darkSpyro

Star raised a red eyebrow. "So, the phrase 'a part of' was literal. I... I really shouldn't be surprised. I just wish you'd said it sooner." He put the locket away and tugged at his fur before using his claws to cut a piece. Then it occurred to him. "Uh, what do we do with whatever we're offering?"

Even though Angora's eyes were focused on Shade's, her ears concentrated on the current conversation.
"A hair will do? Then that's prefect! I have my offering." she said relieved, being one of the very few trolls who had noticeable hair. It was only a small patch, but it would do. Now that it was taken care of, she could finally aim her focus at the struggling Shade. She continued making eye contact at him, noticing that it motivated him more than mere massages or just words.

"Don't let it control you. This power... you are the owner. You're the master. It will come out when you say so, not when it wants to." Angora explained, believing she sounded so lame saying those words. She wasn't exactly shrouded with wisdom, so she said what came to her head and hoped it worked. She patted him between the eyes as she talked, being very nervous. She was on top of a snout bigger than herself, trying to calm a beast that was trying very hard not to explode with deadly power. She had to live for her own sake and for the rest of the world.

Raclaw was relieved that the offering wouldn't actually require giving up a personal procession-- and a tuff of fur would be a much more reasonable request. For Shade, the process would likely require a scale or even a tooth. He imagined it wouldn't be a comfortable process, but he was willing to step in as needed to help keep the dark dragonoid calm-- and himself.

He was also grateful for Angora's help in the matter, as the troll had proved herself to be quite helpful when the time called for it. Sometimes it takes a village and with Shade-- it seemingly took the whole village. For better or worse.

OOC: Sorry fir the edits-- on mobile.

OOC: Yeah, so many edits

Angora let out a sigh of relief, sensing Shade's newfound calmness.
"Whew, well now, you see? It's not as hard as it seems." Angora said, immediately sliding down his neck and jumping off his back, having enough rides for one day. She rubbed her back, having grazed it with Shade's hard spine. How she missed Raclaw's soft, fluffy back.

"So... that's what it is, then? An actual part of us?" Latnok asked. "Well, in that case, Sere and I won't have anything to offer but our own blood. Which wouldn't be too hard. Unless this... whatever thing that's taking the offering wants something more solid." Indeed - being shaven, he and Sere didn't have any hair to throw into the mix, and they certainly weren't going to flay themselves.
"We still have not resolved the matter of whether Veris needs an offering or not," Sere said. "If he does, he will be able to produce one." Wyvern teeth were important ingredients in many different concoctions the Guardians produced, and this wyvern breed, with teeth that were easily discarded and replaced in a somewhat similar (if not exactly the same) fashion to crocodiles, could be trained to spit them out on command.

Still rubbing her back, Angora felt like she needed to say something.
"So dramatic you two. Just offer some hair. It doesn't need to be blood." Angora said in a really gentle and casual voice, evidently not looking for an argument and just stating an observation.

"Veris. Tooth." On Sere's command, Veris bit his teeth, turned his head to Sere, and spit out a tooth into his outstretched palm. "This should do. As for our offerings. A side effect of the ritual is that we do not grow significant hair anywhere but our heads - and we are clean shaven. Therefore, a blood offering seems like what we will have to go with."
"So, Godfather, a bunch of our equipment not working, no clue what awaits us, blood offerings... any chance I'm getting hazard pay for this?" Latnok asked jokingly. More classic Guardian humor.
"Sure thing," Sere answered. "I left it with the monster we're going to be fighting at the end of this, just ask him nicely."

Angora gave a quiet groan when she heard the two men bantering so goofily. She didn't even know why she even bothered to state an opinion when it wasn't her concern. If they wanted to give something as extreme as blood it was their problem. She almost ignored them again when she listened to Sere giving such sadistic command to Veris, with the wyvern obeying immediately. She couldn't believe it was that easy to get a tooth from a creature like him. It made her even more angry at Latnok for stealing Shade's tooth from her when he could've gotten his own this simply. She eyed Shade's jaws once more, but looked away really quickly. Even though she wasn't interested in chipping off another tooth, she still wasn't completely over to the possibility of having one.

