darkSpyro

As Ilasi lead the way, Maverick brought Dahlia with them, deciding to have her following them instead of mounting her or pulling her off the reigns. Maverick didn't have the heart to tell her he didn't like the beach very much, given his previous experience as a pirate plus the fact they were already going to be exposed to the sea soon enough. But it was for her, and he had a new view of the ocean thanks to her, so he was determined to have a good time. Dahlia wasn't so fond of the water either, but she loved the feeling of the sand, so she was having a swell time already.

Quote: A Guy

The orb glowed vividly as it answered. "Have faith, my child. The situation may seem dire now... but the sun only rises after the night has passed. You must reach Falcon's Beak; there, your transformation awaits. You will be reborn into a creature with the power to cause the change you wish to see." The orb dimmed, though it didn't stop glowing completely.

Angora flinched with the reply.
"Falcon's Beak? Again? But sir, that's a very long journey! I can't leave Shade alone! You heard the stupid old man. They're planning to use him for a machine! And even if that's a lie, I can't leave him alone. Who knows what horrible things those guards may do to him!" Angora expressed in a low voice, still believing that the eradication of that poor elf village was no mistake. It was just too much coincidence that it wasn't an Aelinonian village or some other society. It just had to be a species that was on the verge of war with them. Shade was still feeling bad enough for causing the deaths of those poor beings, and she knew that leaving him alone would just add to his despair.

"I can't go in the water, unfortunately," Ilasi said. "I don't want to transform right now. It's a nice place to enjoy the sun and watch the waves flow, however. Just like the other beaches you... you've definitely been to a few beaches in your travels, haven't you?" Ilasi asked Maverick, before answering for him. "Oh, I'm sure you've seen many amazing things. You can tell me once we find a good spot..."

The orb glowed vividly again as it spoke to her. [i]"Have patience, my child. Faith. The dragon will survive - and you will be able to free him once you've completed your transformation. Do know this: Silvianestian elves have made an attempt on King Seraos' life. Aelinon will not take kindly to such an act. Do you believe that they will allow you to stay with the dragon once they choose to utilize his power again? They know how you feel about him; and you are a tool, that is put away when you are not needed. Is that the life you wish to live? Having your friends only at someone else's discretion? We can give you the power to fix that. We need only your faith." The orb once again dimmed, though it didn't go out completely.

Angora remained hidden under Shade as the dragolet talked, wanting to keep her conversation a secret. She wasn't surprised to hear the Silvianesti had already attacked the king. He had it coming. But her main concern right now was the stranger's offer. Not only has he asked her to come as far as Falcon's Beak, he kept talking about being reborn and transformed, which was driving her nuts. One thing she did believe was about the Aelinonians would toss her away like trash once they were done with her. She started to suspect that the only reason why the king allowed her to be with Shade was so that she could cheer him up enough for him to keep obeying.
"Let's suppose I do decide to go to Falcon's Beak. How will I even get there? That old man is the captain of the Enduring a Legacy, and he hates me. He has this delusion that I'm always planning to betray him and do things behind his back." Angora asked, still wanting to know what the stranger meant with transformation and being reborn, but he never answered, so she didn't bother this time and only asked about her destination.

Quote: A Guy

"I can't go in the water, unfortunately," Ilasi said. "I don't want to transform right now. It's a nice place to enjoy the sun and watch the waves flow, however. Just like the other beaches you... you've definitely been to a few beaches in your travels, haven't you?" Ilasi asked Maverick, before answering for him. "Oh, I'm sure you've seen many amazing things. You can tell me once we find a good spot..."

Maverick understood her, and proceeded to answer.
"I have been to many beaches, not to have fun of course, but I'be had my fair share of visits. And of course that time when Lydia left me on a shore to start my new life." he replied, only going to beaches for his father's businesses and when Lydia rescued him, but he never had a chance to actually enjoyed them since he never went to one during his journeys as a traveling merchant, and not when Shade and Angora were traveling with him.

But he was ready to let the past behind and enjoy it for real this time. Dahlia was already ahead of him. She was exposing her belly like a cat greeting their owner, scratching her back with the soft sand. For her, it was like her desert home, only that the dirt was soft and perfect for scratching.

Ilasi could empathize with Dahlia's own joy. Seeing how inviting she appeared, Ilasi took the liberty of petting her belly, to see how it felt compared to the rest of her.
The peace would not last long, however. Soon, in the distance, the sound of a bell could barely be heard over the noise of a crowd, getting louder and louder.
"I wonder what that is..." Ilasi thought out loud. She didn't have to wonder long, however.
Soon, on a carriage, a town crier could be seen, bell in hand, with the sound of angry citizens following him. They were angry, and yet they didn't seem to be questioning the town crier like they usually would with an unpopular decision (even if he was only the messenger and was not related to it.) That was quite unusual...
"Hear, hear!" the town crier called out as he rang his bell, getting peoples' attention if they somehow didn't have it with the sound of the angry crowd. "Silvianestians attempt regicide! Executions to be held tonight! Those able to attend are encouraged to do so!"
Soon, many beachgoers seemed to immediately lost their good mood, first sounding confused, then getting just as angry as everyone else. If one were listening, they could hear some rather key statements as to the general mood.
"Another attack? How long are we going to let them get away with this?!"
"Are we just going to let them attack our king?! They need to die, every last one of them!"
"Are we so scared of them that we won't do anything?! They're not even trying to hide things anymore!"
"Who do they think they are? First the duke, now the king? If we won't do anything now, when will we?!"
Ilasi's heart skipped a beat at the news, as she froze in utter shock. This would have major, major implications. She didn't know how the future would go, but it was seeming rather shaky now.

