darkSpyro

Finishing up nearly his entire meal, Maverick left the plate in the cart Latnok brought, finishing up his water. He looked to the sky and looked admiringly how Veris was flying gracefully around, enjoying his general freedom. Good thing Dahlia was in her enclosure or she would be a nervous wreck. As he watched the wyvern flying, he wished Shade could experience some of that freedom as well, but chances were that he would have to wait a while. He behaved well on the island so he heard, and they were planning on giving him and Angora the hexphage cure, so there was hope. How he missed flying on Shade's back, just feeling the cold and looking at the clouds without a care in the world.

There would be time to think of flying. Maverick didn't trust Veris or Sere, and he didn't dare asking Raclaw for a lift, so he settled with waiting for Shade to be cured and have the permission to fly. For now, all he wished was to see the island he had grown fond of one more time, knowing Alya was there somewhere. Ignoring everyone else, Maverick headed to the ship's stern, getting smaller with the distance and the wind blowing in the opposite direction of his body. The future was uncertain now, so all Maverick could do was pray for the success of whatever mission the Guardians have, for Shade to improve his behavior and earn his freedom, and also have the peace and family he so much desired.

Angora knew Maverick well enough to know something was indeed wrong, but decided to leave him alone for various reasons.
"I'm certain he only needs some time alone. He went behind the ship, probably missing that little girl we met. Besides, I don't want to get scolded in case one of those sailors bump onto me on the way there." Angora told, not wanting to take any risks. If Maverick had wanted to talk to them, he would've gone straight to them.

As the ship began to move and the island was soon behind them-- Raclaw looked out onto the ocean pleased that they had helped the Islanders to the best of their abilities. Chester sat alongside him rolling his precious new ball, while Risar turned his focus to the crew. "You-- stop staring and MOVE!" Risar shouted at the same sailor who still couldn't quite get the Minotaur off his mind-- despite the horned beast man clearly not being interested. "Well Chester... we'll off to another adventure. Are you ready?," Raclaw asked looking down at the little Beagle. "Ready as ever-- love that bell!," Chester responded via an excited bark. Raclaw merely smiled as he watched the little dog play and his eyes began to follow the shiny chimey ball.

Angora ate the remaining of her meal in only a few mouthfuls, having been quite hungry. She didn't think the cooking was better than Maverick though.
"Heh, what do you know? Latnok cooking. I don't know about you Shady, but I think he was jealous of our little Maverick." Angora commented, speculating the young Guardian's behavior based on how rather annoyed he had seemed when he saw everyone enjoying Maverick's own cooking. Not that it surprised her though. She had known him for quite a while, and if there was something he made quite clear was his need to always improve himself on something and try to be better than everyone else at certain tasks. He was practically an open book.

On the stern, Maverick continued looking at the island, shrinking until it couldn't be seen no more. How he missed Alya already. That little girl gave him so much love in so little time. It was thanks to her that he had found this voyage so worth it. And if Shade continued improving, it would be even better.

With the ship on the move once again, the crew returned to their previous activity level. With the matter of accountability handled, Sere only concerned himself with navigation for now. There would be plenty of time for some of the other business.
The cart filled, Latnok would leave the main deck to bring its contents to the scullery. He contemplated washing the dishes; however, he figured that Risar would probably put a prisoner to the task. Instead, he would head to his room - maybe to take a short nap, maybe to think for awhile.
Ilasi didn't take long to put herself to work; with the ship on the move agaon, potable water would once again be needed. She would be on hand as the sailors drew up seawater, ready to desalinate and purify it.
Veris, after his bout of flying, finally decided to return to the deck of the ship. With a long yawn, he headed back into his enclosure.

With the island no longer visible, Maverick decided to work to distract himself with some work. He wasn't in the mood to do the thedious dishes, so he instead grabbed a mop and a bucket and started swabbing the deck. The sides of the ship looked splendid with the barnacles removed, courtesy of Angora, but the troll didn't know what else she could do in her condition, so she opted with just keeping Shade company and train him a little more later.

Raclaw smiled as Verris returned-- glad that the Wyvern had no doubt enjoyed himself. As Latnok headed innership and the others soon got to work, Raclaw remained where he was and watched Chester play, partly keeping an eye on the ball out of curiosity and to make sure that it didn't accidently go overboard. That would've been one loss that the two furry pals would've been very distraught about. As he watched-- he thought of the journey ahead, the future and possible future destinations, and how they had gotten there. He wondered exactly where his future would take him and what he would do should certain things come/not come into fruition. Would he find his parents? What would he do should they find his parents? What about Latnok and the powerful bond that formed between him and the Guardian-- what would come of that? And just how far would the two take that bond and that trust? These were questions that only time could tell and something that would be revealed in due time.

He briefly scanned the main deck, so as to get an idea of what rumors were currently floating around in the crew's surface thoughts. His and Chester's ball game had become the topic as of lately-- and what it meant for his upbringing and his 'training' by Latnok. Others had seen Veris fly and once again wondered if he was destined to eventually become some kind of talking mount for the Guardian. It was clear that the two had formed a powerful bond and had become very good friends-- and it was clear that Raclaw was already being trained in combat and now swimming. Combining their skill sets even further and taking into the air would only be a natural evolution of that-- or so some of the crew members believed at least. As for the fur dragon himself, he wasn't entirely sure what to think of the idea. In the past, Angora had tried to mount him only for him to initially reject the idea. He, of course, had later tried to recoup and redeem himself in the Troll's eyes-- only to be rejected himself five times.

