an answer, he looked around, sniffing to see if he could figure out by himself where the food was kept...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Well at least some tried to save dragons. Like you yourself right?" Shade said as he looked at Firefly. "Ok we're ready to leave.

"That was before my time, unfortunately. But if I could have, I would have at least tried.," Caelan said.

"I can tell that you are a good person, or at least you try to be.," Bikil said after listening to the conversation.

Omen and Firefly briefly glanced at each other. The gryphon then cleared his throat and turned his attention to the others. "Alright, everyone listen up. Here's the plan. We will split up into two groups. My group will handle the food and medical supplies. So if you don't need to see the blacksmith for anything, then you should come with me."

"But if you do need to see the blacksmith, then you should follow me." Firefly announced. "He'll take care of your weapons and armor, if you need any. If you need to shop for something else, then let me know, and we'll take care of it."

"After we're done, the two groups will meet up at the Inn we'll be staying at." Omen said. "You can rest and get to know each other better there. If we make it back to the Inn, and you find that you don't yet have everything you need, then be sure to let one of us know and we'll help you get it."

"Okay, so if everyone understands what we're doing, then we should go ahead and split up into our groups before we leave the library. So decide what you need and who you're going with." Firefly said.

Nadia walked over to Abby. "So I guess you're going with the food group then? I mean, I know you need medical supplies."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be able to do my job without them."

Nadia nodded. "I'll go with you then."

Abby shook her head. "You should probably see the blacksmith."

"What? But I have a sword already. Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight with all these weirdos around."

"Nadia, I'll be fine. Plus, it's only temporary. We need to make sure we're prepared, and we need different things. It'll be okay."

Bikil and Caelan stood behind Shade. "I'm following his advice.," Bikil said. "Armor and repairs... nothing unusual.," Caelan said.

Darin, meanwhile, quietly got behind Omen.

Marco already knew what group he wanted to be in, so he didn't even bothered asking.

"Um...." Abby thought for a moment. "Well, the guides did mention an Inn. Maybe you could stay there? I wouldn't know where that is, though."

"Maybe you should wait at the Inn, too, Abby." Nadia suggested.

"What? Why? And what about the medical supplies?"

"I think I'd feel a little better if you weren't too close to the others. And besides, I can get the supplies we need."

"But you're going to the blacksmith. I don't think that group is getting medical supplies."

"Then screw the blacksmith. I don't need to see him for anything. And I don't want you wandering off with a bunch of wierdos."

"So you'd rather I try to find the Inn on my own and wait there with who knows what kinds of creatures would be there?" Abby raised an eyebrow.

Nadia hesitated a moment. "Nevermind that. At least you wouldn't be stuck with this crazy bunch when I'm not around."

Abby sighed. "Whatever eases your mind..." She shrugged. "But I still don't know where the Inn actually is."

Nadia glanced at the two guides. "Hold on a second." She started walking over to where the others were.

Firefly looked at her group. "So... Are we all ready to go?" She asked just to be sure.

"Wait." Nadia said as she approached them.

The red dragon glanced at her. "Oh? Is something wrong?"

"Quick question. Could someone just like wait at the Inn instead?"

Firefly briefly glanced at Omen. "Uh, I guess so. I mean, if you don't need anything, then I guess it's okay. But do you think you would have trouble finding the Inn?"

Nadia shrugged. "Dunno. Is it hidden?"

"No."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem."

"I guess not." Firefly muttered. Then she had an idea. She started to reach into her satchel. She pulled out a map and handed it to Nadia. "Here. You can take this. It's a map of the city. It should help you find the Inn."

Nadia took the map. She gave a slight nod as thanks and then walked back to her sister. "Now we got our own map."

"Great." Abby smiled. "Hmm.... I wonder, though, could we maybe do our own shopping before heading to the Inn? That way, we could keep our distance from the others and still prepare." She glanced at Flame and Umbrius. "Would that be okay?"

Marco didn't care how much he had to wait, as long as he ate fast. He even grew a little envious of Kira, who was sleeping still after a dragonfly feast she gave herself before arriving to that place.

Currency? Marco had no idea something like that was use in that world. He knew what it was, but it wasn't a common trait in his world.