Maverick was at first upset, then concerned. Seems like they came back to Redwater at a very bad time. He wanted to spend some time relaxing, but that was out of the question now. He looked at Ilasi, knowing how appalled everything must be to her.
"Ilasi...? What now? Is there... anything else you want to do?" Maverick asked, at with a loss on what to do next. Ilasi wasn't going to enjoy herself with news like that, so he was going to leave it up to her to decide what to do. Even though he despised the idea of watching an execution, he wondered if there was a slight chance of Ilasi wanted to see it. She was part of Aelinon after all, so she must be very used to their ways.

Dahlia had been very happy with Ilasi's petting. She was belly up to enjoy the sand, so the petting was very surprising and welcomed. But her happiness turned to uneasiness when her delicate ears were surrounded y the shouting of the people. She got up and went behind Ilasi and Maverick, clearly upset by the sudden disrupt of peace.

Though Ilasi was deeply concerned, she didn't want it to ruin the moment - especially since whatever happened was out of her control. "Don't mind me... I'll be fine," she said. "I just need a few more minutes to process things..." Ilasi instinctively began petting Dahlia again, as much to make herself feel better as it was to make Dahlia feel better.
"We'll be out of the city when all of this starts to go down, anyway," she said, remembering Maverick's invitation. "We don't have to return until things settle down, if the worst happens. I don't doubt Aelinon will survive - I just worry about the cost. But we'll be fine. Please, don't worry too much about me. All we need to do is what we're doing right now. You... make me feel a lot better."

Sere didn't look back as Shade spoke to him. "I can only pray that you get the opportunity to show me that my fears are unnecessary," he said, as he kept moving.
The orb once again began its glow. "There are many who have attempted to reach the island, it said. "It is a long, arduous journey, and not all make it. You are to find people worthy of such a journey, and undertake it with them. When you get to the archipelago, all will become apparent."

Angora was now stuck between going to the archipelago and staying with Shade. The strange man was just that, a stranger, and even though he returned the orb, his real intentions were still foggy. He claimed to want to help her, but it still baffled her the fact that she still didn't know what he meant by her transformation.

But as she pondered on what to do, she could hear Sere's footsteps navigating further away. It was then that she took her decision. She could be there for Shade for moral support, but once the king and his soldiers were done with her, she knew there would be nothing she could do. She didn't want to imagine what pain this supposed machine will cause Shade, but one thing was certain, he was wanted alive, and as long as that was the case, Angora would have to explore the only option she had.
"WAIT! Sere... I... I, uh... if you want to return to Falcon's Beak, I... I have to. They'll soon get rid of me here anyway, so I have a better chance at the ship." Angora pleaded, getting out of underneath Shade and stopping the old Guardian in his tracks. It made her sick looking at him, but she knew she would have to keep her mellow, pleasing personal if she ever wanted to convince him. Even though she doubted Sere would let her be part of the crew again, she had to try. He's already been to the archipelago once, and the White Shadow was no longer a danger, so the journey shouldn't be as hard as the first time. There would be nothing left for her to do in Orcford or Redwater if they decided to separate her from Shade again, so this strange man was the only hope she had.

Quote: A Guy

Though Ilasi was deeply concerned, she didn't want it to ruin the moment - especially since whatever happened was out of her control. "Don't mind me... I'll be fine," she said. "I just need a few more minutes to process things..." Ilasi instinctively began petting Dahlia again, as much to make herself feel better as it was to make Dahlia feel better.
"We'll be out of the city when all of this starts to go down, anyway," she said, remembering Maverick's invitation. "We don't have to return until things settle down, if the worst happens. I don't doubt Aelinon will survive - I just worry about the cost. But we'll be fine. Please, don't worry too much about me. All we need to do is what we're doing right now. You... make me feel a lot better."

Dahlia welcomed the petting, although still feeling uneasy.
"We'll have to give her a bath soon." Maverick commented as he joined in, noticing how much sand was heavily stuck in the big girl's fur. He wanted to avoid the subject, and since petting Dahlia made Ilasi feel somewhat better, he continued doing so as well.

As Angora intercepted Sere, he could only give her a dumbfounded look. "You can't possibly be serious..." he muttered. "After all of that? Maybe you're on an ascended level of thinking that my mere mortal mind cannot even begin to comprehend."
He gave out an audible sigh, as he pondered for a moment. Despite how she had shown to act, she could be useful on the ship, especially if Shade was a non-factor. And yet, he had to take her own attitude into account.
"...I'll have others make that decision. If you can convince both Risar and Latnok to allow you, then you may accompany us. Does that sound simple enough?"

With pain, Angora approached Shade and explained, although not in great detail to prevent him from worrying about her.
"Shade, there's nothing for us here. They separated us once, and they may do it again. If they do, you know I won't be able to do anything, and if I do... well, you'll know what happen..." Angora expressed before continuing.
"I need you to be strong. To be brave. And behave yourself. There may be something I can do out there that can help the both of us. Please don't be sad. I will come back as soon as I can. For now, I need you to be strong. To resist..." she pleaded, still hating the idea of leaving Shade alone with all of these psycho soldiers and a behemoth, especially if there was indeed a machine planned to be use of him. But she didn't have any power of resources to prevent it, and even though she didn't exactly trust this stranger from the orb, he was their only chance.

She indicated the solders about her departure, not explaining why she would leave her beloved friend behind since she didn't owe them any explanations. She just asked them politely to please treat him well, something she trusted would happen if the king wanted her intact. It surprised her the fact that Sere would consider it, but she was fearful about needing to convince Latnok and Risar first. She didn't know the minotaur very well, and she was never rude to him or anything, so perhaps she had a chance with him. Latnok on the other hand, that was her biggest concern. She was still convinced that the man hated her with a passion, so convincing him was going to be too difficult. At least Raclaw didn't hate her and he was friends with him, so she was hoping the fur dragon would increase her chances. The first challenge now however, was finding them all the way to Redwater...