That was one of the few times, at least to his knowledge, that someone fully conscious had successfully been on his back for any amount of time. He knew not of Maverick successfully mounting him in his sleep and didn't count the wounded pirate. He regretted some of his past decisions concerning the troll, but also wondered what he would do should Latnok get the same idea. That was a bridge that he, that they rather, would cross when they got to it. Angora had mounted without permission, but Latnok would no doubt show respect and ask first. Or perhaps the Guardian (and his best friend) would wait for him to eventually make that move. Once again-- only time would tell. Elsewhere, Risar shouted orders and kept the crew busy.

As Angora kept Shade company, she rested on his belly for a while, smirking to herself. Perhaps Shade had forgotten, but she still had a certain punishment on hold. While she had the naughty thoughts, Maverick on the other hand, had much to think about as he cleaned the deck. Why did Ilasi treated him that way yesterday? They had talked and played underwater so nicely, yet last night's conversation turned so unpleasant. Why didn't she wanted to give him a chance? Away from his father's scary influence and presence, he really had believed he could've had a chance, but she had proven him so wrong. Was it really that wrong to love and help a troll who was genuinely good deep inside? Was it his meek behavior? What was so wrong about him?

The deck wasn't too dirty to begin with even after everyone had their meal, so Maverick was done pretty fast. He purposely left Raclaw's spot for last to have an excuse to talk to him.
"Well, finished. Oh, hola Raclaw. Hey, I have something in my room that... I need you to look at." he said, stamerring a little. He didn't see Latnok anywhere, but he still didn't want him or anyone else see him talking to him. Gossips were too common on that ship. Even though Maverick didn't really trust anyone on that ship save for his friends Shade and Angora, Raclaw clearly trusted him enough to let him take care of Chester, so perhaps it was time to reciprocate that trust.

"Uh-- sure. I don't mind.," Raclaw said with a meek smile not expecting ether Angora nor Maverick to directly talk to him. Still, he was happy that Maverick had still been kind to him and hadn't held any grudges against him. "Do you mind if Chester comes along?," he then gently asked willing to leave the little Beagle to his own devices if need be. The little dog had evidently proved himself capable of finding entertainment and a friend, while he and the others had gone off-island that same day. He had to admit-- Chester had shown himself over time to be both very resourceful and very intelligent.

"Not at all." Maverick said kindly but bluntly, leading them away to his cabin. Risar's booming voice could be heard shouting orders somewhere on the ship, something Maverick learned to ignore. Still, the sound was distracting enough to make it feel like they had arrived in no time.

Inside the tiny room, things were a bit cramped with Raclaw around, but he still had some mobility nonetheless.
"Sorry for the mess. I hadn't had the time to clean it." he had said, throwing a few things onto a corner so Raclaw could have more space.
"Gave that girrafe toy to the little girl. She was so nice to me... to us. Angora too. She usually doesn't like children." Maverick then casually commented, feeling like a fool for talking to what was probably Latnok's best friend. With his mannerism, it was a little too obvious he wasn't there to talk about Alya. He continued putting things away, some to his hyperspace bag, wanting to find the right words to express himself. With Shade and Angora infected with hexphage and feeling like everyone else disliked him, Maverick felt like he could only turn to the gentle Raclaw for some comfort.

"It's quite alright.," Raclaw said with a smile, trying to make his form as small as possible and gratefully accepting the little space that Maverick had quickly cleared for him. The space (or lack of) was less of an issue for Chester, who was now carrying his shiny new ball within his mouth and was practically toy-sized. "She seemed nice-- I barely saw her, I wish I could've talked with her.," Raclaw said having some regret over not directly approaching the little girl when she had toured the ship. He couldn't recall why he didn't, but figured that he was probably busy with Latnok at the time. He waited for Maverick to respond and to reveal the true reason for his being there.

Maverick paced with what little space he had after clearing as much as he could. He could barely believe he had a dragon that wasn't Shade so close to him. Sure, he was a fluffy and adorable looking one, but he was still a dragon, and a fire breathing one at that. He had seen as much at the battle with the pirates, and even more dangerous now with the new equipment. Yet here he was, trusting him cause he had no one else to turn to. He looked at the playful Chester and smiled, vanishing instantly after a few seconds.
"Tell me Raclaw. Do you think... do you think I'm a wimp for always trying to be so nice to everybody? For trying to do things as softly as possible? For... supposedly letting myself get beaten by a troll?" Maverick asked, with so much doubt in his voice it felt like he was going to lose it at any time. Being on the move again had made the hybrid feel so lousy. He didn't have Alya anymore, and even though Angora and Shade were told they would be given a cure, nothing of the sort was happening. He felt so alone right now. Even Ilasi, the one person he cared for and trusted so much before had made him feel so bad about himself.