As Veris spat out his tooth on command, Raclaw's memories hearkened back to his early days on the farm. When he had first been found-- he was raised alongside and even developed alongside the family dog. He had fond memories of socializing alongside them and playing with them, albeit at a somewhat instinctual level which would be normally considered a low for a highly telepathic dragon such as himself. He remembered how the dog, would follow similar orders (be it less sadistic) such "sit", "stay"-- and oddly enough "ball." For a time, he was considered no more then an exotic outdoor pet and he was comfortable with that-- for a time. As he grew, he was considered more of an equal even if he couldn't show it yet. Part of him wondered what would've happen with his life had they never found a way to disable the collar. Would he have ended up just like Veris; a well treated but very obedient pet? He was briefly lost in thought-- still contenting over what Sere had told him about his past and accidentally transmitting the memory via the mental web that linked him and certain others.

"Raclaw! Sandy! Come-- it's time for breakfast!," an distant female voice called out. A young Raclaw woke up from wherever he had laying as did another fury creature-- a sand colored German Shepard. "Food! Food! Come.... arf! arf! ARF!," she barked with Raclaw being able to understand certain keywords of the canine's language. The two ran towards the front door of the house, the golden claw-shaped tag jingling from his collar. "Come here girl! And you too my handsome fur dragon!," two humans called-- a mixture of both a male and a female voice. The pair soon made it to the front door where a bowl of food laid and Sandy ate up. As for him, the male human briefly went back in and brought out a steak. "Your favorite chow for you my girl and for you-- we have to keep our favorite fur dragon happy right? Stay... alright come get it!," the male human called out throwing the steak into the eager mouth of the young Raclaw. He gave a delightful nod and the memory soon ended.

Raclaw shook his head, not knowing why that particular memory suddenly came to him so strongly. Even without the enhanced abilities of the collar-- it seemed as though he had to be careful with some of his thoughts. He wasn't even aware yet that the memory had been transmitted through the mental links and onto the un-expecting minds of both Shade and Latnok. As it transmitted, it would've brought feelings of happiness and love. It also represented human/dragon relations in a scene that could be seen as both good or bad depending on one's perspective on the subject-- and he worried how certain others in the party might act if they knew how he was raised. Some members of the party weren't too keen of humans and he was raised by them.

OOC: That feeling when you find another minor typo and have to fix it.

It was at that very moment that Raclaw had realized what he had done. He gave a simple nod in return-- pleased that the happy accident had helped Shade. 'I take it you saw that as well?,' he then telepathically asked Latnok via the link and not even bothering to hide the message from Shade. There were no secrets when acting as an mental conduit. And it proved that some of his memories could at least be used as a source of happiness when they needed it the most. He could feel the emotion travel to and fro-- and back again. And it only served to amplify the positive effects of the happy memory.

"Yes, I saw that..." Latnok replied. "Must have been nice to have a loving family take care of you..." As strong as that memory was, it brought about a memory of his own, just as strong.

Latnok, nine years old at the time, was coming home, with a dead rabbit in a sack, when he overheard someone inside. A man he didn't recognize. Moving to and leaning under a nearby window, he listened in. What could he possibly be doing here?
"Please, we need just a little more time..." His mother. A young woman. "We don't have much here... drought has ruined the crops, and ever since the army has abandoned this place, we can't move far for fear of monsters! We don't even get travelers visiting this place anymore."
"Bah, not my problem," the man said. "Pay your tribute or face the consequences."
"Please, I have a little boy-"
"You think I care about the bastard child of some floozy? You should have left that boy in the forest for the ghouls when he was a baby."
"We've all made mistakes... but he is my responsibility. We need a little more time, I'll get the money somehow..."
"I'll give you a week. Any longer and my boys will be having some fun."
Latnok could hear the door open, then slam shut as the man walked away. Things were always rough, he never really felt wanted... but this just confirmed it. He was just a mistake, a burden. One that forced his mother to deal with unscrupulous people to get by. He wanted to be angry... but all he could feel was sadness. He could not stay home in good faith, knowing what he was costing her. He had to do something.
He had a bow. He could hunt. He should be able to sustain himself until he could figure something out...

"...nevermind. That's not important. We have a job to do."

"I'm... I'm sorry. You're right-- we have more important things to worry about. The past is the past.," Raclaw responded about to say more, but cutting himself off. He knew he had just touched a very hard and very important memory in Latnok's life. He inferred that it was that moment that sparked Latnok's strong sense of duty and eventually led to him finding the Guardians. He let the moment pass however and didn't comment on the matter further.

