darkSpyro

"Let's get going, then," Laszur said, as he made his way off the gangplank. Though it was getting darker, his night vision would allow him to see things in clear detail. As he moved, he kept an ear out for any potential hostiles - he already knew there was someone who had a problem with them on the island. They would try to avoid engagements, if possible.

Ilasi picked up her arm, taking a look at the bandage she had around it. "I'll be fine," she assured Maverick. "Others need help here, too. My wound won't get any worse." Still, she appreciated Maverick's concern for her - she wish Kasidra could've seen, so the tiefling wouldn't get any more touchy than she already had.

OOC: 'She then landed next to them'? You need to be a bit more specific SC. You mean the scouts? Remember that they can't be too near or they'll be discovered.

Angora continued walking with Dahlia, not trusting her enough to mount her by herself, but the dirt buffalo followed her without drifting away. She wasn't the best source of protection, but Dahlia respected her friendship with Maverick. As they walked, Angora would occasionally looked into her pocket to see if the orb was glowing, since that lately meant Shepherd was trying to communicate with her. Nothing so far, so she focused on the talk at hand, seeing the island from time to time to see if she could spot anything suspiscious or at least something that would make her wonder if the island was safe.

Quote: A Guy

"Let's get going, then," Laszur said, as he made his way off the gangplank. Though it was getting darker, his night vision would allow him to see things in clear detail. As he moved, he kept an ear out for any potential hostiles - he already knew there was someone who had a problem with them on the island. They would try to avoid engagements, if possible.

Ilasi picked up her arm, taking a look at the bandage she had around it. "I'll be fine," she assured Maverick. "Others need help here, too. My wound won't get any worse." Still, she appreciated Maverick's concern for her - she wish Kasidra could've seen, so the tiefling wouldn't get any more touchy than she already had.

"Ok then Ilasi. Do your work like only you know. No te preocupes por mi. I'll be fine here. The gentlemen here can help you with whatever you need." Maverick said, knowing the three released men were more than willing to be of help and make things easier for Ilasi. While he felt fine enough to walk around, he knew Ilasi would want him to rest, so Maverick decided to remain at the infirmary for a while with his leg elevated to prevent her from worrying. He wanted to visit Dahlia, but she could wait a while...

Tyraika watched the scouts from her perch atop the mountain. With her keen eyesight and the high altitude, she could see just about everything on her island. She felt confident she could safely watch from up there without being detected. With other intruders, the dragon had never really been spotted before, without purposefully revealing herself. However, up til now, Tyraika had mostly dealt with pirates who had invaded her island in search of valuable treasure. She had never dealt with someone actually trained in scouting before. So while the dragon could clearly see who all was on her island, she didn't consider whether or not they would be able to see her from the ground.

She nodded. "Nighttime is our best bet for stealth, and more of them should be asleep then. But..." Tyraika trailed off. "It's still risky to go to them. The ship is likely heavily guarded now, after that attack from earlier. This won't be easy." She paused. "Our best bet is to wait to see if the dragons actually leave the ship, which so far, it appears that they aren't." Tyraika sighed. "If they don't leave, then we may have to go on the offensive in order to save them."

Kasidra nodded and followed Laszur. She raised her hood and wrapped her cloak around her. She touched the button clasp of her cloak and activated her invisibility. This would help the tiefling to stay hidden. Kasidra touched her temple to cast a spell that would allow her to sense any blood in the area. This spell didn't just work on blood that was separated from the body, but also allowed her to sense the blood of living organisms around her. This would help the tiefling keep track of anyone trying to sneak up on her, while also helping to give her a sense of the enemy's general size and shape, based on the blood in their veins.

Angora walked Dahlia around the ship for a while longer, still very curious about the island. She would look at the dragolet with every walk. She wanted so badly to talk to Shade, but she knew that disobeying the rules would only extend the duration and most likely make thing bad for her, Shade and even Maverick. For now, all she could do was continue doing what she did best; taking care of the animals, not just Veris. Later on, perhaps she could take care of Chester as well. It would at least provide an opportunity to talk with Raclaw more. She felt so sad thinking about him. She firmly believed that a future friendship with the fur dragon was impossible now that he bonded with someone that hated her with a passion (as far as she thought).