"You're.. you're not a wimp Mav and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. What you have with Angora is special and no matter what others may think-- your kindness, your gentle spirit, is what makes you who are you. We all need a friend and we all need someone to talk to. You are able to provide that for her and you should be proud of that.," Raclaw said giving a brief smile to the playful Chester. Speaking about with Maverick now about Angora had only reminded him further of what could've been between him the troll. Of course he had Latnok, but part of him couldn't help but feel some regret over the whole thing. He briefly paused before admitting something to the fawn hybrid. "If-- If I can admit something, I once wanted to be there for her. I still do, but I'm glad that she has you and Shade-- regardless of what happens now.," he then said with regret. When the old group had split up, his bond with Latnok had only gotten stronger and stronger. In that same time, Angora's bond with both Maverick and Shade (her new family) had only gotten stronger as well. Meanwhile-- whatever remained of his relations with the troll had slowly withered, as she had continued to hold grudges against him.

Maverick felt slightly better with those words, but he still had too much self doubt.
"Angora... she talked quite a lot about you in our travels you know. She had been angry at you for not defending her from Latnok, but at the same time, she felt bad for not giving you the chance to forgive her. She said that she once tried to ride you and that you got upset, but she admitted that it was a childish thing to do to remain angry over something like that." Maverick admitted, having talked about many things with Angora in the months he travelled with her and Shade.

He did a very brief pause before continuing.
"She really is a good lady Raclaw. I know she can give a bad impression, but that's because the world has been so mean to her. Señor Latnok... he didn't help either. I know he's your friend, but you have seen how he can be. Angorita is just so full of anger. Not even her own parents loved her. She always feels like the entire world is out to get her. I'm trying to be there for her, cause otherwise she wouldn't have anybody else. I mean, she would still have Shade, but she can't help him all by herself. I... I want to help her señor Raclaw. Be there for her... be the family she never had... but... everyone makes me feel like that is so wrong! That I should leave her behind and live my own life! Why señor Raclaw? Why can't anyone but me see what a good lass she is? Come on, you were there when saved us all from that black thing back in those caves, even with señor Latnok's constant insults. In Orcford, she risked her life to save me! And in Redwater, she confessed to a crime she didn't even commit in order to save Shade, and almost died because of it! How is all THAT something bad?" Maverick said, rubbing his moist eyes. He felt like everybody was gaining on him for loving Angora, even the beautiful Ilasi, and that was emotionally shattering him.

With the ship now on course, Sere withdrew to his room - he would soon be back up, however, with the green orb in his hand. There was something he wanted to try out - and the test subject was on board.
Shade wasn't hard to find, given his large size. Sere approached him without any sort of reservation, asserting his presence.
"Shade. I'm going to conduct a little experiment. I just need your cooperation," he said. Now, was this artifact really the kind of thing he thought it was? There was one way to find out.

"Latnok, the Guardians-- they don't see what you or I see. Whereas we can see through her outer shell and glimpse into who she really it, they don't have that luxury and are only able to see her as she appears on the surface. From what I understand from Latnok, each and every Guardian goes through a process that strips them of some of their emotions. This is a sacrifice that they make in order to gain their power, but it's also a sacrifice that costs them when it comes to understanding others. Angora's pain, that initial impression, can be seen as disrespect without this understanding and-- and they view this respect as something that is important above all else. You are right... she saved us all and has proven her loyalty to those who are worthy. Unfortunately, this alone may prove to be inadequate-- and it may take both time and patience for them to truly see her for who she is. Latnok-- I am working with him and through me, he is gradually feeling more emotions and experiencing those emotions for the first time in a long long time. Mav, you are right. You shouldn't leave her and you shouldn't go against your heart. I see this and in time-- the others will as well.," Raclaw responded revealing his feelings to the fawn hybrid. Indeed-- Latnok was slowly feeling more and more. Perhaps there was hope yet for Angora's place as the Guardians saw her.

Maverick simply crossed his arms and lowered his head, entering in deep thought. Raclaw didn't have the same animosity for Angora everyone else had. And yet, he hasn't seen the fur dragon talking or comforting her. Was it because he feared it would shatter his friendship with Latnok? Or did he disliked Angora deep inside and didn't want to tell him? Whatever the reason, it was something Maverick pondered about.
"Was the sacrifice really worth it? Power for exhange of your heart? It's just... has been so hard! I'm finally away from my father and I want to be a good person, but then señor Latnok sticks me up with that prisoner and expects me to be ruthless. When I was with my father, I was ruthless, and it was bad. But now I try to be good and it's bad as well?" Maverick said, demonstraing how conflicting his emotions were.

"And also, being with Angora seems as bad too. And it's not just the Guardians! There is... others as well." Maverick vented, almost mentioning Ilasi's name, but decided to leave her out of it despite still feeling offended at her suggestion of ditching Angora and practically change his personality.
"I'm trying señor Raclaw. And Angorita too. Also Shade you know! He doesn't attack for the sake of it! He has attacked to protect us, his family! But the Guardians, always so heartless and ruthless! We're trying señor Raclaw! We're trying..." Maverick started to say, losing his voice at that moment. His throat was such a knot that he couldn't speak anymore. He felt so bad, he didn't mind if Raclaw decided to leave. He sat on his bed and invited him to leave if he desired. He didn't want to burden him with his own emotions anymore. One thing was clear now. Raclaw was their only chance. Latnok and his master were harsh individuals who didn't care whom they offended, and used brutal methods to have things their way, but if there was someone who could soften their stoned hearts, it was the fur dragon himself.