Angora continued walking, not missing the ride and being very left out. Her memories were too painful to even consider them, so her mind shut them down. That was a chapter she closed and never wanted to bring back. She shared some of them with Latnok already in a moment of irritation, but that's as far as she'll tell. She continued looking at Shade from time to time to make sure he was relaxed, but she would look away every time she felt depressed.

Even though she had been the one chosen to destroy whatever evil was ahead, she felt like no hero. Even if she survived the mission, what then? She will simply resume the same, boring life she had before, suffering the same racism and humiliation she has known all her life. She would only be seen as just be a troll with an odd condition or an ugly creature of unknown origin and species. That's how it was. Even though some children tended to find her cute, she never understood why and shoved them aside. The world was going to resume it's existence as if nothing happened, and nobody will ever learn that a troll, of all creatures, was the one who made it possible for them to continue living.

Darkheart had been paying attention to the telepathic conversation and secretly transmitting it to Star, who had glared at her at first. Then the happy memory from Raclaw triggered a sudden flashback.

A little village of Zorua. Star was riding on a flat disc-shaped hoverboard at top speed, recklessly playing "chicken" with trees. He had headphones but no scars.
He turned a sharp corner and found a tree the hard way. His Porygon-Z companion rushed over, terrified for his safety. His father approached and scolded him, then cleaned him up and treated the nasty headache.
He never knew his mother, but he had so many friends, and as heir he would end up as leader of the area, but he didn't care for training. He wanted to play with his friends.


He came to curled up in a ball, tears running down his cheeks. Darkheart looked concerned. "I think I broke him! Oh, wait, he's moving again!"
Star moaned. "Flashback... I lost so much... Heir to my Clan, and surrounded by friends... Now I don't have 'friends', per say, only allies..."

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade could sense Angora was feeling down and decided to pick her up and place her on his back. He gave a smile. He was slowly starting to warm up to her and didn't mind giving her rides.

Angora was briefly startled by his sudden kindness. This wasn't like him at all, so she was rather concerned. Still, she was too tired for arguing, and didn't have the heart to tell him that she got off partly because of his sharp spines. Even though they didn't hurt her, they were really bothersome. Sliding down his neck gave her a little rash, not something serious and definitely something that will disappear within a matter of minutes with that thick skin of hers, but they were still annoying. Instead of doing something, she sat down hugging her knees, making eye contact with nobody.

Angora looked at him, but not directly. She looked at his snout instead of the eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" she replied rather harshly, signaling her armor. She was nervous about the mission, and Neo didn't made her feel better by warning her that the unshaped entity might try to kill her. But what she was really afraid of wasn't death, it was success, the after. She wasn't sure if she was able to live her life the same way as before, knowing what she did and trolls still being treated the same way, not recognizing her single moment of nobility.

"When did I..." Angora almost said, not remember saying anything like that. But she dismissed the comment as something not important, and believing she might lose some sanity if she didn't express herself, she finally was open enough to tell Shade what was really bothering her.

"Never mind that. So then, we go through this, and then what? We're not certain we'll survive, but even if we do, what should we do from here? Better yet, what should I do? Chances are those two stupid humans are just waiting for me to complete the mission so they can hunt me down like they have with any other creature, cause I will no longer be useful. And if it's not them, somebody else will, cause trolls will always be hated!" Angora said in a loud voice, not even caring if they heard, though knowing them, they probably still had that infuriating deaf spell on them.

Dex had been following the group, but made sure to keep his distance. Finally he has so Full of questions that he had to get some of them answered. But he did not know who he should ask, almost everybody hated him and to be fair he did not like them either.
Dex made his way to Latnok. "So I know you like me as much as I like you, which means like might just be the wrong word here. But if I am going to be with this group I atleast need to know something. The question is, does somebody controll the thing which made Shade lets say pretty different then now. And more importantly are you really not scared that I might turn my back to this group again when I have the first chance? You dont know Thats for sure but if anyone could say Why I was even invited to come with you in first place? This makes no Sense to me at all, so would somebody give me an answer or two?" Dex said first to Latnok and later more to all of the group.

