darkSpyro

Darkheart was mumbling incantations, trying to figure out if any of the magic she knew would be of use against Shade. Mental images of each flashed through her mind, as she had memorized each one's effects.
Star looked uninterested in it. Or, well, anything really. Aside from the plants around him, a few of which he actually gnawed on.
Darkheart looked back, as the fox found a particular plant and pulled it out of the ground to take with him. Confused, she asked "Why are you taking that plant? It, um, resembles Dragonsbane. I myself know it's not, but the resemblance is hard to miss. Other dragons would mistake it for such."
Star smirked. "Well, our enemy is a DRAGON, right? And I'm VERY good at trickery. May as well try this trick."
"Talking about it probably ruined the surprise when our enemy is likely listening in on us."
"Well, it's also tasty."
Darkheart blinked. Tasty?She decided it wasn't worth questioning.

Star became a bit huffy. "NO tricks? Trickery is my specialty." He continued snacking on the herb.
Darkheart finally asked. "What is that herb?"
Star looked up at her. "It's a variant of nightshade, my kin love it."
Darkheart shuddered. "Isn't nightshade poisonous?"
"Not to us. We're immune to the poison, allowing us to enjoy the delicious taste. Besides, potatoes are also a member of the nightshade family."
"They aren't really that tasty."
"To my kin, we find that the poisonous parts are delicious. Almost like catnip to us, but not as likely to render us useless."
"You're weird."
"No, I'm as normal as I can be, given my circumstance." Pointing at Dex, he added with a smirk, "You're looking for a weird fox, he's the perfect candidate."
Darkheart took a moment to formulate a response. "I'm not commenting on that."

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"No tricks will work on Shade." Orion said.

Angora ignored the silly pair behind her, furious at the prospect of them discussing about something so irrelevant. They were being stalked and all they could talk about was poison and other trivialities. She instead focused on Orion.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you the great, omnipotent deity? Do something!" Angora yelled in an almost mocking tone, wondering why Orion wasn't doing anything. Was he waiting for Shade to claim somebody's life to make a move? Angora was still terrified for herself. Not only was she small, but betraying Shade made her believe she was the most likely target...

Darkheart nodded. Her voice made it quite clear how sincere her words were: "I would appreciate if you did SOMETHING, as opposed to letting us walk into what is quite likely a trap."
Star, meanwhile, scoffed at the prospect of Orion being a deity. "The gods are dead, and we killed them. We have to rely on ourselves."

"Well atleast I use poison, you just eat it" Dex thought, decided to use his time better then just talking to a stupid fox.

"Maybe I should try to put more pressure to Orion it might not work, but Thats better then just doing nothing" Dex tought. " She is kind of right you know, we need to do something" Dex said to Orion

OOC: Too late to join? I've been gone from the RP scene for... a while, and I'm looking to get back in.

Star shrugged. "I'm immune to it, so to me it's NOT poison, but a treat." Looking at Orion, he sneered. "If you're really a deity, do something. Prove your 'godly power' or whatever you call it. Or are you weaker than the stories of this world proclaim?"
Darkheart sighed. "Don't taunt him, he's been severely weakened."
Star just smirked. "And? Frankly, I'm just here for the sake of amusement. I lost my ideals long ago."
Darkheart shook her head. "I have ideals, it's just that nobody's followed them."
Star snickered. "Better to be a pessimist and be pleasantly surprised than an optimist and find out the world doesn't work that way."
Darkheart was about to respond before nodding. "For once, I agree with him."

Angora sighed, realizing that it was her the one who started that argument. She has been the first to suggest to Orion to do so,etching, leading to the argument. She knew Orion was weak from his previous battle, but he was probably the only one who could defeat Shade for good. Why couldn't he had been destroyed back then? Why did they had to go through thattorture all over again? What Angora wouldn't give to restore her nomadic, solitary life, with no madness like this ever happening, at least to her standards...

Angora saw the stairs, and didn't need any pointers to know where they lead.
"I'm not going up there! I'll wait for you here." she said sheepishly, wanting to be as few awa from Shade as possible. She already battled him once, it was time for somebody else to deal with it. She kept the lantern though, just in case she needed to defend herself...

"Why? Because it can protect me of course!" Angora said, wondering if Orion was mocking her with such an obvious question. That lantern protected her from Shade before, so there was no way she would part from it.