Omen glanced at Firefly. "Your group should probably go on ahead. You wouldn't want to wait too late to see the blacksmith. He tends to get busier as the day goes on."

"You're probably right. I just didn't want to rush anyone." She replied.

"I'll wait here a moment longer, in case someone isn't quite ready."

"Okay, good idea. I guess I'll get my group going then." Firefly then looked at the others. "Anyone wanting to see the blacksmith, just come with me." She turned towards the door, and briefly glanced back at the group. Firefly headed outside the library, and waited by the door for her group to follow.

Abby saw Nadia briefly glance at the red dragon. "Are you going to go with them?"

Her sister sighed and hesitated to reply. "I don't really want to. I rather just keep you safe."

"You might need to see the blacksmith, though."

"Nah, I'm fine. My sword doesn't really need to be fixed, and I don't really need anything else. I mean, I never needed anything fancy back home."

"Yeah, but this world is different. You might need it here."

"Pfft. I don't think so. I think I'll just stay with you. At least then I'll know you're safe. Besides, you need supplies more than I do."

Abby sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's check the map real quick then." She then opened it up and started looking it over. "Hmm... Looks like the marketplace is located towards the city gates, and the Inn looks close by as well. Looks like there's all kinds of different shops."

"Well, we need medical supplies. I guess food, but I can hunt for that."

"I don't really see a shop that seems to specialize in medical supplies. I see the blacksmith, and the shops that sell food, but these other shops look a bit... Well, I've never seen any back home...."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's shops for like potions and spell books. I'm not sure if they would have what I need. And I just thought of something else. How exactly will we pay for everything?"

"Do we really need an armor? These plants growing on me are weighing me down already, and some of them are even hardened." Marco confessed, though to no one in particular. He liked freedom, and he was sure an armor was going to restrict him a lot.

Bikil and Caelan followed the others. Bikil noticed that the dragonlet seemed to take interest in him, though thought nothing of it.

Umbra had grown bored of standing around and getting nothing done, he wanted to get moving and check out some of the shops, he didn't have any money but it would be easy to steal some things if he really needed to. He'd been hiding on the ceiling so he could get a glance at the map he much preferred to be on his own so it'd help if he knew where to go. If the shops weren't of any fun he thought that he might just wander around a bit or even go to the Inn and sleep, he was anxious to get started anyways. Out the door he slipped and towards the shops he went.

Firefly nodded. "Well, I'd say so. He seems pretty skilled. But I'm no expert, so I don't really know how much my opinion is actually worth. But he's not the only blacksmith, so if you don't find his work satisfactory, then I can always take you somewhere else."

Omen looked at Marco. "No, armor is not required at all. You don't have to wear it if you don't feel comfortable with it."

"Well then, thanks." Marco replied, though not expecting anyone to have actually listened to his previous comment.
"Can you direct me to the kitchen? Or a dining room?" he asked, taking advantage of the opportunity that he was being paid more attention.

As everyone split into two groups, Thomas approached Anna. After all, it would be best if they made a plan together before splitting ways. "Anna..."
She glanced up at him, and there was a scowl on her face. It took him off guard, though it probably shouldn't have. With his head spinning, he had forgotten their conversation before entering the portal and coming to this world.

"Anna, we need to talk..." He said to her, his feelings of regret instantly coming back. In response, she folded her arms over her chest and turned away. It was apparent she had nothing to say to him.

With a sigh, he turned away. The sting of the rejection only added to the feeling of suffocation he was feeling. Eagerly, he followed Firefly toward the door, glad they were finally leaving. Hopefully some fresh air would help.

Before he stepped outside, he glanced back as he heard Anna's voice. She had turned to the dragon still standing next to her. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of armor, either. It just gets in the way," she said. Thomas hoped she wouldn't take the armor off she was wearing. It would be just like her, reckless as she was. With another sigh, he turned away. She had no problem talking freely with the dragon she'd just met. He, on the other hand, had lost her comradery. What would that mean for this quest?

Marco agreed, being glad that somebody else understood the inconvenience of armors. He was determined to follow her, wether she went for the food or not. Along the way, he was feeling sorry for Thomas. What happened between the two? He didn't want to ask though, and continue to pretend he wasn't interested to be in a conversation that was not of his concern.