Unable to stand the negative thoughts, which she believed were a cause of being there on deck, Angora concluded Dahlia's walk and lead her to her enclosure again, with the dirt buffalo satisfied enough. Angora left food and water for her and took her leave, remembering that she didn't give any of the latter to Veris. Despite the wyvern not seeing uncomfortable with the lack of water earlier even after a banquet like that, she nevertheless filled a bucket with the precious liquid, carrying it all the way to the night colored mount's enclosure, entering quietly in case he was still asleep...

Laszur noted Kasidra using her capabilities to render herself invisible; he would soon follow suit, being able to keep track of Kasidra by the sound she made. As he did so, he spotted something far in the distance; a dragon? It was seemingly watching over them; Laszur would track its change in behavior as he and Kasidra became invisible.
"Note that dragon over there," he indicated to Kasidra. "Can you see it?" Laszur, though he knew some of Kasidra's capabilities, did not know how keen her eyesight was. "Whatever it is, that might be the one who has an issue with us here. It doesn't look like anything the crew couldn't make short work of - though I can't say I'm surprised." Creatures tended to get complacent in their small bubbles when they haven't been sufficiently challenged enough.

Veris, meanwhile, was fast asleep, having been rendered drowsy by his meal and the late hours. He wouldn't be responsive to anyone entering his pen, short of a major disturbance.

Kasidra scanned the area until she picked up on the trace of blood at the top of the mountain. That was the only blood signature that even remotely resembled a dragon here, so that must have been what Laszur was talking about. The blood signature was far away, though, and with it getting dark, it was difficult to see any clear details. Kasidra's eyesight was good and she was at least used to working in low light situations, but she didn't have any night vision. Without at least a little light for her to work with, it would be difficult for the tiefling to see anything clearly.

"I can sense it with my magic at least," Kasidra replied. "It won't be able to sneak up on me, even if it tries. Although, it doesn't seem in a hurry to attack us. Didn't the thunderbird say it changed its mind about us being here?" she asked. She wasn't sure whether or not the thunderbid's words could be trusted. It seemed strange to the tiefling. Why would this creature change its mind?

Tyraika growled when the scouts seemed to disappear right before her eyes. "Damn! I haven't seen that sort of thing before. I didn't know people had abilities like that. We can't watch them now." She turned away and moved behind some trees to conceal herself. She debated on whether she wanted to stay hidden or try to locate the scouts another way. She figured trying to find them would be risky, but she didn't want to just sit and wait to see if they found her instead.

"I'm going to track them down. You wait here and keep watch," Tyraika said. She knew her friend would most likely only get in the way of her hunting. The dragon hurried over to a hole in the mountaintop, one that acted sort of like a sky light, which led down to the caves that made up her lair. She dove inside and landed in one of the chambers of her lair. Tyraika headed down one of the tunnels that would take her out to the forest.

Looking outside in a small window, Maverick could see I was already night outside. So soon? Time does fly, but then again, it was quite the busy day today. Not wanting to worry Ilasi, Maverick began to sleep there at the infirmary, wanting to rest very early so he could be awakened the next morning without feeling sleepy or tired, and of course to surprise Ilasi with another breakfast. He would have to give food to a selected few though, since he didn't think he would be able to pull the cart with his leg like that. It wasn't badly injured, but it still stings.

Quote: A Guy

Veris, meanwhile, was fast asleep, having been rendered drowsy by his meal and the late hours. He wouldn't be responsive to anyone entering his pen, short of a major disturbance.

Angora left the bucket of water in a corner, moving very slowly to prevent the slumbering wyvern from waking up. She didn't know if he was one of those creatures who hated their sleep disturbed and awakened grumpy, but she wasn't going to do the experiment. As she left, this was usually the time where she messed up and tripped, but thankfully, none of that happened. The floor was a bit squeaky, but nothing too loud.