"Well..." Latnok said, "It's not that I trust you completely - rather, I think the risk-to-reward ratio is reasonable. An extra body is always useful, and you most likely wouldn't turn against us considering just how powerful many of us here are." His attention, after a detour, was now directed solely on the mission. "We will need everyone we can get - and what do you have to gain by betraying us? Surely a creature like the one we're dealing with wouldn't hesitate to double-cross you if you served it. Think of why you're doing this..." With that, Latnok recalled himself everything that brought him to this point where he was today. All a mistake - but he worked with what he could.
"This is our world. At the very least, you have to fight for yourself. As for me? I want to see what we can accomplish in the future. The world has not been kind to me - but that doesn't mean it's not worth helping. And that is our job. If you don't believe it's worth fighting for? Then you need to work to make it a place worth fighting for. Because even if I'm nothing but a mistake, that doesn't mean that everyone I can save is as well. There are people out there with potential. Perhaps someone who can eradicate the plague, create the next great invention, the next spell which advances sapient species as we know them. The world owes you nothing except what you put into it - even then, it's not always fair, but it always works out." That ideal had guided Latnok throughout his whole life - it certainly wouldn't fail him now. "So are you going to try to make things better for yourself, at the very least?"

Star looked up at Dex. "When did HE get here? If there's one thing I loathe above all, it's being betrayed. Loyalty is the thing that binds packs of my kin together, so excuse me for holding a grudge against someone who broke a great taboo in my own society." The little fox sounded calm, though his voice had spontaneously become as venomous as Dex's fangs. If not for Dex's treachery, Star would have no trouble dealing with him. He himself was a freak at this point, what with his right eye.

"I spared him. We could use all the help we can get and everyone deserves an second change-- so long as he doesn't try anything again.," Raclaw said taking responsibility and warning Dex at the same time. He had spared the dark fox once, but wasn't sure if he had the will to do so again. As he had promised Dex, however, he would leave his fate to the rest of the party should another betrayal occur. He wouldn't be so quick to forget that Dex can tried to kill him through, although he did wonder why the fox had waited till now to make an appearance again.

Star growled, more out of an instinctive fear than actual anger. "The only thing that kept me going is a desire to avenge my kin, due to loyalty. I'm still guilt-ridden over having failed to protect them. The concept of treachery, of someone surviving being a traitor, goes against my every instinct. But I suppose I have to let him try for now. Dex, you betray us again, and karmic retribution's going to be the LEAST of your worries. So long as you don't, I'll... Tolerate your presence, maybe eventually forgive. But for a Zorua or Zoroark, treachery cuts deeper than any blade. I will assume you understood me, because I know you're intelligent."
Darkheart glanced at Dex. She really didn't care whether he came with them. She knew Star's tendency to hold a grudge would likely result in Dex dying should he turn against them again, since she had seen that Star didn't fear death and would sacrifice himself to strike down a foe, as had happened with Shade when Star used those nearly-lethal cybernetics to keep fighting with a broken back. Then she noticed Star munching on an herb. "Is that foxglove again?"
"No, THIS is just a soothing herb. I got all stressed out again, and now is the worst time to be stressing this bad. Considering that we already have important work to do."

Angora listened when Latnok spoke. It looked didn't heard a word she said, so she believed he was still under the deaf spell.
"Make it a place worth living in? Worth fighting for? Eradicating the plague? Heh, so that's human objective. Exterminate anything that shows them a challenge so they can have the world all to themselves." Angora muttered in a very low voice, drawing her own conclusion. Latnok has shown what a merciless, cruel jerk he was, so she believed he would do anything as low as to draw entire species to extinction for their own, selfish sake.

"Don't worry," Latnok said. "Should he betray us, he'll have an arrow in him before he can land a single blow, just like last time. I always make sure to have a backup plan. Speaking of which..." Latnok focused momentarily befire activating his combat prescience. Sere would not need to use his, for now at least - he had full faith in Latnok's ability to respond.
"This somewhat brings back memories..." Sere said, almost absent-mindedly. "My fourth mission as a Hunter... An expedition to kill the monster known as Shiavara... an absolute monstrous black dragon. Her lair reeking of fire and death..."

OOC: I've made an updated more presentable DIAGRAM of Raclaw's connections.