OOC: Here goes. Tell me what you think.

Name: Latnok
Age: 32
Species: Human
Good or evil: Good
Appearance: Possessing a solid yet lean build, Latnok is of slightly above average height. Almost every part of his body has a scar of some sort, though you would not be able to see it immediately in most circumstances, on account of the dull green-gray dragonhide armor he wears which covers most of his body. His hair is cut as short as he can get it in most circumstances, to eliminate the potential of being grabbed in the situation he does not have his helmet on - a helmet which, with the same color of the rest of his armor, and made of the same material but tanned more thoroughly to make it more solid, fully covers his head, with the nictitating membrane of a griffin covering the vision holes.
Personality: Latnok is a gruff, somewhat jaded man - a pragmatist, rather than an idealist. A He takes constant training and honing of his combat abilities very seriously, as reflected in the quality of his gear and the time he dedicates to training. He hunts monsters, bandits, and other threats to sapient folks for pay, and though he works mainly for money, will not do anything he objects to on moral grounds.
Weapons: He has four main weapons:
-An axe, kept on his left side.
-Two daggers, one kept on each side.
-His dragonhide gloves, which have magical gemstones embedded into them and allow him to more easily focus magic spells without the use of another conduit like a staff.
-Most importantly, his bow, with which he shoots arrows he has enhanced with various spells.
Elements: No particular element, but he can use magic to manipulate some of them.
History: Growing up in a backwater village which was more out of the way, Latnok eventually moved out, living as a street urchin in a bigger city. Having used a bow from a young age, he took to hunting for money. One day, a chance meeting happened to allow him an opportunity to join a group known as the Ardent Guardians - a group dedicated to protecting humanity from things deemed as monsters. Under their instruction, he redoubled his efforts to training, and was instructed in magic, the most important of which was probably combat prescience. During his time there, he underwent a ritual, fueled by the consumption of enchanted dragon blood, which drastically improved his ability to use and control magic, but drastically altered his personality to what it is today - more aggressive, more pragmatic, less kind, less idealistic, finding less joy in life itself and more satisfaction in killing things. Whether it was a side effect of the ritual itself, or simply because it opened his eyes, not even he could tell you. He has separated from the Ardent Guardians not too long ago, but still wanders around as a mercenary.

OOC: Latnok seems to have a similar ideology to Star. Also, even if Star claims he won't help in what's right, I guarantee you he will anyway. Being the trickster he is, he'll likely try to pull something on Shade, even if 'no tricks will work'. And it could end up helping, if only by distracting Shade so someone else can get the job done. *coughcoughOrioncough*

Star rolled his eyes. "Orion, despite being usable as a nightlight, maybe more if you get your power back, you don't seem too bright. I'm pretty good at reading people, and everything I've seen of her suggests fear. She doesn't want to be part of this. I'd wager she was dragged into this and would rather be completely uninvolved. Frankly, I can understand that. I don't really plan to fight Shade either, it's a fruitless labor. It's about as likely to be successful as an attempt to fill a sieve with water."
Darkheart shook her head. "We'll never know if we don't at least try."
Star shook his head. "You can try all you want. I'm just gonna hang around and hope I don't die."
Darkheart grumbled. "At least the Troll's not making herself a nuisance. But Orion gave permission to stay. Oh, that reminds me. Orion, after we beat Shade, I probably won't stick around. I'm not welcome anywhere."
Star sighed. "At least you have a home to go back to..."
Darkheart glared at him. "Oh no, YOU are NOT bringing that up again! Go wallow in your self-pity elsewhere."
Star snapped at her. "You have no IDEA what I've been through or seen! I've lost everything I knew and loved, and, believe it or not, that hurts more than not having anything to really love in the first place!" Breathing a moment, he forced himself to calm down. Then he asked an odd question. "How many of us have been traumatized?"
Darkheart raised one wing.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"It's not that is it?" Orion said.

After Angora pulled her ears in frustration with Star and Darkheart's lasting argument, she managed to ignore them long enough to answer Orion
"What do you mean it's not that!? What else can it be? This stupid lantern is what protected me from stupid Shade once! I'm not going to part with it!" Angora said with anger, having already been frustrated due to Star and Darkheart having made things worse. She believed she and Orion were the ones that needed the most protection, but Orion was magical. She wasn't. But even with that, Shade had reason to hold a vendetta against her, and she wasn't going to take any chances...