Angora watched the letters, feeling ashamed to have forgotten about them. The stranger's words distract her previous thoughts. She saw the two letters were from both Maverick and Ilasi, although she was convinced the mermaid only did it to please their friend. Before Sere could leave, she once again had to leave her pride behind to ask him a favor.
"Hey... will you give me a ride to Redwater after I read these letters? Please?" she asked, feeling like she was going to throw up at the fact of asking him of all people a favor when he has done nothing but to step on her lately. Even so, she didn't have a choice...

"I don't have all day," Sere said. "I hope they are worth reading as the telepathy scroll Latnok had Maverick give you. We'll leave as soon as you're done. From there, it's on your own to find them. Risar often stays by the ship; he tends to volunteer more than others for maintaining the prisoners. Latnok and Raclaw sleep at the Easy Eyrie, but I don't know what they get up to when they're not there." Though Sere wasn't completely happy with the idea of bringing Angora back on board, she was useful, and Shade wouldn't be there, which would mean she would have no reason to try anything funny.
As Angora read Ilasi's letter, it would read:
"Dear Shade (and Angora, if you happen to be with him),
I hope you are doing well. I don't know what the conditions are like where you're being held, Shade; as long as you respect the guards and don't do anything dangerous, however, they should treat you well enough (for a prison, anyway), if my experience working in prisons is anything to go by. I know that you'll be good; Maverick and I are trying to figure out ways to allow you to demonstrate your good nature and your new respect for the law, though it is, for obvious reasons, quite a difficult task.
Angora, if you are reading this, please take care; guards will likely be highly suspicious of you whenever you are near Shade. It's important to deny them any reason to treat you badly; if they do even after that, then you have a case. I don't know when I'll see you again, but I wish you well in your time with Shade.

Sincerely,
Ilasi"

As the day went on, Ilasi, though initially very worried, felt much better with Maverick's company and Dahlia's friendly demeanor. After their time on the beach, Ilasi showed Maverick around many other places she felt had joyous views, such as one of the government-maintained parks and a hill with a view over much of the city. She couldn't help but be enamored by Dahlia's playful nature. "She's just like a big child..." she thought out loud at one point, as she continued their petting.

Day soon turned to night. Leoquin, having heard of the pending execution, was more than eager to attend, wanting to see just what the king would do to those who would make such a brazen move. He stopped by the Easy Eyrie, in search of Latnok.
It didn't take him long to find Latnok, who was enjoying some meat - beef or venison, from the look of it - and ale. "Hey, Leoquin! You keep to yourself a bit much, don't you think?"
"I see most things here on a regular basis," Leoquin said. "Even more than you do. What I haven't seen is whatever execution the king has planned for Silvianestians after their attempted regicide. Want to come-"
"Wait... did you just say regicide?" Latnok interjected. "No way in hell anyone's dumb enough to try that - or at least, that's what I thought. I take it this isn't going to be pretty."
"Oh, no, definitely not," Leoquin said. "So want to come? I lost Risar earlier today, so I dunno if he'd like to come, but you seem like a guy who'd appreciate that sort of thing."
Even though Latnok had no attachment to Aelinon as a nation and political entity, he was still rather curious to see what they had in store for the prisoner or prisoners. "Sure, I'd like to come..." he said. "Question is, are Raclaw and Chester going to want to come?" Latnok gave a look to the two of them, in questioning.

Raclaw and Chester briefly looked at each other before looking at Latnok again. "Sure-- we'll come.," Raclaw said with a nod. And even though public executions normally weren't his thing, it would be yet a first for the two. The two canine-like companions, despite not sharing a telepathic connection, seemed to both have a good gange on the other's feelings.

Angora shook her head slowly, finding Ilasi's letter quaint. Although she appreciated the warning, even though it was very obvious. Knowing Sere was in a hurry, she gave Ilasi's letter for Shade to read while she moved on to Maverick's.

"My sweet Angorita and Oscurito...
"I hope you're being treated well. I hope you can forgive me for this, but Ilasi offered me to go to the ship with her, and I decided to take her offer. I can't do anything for you from my position. I don't even know if this letter will reach you well, but if it does, well at least you'll have this one. I promise I will do anything I can from the ship. I'll talk great things about you two and befriend the Guardians. I know they can help us if they're willing to trust me, and you. Once again, I'm sorry. Please be well my friends. Until we finally meet again.

Maverick

After reading the letter, Angora was in a better mood. If Maverick went to that journey, she won't have to be alone, although at the same time, it made her feel lousy that she would have him while Shade would remain alone among these monstrous people. But this was it. There wasn't much she could do. She had to go on this journey and pray it'll be worth it.
"Well, this it Shady. I... have to go now. Behave yourself... and... please be well..." she said sadly, patting his paw as she gave Maverick's letter to him. She felt tremendously awful for leaving him alone, but if the soldiers were planning to separate them again anyway, it was better for her to make the first move, especially if the journey ahead meant she would get the necessary help.

Quote: A Guy

As the day went on, Ilasi, though initially very worried, felt much better with Maverick's company and Dahlia's friendly demeanor. After their time on the beach, Ilasi showed Maverick around many other places she felt had joyous views, such as one of the government-maintained parks and a hill with a view over much of the city. She couldn't help but be enamored by Dahlia's playful nature. "She's just like a big child..." she thought out loud at one point, as she continued their petting.