The troll carefully closed Veris' enclosure, making sure it was locked up before leaving. She wanted to do something else, but the late hours were also starting to get to her. Trolls could be both diurnal and nocturnal without affecting their system, but she chose the former for the sake of her friends. She went to her cabin and was rather sad to find it empty, but she shook it off quickly and went to bed. While she was feeling drowsy, she nevertheless tried to remain awake for as long as she could help up, wanting to wait and see if Shepherd would answer her previous call...

As Ilasi attended to others in the infirmary, she could appreciate that Maverick was taking the opportunity to get some rest. With how hard he worked for her and everyone else, he could definitely use it. Ilasi was going to take good care of him - hopefully well enough to stop Kasidra from being any more than an afterthought.

"We don't need to engage anyone unless necessary," Laszur said, as he led the way. "The creature's approval of us is irrelevant unless it actually attempts to attack us - in which case, we handle it appropriately. I have some hexphage fungus on me - which I can plant as needed, if we find the opportunity to infect the dragon or thunderbird." The hexphage was essential to initially subduing Shade - and Laszur was counting on it to be able to do the same to others.

Despite everything that has happened, Angora has had dreamless nights lately, but tonight was different. She has been thinking too much about what will happen to everyone after they returned to Redwater, especially Shade. Where was his mother? Why couldn't she just take him away, educate him, help him with his powers and prevent everyone, including himself, from being in danger? And has it been a mistake to refuse the kind Shepherd's help? Was that really the only way she could ever have a happy life? She wanted things to be the way they were before, exploring the world with Shade and Maverick. She was even willing to welcome Ilasi into the family, but what if the mermaid took Maverick away? Or what if Shade's mother did? Angora would be completely alone.

The little troll found herself in a dark corner, completely alone. Maverick was gone. Shade was gone... but she didn't know if he was a permanent prisoner of Redwater or if his mother managed to get him away from the Guardians and Aelinonians. Shepherd was there, ready to welcome her with open arms and give her a happy life... but what if her happy life involved other's misery? She spent too much time feeling miserable to want to wish that upon somebody else. She would be selfish... but what was wrong with wanting to be happy? Did she needed to be selfish in order to be happy? Was that really the only way? Angora didn't know what to do, when out of the darkness, Veris came, with a piece of paper wrapped around his tail.
"Master sends this..." he said, with Angora completely understanding his words. Neo wasn't involved. She could just understand him. The paper was a contract, one that would declare her Veris' caretaker... forever. What's more, it was a blood contract, the most powerful of them all, one that if you broke intentionally, you'd automatically die. Sere was impressed with how healthy Veris was thanks to Angora, so he wanted her to take care of him for the rest of her life. Not only would he have someone taking care of his precious and powerful mount, but that would also guarantee that he would have complete control of Angora, and avoid risking any more rebellion or sabotages from her.

Angora turned her head to look at Shepherd, but he wasn't there anymore. What should she do? Her friends... they were gone, and even if Shade was a prisoner of Aelinon, there was nothing she could do. She could accept Shepherd's offer of course, but at what cost would bringing him back would come with? And if he was indeed imprisoned in Redwater, his mother would probably take him away, and she wasn't sure if she would be accepted among a community of dragolets. What then, should she do?

Angora was still deeply asleep, and trapped in a dream. She was alone. The only one there now was Veris, still with the contract. But was taking Shepherd's offer the wisest thing to do? Would she really get the happiness she desired if she took his offer? Maverick was probably already happy now with Ilasi, and if Shade was in Aelinon, she was going to let his mother take care of his freedom. She already did everything she could for him, and she was sick and tired of always bailing him out, always expecting him to control both his powers and overprotective nature, only for him to fail miserably and also breaking his promises and burying her and Maverick deeply in trouble. No more. She did everything she could and more. She was going to let Shade bail himself out this time or let his mother do it, as it should've been done so long ago.