Firefly glanced around at her group. "So I guess this is everyone who wants to see the blacksmith. Alright then, let's get going." She announced. She started walking away from the library. As Firefly walked, she glanced back at her group. "If any of you want me to point out other places along the way, then let me know. After the blacksmith, we can go anywhere else you need to."

Omen sighed and looked around the library at those who remained. "I'm assuming none of you are really interested in the blacksmith then, and that the rest of you are coming with me. We can leave whenever you're ready."

If that group was going to the blacksmith, then that meant Omen's group was going to the dining. It isn't after that Moment that Marco realized that he is in a different world. Maybe the food wasn't the same at all. He was not a fan of trying new things, but knew he had no choice.

Firefly glanced back at Shade and sighed. "Our warriors aren't exactly... Listening to reason." She muttered. "They're too hasty to place blame and start wars, without even trying to find the facts and the true cause behind the fog."

"Since the two clouds are clearly poison and shadow based, the poison and shadow creatures are being blamed. My mentor doesn't believe they're behind this, but the others just aren't listening to her. Omen and I offered to help her, but she wasn't sure if we could fix this problem on our own."

"That's where all of you come in. She thought that maybe if she summoned different types of heroes from other worlds that they might listen to reason. She believed that none of you would be biased to automatically assume that poison and shadow creatures were to blame. She hoped all of you would help us find the true cause behind this and put a stop to it." Firefly explained.

Meanwhile, Abby and Nadia were still looking over the map. They both glanced at Umbrius when he asked them about potions and spell books.

Nadia crossed her arms. "Well, we don't exactly have those where we come from."

"A lot of what we've seen already doesn't exist in our world." Abby added.

"Yeah, like everything here." The weretiger huffed.

Abby briefly glanced at her sister, then sighed and looked back at Flame and Umbrius. "We just don't have all these.... Unusual.... Creatures... Back home..." She muttered. Abby cleared her throat. "But nevermind that. We need to figure out how we'll pay for everything."

"Well, back home, we usually trade for things."

"But we don't really have much on us to trade, at least nothing that we could spare. Besides, our stuff might not be accepted here." Abby thought for a moment. "Our guides said they were supposed to pay for things. We might have to ask one of them for currency."

"I agree." Firefly replied. "With the others being so quick to place blame and start fights, they will only make matters worse. That's why we need your help. We need you to help us find the true cause and put a stop to it. We can't let any innocents take the blame."

Nadia sighed. "Yeah, sure. I'll go talk to the funny-looking thing over there." As she turned to head over to Omen, she saw something fly out of another portal. She watched as it hit the wall and fell to the ground. "What the heck?!"

Abby gasped. "Oh no. The poor thing could be hurt!"

"Poor thing?!" Her sister spat. "That ''poor thing'' is a fricking overgrown lizard! The wall is probably worse off!"

"Nadia! Don't be insensitive!" Abby hissed. "That creature could actually be hurt. We should help."

"Help?! And how the heck do you plan on doing that?! You don't have any medical supplies! And even if you did, giant magical lizards are a little out of your area of expertise!"

"That doesn't mean that I shouldn't at least try." She countered.

After the dragon crashed, Omen rushed over to check up on him. He was about to ask if he was okay, when he noticed the dragon was unconscious.

From the back of the library, the purple dragon headed back to the others. She saw Omen standing by the red dragon that had crashed.

Thomas followed Firefly as she emerged from the library. He glanced to those who had decided to go their own way. Perhaps they had the right idea. He'd easily be able to find the inn, even if he didn't have the map they did. It wasn't that big of a town, and he was pretty good at finding his way around. Still, there were bound to be dozens of others in the this town, so even if he left the group, he wouldn't be truly alone.
His attention was suddenly drawn back to Firefly as he heard her say, "Since the two clouds are clearly poison and shadow based, the poison and shadow creatures are being blamed." He didn't hear anything else, his worst fears proven true.
"So it is poison..." he said aloud, more to himself than anyone else. Once again, his head was spinning, heat suddenly rushing to his head and his vision becoming foggy. This wasn't good. If the poison dragons were being blamed, he would be next. No, he wasn't from this world, but he still possessed poison magic, and though he never used it, it was still a part of him. How could he help a land that was being plagued by an element that coursed through his veins?
Shaking his head, he tried to pull himself back to the conversation at hand. He needed to pay attention. He needed to figure out what to do. He obviously couldn't leave. Maybe it would be best for him to remain behind. Rivers wasn't speaking to him, anyway, and that could jeopardize the journey just as much as his poison magic.
"...We can't let any innocents take the blame," Firefly said as he finally managed to focus again. It was very small comfort to know she and the others didn't blame the poison dragons for the chaos.