As Sere spoke, Raclaw wondered just how many dragons were killed between he and Latnok. If there was one thing that he agreed on-- it was that the Guardians loved to brag about their past kills especially when in front of other members of the very same species whose many lives had been lost to the Guardians. While he was sure that Sere would happily provide a "reason" (such as protecting mankind), it was just a tad ironic that the Guardians claimed to help dragons while also collaring/capturing/killing many of their kind-- including himself. He could almost understand why Angora felt the way she felt about humans, even if it wasn't necessary all humans who committed such acts. And rather it was due to the aftermath of the strong emotions being sent through the mental web, the "truth" revealed to him by Sere, or the unwanted tension caused by Dex's presence-- he found that the statement triggered him more than it normally would've. He shook his head, knowing that it likely wasn't him feeling those emotions and that getting worked up would a bad BAD idea given the current circumstances.

He kept an close eye on Dex, not wanting to be stabbed in the back again. Like Star-- he was willing to give the fox an second chance, but regaining their full trust would be a matter of both time and patience. He could've killed Dex right then and there when the failed assassination attempt occurred, but something stopped him. Maybe it was his (normally) gentle nature or maybe he saw something in Dex. Only time would tell...

OOC: I commend you for your illustrations. I could never do anything like that myself. Also, pardon the exposition dump, but I can't help myself when it comes to worldbuilding and character histories, etc.

"You never did tell me that story..." Latnok said. "All I know is that it's had a great influence on you to this day."
"Yes... it was truly that day that I saw what price we paid to do what we did," Sere said, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "It was the first time I fought any sapient species. The first time I saw my fellow Guardians die. Let me give you a better picture..." Through telepathy, Sere would be sending the images of his point of view as he narrated.

"Shiavara - a truly vile monster. Much, much larger than most other dragons. Commanded powerful dark magic. She ruled her domain with an iron fist, demanding regular tribute - or should I say, sacrifices - from those near her. Humans, elves, it didn't matter - she would kill them all.
"We Guardians had been keeping track of things for a while, and finally established her sleep pattern, and more importantly, when she was able to fall into deep sleep. I, being a new Hunter at the time, didn't know too much about the details - just to do what I was told. We didn't learn nearly as many defensive techniques as we do nowadays. You just had to hope you were fast and strong enough.
"The Executioner leading us was quite familiar with earth magic - he facilitated our tunneling efforts directly into the heart of her lair, where she would be resting, lest we set off any wards. Finding a good spot, we opened a hole to surface. I will never forget what I saw that day...
"The smell made me want to vomit. A giant pit, full of rotting, half-eaten corpses - of humans or some other humanoid species, I couldn't tell - as well as various other species. Cows, sheep, basilisks, gryphons, wyverns, even other dragons. That was the first time I had ever seen so much death in one space.
"The most scary part, however, was what was about to happen. We predicted that she would be in deep sleep at this hour. However, as I learned later, our trackers were just a little bit off in their estimation. Our tunneling had roused her, and she was awakening.
"Of course, there was a contingency plan. Fight - that was the contingency plan. As soon as she realized, she let out a quite literally deafening roar. None of us have learned the personal silence spell at this point, so we had to deal with it.
"Immediately she lashed out with a claw. One Guardian nearly cut in half. We didn't have time to attend to him, though - we had to stop her..."
Sere took a momentary break from his story to drink water from his waterskin.

Dex thought what to say for sometime, but finally he answered. "Loyalty Well Thats a word. There is only two kinds of loyalty to me. One must be learned to make my job easier, if you know who is loyal to who it makes things very easy. And the other one is payment. So what ever you talk about loyalty it does not mean anything to me. If all you can say to me is the reasons Why you dislike me and what you are going to do if I do it again then save your words to somebody who cares. I have lived my life thinking one mistake would mean I am dead, and now you tell me if I do another one then it is over." Dex said pretty much to everybody
Then he looked at Latnok "What ever happens I will give you a free advice, even if you are powerfull it might not be enough to take me down without a single blow like you said, and for me Thats all I need. So do not underestimate me. What comes to the world there is pretty much nothing to me to defend. Why do you think I was at the otherside first? Because I was promised great life with power and riches. After that this world is not much of a offer. And the talent to make the world better and erdicate the plague, Well for most even in this group I am the plague that should be erdicated." Dex said to Latnok

Dex was silent for some time and finally he sighed deeply "But right now I have no reason to do anything to you. I am not the one to attack because of hate or anger. I am not about to get my self killed just to kill one of you Thats so not something I do. I kill to get something out of it, not because I just want to do it. If there is something you can trust about me it is that. So now I am done talking just remember it is not worth it to try tell me about loyalty or anything like that. My job can not be done if you care something like that" Dex said with a little grin
"That felt good. I am back and now you will see the True me, and I can be sure you will not like it" Dex thought

OOC: Thank-you and no worries! I love world building and it's starting to bleed in others' character development-- which isn't a bad thing by any means. That diagram is "live" in a sense that I can update it in real time too, just in case the drunk spider decides to grow its web again.