Quote: A Guy

With the ship now on course, Sere withdrew to his room - he would soon be back up, however, with the green orb in his hand. There was something he wanted to try out - and the test subject was on board.
Shade wasn't hard to find, given his large size. Sere approached him without any sort of reservation, asserting his presence.
"Shade. I'm going to conduct a little experiment. I just need your cooperation," he said. Now, was this artifact really the kind of thing he thought it was? There was one way to find out.

Angora didn't like the look of that thing. The glow... it was magic alright, but she couldn't tell what kind. Wasn't that the thing Leoquin fished up earlier? Despite wanting to complain, she knew it would be a waste of time, so she looked at Shade and nodded, hiding behind his knee to give him comfort, but also to see what Sere was up to.

"There there-- I know you are.," Raclaw said gently lowering his head within range of the teary eyed Maverick. He had put himself in a position where the fawn hybrid could ether pet him or use his head for comfort-- either of which he would've been fine with, despite the slightly demeaning implications of the former. He wasn't going anywhere, at least for the time being. Secretly, he used to love being petted in his 'dog' days. Chester, meanwhile, briefly out his ball down and grabbed hold of the edge of bed-- following in his friend's footsteps and providing himself as a means of comfort if the emotionally hurt Mav so desired. If there was anything that could help make a hybrid feel better, it was a gentle fur dragon and an even gentler Beagle.

Meanwhile, Risar shouted ordered and briefly watched-- curious as to what Godfather Sere would do.

Instead of petting his head, Maverick patted Raclaw on the shoulder, treating him more as another individual than an animal. He had been so deep in his emotion, that he didn't even hear the bell from Chester's new ball.
"Gracias Raclaw. And you too Chester. I'm sorry to have bothered you with this. I just... wanted to know if I'm doing something right. This whole experience have been... heh, a little too much for me. I never imagined I would be at sea again. It has been hard, but, it has been worth it at least. Shade is improving, and I met that sweet little girl." Maverick, said, slowly returning to his smiling, optimistic self. Raclaw may be friends with Latnok, but he was nothing like him. He was comforting, and never judged harshly.

"Well then, I feel much better. I hope Shade and Angorita can receive that hexphage cure soon and finally demonstrate their worth. Anyway, sorry to have kept you señor Raclaw. Tonight I can cook you whatever you like. And of course, little Chester too. Heh, I never would've imagined having a dog would be so fun." Maverick said with a big smile, completely changing his demeanor. Raclaw didn't need to say too many words, yet he already made him feel so much better. He offered himself to escort the fur dragon back to the main deck so he could proceed to do whatever he wanted without bothering him again.

"Mav-- you'll never be a bother. And you don't have to, but thank-you.," Raclaw said allowing Maverick to escort them back to the main deck. He motioned for Chester to pick up his ball, something that the little Beagle needed no reminder for. "And yeah-- Chester can pretty fun. He reminds me sometimes of my more youthful days, back before I fully knew who or what I was.," the former-pet-turned-free-dragon said referring to his old 'dog days.' He had more-or-less dropped many of his old behaviors, but some aspects still stuck with him to this very day-- such as his fascination with ball-related activities as displayed earlier with Chester. He smiled looking down the little dog, whose mouth was currently full courtesy of the clear belled ball.

"Well, I'm glad the ball was fun for more than one. Curious how you enjoy such activity. You just have fun without a care in the world." Maverick said with admiration, feeling a little envious how Raclaw could be his complete self without receiving any repercussions from anybody. He could barely believe such a sweet creature could be friends with someone as cruel and strict as Latnok, but then again, it was most likely a necessary friendship to mellow the young Guardian down. I'm a way, Raclaw was to Latnok what he was to Angora.

It didn't take the furry trio much to reach the main deck, where everything was calm and everybody was doing chores without complaints. Sere was with Shade, making Maverick somewhat uneasy. Was he about to train him? He didn't want to find out, yet he would remain nearby to see the progress.

"I can't help it-- sometimes it just comes out.," Raclaw said with a slight laugh. As they walked back onto the main deck, the fur dragon's eyes occasionally glanced towards the ball; the clear sphere and the chimney bell held within having become somewhat of a fascination for the two furry pals. Seeing the experiment in progress, Raclaw opted to remain nearby as well-- both out of curiosity and for Shade's sake should he need to calm him. With Latnok away and likely meditating, it would be up to him alone to help control his former traveling companion should he react badly to whatever Godfather Sere had planned to do. With their link still intact and the collar commands effectively useless without Latnok present, it may become necessary to put Shade asleep in such a situation and that was where Raclaw himself came in. Chester sat down next to Raclaw and rolled his ball around, only briefly glancing up.