------------------------

Rivers waited, a bit impatiently, for the group to leave. She was just ready to say they should go when something suddenly flew from one of the portals. "Whoa!" She shouted, shocked at the suddenness of the disturbance. Looking to the newcomer, she soon realized that it was yet another dragon with red scales. She didn't hesitate to follow Oman over to the dragon, checking him out. He was unconscious.
"Don't move him!" She was quick to demand. "He could be hurt."
She knelt next to the dragon, studying him, wondering how they could wake him. They needed to do that in order to know how to help him. There was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that she was no longer a captain in a school and should be allowing those who were in charge to do their jobs, but it was overcome by her instincts.

In the meantime, Marco was confused at where he was exactly. He just concentrated on following Anna around. Kira didn't even bother to wake up. She didn't want to do anything with the group, so she intended to them to pretend she didn't existed.

Omen looked over the red dragon's wounds. "Don't worry. We're here to help you." He spoke quietly. He turned his gaze to the purple dragon as she approached them.

"He will need to see the healer. However, we will have to bring her here." She said.

Abby overheard that and quickly glanced at her sister. "Nadia, they need me." She insisted.

"No. Forget it. We don't know anything about that overgrown lizard. Let them deal with it." The weretiger huffed.

"But I'm a healer. Maybe I can do something."

"Like what? You have no supplies. We would at least need to get some first."

"Alright, then let's go do that." Abby then started to follow Flame and Umbrius.

Nadia sighed. She started to mutter under her breath as she followed after her sister.

"My name is Omen." He spoke gently, hoping the hushed voice would be calming. "Just stay calm and relax. You are safe here. We will tend to your wounds."

"Omen, go get the healer. We will need her services." The purple dragon glanced at Rivers briefly. "We will stay here and watch over our injured friend here." She said.

Omen nodded. "Yes ma'am." He then headed towards the door. He passed the sisters on his way, stepping outside before them. He paid little attention to the others that had already headed outside as he walked past them.

The sisters had paused, on account of Abby glancing back at the injured Kaiju and listening to the conversation. She still wanted to help, even if she couldn't do much. Nadia sighed and wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. She began directing her to the door, walking with her to make sure she actually ended up outside and not over by the Kaiju.

As they stepped outside, they noticed it was cloudy. Nadia was relieved to see that it wasn't sunny out. So at least they wouldn't be blinded by the sunlight. Nadia noticed that Flame and Umbrius were under a shade. She wondered if they were nocturnal as well. Before she could stop her, Abby rushed over to meet up with them. Nadia just sighed and followed her.

The purple dragon looked at the injured Kaiju. "You may call me Ariolus. Just stay still and rest. Omen should return soon with the healer."

Abby opened up the map again and started looking at the shops. "Well, I need medical supplies, but I still don't know where to get them."

"Let me see that." Nadia took the map from her sister and looked it over. "Hey, what about this place?" She pointed to a spot on the map.

Abby raised an eyebrow curiously and looked at where she was pointing. "The miscellaneous shop? They just sell odds and ins. I doubt I would find anything I need there."

"Well, you never know. They might have like a first aid kit or something. Might be worth checking out."

"I've never seen a first aid kit at a shop like that back home."

"But we ain't at home anymore. We're in some weird fairy tale place with giant, magical lizards and funny cat-bird things. They might not even have first aid kits like the ones we have back home."

Abby thought about that for a moment. "You may have a point there. They may not have the supplies I need."

"Then I guess you can't do your job here." Nadia shrugged. "I might have to actually be careful for once." She snickered a bit.

Abby crossed her arms. "You shouldn't be so reckless in the first place." She sighed and took back the map. "But I am going to do my job regardless. I just may have to find a new way of doing it."