As Raclaw both listened to and witnessed Sere's personal tale thanks to the mental link, he could feel the struggle that the now Guardian Godfather faced. First he felt anticipation-- as any eager hunter would feel on their first hunt. And as he felt when he first started hunting on his own. As the story continued and corpses could be seen, including those of his kind, those emotions changed into that of fear and and shock. Feelings of determination followed and a small part of Raclaw could actually almost agree with the Guardians. Almost. At least in this particular instance, they might've had a justifiable cause. However, he could also soon feel the tension felt by Shade and wondered about the all the other times. Did those times also call for such matters? Or did they do it partly for the sport of it?

It also didn't help that he was still getting over Sere's justification for collaring him and stripping him of his basic abilities for so much of his life, loving family aside. If it wasn't for the help of his family, he would've likely never gotten out of the restrictions imposed on him by the collar. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something much much worse could've happened to him had he ended up with anyone else-- and that there would've been nothing he could've done about it. For instance, what if he ended up with slavers or someone else who would've used for not-so-great intentions. A collared dragon unable to defend itself would make a great target and he knew he wasn't the only one. There are possibly many others out there, some who likely ended up where they were supposed and others who didn't. At least the Guardians were willing to kinda make up for it and search for what came of his parents, but he considered himself one of the fortunate ones.

Latnok continued to listen attentively to Sere's story, either unaware or not caring about the mental connections he shared at the moment. "So I take it this was definitely not an easy mission, or one to be remembered fondly."
"Definitely not," Sere replied. "So, where was I... Ah."

"We immediately split up. Temporarily deafened by the ringing in our ears, we communicated via telepathy. Our arrows - even with spell enchantments - weren't working - her scales were much harder and thicker than any dragon you've ever seen. We had to break them. Force bolt after force bolt we threw at them - we created a few breaks, but besides that, didn't manage to hurt her at all. A swipe from a dark shadow. One Guardian dead. A bite. Another. A tail swipe - another crippled. We had to win the battle quickly. We had no idea of how powerful she was...
"After what seemed like lifetimes, but was probably minutes at most, Shiavara had sustained some injuries - enough to slow her down, but not stop her. Our numbers were still dwindling. Executioner Grenwulf - the leader of the expedition - had us cover him while he focused every bit of power he could into a magic cancellation spell. And so we did - fire, ice, arrows, javelins, psychic attacks, if we could use it, we did.
"Eventually, he did manage to fully charge the spell, and unleashed it - a brilliant flash of light, a spell which obviously did a number on Shiavara. We could feel and hear the magic in her body react violently and turn against her. She let out a roar, and then fell - not for long, however. She forced herself back up, injured but still fighting for her life, instead now it was like a cornered animal rather than a cat playing with her food. Grenwulf was not quite as lucky - he pushed himself way past his limit, another thing that would only be improved about the Ascension ritual at a later date. He collapsed on the ground, exhausted. At this point, it was me and one other still fighting - Hunter Miun.
"Shiavara's attention was focused on me at the time. She swiped a claw at me - it was a hair short of killing me, instead tearing through my armor effortlessly. She was moving to crush me - when Miun landed an exploding arrow in her left eye. She roared out in pain, and I seized my moment. Charging at her, using the various stones raised throughout the battle to gain height, I managed to jump to her head and stab her in the other eye with my pike, killing her.
"We had won - but at what cost? The battlefield was a complete horror show. At this point it was just myself, Miun, and Grenwulf left alive. What had started as a group of twelve had turned to three. Was this what it would cost to fight evil? If so, we were doomed to never be more than a pebble in the flood. Though I was just a Hunter at this point, I vowed that, as I climbed the ranks, I would find a way to allow us to vanquish evil without having to pay such a huge cost."