"Or a protective mother. I should know..." Maverick added, happy that Ilasi was still open to having a good time despite the distressing news. Neither of them won anything by being worried, especially since what happened was way beyond their power. It wasn't in his position to know or even think if the king deserved the attack for not, but it was no mystery that the culprit would be severely punished, something that there was no way Maverick was willing to witness.

A crowd could already be seen swarming the arena by the time Latnok and company arrived. "Man, wish Risar was here," Leoquin said. "We could just walk right through these people... oh well. Hope we can still find a good seat."
Latnok sighed, but was certain that, regardless of where they sat, they would still be bale to appreciate the spectacle. Though the crowd did give Raclaw a bit of space on account ofhis size, the fur dragon didn't have quite the presence that the minotaur had. All they could do was wait in the meantime...

Sere arrived at the city shortly before the execution was set to begin. It didn't take long to figure out what the buzz was about - but he hadn't heard about the attempted assassination until now. "They can't be serious..." Sere said to himself. The way things were going, there was bound to be a huge, bloody war; and there would be nothing he would be able to do about it. And that was the sad truth of the matter - no matter how hard he worked, nothing would stop people from killing each other. He would step in when it came to criminals, but had no such intervention capabilities in anything political.
Nevertheless, he figured that he might as well watch the public execution. He was really curious what the king had in store.

After Sere left Angora alone in the city, she left the wyvern pen, bidding a brief farewell to Veris and giving Sere a handwave since he left in a hurry, though it was better that way for her. Asking around, Angora reached the Easy Eyrie, fortunately not being a name very difficult to remember, though she found to her bad luck that Latnok had left to the arena. So typical of him to enjoy a sadistic spectacle. Since she didn't want to go to that arena again, not to mention it would be very uncomfortable and loud to make her request there, she decided to try Risar. She wanted to do Latnok first given he would most likely be harder to convince, but since that was out of the question now, she headed to the ship, and after some skepticism, she walked along the gangplank. She waited for him to arrive to the main deck, nervous as to what she would say. She wasn't afraid of Risar, but his presence was nonetheless intimidating, and since she believed he heard some lousy things about her, she had wondered just how difficult it would be to convince him...

At the arena, Huntress had just arrived. Even though she had been faithful to the rendezvous point, news of the king's attack reached her. Since Dex was already late, she decided it was better to meet him another time, if there was a chance she would see him again that is. For now, her best bet was to head for the area to see the scum who dared to allow attack her beloved Seraos and see him die in front of thousands of people. Nobody told her if the king would be there, so she simply purchased a ticket and entered the arena as any other spectator, determined to not only see the spectacle, but also move around the crowd in case Seraos was there, so that she could see how he was doing and also give her own support to him.

As Angora stepped aboard the Guardian ship-- it wouldn't take long to find Risar. The large minotaur's booming voice would soon be heard giving orders as he stepped out onto the main deck. "And watch that one. That one likes to procrastinate.," Risar could be heard saying no doubt talking about one of the prisoners. He hadn't yet noticed the familiar troll...

Leoquin, Latnok, Raclaw, and Chester all managed to find a seat not too far from the front. The arena was growing louder and louder as more of the crowd came in.
Food was being offered, but there would be much of a wait. Eventually, however, would be the moment everyone was waiting for - the king appeared on the balcony, and spoke.
"Greetings, visitors and citizens!" he called out, his voice being amplified in the typical manner by his staff. He was covered in a loose robe, on top of some other outfit, as opposed to the outfit he usually wore. The audience cheered as Seraos gave the announcement, confirming his presence.
"Now, let's get straight to business," he continued after the crowd had died down somewhat. "As you may already know, there have recently been numerous attacks on our people orchestrated by elves. My advisors had warned me of Silvianesti and their intentions; unfortunately, I was foolish enough to make the mistake of trying to negotiate with them. They claim themselves to be a peaceful people - yet, right after reaching an agreement with their king, while I was in our own territory, checking up on our people, they have tried to kill me..."
It was then that the king removed the loose robe - revealing a wound in his left arm, just about the size an arrow would inflict. Though many were too far to see it, the reactions of those closer told them all they needed to know. Jeering could be heard from the crowd in response to hearing the news from the king himself.
"They TRIED. Not only did they try, they had the nerve to do it in broad daylight with my very own guardsmen present. I would be dead now if it weren't for their quick and decisive actions. Perhaps they thought they were better than my men; many of them seem to consider themselves above all us 'lesser' races. They found out they were wrong, soon enough - and two in particular are going to find out just how wrong they are."
As the crowd cheered, soldiers could be seen carrying two large poles - each had an elf bound to it with thick rope. One was a male elf with a piece of his ear cut off; the other was a female elf. The female elf's pole was left to the side for now, as the male elf was staged in the arena, in the center for all to see. He seemed to struggle to the very end.

Maverick spent some time basking in the sun, watching from a distance how Dahlia was finally starting to calm down. With news of what happened to the king, plus the new event in the arena, he, Ilasi and Dahlia had most of the beach to themselves. Not too many people wanted to miss it. Although if anyone was honest, the dirt buffalo was the one having the best time. Not only did she had more space with less people one the beach, the sand and heat reminded her of her own desert home. She even soaked her hooves in the water, thou she never went too far.

Quote: redwes

As Angora stepped aboard the Guardian ship-- it wouldn't take long to find Risar. The large minotaur's booming voice would soon be heard giving orders as he stepped out onto the main deck. "And watch that one. That one likes to procrastinate.," Risar could be heard saying no doubt talking about one of the prisoners. He hadn't yet noticed the familiar troll...