"If I am correct, this is something known as a life orb," Sere said. "It is basically a library of sorts - it would allow one to gain an understanding of various different kind of life forms. Now, just hold still."
Without waiting, Sere began focusing on the artifact - trying to tap into its potential. Once he felt that he had a good grip on the artifact, he began focusing on Shade - more specifically, the hexphage on him. Soon, a ray of red light shot out from the artifact, essentially disintegrating a small segment of hexphage, before the artifact stopped glowing.
Sere was somewhat wide-eyed, as if he suddenly had some sort of revelation. "Ah, I see... so this artifact works by deconstructing an organism in order to gain information on it. Now, this could potentially be useful - but why did pirates have it? How did they get it?" Indeed, that was the question - not one they would likely have an answer for immediately, however

Angora remained hidden behind Shade's paw, thinking for a moment the artifact was attacking him. After the red light stopped glowing, she was about to say a thing or two to Sere, when she noticed that Shade was not only fine, he was also missing a few patches of hexphage in his scales, although she was certain they would grow back eventually. She looked at the growing orb, still wanting to say something. She didn't have nothing to say... nothing nice at least. Why couldn't the orb just disintegrate ALL the hexphage and cure him of it? Sere certainly had everything calculated. There he was playing with that orb while they were both still being drained by the merciless fungus. Good thing there weren't any behemoths at sea, or they would've been long dead. Since Angora had nothing nice to say, she remained quiet, just like Shade decided.

Sere focused more on the artifact, attempting to draw out a similar power again; however, it would not respond to him, and did not start glowing again.
"It would seem that the artifact is dormant right now. If I were to guess, it needs some time before we can draw on its power again." The experiment did come with one positive; Sere had a deep understanding of how the strain of hexphage on Shade and Angora worked. More importantly, he now had some idea as to how he would make his own cure; however, he wasn't sure he had all of the ingredients. A tool like what he had would be a drastic improvement on the Guardians' ability to learn about new things; Sere only knew of unsubstantiated descriptions of what the device did, however. More research would be needed to gauge the usefulness of the device - as well as any potential drawbacks.
"That is all," Sere said. "I will see how long it takes for the artifact to awaken once again."
Ilasi and Leoquin, not too far away, observed with interest - especially Leoquin, who had retrieved the artifact. Leoquin wasn't particularly interested in learning all about living things; however, it was interesting nonetheless. "So... how exactly does the disintegration thing work?" Leoquin asked.
"My guess is that it would have to disassemble the entire organism in order to gain data about it," Sere said. "A single unit of hexphage is pretty small, so the artifact was satiated with a few patches; I would imagine that bigger, more complex creatures would take more work. I don't know how long it would take, how large an organism it can research, or whether such a thing can be resisted; I would not trust it as a weapon. It would seem to be a tool created by someone - or some group - who would have a great interest in the full understanding of living things."

Maverick was some distance away, watching everything as well. He was near Raclaw and his playful companion, having learned to trust them. In a moment of weakness, he almost confessed to the fur dragon how he mounted him once in his sleep back in the caves, but decided at the last second not to say anything in fear that it would ruin any potential developing of friendship. Raclaw was gentle, but based on what Angora has said about him, he seemed to have pride in that sense. Despite his friendship with Latnok, he hasn't seen the young Guardian mount Raclaw even once, so it was probably true.

As the fawn man watched, Angora took a few breathers to avoid sounding rude. After finally feeling calm, she decided to ask a question.
"Does that thing need to disintegrate organisms to learn about them? Does it... kill?" Angora asked in a rather meek voice, not wanting to sound accusing. She has seen that orb practically melting those hexphage samples. What if the red light had touched Shade? That was something she started to think about as soon as Sere was done explaining to Leoquin how it worked.

"As far as I know, that is how it functions," Sere answered. "It would seem to be somewhat akin to disassembling a machine to understand its function - except, of course, you can't exactly put an organism back together. Whoever created it wouldn't seem to have had ethics high on their list of priorities." Sere took another look at the now dormant orb - just where did it come from? Maybe they'll find out one day...

Sere didn't answer her question very directly, but Angora could deduce that he indeed has confirmed that the orb killed sapient beings in order to study them. That meant it could've grabbed Shade the same way it did the hexphage. It made her furious beyond reason that the dragolet was used as a vulgar test subject even with the risks. But since no damage was done, Angora decided to keep her frustration to herself.
"The orb has what it wants, doesn't it? It has it's samples, does it not?" she asked in a calm voice, wanting nothing more than to get rid of the infernal fungus. This infection wasn't as draining as the one in Redwater, but Angora could feel it was far more resilient and it reproduced faster.

From his spot, Maverick couldn't hear what Angora was saying, but knowing her well, could tell that she was upset, and was repressing whatever anger she had. The orb was very pretty, but having no knowledge about magic, he wouldn't dare to touch it. He opted to just continue paying close attention to the scene before him, hoping he could learn whatever little he could.

From where he, Maverick, and the still distracted Chester sat-- Raclaw watched with curiosity. From the surface thoughts floating around, he was able to get some idea of what was going on in addition to the visual observations. "It seems as though the orb has absorbed and disintegrated some of the Hexphage on Shade-- and is now lying dormant. It need time.. time to study? To learn? It's purpose it likely that of research rather than an weapon, as it wouldn't be a very efficient one at that rate.," Damon spoke within his head stating his observations and providing his host with his best educated guess. "Don't worry-- Shade is likely perfectly safe. Damon, err... the presence within my collar, believes that it's some kind of research tool. And Sere was targeting the fungi and not Shade himself.," Raclaw reassured Maverick leaving out the part about disintegration for the time being. He couldn't recall if the hybrid was aware of Damon or not, but opted to finish his train of thought anyway.