Angora made her decision. She might be pleasing Sere and Latnok with her decision, the two people she was certain hated her, but she had nothing else to do now. Nothing else with life. She signed the blood contract, knowing that meant she would be stuck with the care taking job until one or both of them died. Veris looked very content, but also felt sorry for her. Using his jaws, the wyvern picked her up from her hood, gently lifting her up and taking her away. She didn't know where, but she didn't care. She could never had the life before, so she might as well do something useful until there was nothing else to do.

Outside the dream, Angora could be seen frowning and crying, uncertain about her 'decision' but too late to back down now. There was nothing left for her. Nobody left to love her, except this two legged dragon. Or at least that's what she believed...

The scouting mission would go on relatively uneventfully - the scouting duo would find several routes throughout the forest, with Laszur keeping an eye for any potential sightings of the dragon or thunderbird. With the constant tracking of the blood signature, the two had a general idea of what they were dealing with, as well as some potential hiding places. Such things would be noted down by Laszur for their report to the captain in the morning - they would return to the ship, with Laszur relieving Latnok for keeping watch of Shade. With nothing else to do, Latnok decided to leave to get some rest, for whatever may happen the next day.

As Lanok decided to call it a night-- Raclaw and Chester, having kept the beloved Guardian company, soon decided to do the same laying down in their cozy beds alongside Latnok's own bed.

Unlike Angora, Maverick had a pleasant slumber the whole night. He did have his dreams, but they were short and happy. He and his girlfriend, playing with Angora at the distance, and Shade flying around. He didn't have any powers, having given them up willingly to prevent from hurting anyone else again.

The dreams were fragmented, yet clear enough for Maverick to see what they were about. When he woke up that morning, the sun was barely showing up. The infirmary looked very dark, but since he was already up so early, he decided to start making breakfast. But first, he attended Dahlia. His leg didn't hurt anymore, though it still didn't heal completely. He felt fine though, and wasn't even limping, so Maverick prepared himself for the day. The dirt buffalo was already waiting for him. Giving her food and water and petting her for a while, Maverick left towards the kitchen, assuring the dirt buffalo he will take her for a walk later. Since it was so early, Maverick was going to cook for everyone on the ship and do slightly better decorations than usual. Arranging the frying pans and pots like he always did, he started making the meals, sitting on a chair while he waited.

While he left time do it's work, he was thinking of spending most of the day with Angora. He already spent much time with Ilasi, and didn't want the troll to feel left out. Pondering about what she could do with her, Maverick remembered he never asked his girlfriend how things went with Angora yesterday. He hoped things weren't worse now. While he was rather nervous about asking, he was going to do so later in the day.

Tyraika had tried tracking the scouting duo and managed to pick up their scent, but that was about all she accomplished. She knew what they smelled like now and what paths they had taken through the forest, but she never saw them again. The dragon had tried to stay hidden among the trees and other foliage in the area, but was unable to tell exactly how successful she was. Tyraika knew she hadn't been attacked at least, so she figured they never saw her, just as she didn't see them. After she tracked their scent back to the ship and felt confident that they were gone, she headed back to her lair. Tyraika laid down in one of the chambers and rested for the night.

While Kasidra's vision wasn't the best, she managed to keep a lock on the dragon with the help of her magic. She figured that the dragon never attacked because it couldn't see them. The tiefling was fine with the uneventful mission. Although, she wasn't sure if the next day would be the same or not. After the mission was over, Kasidra simply retired to her room for the night. She fell asleep right away and had a relatively restful night.

As usual, Latnok was awake at dawn (despite having had less time to sleep), practicing some magic of in the typical fashion. From what he gathered from Laszur, whatever the creature defending the island was, it didn't seem too impressive; nevertheless, being in top shape never hurt. If it tried to cause problems, he was certain Sere would collar it, if it didn't get itself killed.
Sere was, himself, at the wyvern pen this dawn; he was looking over Veris, who was slowly starting to come awake. Veris seemed to be well-maintained, as far as his scales went; he also seemed to be in a very vibrant mood, as he plunged his head into the drinking water Angora had prepared in his sleep. Angora seemed to be doing her job well, at least.
"Are you ready for a flight, Veris?" Sere asked the wyvern. Veris let out an excited shriek, as he lowered himself to allow Sere to mount.