As Angora waited for Risar to appear, she couldn't stop thinking about Shade and his farewell. How she would miss those nuzzles. She was even gonna miss those huge licks. But the for the present. The imposing minotaur made his way to the main deck, and her chance had come.
"Good evening... " was all Angora managed to say when he saw Risar coming to the main deck. Even though she was somewhat relieved he wasn't in the arena like everyone else, she was likewise nervous. She and the minotaur barely interacted on the previous journey, but she knew that he didn't think much of her due to all the trash the Guardians and the crew use to talk about her, so she was fearful on what would Risar's treatment and reaction would be to her greeting...

"So..." King Seraos said to the bound elf. "Do you have any last words for us?"
"Someone had to stop you!" the prisoner said. "You are wicked and vile! What you did to those people with that weapon of yours-"
"And have you not forced our hand in the matter?" the king said, almost as if demanding an answer. "You think you can kill my people and go unpunished?" The crowd exploded into uproarious applause at the king's statekent of support for his own people.
"Aelinon will fall one day! Mark my words!" the elf said. "You will soon see that you've met your match. We will defeat you!"
"We will see about that. Now, your death will be a most painful one," Seraos said to more cheering. "I'm sure you will appreciate the irony."
As Seraos spoke, one soldier came carrying a bucket full of some steaming compound. Bringing it over to the elf, it was revealed to be hot oil. The prisoner screamed in agony as it was poured all over his body - but the worst was yet to come.
One of the king's archers could be seen readying an arrow with a cloth next to him. "Nock!" the king commanded. The archer did as commanded.
"Light!" the king commanded. The archer put the tip of the arrow into a brazier, and it became to burn.
"Aim!" the king commanded. The archer raised his bow and pulled back the drawstring, calculatinf his shot.
[b]"Loose!"[/i] At the king's command, the archer launched his arrow - hitting the elf right in the hip as the fire quickly began to spread on him. The elf could do nothing but scream and writhe as his body was slowly consumed by flames, with the crowd cheering every moment of it - until there was nothing left of him which could burn.

Huntress watched with some sadistic glee, glad that the jerks who dared harm Aelinon's beloved king got what they deserved. She would've preferred to see a behemoth feeding frenzy, but fire worked as well. But after the execution was over, she remembered exactly what she came for. Moving along the crowd of loud, screaming people.
"Excuse me. Pardon me..." she said as he moved along, taking a little while to reach the king.

When she reached the balcony, as to be expected, it was guarded, but she was expecting the guards to recognize her.
"To king Seraos. Please me though. I need to see him." she begged, wanting to see for herself just how bad his wound was. As the crowd's shouting died down, she could smell the burning atmosphere...

The guards complied, allowing Huntress through to see Seraos - they were already familiar with her. "My king," one of them said, as he brought Huntress forth to Seraos.
The king took a look at Huntress. "My, what a pleasure seeing you here tonight, Huntress," Seraos said. Using his head, he motioned towards the grisly wound on his arm - right below the shoulder. It was large in part because there was no way to coax the arrow out gently. "Got into a little mix-up this morning. We are resolving the problem as we speak." While the arena staff were setting up the arena for the next execution, Seraos awaited Huntress' response.

Huntress wanted nothing more than to hug him, but given that he had that wound in his arm, plus the awkwardness that would be, she desisted.
"I'm so sorry my king. I.. I should've done something. Here I am looking into a society that probably doesn't exist after hearing the information from someone I barely know when I should've been researching about those awful elves. The Silvianesti are our enemies now. I... I should've investigated about them instead." Huntress expressed, bowing her head and very apologetic. She felt like she was partly at fault for this nasty attack.

"You are free to do what you desire for the most part, just like any other citizen," the king assured her. "It is not your fault. I was naive enough to believe that I could trust them and work to avoid a war. Their king clearly thinks that I am too afraid to act - having the nerve to order such an attack right after our peace deal, with his daughter in my possession. If he feels that I won't act, he needs a demonstration otherwise."
The arena was finally set up - Princess Nirsesh in the center. All along one of the balconies going around the arena, one could see archers beginning to assemble.

From that balcony, Huntress could see the princess. She had believed Seraos would keep her prisoner for a while, and it was now that she had learned he was planning to end her life as well.
"Wait, princess Nirsesh as well? So are you telling me that he dared ordered an attack on you after you were willing to make a peace deal AND while having his daughter in your possession? I... I can't believe it." Huntress said in shock, unable to believe the elf king would go so far. Was he really that stupid? Or didn't he cared about his daughter? Huntress became uneasy. She wasn't a fan of elves, but she was feeling quite sorry for the girl in the center of the arena. She looked so despaired. So helpless... just like she once did a long time ago. Was it really necessary for a daughter to pay for the sins of the father? Was this move really necessary? While she didn't openly approve of this particular execution, Huntress was going to likewise respect king Seraos decision.

Seraos shook his head. "I couldn't believe it either; but here we are. A demonstration is in order. They must know where we stand."
Seraos looked out at Nirsesh, who had given up struggling. "Any last words for us, princess?" he called out.
"Do what you will," Nirsesh said resignedly. She had seemingly already accepted her fate.
The archers around the arena were finally in position. It was time. "Nock..." the king called out. The archers obeyed.
"Aim..." the archers raised their bow, aiming by the center of the arena.
"LOOSE!"