Elsewhere, Risar watched out of slight curiosity and to make sure that everyone was safe.

"Entity within your collar?" Maverick repeated, not certain if he had heard about something like that before. Maybe he has heard one of the sailors talking about something like that, but he had dismissed it.
"You have your han... your paws full, don't you? You helped Shade back in those caves with... telepathy or something? I do remember something like that. And now you have someone talking to you right now"" Maverick said, getting a headache just thinking on how much Raclaw's head had to endure. As he pondered about Raclaw's predicament, he spotted Risar at the distance, and once again couldn't help feeling rather uneasy with his presence.

The attack was over. Many members of the league and the brotherhood was killed. Blue did not want to risk losing more of his pretty small group, but the damage was done.

In the battle Sapphire and Dex managed to capture the Traitor vice leader. Blue did not really care to safe him so now he was in the stage and could not move at all. Nobody was doing anything it was like all of them where in a shock.

"Well somebody needs to do something" Sapphire said to Dex . He did not answer but walked to the stage. He put his fangs to the vice leader killing him and taking the golden dagger of the leader. Once the league members saw what Dex did they started to gather in the front of the stage.

" Most of us dont even know each other very Well, but now everything has chanched. We now have a glear enemy, which we have to win. If we stay alone like we have, we will not survive. The brotherhood is Full of nasty murders, we have to show them and to the world we are better then them. If you choose to follow me here is what I say. No more league, after this we are a guild of assassins. Most of us will be living here of course exeptions are agreed. We start to follow a moral Code we help the poor, and dont agree to take Jobs to kill people we dont see deserving to die. If we do this we can show the world we are not murders like the brotherhood, as a guild we look after eachother and everyones job is everybodys bussiness. And right now the most important thing is, when we are a close unite we can fight against the brotherhood. Are you ready to give a way your fortune you might have as an individual are you ready to see eachother as brothers and sisters..... or do you think my way of not agreeing big Jobs because of moral values is not worth it. Choose what you want." Dex said with most serious and loud voice That he had ever used.

It took a moment but after that everybody just started to applause. Dex nodded and but the golden dagger in a chain and around his neck. Before he could say anything Sapphire ran to him giving him a long lick to his face and saying outloud "you really are the one I always thought you are. I love you" Sapphire said looking at Dexes eyes. Dex clearly blushed. And the dwarf from earlier shouted "I knew it!". Dex after the shout got hold of himself , with completly different voice then before and very shyly said "Hey Sapphire...... I think I love you too........ " . Sapphire with very happy look at first started again to tease Dex "Well first time for everything, so now we have a problem..... whats next then" She said like She had no clue. Dex looking very uncomfortable ".......... Okey I want you to be my girlfriend Damit!". Sapphire after giving a large smile "I would love that " She said and nuzzeld Dex staying very close to him. Everybody started to applause again. After few moments Dex said "Now we should bury our friends and repair this place! I will go to the citys leaders, they probably have noticed what has happend here, and they need to know what we have become. I will tell them everything and then lets see what they want." Everybody nodded and started to do what was said. "Dwarf I will need you with me, they probably wont take a fox too seriously if I am alone." Dex said and so the dwarf and Dex started to make their way to the cityhall. Sapphire ran after them "I will come too" She said. Dex Simply nodded and so they kept going.

Quote: Felines

"Entity within your collar?" Maverick repeated, not certain if he had heard about something like that before. Maybe he has heard one of the sailors talking about something like that, but he had dismissed it.
"You have your han... your paws full, don't you? You helped Shade back in those caves with... telepathy or something? I do remember something like that. And now you have someone talking to you right now"" Maverick said, getting a headache just thinking on how much Raclaw's head had to endure. As he pondered about Raclaw's predicament, he spotted Risar at the distance, and once again couldn't help feeling rather uneasy with his presence.

"It's-- it's a long story, but essentially yes. We believe that Damon was placed within my collar to help moderate my powers as they developed, just prior to me leaving the farm. At the time, this was unknown to me as well as the Guardians proper; whom hadn't yet even been aware of my existence. This was only discovered during the course of the last journey, when they officially unlocked my collar and unknowingly woke Damon up. He and I-- it's complicated, but we essentially share a mental presence alongside the linked Latnok and the still linked Shade to a degree. This-- this Damon has access to all of my thoughts, memories, and senses. We currently have a mutual relationship and at least thus far, he has actually been a great help. He is capable of managing my connections, performing certain actions on the fly, and advising me from time to time. He's.. he's been good to me, but we are keeping an eye on the situation.," Raclaw reluctantly explained revealing some of his uneasiness in his tone. Damon was currently a force for good, but could easily become quite the opposite. And with the artifact near-permanently attached to his tail-- he could easily physically harm him as well.

"From what I've read, more complex organisms would have to be disassembled in their entirety," Sere said. "It would make sense, considering how many things it would need to research in order to get a full understanding of the organism. Hexphage, being a simpler, smaller organism, only needs a small patch. I've gotten more information about this particular strain."