From there, Sere's telepathic images ended. "From that day, I studied preservation whenever I had a chance. Defensive techniques. Threat identification. When I ranked up to Executioner, I taught what I knew to those I was in charge of. Though I was not the most talented, I did manage to get promoted to Adjudicator - purely by outliving most of the competition. Even if I couldn't beat them in 10 years, if I had more time than them... I could surpass them. As an Adjudicator, I made sure that every Guardian was taught as many defensive techniques as possible. Eventually, once again by outliving everyone else, I became the most senior Adjudicator, and so was the next Godfather when the previous one died.
"From there, I was able to see my vision through. Now personnel preservation was the core of everything we did, not only on a personal level, but on a mission level as well. Through it, we have managed to grow stronger - fewer deaths not only mean more numbers, but more knowledge, and much higher morale. People are more willing to fight when they have confidence in their ability to come home after a mission. People are happier when they're not losing their comrades to the left and right of them. Whereas before Guardians were dying for the sake of humanity, now they could live for them. Whereas before our numbers were stagnant, nowadays we have managed to slowly grow, and our influence and capabilities have increased."

"That's quite the story," Latnok said. He had a vague idea of the story, but never had he heard it so personally from Sere before. "What made you think of that?"
"This situation is pretty similar to how I felt when we were to meet that dreaded demon of a dragon," Sere said. "Going into the unknown, to face a threat, a vague idea of what we're up against, knowing that we should ideally be able to come out ahead, yet so much uncertainty... We cannot die here, though. I know that at the very least, we have our jobs to do, Raclaw and I still have to discover what happened to his parents, Star still has to get back to his world, and Orion has things more important than us petty creatures to worry about." Grimbane, previously inactive, showed a faint hint of light, responding to Sere's resolve, before flickering out again.

OOC: A Guy, you have to clarify if the story is being to,d by voice or through mind and images.

Angora had listened to Dex and pondered for a little while. The silly creature was there, complaining that he was the most hated and despised of the group, yet even with his betrayal, Angora was the main target of everybody, or Latnok to be precise. She opened her mouth to say something to her, but the talking was interrupted when she heard Shade growling.
"Easy there Blackie."she said as she massaged his neck, looking at both Raclaw and Latnok.
"What did you guys do now?" she asked accusingly, believing that one of them said something telepathically or made him see something upsetting. She addressed mostly at the fur dragon, since Latnok probably still had the deaf spell.

OOC: Sere spoke, with mental images to supplement it.

OOC: Alright, thanks for clarifying it, though I'm not sure if Angora should respond or continue to ignore him.

OOC: Your call, though he won't respond.

OOC: I keep thinking of "Sere" as a female name and having to correct "she" into "he."

Raclaw listened just as attentively to the story, willing to let Sere finish the tale before casting the final judgement. As he witnessed scenes of gruesome deaths and watched as their numbers dwindled-- he almost felt sorry for the Guardians of past and could feel the great sense of lost felt by Sere even to this day. As the now current Godfather explained her transition into more defensive-based magic and he assumed later became the collars, he felt as if Sere had truly meant what he said. And while he still didn't fully agree with his methods... he could at least respect his sense of dedication and determination in order to achieve what he was after. And perhaps that experience would help in whatever challenges they would soon face.

In any case, his feelings were now slightly less conflicted-- with a hint of both determination and hope. He looked back at Angora, looking at the troll as if she were slightly unsympathetic. "It's not me, at least not entirely. Sere's story was supplemented with telepathic imagery and he was experiencing his own emotions. Latnok saw the imagery and therefore-- so did I. And Shade.," he then explained hoping the troll wouldn't take offense to being left out of the telepathic loop. He realized he may had accidentally said it in a slightly condensing manor, something he hoped Angora wouldn't roast him for.

OOC: Pronounced like Seer/Sear. The origin of his name is from the SERE program in the U.S. military, which is made to train military personnel in surviving and evading capture, or, faing that, keeping their will and dedication up as a prisoner of war. Figured it was fitting for Sere's dedication to survival. Anyway, I would make a post, but too tired to make a good one, so good night.

OOC: Ah-- I was pronouncing it like "Sera" and that makes sense. Sweet dreams!