A hail of arrows could be seen flying out from the balcony, with the twanging of bows a strong indication of how much power was in each shot. The arrows flew true, with perfect accuracy and precision at their target.
And they found their mark. The crowd gasped.
All around the princess, a circle of arrows, extremely well-aimed, laid around her. The archers hadn't fired at her, but at the ground around her.
As the crowd quieted down, King Seraos resumed speaking. "What a shame. Your father ordered my assassination, knowing full well that you were our prisoner. He didn't care about you. You are secondary to his hatred for our kind. Either that, or he considers us unwilling to act - and if he does, that is something that will need to be corrected.
"Now, I could have you killed right here, as you can plainly see. Despite what you elves might think, however, we are capable of showing mercy - our mercy only goes so far, however." The crowd cheered at the king's last statement, despite their desire to see more blood spilled.
"So I will spare you - for now. However, know this - we of Aelinon will not tolerate your aggression and hostility anymore. We will not tolerate your attacks on our people. And if we cannot trust your words, then you must show us by your actions that you want the peace you claim to desire.
"So I will spare you - for the moment. Instead, you, and everyone else here, will listen to this edict, which your father will be receiving before long."
One of the king's guardsmen handed him a scroll, which he opened and began to read.
"For too long, Silvianesti has committed hostile acts against Aelinon. You have conducted unprovoked attacks on my people. You have brought your own troops to interfere in our fight against another enemy. And you have gone so far as to try to assassinate me after we sign a peace deal. As we are merciful, however, we will give you the opportunity to make amends, and prove that you want the peace you claim.
"If these attacks were indeed rogue agents like you claim, then that is pure negligence on your part - failure to keep accountability of your soldiers. You are to bring us the head of every single elf in the chain of command of those who have conducted attacks on myself and my people - from those elves themselves and their immediate superiors, to the highest general responsible for the largest unit they are a part of. In addition, you are to completely withdraw your military personnel from all areas outside of the border of the Silvianesti forest. You will offer us appropriate recompense for every one of our citizens you have killed. Needless to say, we expect attacks to cease.
"Failure to comply with the above will be seen as acceptance of the aggressive actions of these people. In such a case, we will be forced to retaliate. Know this - if I must send my men to fight and die to stop your aggression, we will be far from merciful. We will make an example of you, for history to look back on We will fight not to conquer you, but to utterly destroy you. Every one of your people should be ready to fight, for we will take no prisoners. We will bring complete devastation to all of your cities and all of your forests - and we will not stop until everyone and everything related to Silvianesti is wiped out. The only evidence that Silvianesti ever existed will be in history books and old maps.
"You have three days to comply if you want peace. I hope you make the right decision; but we are more than prepared to fight yet again, as we have done all throughout our history."

As the king completed reading the edict, the crowd burst into loud applause and cheering. Opinions of the Silvianestians have dropped drastically in recent times, and they were more than willing to see them eliminated.

Huntress had lowered her head when the arrows fired, but like everyone else, she was surprised to see the princess still alive. Although she was rather glad to see the girl spared, she showed no emotion about it. She waited patiently for the king to be done with his speech and for the shouting to die down before expressing her own opinion.
"Are you sure my king? Three days may be too short. The princess may be spared, but what if the Silvianesti mistake that as a sign of weakness? Of course I'm not saying you should kill her since then her father would have nothing else to lose and war would be unevitable, but what if there was another way to show we are not so merciful without having to execute her? Or... better yet, what if we showed the princess our culture and what her father had done? You have already showed her power. She's still young and processing many things, so if she could see what her father has done, maybe there would be a way to make her see reason... or not. Too complicated. Sorry for the suggestion my king. I'm just trying to help, but I'm no monarch. I should let these decisions to you." Huntress finally said, almost getting a headache with so much thinking. She felt so sorry for her dear friend. Being a king wasn't easy.

King Seraos simply offered a sigh, with so many things he had to consider. "Three days will give him enough time to make a hard choice," he said. "Three days is also enough time for his people to get word - and thanks to my wyvern riders, they will - and pressure him. Most importantly, three days will be long enough to get our navy between routes of islands they control, should he not withdraw military presence from there as we demand.
"Their princess is another matter. Should the war start, she is of little use to me. I am still not sure what to do with her - she could perhaps be useful when our people need a morale boost, or when the elves need demoralization."
Soon, a royal guardsman was coming with one more person to see Seraos - Sere. "King Seraos," Sere said.
"Godfather Sere. Wasn't expecting you here," Seraos answered. "What brings you here?"
"Knowing of potential total war, my main concern is ensuring Shade is controlled at all times," he said. "Should control of him be lost in battle somehow, the consequences could be dire. There is no doubt that you will have enemies trying to sabotage your control of him every chance they get."
Seraos hadn't quite thought of that. "Hmm... you raise a fair point. I have a plan, however, and I'm going to need you to hear me out on this..."

Huntress stepped back to let Sere and Seraos speak. She wasn't a fan of the Guardians either, but understood their ties with Aelinon and respected that. She was done with the king, but remained there to overhear their conversation as discreetly as possible. Whatever Sere had to say, iit could be useful to her investigation...

Seraos knew that Shade's power could facilitate a quicker end to the war; however, he also understood that losing control of Shade and having the dragon turn on him could drastically change the tide - a risk which, now that it was brought to his attention, was too great to take.
"We should only need to use Shade once," Seraos said. "After that, you can keep him in your base. The elves will be looking for him, but won't expect him to be out of Aelinon and will spend precious resources trying to find him - worsened by the fact that we can hide our assets underground with ease."
Sere was visibly displeased with the suggestion. "Not only is our base not large enough to fit Shade, that would potentially make the Ardent Guardians a target for Silvianesti. We are not getting involved in this war. We do not play politics. We never agreed on taking Shade back whenever it was convenient."
"Hmph..." Seraos wasn't quite sure what to do here. There had to be some sort of solution.
"You're going to Falcon's Beak soon, are you not? Can you take him with you?"
"My men will not want to have to deal with Shade again. They are under the rightful assumption that I am not having him back on my ship. That will be very bad for morale." Though Sere put on a good front, he knew that there would have to be some sort of compromise in the matter - Shade had to be under someone's control, and he doubt the elves could control him if they were to remove the control of the collar somehow.