By the time Sere woke up and Latnok began his training, Maverick's cooking surrounded the nearby hallways. With the meals done, the hybrid began decorating them, taking almost an hour to finish. The ship had less sailors now due to the attack right before he disappeared, so he didn't have to prepare as many meals as before.

After the careful decorations were done, Maverick went to the tedious work of preparing the trays and carts in order to get the food upstairs and into the main deck, the part he disliked. He didn't mind the cooking, but she wasn't fond of pulling the cart. Still, he didn't think nobody else was awake, or at least nearby, so he did the job himself, ringing the little bell attached to his cart as soon as he finally reached the main deck.
"Breakfast! Breakfast is ready!" he called while ringing the bell, just in case there was someone in the main deck he wasn't seeing yet. He wanted to bring Ilasi's breakfast in bed like other times, but he didn't know if she was awake or if she slept in her cabin or the infirmary, so thinking looking for her would take too long, Maverick decided it was best to get out of this step first. He hoped she was still asleep by the time the sailors picked their meals, but if not, Ilasi could always come here and get the breakfast herself.

Back at his and Angora's cabin, Angora was finally awakening, having a migraine like never before. The dream wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it still made her feel very uncomfortable and uneasy. How difficult it was to think of the future, or whether she had any to begin with. But today was a new day, and they were on a new island, so if the place was deemed safe enough, Angora wanted to explore it. A change in scenery would do well for her. She was certain. She wished she could do that with Maverick, or at least Shade, but knew the possibilities were too low, especially with the latter. Maverick had his girlfriend, and she was still prohibited from talking to Shade. But perhaps one day, Sere would soften his heart and allow her to speak with Shade again, even if their times were limited. She missed talking with the dragolet so much.

Tyraika woke up with a yawn and stretched out her limbs. She would normally sleep a little later than this but she didn't want to be caught off guard by those intruders. She had to watch her back with them here. She still had to free those other dragons as well. Tyraika was hoping for a relatively easy opportunity to do so but wasn't counting on it. Still feeling a bit drowsy, she headed into the chamber that had the hole in the ceiling that led up to the mountaintop.

She stood under the hole and aimed a lightning breath up through it. The sky grew dark and lightning struck back down on the island, one bolt striking into the cave and hitting her body. As electricity coursed through her body, Tyraika felt awake and energized. She spread her wings, flew up through the hole, and landed on the mountaintop. She turned her gaze out to the ship. The dragon wondered how long she would have to wait until someone left. Would she get the chance to run into another dragon today?

Raclaw and Chester would sleep in maybe in an hour before waking up-- Latnok never forcibly waking them up unless it was urgent. "Morning.," the two greeted each other before making their way out on deck. The two furry companions would step out to be immediately greeted by the smell of breakfast and Maverick calling out for the crew. "Morning Mav! Two of the usual and a plate for Latnok please.," Raclaw greeted preparing to use his tail and its transformative tail band to carry the additional plates. In the distance, Sere could be seen flying Veris. Just another day aboard the Enduring Legacy...

Veris was ready to depart as soon as Sere had mounted. The wyvern took to the skies in a flash, soon far above the island with a good sight of things on the ground. Veris seemed to be in as good spirits as ever; Sere was satisfied, to say the least.
Ilasi would soon come out onto the deck. She came up to Maverick to get a plate, giving him a quick kiss and a greeting before doing so. She had her typical work to get to, and would have to do some follow-up checks on some of the injuries - she would be occupied today.
Leoquin, meanwhile, came out not too long after Ilasi. He had nothing to do at the moment, so would wait to see what the captain or one of his men had in store for him.

Kasidra had slept a little bit later today, after having gone scouting last night. She was well rested, though, and now ready to greet the day. The tiefling left her room on account of her grumbling stomach. The smell of food lured her to the deck. Kasidra saw Maverick with the food cart and smiled. At least breakfast was already prepared. The faun hybrid seemed well, too, since he had prepared food for everyone.