OOC: Later A Guy

Quote: redwes

[i]OOC: In any case, his feelings were now slightly less conflicted-- with a hint of both determination and hope. He looked back at Angora, looking at the troll as if she were slightly unsympathetic. "It's not me, at least not entirely. Sere's story was supplemented with telepathic imagery and he was experiencing his own emotions. Latnok saw the imagery and therefore-- so did I. And Shade.," he then explained hoping the troll wouldn't take offense to being left out of the telepathic loop. He realized he may had accidentally said it in a slightly condensing manor, something he hoped Angora wouldn't roast him for.

Angora had listened to Sere's story, but only parts of it. She got bored of it fast, but was quite upset to learn that the words were accompanied by morbid imagery.
"Well tell him to knock it off! He's irritating Shade! I would myself, but chances are he still has that stupid deaf spell on him. Good luck though. If he doesn't like what he's hearing, he'll probably use the same spell on you, cause that's their solution to everything, isn't it?" Angora said, looking at both Latnok and Sere.
"Every time somebody throws a truth on them, they use the same, irritating spell so they can continue to live in their ignorant little fantasy." Angora then added, wanted Raclaw to see things her way and understand her frustration. Everybody except Shade seemed to be against her, so she wanted at least one more to be comprehensive.

Quote: Felines

Angora had listened to Sere's story, but only parts of it. She got bored of it fast, but was quite upset to learn that the words were accompanied by morbid imagery.
"Well tell him to knock it off! He's irritating Shade! I would myself, but chances are he still has that stupid deaf spell on him. Good luck though. If he doesn't like what he's hearing, he'll probably use the same spell on you, cause that's their solution to everything, isn't it?" Angora said, looking at both Latnok and Sere.
"Every time somebody throws a truth on them, they use the same, irritating spell so they can continue to live in their ignorant little fantasy." Angora then added, wanted Raclaw to see things her way and understand her frustration. Everybody except Shade seemed to be against her, so she wanted at least one more to be comprehensive.

"Don't worry, it's already over. And I'm sorry they silenced you. I realize that they are putting a lot on your plate and at the same time-- refusing to support or even listen to you. And I'm sorry for that. If it helps, I have learned that the Guardians have manipulated and altered the course of my life to partly suit their needs. We are all pawns in a game of chess, but... but we'll make it through this.," Raclaw responded actually showing some sympathy for the troll and even cluing Angora into some of his own troubles. He had nothing against Angora. In fact-- he had first wanted to support the troll, but was told off after making one grieve but understandable mistake. After that, he merely tried to give Angora whatever time or space she needed to forgive him.

Angora was rather shocked to hear Raclaw badmouthing the Gaurdians when he had two right besides him and were most likely hearing him. Still, worst case scenario would be them silencing him as well, or simply telling him off. She was glad he said it though, so the humans could hear the damage they were doing. Angora has avoided humans all her life, which is why she never really hated them... until meeting Latnok. But as she could see, not all creatures had the same luck. She was convinced that human objective was to either exterminate or enslave every creature in the world so they could have it all to themselves, and Guardians were fueling the goal.
"Well then, there you have it. You're just another victim, but of course, as always, trolls are worse." Angora expressed, still unable to forget how Raclaw rudely pushed her aside when she tried to ride him. She had believed that it was because she was an ugly little troll.

"I was doing wonderfully well avoiding humans, never a victim of them thanks to my cautious and the fact that my appearance is confusing. And yet here we are, with two of the most biased humans I've ever met, who will likely tried to kill me once I fulfill this mission, cause I will no longer be useful." Angora commented, telling him the same thing she told Shade. She was convinced Sere and Latnok will turn on her once the world was saved.

Latnok simply sighed upon hearing Raclaw's response to Angora, feeling... disappointment. "Is that thing prattling on again? We silenced her because of her incessant bad-mouthing and paranoia, as well as interference with my other discussions. She is the only member of this party that I have yet to have anything meaningful come from a discussion. Insists that we are racist, yet interprets everything we do as malicious and speaks nothing but vitriol for humans. I tried 'supporting' her, as you so delicately put it, but all she wants is a platform to speak about her hate for us, which she won't stop mentioning every two minutes. Silencing her was the only way to get her to stop her foolishness."
Latnok's tolerance for Angora had all but run out at this point - Neo truly had no idea what he was doing if this was the best he could come up with. Still, he had to live with his choice. He still had to address Raclaw's own concerns, however. "Hey, I'll tell you what. You hate us too? You won't have to worry about us after we're done here. You can go your way, and we can go ours, and as long as you don't try to kill us, we'll never bother you."