Glaveilio held in his hand one copy of many, many scrolls that Aelinon's wyvern riders have dropped over many inhabited areas. It was as he feared; King Seraos had issued a very powerful ultimatum. His citizens were well aware of the danger they now faced; Aelinon had undoubtedly tried to make sure as many of them got the word as possible. A calculated action; panic would worsen as the days went by.
"What is the plan, my king?" one of his council asked him.
"...what do you mean, what's the plan? We have to acquiesce," Glaveilio answered.
"How can we even trust them?!" another member of the council exclaimed. "There is absolutely nothing that would stop them from invading us anyway! Who's to say that whoever these drow are won't just find some other way to frame us? We need to bring the fight to Aelinon. They are expecting war in three days - we should attack them as soon as possible! We have the forces to engage-"
"Engage what, exactly?" Glaveilio interrupted. "We are limited in where we can engage them effectively they can rotate their troops much better than we can on account of having nocturnal warriors; and we have no way of accounting for their movements underground. We can fight and hold them for a time, even win battles; but the warm days are not far from ending, to be followed by blizzards. They can move underground unimpeded; their behemoths walk through snow like we walk on roads; and we can only maintain the foliage on so many of our trees. We will suffer terribly when the first winter comes; from there, we are praying that we inflicted enough casualties to have Aelinon reconsider their actions. No; we have to concede."
"Pardon me, my king..." one of the council members said. "But part of the demands require executing everyone in the chain of command of those troops responsible for the attack. Are you really going to have your elves executed for following the orders that you gave them?"
Glaveilio sighed forcefully, shaking his head with a palm on his face in frustration. "What was I supposed to do? Aelinon was hell-bent on holding us accountable for these attacks. King Seraos has neither heir nor queen; his death could send Aelinon into turmoil in the ensuing power vacuum, which could have had us in a much better position." Glaveilio was at a complete loss for what to do. Either option had dire consequences, and there were too many unknowns with both of them.

Dex had not found anyone he was after.... but what he had find out was a pretty sure rumor about where Shade was kept. After all if Blues information about anything was right Shade might have heard something..... or atleast that would tell him that Blue was right about something. It took sometime, but he finally managed to grab keys without a guard noticing... but he had to make sure to put them back before they did chance turns... And ofcourse there was always the possibility that someone might come there and ask the guard to open the containment..... because of this he had took few guild Members close so that they could make something happen helping him to escape.

He slowly made his way closer and saw Shade ”It is him, there can not be anyone so similiar” Dex thought as he talked with a guard Dex knew this was his chance. He quickly made his way in and made sure to be unisen before Shade had stoped talking with the guard


A small black flying lizard made its way over the hunteress. It did trop a very small wooden box so that She would notice it for sure. In the wooden box there was a little note ” Today blackmarket. Table close to wall left from the enterance.” And nothing else. The black lizard quickly went somewhere, but it was still close for sure.

The guard took the letter from Shade. "We'll see to it that he gets it," he said. "I'll give it to the postmaster. Now finish your rations." The guard left Shade's presence, to fulfill his request.

As Raclaw watched the public execution alongside Chester, Latnok, and his at-times trainer Leoquin-- the Fur Dragon's feelings were rather mixed at first. On one hand, he felt some pity for the initial elf as the king spoke. And on the other hand, it was clear from the crowd's initial reaction that the king has been struck and that the elf had been found responsible under the Aulinon laws. And as the elf spoke; Raclaw knew instantly to what weapon they were referring to. 'Shade-- what did they make you do?,' Raclaw's thoughts wondered. It was clear that whatever had happened had no doubt caused a strong reaction among the elves upto attempting the king's life itself. And as the hot oil was poured and arrows shot, Raclaw's ears drooped as if almost directly reacting to the elve's very vocal pain. The emotional effects from the action would be subdued somewhat from the very excitable crowd (and Leoquin himself), but he still couldn't help but to feel *something.*

As the event went on-- it even sounded partly as if the elves proper believed an inner rebellious force or another force entirely had been responsible. He understood the king's actions even it he wasn't entirely comfortable with them. And as Leoquin raised a fist to cheer along his fellow audience members, Raclaw watched with a mostly neutral public reaction -- the ears perhaps noticeable to Latnok. Chester reacted in a very similar manner, perhaps also picking up his master's own feelings in addition to his own. One thing was certain... war was very much on the horizon.

---

MEANWHILE...
Quote: Felines

As Angora waited for Risar to appear, she couldn't stop thinking about Shade and his farewell. How she would miss those nuzzles. She was even gonna miss those huge licks. But the for the present. The imposing minotaur made his way to the main deck, and her chance had come.
"Good evening... " was all Angora managed to say when he saw Risar coming to the main deck. Even though she was somewhat relieved he wasn't in the arena like everyone else, she was likewise nervous. She and the minotaur barely interacted on the previous journey, but she knew that he didn't think much of her due to all the trash the Guardians and the crew use to talk about her, so she was fearful on what would Risar's treatment and reaction would be to her greeting...

"Evening Angora-- and what are you doing here? Risar thought you would've been in Orcfield by now.," the large minotaur said looking at the little troll as if sizing her up. The horned beastman didn't seem entirely displeased to see her nor did he seem entirely pleased to see her ether. Perhaps there was hope yet for Angora's fate aboard the Guardian ship.