Latnok was alone in his room, thinking about those on the ship. The trio of Angora, Maverick, and Shade were the only ones he had any sort of major difficulty - they have, however, become more compliant over time. Mostly. Maverick still flew off the handle in matters related to Angora. Angora herself had stopped with her nasty attitude. Latnok doubted she had really changed - she was, however, at least pretending, which was all he needed for now. Enough faking may actually drive the behavior home, once she saw that it caused her less trouble.
Poor Ilasi had to deal with all of the turmoil between the trio and everyone else. Though she put up with it, she had clearly expressed that she abhorred it. It would be nice if, at least for her sake, they changed. Leoquin, on the other hand, seemed to strongly dislike the trio, even more than he did. Which was understandable, to a degree - Shade was, as far as he was concerned, a monster responsible for the murder of hundreds of his fellow citizens, Angora had been very rude to him in their very first encounter, and Maverick was wrapped around her thumb. Once the trio showed themselves to be solid, trustworthy members of the crew, however - if they ever got to that point - his attitude towards them was behavior that Latnok have to put an end to.

Quote: A Guy

"From what I've read, more complex organisms would have to be disassembled in their entirety," Sere said. "It would make sense, considering how many things it would need to research in order to get a full understanding of the organism. Hexphage, being a simpler, smaller organism, only needs a small patch. I've gotten more information about this particular strain."

Angora became even more uneasy with the explanation. So this orb literally melted any organism in order to study it. It may not be a weapon, but it might as well be one.
"You're not going to keep that thing around, are you? At least... not somewhere accessible I hope. It looks like it could cause... accidents." Angora said, unable to hide her nervousness. She really despised the idea of an artifact that could dismantle you in no time being kept around as if it was a paperweight.

Quote: redwes

"It's-- it's a long story, but essentially yes. We believe that Damon was placed within my collar to help moderate my powers as they developed, just prior to me leaving the farm. At the time, this was unknown to me as well as the Guardians proper; whom hadn't yet even been aware of my existence. This was only discovered during the course of the last journey, when they officially unlocked my collar and unknowingly woke Damon up. He and I-- it's complicated, but we essentially share a mental presence alongside the linked Latnok and the still linked Shade to a degree. This-- this Damon has access to all of my thoughts, memories, and senses. We currently have a mutual relationship and at least thus far, he has actually been a great help. He is capable of managing my connections, performing certain actions on the fly, and advising me from time to time. He's.. he's been good to me, but we are keeping an eye on the situation.," Raclaw reluctantly explained revealing some of his uneasiness in his tone. Damon was currently a force for good, but could easily become quite the opposite. And with the artifact near-permanently attached to his tail-- he could easily physically harm him as well.

Maverick wasn't sure if he liked the idea of some separate entity living inside him, but thinking about it, Anglra did have one inside her as well.
"Well, I suppose that as long as it helps you instead of controlling you, it's fine. Angorita has Neo, but it's been a long time since he has spoke to her. Perhaps he's asleep like Damon was." Maverick deduced, imagining it wasn't such a bad idea to have an additional spirit within you if there was some kind of symbiosis.

Sere raised an eyebrow at Angora. "Are you questioning my judgment?" he asked her plainly. He had no intent of satisfying her with a proper answer to her question, lest he encourage such behavior again in the future. The orb was - or at least had potential to be - a useful tool. There was no reason for him to discard it, especially since such a tool, in the wrong hands, could be used for nefarious purposes.

Angora lowered her ears with the hostility, realizing she should've known better than to talk to Sere. For once, she wasn't being hostile or rude to him, yet she still received some harsh treatment.
"I'm not. I just asked a question." Angora specified, being more gentle in both mannerism and voice, yet it still didn't make a difference in the way she was treated. She was feeling like it was her, and not her behavior that was getting her to be mistreated.

"Just asking a question? I highly doubt you figured that I was going to discard this, after I've gone through the effort of explaining the theory as to how it works," Sere said accusingly - he figured that Angora, being her usual defiant self, was just trying to cover for herself when she realized what she did. "Pray don't give me more reason to lack faith in your support. Now, do you have any other such 'questions' for me?" Sere stared at Angora expectantly, showing that the last question was not rhetorical - he wanted the moment to stick in her mind a little more, and forcing her to answer the question would do it.

Angora smiled a little at Shade's attempt to explain. He understood what she was trying to say, so why didn't Sere? Fearing the old Guardian would have it against him as well, Angora signaled the dragolet to be quiet.
"No sir. Not anymore." Angora said respectfully, returning to her previous position behind Shade's knee, with her back against it and avoiding the tears. She just couldn't understand what went wrong. What did she said that made Sere believe she was questioning him? She asked a simple question. That didn't mean she was questioning him in particular. Why was she always so misunderstood? Did Sere hated her and used her question as another excuse to mistreat her? At this rate, Latnok was becoming more likeable than him. Latnok hasn't been rude to her all day, yet she spent only a few minutes with Sere and was already receiving some form of backlash. Was it the old Guardian's stress at running the ship? Angora tried to understand, yet couldn't. Why was she always the target of his rage? She was genuinely trying to be nicer, but she only received more firery retialation in return. It was becoming too much for her. She wanted to cry so badly, but she didn't want to show any weakness, especially not with the nasty Leoquin around.