The tiefling walked over to get a plate for herself. Kasidra might have asked how Maverick's leg was, if he didn't seem fine. Although, she noticed Ilasi was there as well, and figured that the mermaid would take care of him if anything was wrong. So not wanting to interrupt them, she simply walked off in silence after grabbing a plate of food. Kasidra sat down off in the corner of the deck to eat in peace.

From her mountaintop, Tyraika spotted a wyvern take off from the ship into the sky. She didn't expect to see the wyvern first, based off what Crystal had told her. She wondered if it was a good idea to approach, in order to attempt freeing this wyvern from captivity. From what Tyraika could tell, it didn't look like the wyvern was alone. She would have to be careful about how she went about this. The dragon took flight and soared high above the clouds. She stayed close to her mountain and watched from afar.

"Morning señor Raclaw." Maverick greeted too, lifting up his already good mood even further when he saw Ilasi, kissing her back. He took Chester and Raclaw's bowls, already knowing their routine.
"Choose the one you like." he then said to Ilasi, letting her choose whatever platter she liked. All were uniquely decorated. One even had the shape of a warrior lifting up a sword, made exclusively out of carrots, except the cape, which was a piece of lettuce.

Angora came to the main deck soon after, smelling Maverick's delicious cooking even from the cabin. She wanted to attend Veris (not knowing he was out), but decided to eat first.
"Good morning Angorita." Maverick said with a wide smile, very glad to see her even though her mood didn't seemed as good as his. Like Ilasi, he let Angora choose the platter of her liking. Perhaps a good breakfast could improve her mood. The troll waited for Ilasi to choose first since she was already there. Maverick noticed this, and was very happy. The day had begun quite beautifully already, and Maverick hoped it could stay that way. He already had many plans for today, and he didn't want anything going wrong.

Raclaw happily accepted the bowls-- instructing the tail band to form what looked like a golden tray and using the that temporary form to carry the them all three meals over to where Latnok had been training. The two bowls were each decorated with Maverick's unique flair; Raclaw's meal had the usual helping arranged to look as if it were trying to imitate a side profile of his head. Chester's bowl offered a similar offering, while Latnok's less specific plate depicted a mountain. "Thank-you! The food smells great.," Raclaw said with a nod before leaving and moving the tail 'tray' within range of Latnok. "Morning Latnok-- the food comes to you today.," the fur dragon said with a smile as he briefly watched Latnok perform a vital strike onto a dummy.

Meanwhile, Risar would soon show up offering his usual nod. "Morning.," the large minotaur would say as he looked over the available plates. He would eventually settle on a mostly meat-based plate that showed a heavy great axe being swung-- perhaps inspired by one of his own moves. He seemed satisfied enough upon a first bite and even offering what almost seemed like a small chuckle at the image.

Latnok took the dish from Raclaw, not being particularly appreciative of Maverick's decorations but liking his dishes nonetheless. "Not a bad choice," Latnok said, as he began to eat his meals.
Leoquin took a dish arranged in the shape of a shark; some wildlife he could always appreciate. He himself would come by Latnok, Raclaw, and Chester to eat. "Good morning, guys," he said, upbeat. "Are you all excited for today?"
"Eh, not in particular, but we'll see what happens," Latnok said.

Meanwhile, somewhere above the island, a mastermind, having rendered itself invisible, had been tracking events so far - more importantly, the whereabouts of the thunderbird. They had ceased their assault on it last time in exchange for the willing surrender of a fawn/human hybrid - this time, they wouldn't stop.

Maverick was pleased with everyone taking their platters and enjoying them, noticing the patterns of their chosen meals. Looks like everyone picked a decoration that had something to do with their lives and hobby, like Leoquin choosing a shark, his most hunted prey, or Riser choosing an axe, his preferred weapon. Angora settled with a meal that looked like a praying mantis, with grapes forming the eyes, though that wasn't Maverick's original intention.

When Angora left to eat her breakfast in solitude, Maverick took this chance to ask what he had forgotten to ask yesterday.
"So mi Ilasi, how did the Angora talk went?" he asked in a low voice, wanting to keep that conversation between them. Ilasi looked indecisive about what platter to choose. He was ready to help her if she asked.