Dex slowly made his way out of the corner he had hide in to. He made his way closer to Shade trying not to scare him ”Hey big guy. Remember me?” Dex said not raelly sure what to say after all this time, his voice was kind of playfull but at the same time very serious.

Risar didn't looked entirely displeased with her presence, so Angora believed there was hope with him.
"Yes... well, there was a change of plans. Aelinon is planning to separate me from Shady anyway and I just made the first move. The journey to Falcon's Beak helped me a great deal before, and I want to go back... but I need yours and Latnok's permission to do so..." Angora said, getting straight to he point. She treated Risar politely, though not in a very exited or motivated matter.

Quote: cyndego

A small black flying lizard made its way over the hunteress. It did trop a very small wooden box so that She would notice it for sure. In the wooden box there was a little note ” Today blackmarket. Table close to wall left from the enterance.” And nothing else. The black lizard quickly went somewhere, but it was still close for sure.

Being so close to her, Huntress grabbed the box, and she read the content immediately. Did Dex sent this? She didn't noticed the lizard, so she believed he used a messenger pigeon or something else. How did he know she would be there? He had much explanation to do, so she would go to this meeting immediately. Even though she didn't want to interrupt king Seraos and his important visit, but she wanted to let him know she would go.
"Time for me to go my king. Don't send me escorts. I can see myself out. It was nice seeing you again. Good luck, and get well." she said with a small bow, not wanting to tell him about this new lead to avoid giving him more worries, but also to stop interrupting.

Seraos nodded and waved Huntress off, so busy was he with the topic matter at hand. There would be much discussion between him and Sere...
Latnok and Leoquin, meanwhile, were quite satisfied, having much appreciated watching the spectacle, as the arena began to resume its typical fight schedule. "Wonder what he's going to do with the princess," Leoquin said. "She's probably going to have a very fun time in whatever prison they keep her in."
"Still can't believe they'd try such a thing," Latnok said. "Was their king drunk?"
"I mean, elves have all of those fancy plants and stuff that they grow," Leoquin said. "No doubt a lot of that is for making the really good stuff."
Latnok, sensing Raclaw's own feelings, gave him a sympathetic petting. "Don't worry too much about it," he said. "That guy knew what he was doing. He accepted the consequences." Unfortunately, Latnok couldn't be much more comforting, considering he really didn't sympathize with the executed assassin.

Dex gave a small smile ” Well its me.... I think that should say enough about that. Are you doing fine? Or I guess I should say fine atleast if we dont think about the fact they are keeping youbhere” Dex said with a playfull voice. He was Indeed happy to see Shade, and forgot for a moment other things.

In the blackmarkets Bar there was a man sitting in a table which was said in the note. He had a black cloack and a hood over his head. He was one of the three men after Dex and Sapphire before.

Huntress left with a small bow, not wanting to interrupt Seraos any further. He already had enough on his mind to keep paying attention to her, so she left the balcony silently and left the arena. Going to the stables, she rented a horse and headed to the black market immediately, using a route few people knew.

It took her almost an hour, but she finally reached her destination, using the short note as guidance. She wasn't very pleased to find it wasn't Dex the one who summoned her there.
"Excuse me sir. Have you seen a black fox around here?" she asked politely, though with some impatience. She felt like she was already wasting enough time pursuing this matter when she should be getting info on the Silvianesti...

”Excuse me miss. I am sure you are the one trying to find a Blue dragon” the man answered making sure to get Huntress interested.

Quote: cyndego

”Excuse me miss. I am sure you are the one trying to find a Blue dragon” the man answered making sure to get Huntress interested.

The attempt was successful. The mention of the name was enough to get her attention. With the dragon's name in the open, Huntress decided to drop her innocent, damsel demeanor.
"I don't know who you are sir, but I need to know everything you know about this... creature." Huntress said in a calm mood, eyeing the market for any signs of Dex. Was this clouded man some sort of representative? She was on high alert, finding everything too convenient. She learned about Blue less than a week ago, and there is someone other than Dex that already knows about him. It was too fast. She didn't lower her guard and waited to see what this man would be willing to share...

Dex quickly remembered that he had something really to ask ” Thats good to hear. Well ofcourse it is good to see you, but Yea I am here for something else too. Blue In fact gave me the information that you are in this city..... but dont worry he does not seem to be after you and he only knew you are in this city. And he also told me about a risk that one of my connections might in fact be working for the king ...... or something like that. I dont know Why he would tell me about these things.... but now that I have seen you are here like he said ...... I have bad feeling that the other information is True too. So have you seen a woman using the name Hunteress (Dex also gave some information about the looks of the Huntress)” Dex said

”Well the question is who really needs the information you or the king.” The man said ” I might be able to tell you more Yes. But first have you thought about the fact How your little Fox friend would feel if he knew How openly you share your information with the king” He said (in fact their spy had not heard the conversation too Well making sure not to be seen, but they knew She had talked with him and now was a great time to test the theory ( Blues orders to this man)”

Now Huntress was really startled. First the letter, and now her relationship with the king. There was no doubt about it. She was being spied. But she has been in similar situations many times, so her mind thought quickly and how to respond.
"I am friends with the king. Nothing more. Whatever information I gave him is to keep him updated about his city's occurrences. He doesn't even know about the fox. I never even mentioned his name OR the species. I only said he was an acolyte. As for this Blue dragon, we only want to make sure Aelinon doesn't suffer any threats. We have a few of those already to have more." Huntress explained calmly, keeping her anger buried. Dex had much explaining to do. She respected her client's privacy, and even though she shared Dex's information with the king, Seraos knew nothing about his identity. He has done none of that, and it infuriated quite a lot.