As the others spoke-- Raclaw could pick up on more bits and pieces than Maverick, although the tension in the air couldn't be more clear. Angora had asked a valid question... and her precise wording and clearly didn't go over well with Godfather Sere. He do desperately wanted to say something and almost had-- when Shade spoke up for her instead and the troll respectfully returned to her previous position. Stepping forward slightly but immediately entering the conversation, he decided to wait for Sere's response to Shade before proceeding. Memories of the cave flashed back to him and it only made him more unsure. Latnok-- he and the Guardian had grown to become best friends and yet, he was worried about the Guardian's reaction should he suddenly start speaking up for Angora. Would he hear of it and briefly revert to his old ways or would he trust Raclaw knowing everything they had gone through? What about Godfather Sere-- he had stood up for Raclaw in the cave incident prior, but would he do so again? Questions, unresolved feelings-- it hurt deep inside.

Sere gave the two a stern ook, for what would seem like an eternity, until he finally spoke. "In the future, Shade, I will not have you speaking on Angora's behalf," he cautioned. "When I ask her something, I intend to receive an answer from her. Not you. Now carry on." Sere walked away from the scene, making his way back into the ship in order to put the life orb away.
Ilasi and Leoquin looked on at the spectacle. Though Leoquin was somewhat satisfied, Ilasi couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity, even with how badly the two have gotten along in more recent times. Immediately following that, however, were her thoughts on Maverick - how he would react. He would probably drop whatever he was doing and run over to console her. Nothing she needed to worry about...

As Godfather Sere and the others went their separate way, Raclaw froze-- flashbacks of the cave coming back to him. His abilities were both a blessing and a curse sometimes; he barely moved as if intently focused on something. In his head, the memory played itself back and he so desperately wanted to help Angora once again. Try as he could, he couldn't help but remember it once again. Chester briefly stopped what he was doing and looked up at the fur dragon, wondering what exactly was going on in that oh so comfortable head of his.

Angora gave a brief glare to Raclaw from behind Shade's knee, quickly resuming her previous position in fear that the tears would start flowing. Leoquin was there, and she didn't want to give him leverage to make fun of her. Once again, Raclaw was a witness to the abuse she had to endure, and once again, he did nothing. Maverick and Shade knew they would receive their dose of scold and cruelty if they came to her defense, yet they did it anyway. Raclaw hasn't even tried. Despite assuring her that he didn't hate her, he never stood up to her, and just let the injustice carry on.

Maverick watched as the whole scene concluded. He was too far to hear the words, but he knew with Sere's rash exit and Angora's hiding that something went wrong.
"I wonder what Angorita said now that made señor Sere so upset. She didn't acted rude as far as I could see." Maverick commented based on her body language, not blaming Sere entirely for the scene, but knowing nevertheless that he was angry about something. Now he wished he could've been close enough to listen to the conversation. Did Angora said something and Sere overreacted yet again? It pained him not to know. Next time, he believed that he should try to get closer, even if it meant eavesdropping. If Angora was hiding it was most likely because she was very sad. He knew her well enough to know that when she was feeling particularly emotional, she hid wherever she could. Now he wished they she, as well as Shade, could be cured of the hexphage to give them a big, hairy hug and assure them everything would be alright.

Latnok, having had some time to rest and reflect, came back on deck. Fog was starting to roll in - navigation would be somewhat more difficult, but the group would ideally still be on track. The first thing he noticed when coming on deck, besides the usual working men, was Angora and Shade, seemingly particularly unhappy about something. Latnok didn't think anything of it - he didn't expect them to be happy, considering the circumstances of their stay on the ship, though he did wonder if anything happened.
Ilasi and Leoquin became noticeably more comfortable as the fog surrounded the ship; despite the reduced vision, the more damp environment was more pleasant to them. Leoquin considered what would happen as far as navigation was concerned; there were some options if need be, but he wasn't too worried right now.

"You-- you should try to comfort her as best you can. I suspect she'll need it and perhaps...," Raclaw started to say quickly returning to reality upon Maverick talking to him and noticing Latnok soon stepping foot again on deck. Whatever the fur dragon was going to say would appear to be effectively dropped upon the Guardian's return. The subject of Angora was a sensitive one and not one that he could easily discuss around his beloved Latnok. He also suspected that the hybrid wouldn't want to be seen talking to him with bonded Latnok so closeby. "Mav-- if you ever need to talk, just find me. I'm here and I'm willing to listen.," he then with a nod and motioning towards the Guardian's presence. Chester whined a little, sensing the tension still within the air and within Raclaw himself. "And thank-you for always looking after Chester-- I appreciate it and I know he does as well.," he gracefully said with a smile before politely parting ways. The matter of Angora would have to be settled another time it seemed.

"Hey Latnok! Welcome back-- well rested I trust?," he gently said approaching the Guardian. Chester followed suit, giving Mav some quick love before following his furry friend. Somehow, their feelings for their beloved Latnok always helped overcome anything they may be feeling at the time. Even if Latnok was at the core of the problem concerning Angora-- there was no doubting the bond that he and the Guardian shared. Chester barked an excited bark, happy to see him as well. A fur dragon and a beagle; someone couldn't ask for better companions and friends.