"Whatever lives here doesn't seem particularly welcoming, so I'm sure our day will get exciting enough before too long. Or at the very least-- interesting.," Raclaw commented as he and Chester began to eat. From what he had heard, perhaps the creature had decided to step down and avoid further conflict. Or perhaps it was simply waiting for the right time, be it dragon or something else. He was certain they would find out before long..

Kasidra quietly enjoyed her breakfast. She was so focused on the food itself, as well as the good taste, that she hardly even noticed the decoration. She wasn't really paying attention to details like that. When it came to food, the tiefling didn't care so much about looks. What it looked like wasn't important to her. Even the good quality taste wasn't really required. What mattered was the nourishment. That's what was most important. So Kasidra didn't really notice or think about what her decoration was.

Tyraika stayed above the clouds as she quietly flew towards the ship. Maybe she could get a closer look at that wyvern she saw and hopefully separate it from that person on its back. If she was stealthy and quick enough, maybe she could free the wyvern without much of a fight.

Sere would practice more maneuvers in the air with Veris for awhile; corkscrew twists, loops, dives, and many others meant to quickly change position in the middle of an engagement. Veris was thoroughly enjoying himself; unlike with Angora, he was perfectly controllable with Sere guiding him, not bothering with any of the flying creatures that would otherwise get his attention. The flight exercise being satisfactory, Sere and Veris began to head back towards the ship.

"Oh, uh, it went pretty well!" Ilasi said, having been distracted by deciding what to take - before grabbing a dish in the shape of a swan, with bits of meat for the beak and produce for the rest. "She seemed to be in a really good mood yesterday. I really hope it keeps up!" Ilasi still wasn't sure if such polite behavior from Angora could be counted on, but at the very least, she was capable of showing such behavior.

Tyraika noticed that the wyvern was heading back towards the ship. It was now or never. If the wyvern made it back, especially with so many crew members on deck, then they'd have a full on assault on their hands. With their apparent ability to capture and control dragons, Tyraika wasn't quite comfortable with taking that risk. Still, she wanted to free her fellow dragons. If she could just do this quickly, then it should work.

Tyraika swooped down after them, eyes locked on target. Just as she was about to make her move, a loud roar in the distance made her halt. The roar sounded like a mix of a dragon and a lion blended together. Tyraika scanned the sky but didn't see anyone new. She flew back up above the clouds and looked again. She still saw no one new. Tyraika snarled. She didn't recognize that roar and couldn't see who made it. Still, one thing was certain in her mind, she was about to have another intruder to deal with.

Sere looked around for the source of the roar; he spotted the thunderbird with an unknown dragon not too far off, but neither seemed to be the source of the sound. No matter; he would be prepared for either of them. If there were more dragons on the island, he would have to find them. He and Veris continued heading back to the ship.

Meanwhile, a root began to open up in the ground on the island. A few ishiud soldiers came out, crawling along with mandibles clacking before taking to the sky.

Tyraika was still scanning the sky for the source of that roar. "You didn't hear that?" she asked. "It was a roar, one I'm unfamiliar with. It almost sounded like a dragon's, but..." she trailed off. Tyraika shook her head. "It just sounded off somehow. Either way, it sounds like it's headed here." She growled. "I'll have to deal with another intruder."

Maverick clenched his fist in triumph, very happy to know that Ilasi managed to talk with Angora so successfully.
"See? I knew it! I know Angorita still has ways to go, but she can still be a gentle and likable creature when given the chance." Maverick assured with a smile, but the moment was ruined with the sudden roar. He grabbed a sabre in defense, getting in front of Ilasi.

Angora left her meal in a corner and went near the dining group, trying to pinpoint where the roar was coming from. She was ready to activate her shield around them if necessary. Neither she or Maverick noticed the root or the particular soldiers coming from the island...

The ishiud soldiers would soon appear in the sky - a few at first, then several, then many. With them were some creatures which appeared as moths, with subdued culors and insectoid wings, but much more serviceable limbs, and the same size as the soldiers. Weavers. They were all making a beeline for Crystal, as they were guided by the mastermind.