"What do you mean? You're just going to wish for them to get better and they just randomly do like in some sort of cartoon or something?"

Abby sighed again. "No." She muttered, not amused by the jokes. "I'm thinking of going to that potion shop."

"What good would that do?"

"Well, potions just might be their form of medicine, only maybe more magical or something. They could be made with herbs and such, sort of like back home, but with different effects. They could even work better than what we have. They might even work instantly or something."

Nadia huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't like it. I could end up taking one of those things and turn into a frog or something. Then what would we do?"

"We could always move to the swamp. Maybe we'd make some new friends. And don't worry, I won't let the alligators eat you."

"Abby! That's not funny! If I change into a frog, you better change me back!"

Abby giggled. "Relax, Nadia, I was only joking. Although you might be cute as a frog. And maybe you'd cause less trouble that way."

Nadia huffed. "So where are we going?" She asked impatiently.

"Well, I want to go to the potion shop."

"Fine, but I better not turn into a frog because of one of them things."

In the meantime, Marco was waiting on what kind of orders would they be given in order to fight whatever was out there.

Anna continued to watch the red dragon-looking creature, listening to the conversations going on around her. She caught the purple dragon's glance and nodded in return, silently agreeing to watch over the new arrival with her. As she watched him, she could see his discomfort. She glanced to the purple dragon - Ariolus. "Do you have any way to ease his pain until Omen returns with the healer?" She knew the dragon had said he'd return soon, and she hoped she was right.

"So what now?" Marco asked, doubtful.

Ariolus sighed. "I'm afraid I have no medical supplies here in the library, but I still may be able to do something for him." She turned her gaze to the Kaiju as she lifted her paw. "Now just relax. I am going to see if I can provide some sort of comfort to you." She gently placed her paw on him and then her eyes began to glow violet. "Deleniatur dolor." She chanted. The spell would not be able to heal his wounds, but it was meant to reduce the level of pain he was in. She lifted her paw and her eyes stopped glowing. "There. That should help, at least until Omen returns."

Abby and Nadia headed down the street towards the marketplace. Abby lead the way with the map in hand, checking to see that they were taking the right path to the potion shop. Nadia was busy looking around at everything. Everything in the city just seemed so... BIG.

All the buildings were enormous, probably because all the dragons walking around were rather big themselves. Even the gryphons and some of the anthro animals could be rather large and intimidating. Nadia eyed everything carefully, being quick to give a glare to anything that dared stare back. She also kept a close eye on Abby, making sure nothing got too close to her.

As Firefly's group had already made their way to the marketplace, the red dragon spotted a familiar shop up ahead. "Look over there, it's the blacksmith's shop." She called out to the others, pointing to a shop with her paw.

The shop appeared to be a cabin that, although short compared to the other buildings, was quite wide and spacious. It was simply designed to hold the armor and weapons that creatures used, not the actual beings themselves. There were some smaller weapons and pieces of armor displayed out in front. To the side was an open workplace where the items would be crafted.

Standing in the workplace was a large, muscular, anthro rhinoceros. They stood about six feet tall with quite a heavy build. Their feet were like that of a rhino, but their hands were more human-like. They wore chain mail over a brown leather shirt, steel shoulder guards, arm bracers, and a leather skirt of sorts. They didn't seem to notice anyone approaching as they continued to hammer away on a heated piece of metal.

Anna nodded again to Ariolus, then watched her work, staying out of the way as there was nothing she could do. She observed the new arrival as he looked out a nearby window, then rested his head on his arm. He seemed to be a bit better, but still seemed weak. At least he was resting comfortably.

--------------------------

Thomas followed Firefly and the others to the blacksmith's shop. He hadn't considered that most of the buildings would be so large since they housed dragons, having just assumed the library was large due to the fact that it held a lot of books. The blacksmith shop before them, however, wasn't that large at all. The walk to it had helped him clear his head. He still hadn't made a decision about anything, but being out in the fresh air had taken the tension and pressure off of needing to make one. Whatever he did, he'd need a good blade at hand, so would focus on that now. He watched as the black dragon moved up to who he assumed was the blacksmith and presented him with a question.