The swarm didn't escape the notice of those on deck; the ship was immediately put on high alert, with the sailors on board being prepared to fight and Latnok having the resonating chime prepared.

"I suppose I should be careful what I wish for.," Raclaw said as he prepared for combat-- his tail spikes expanding and Chester staying behind him. "No kidding.," Chester commented wishing there was more he could do. Risar would soon draw his two heavy great axes eager to strike more of the petty creatures down.

Tyraika noticed the swarm moving towards them. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my island and you're my friend. It looks like you might need my help," she replied. "I don't think these things are what made that roar. We'll have to worry about that later. Right now, focus on the swarm." She growled at the oncoming soldiers while electricity crackled through her fur.

Kasidra was just finishing up her breakfast, when she noticed the swarm. She jumped to her feet and watched them closely. None of the soldiers seemed to be coming this way, but she wasn't about to let her guard down, just in case. What were these things? Why did they seem to be after the thunderbird and the dragon?

As Sere landed, he immediately gave the order to lift anchor; they weren't going to get involved in this fight this time. Last time it cost them many men. The ship would begin moving very soon, as the soldiers absorbed the electricity, their carapace having already adapted for such a confrontation. WE WILL RESEARCH THE CREATURE MORE THOROUGHLY. TRAITS POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE ADDITIONS TO OUR CAPABILITIES, the mastermind thought.

Like Sere, Angira decided not to be involved in the fight, resorting to just being a spectator. Even from that distance, she recognized the swarm, and knew better than to mess with them. She still didn't understand why these deadly insects spared Maverick even after witnessing savagely devouring many poor sailors back then, but there was nothing to be done for them. She was glad that at least Maverick survived just as Shepherd had promised her, but then got wondering... was he involved somehow with these things? It wasn't her business to ask, but she got curious. She was going to ask later. Maybe he'll be in the mood to give her information? She won't know until she tried.

Maverick focused on protecting Ilasi, making sure he and his girlfriend remained near the group so they could have all the protection they could get. He didn't know what was going on up there, and the clouds didn't help the visibility. Although he wasn't very fond of Sere, he trusted his judgement, and knew it was a good call to get the heck out of there before whatever was up there decided to start attacking them.

The electricity did nothing to deter the assault of the ishiuds, already adapted to electricity. As the soldiers closed in, preparing to bite and claw, the weavers began spitting sticky lines of web in an attempt to immobilize Crystal.

"I believe the mastermind is going after the Thunderbird again. It's here and I can sense its thoughts.," Raclaw said as the ship soon began to pull away from the island. He knew that it would make no difference to Sere's orders, as the Thunderbird had been involved in a great deal of lost. Raclaw and Risar remained at the defensive-- being prepared to attack only if the creatures decided to attack them.

Tyraika darted in front of Crystal to protect her. "The electricity isn't working on them! Crystal, just go! Get away from here! I'll hold them off!" She roared and cloaked her body in flames. She breathed out smoke that would hopefully conceal the thunderbird and give her a chance to escape, while making herself a big flaming target.

Quote: redwes

"I believe the mastermind is going after the Thunderbird again. It's here and I can sense its thoughts.," Raclaw said as the ship soon began to pull away from the island. He knew that it would make no difference to Sere's orders, as the Thunderbird had been involved in a great deal of lost. Raclaw and Risar remained at the defensive-- being prepared to attack only if the creatures decided to attack them.

"Again?" Angora repeated, having heard Raclaw. Was the thunderbird a target before? When? She couldn't recall. She only remembered when it was Maverick the one they captured. If the swarm were trying to trap this creature again, it meant they had a serious interest in it. Angora felt a little bad for the thunderbird, but that thing had been harassing them for quite a while now, so she believed it was better if the insect creatures captured it so that it could finally leave them alone. But as Angora waited for Raclaw's response, she could see Crystal wasn't the only one up there. Was there... another creature? She couldn't see with the distance and all the storm clouds.