OOC: Awesome. Someone get me up to speed please, so I can try to find a place to fit in.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"I entrusted you with that lantern and you feel the need to protect it from Shade." Orion said.

Angora didn't understand if he was being sarcastic or if he seriously believed that. It was the lantern that was going to protect Angora, not the other way around. She wanted to get off the subject.
"Well, whatever. But you... shouldn't you stay here as well? You should let this battle to the others and see how they do. They will help weaken Shade so that you can make your move. Won't Shade target you first? You may get eaten again... or absorbed... or whatever he did last time." Angora warned, still remembering with repulsion how she rescued Orion earlier.

"Well, what makes you so sure?" Angora asked, annoyed on how confident he sounded when he nearly died the first time and it was her the one that had to rescue him, even if Orion himself had been the one to provide her the means to do it.
"Well whatever, why should I care? I already risked my hide once and was nearly doomed to permanent enslavement. Called me a pet the stupid beast. How degrading is that!? No matter, I'm not going to face him again, so do what you have to do and get it over with!" Angora quickly said, dismissing her last statement.

That should be about everything.
Having finished his last task not too long ago, Latnok was taking inventory. Patching up some spots in his armor with new green dragon scales; ensuring his weapons were sharp; preparing his ammunition; checking for any fatigue in the material of his helmet, which fully covered his face yet allowed him to see through the transparent material at the eye; checking for any food that might have gone bad, and making sure he had enough. He made it a point to always be as prepared for his job - or any other unexpected circumstance - as well as he could be. He was only as deadly as his equipment and his training allowed him to be - and, with his line of work, being deadly was a requirement. Whether it was a troll, a griffin, a basilisk, or a dragon, or any other sort of creature - if you could name it, he has probably killed it, or at least survived facing it, and did not get to that point without preparation and training.
Everything seems to be in order.

He put his close-quarters weapons in their appropriate carriers at his hips. Supplies packed and ready. It was time to move on.

This world is a terrible place - but I will thrive, like I always have. Others may, too, for the right price.

OOC: Hey SC, have you replied to A Guy? I don't know how he could integrate

Angora felt slightly offended by the question, but decided to answer.
"I don't know this place! I can get lost! Just look at it!" Angora replied, baffled by the situation. Although she could try finding the way out like she has done in all her nomadic life, she simply didn't want to be too far away from the group and risk Shadefinding her all alone and easy to overpower.

Angora felt more annoyed than disturbed at the fact that Orion could sense her feeling, but it should've been expected. The guy was a deity.
"I don't care what you see. Everything was fine until I met you bunch! I had such a pleasant life, going wherever I wanted... being free, now look where I am! Being near an abomination that could destroy us in the blink of an eye if it wanted to! Isn't it the job of a deity to prevent things like this from happening?" Angora said serenely but bitterly, clearly annoyed at Orion more than anyone else. What she wouldn't give to go back to the life she knew.

Dex was enjoying the situation. Much argument going in the group means they are not planing any kind of strategy and are not focusing on what is coming their way. He decided to keep things going this way, and as Angora was having argument with Orion, Dex decided to turn his attention towards Icestorm

"You are saying we should not rely only on Orions help? Thats nice and all, but tell me what can we do against Shade? If he has some minions we can make sure that it is a one on one fight, but if Orion can not win there is no hope for us right? It would be fair to hear at least that he is sure he can win." Dex said to Icestorm.

Darkheart began shivering. "I-i-if Orion can't win..."
Star finished the sentence for her. "Then there's no hope for any of us. And that's terrible."
"WHY would you feel the need to specify that it's a BAD thing?! We're not stupid!"
Star rolled his eyes and bit his tongue to keep from responding sarcastically. He'd annoyed the dragoness enough for the time being, and what he was about to say could've turned the entire group against him. Yeah, you're a real bunch of geniuses, aren't you? Worthy of top of your class at the University or whatever the highest place of learning is called. Baka.

OOC: You forgot to reply to Angora. Never mind.

The little troll was annoyed on how lame everyone sounded. She didn't believe in bonds or the supposed power of love, so she stood her ground, still determined to leave the fighting to the others.

OOC: Still tracking, don't worry.

"Bonds? We seem to argue more then share anything." Dex answered.

"In the end of the day, we all came here to help in our own ways. And regardless of how we feel about each other, we also need each other and will need whatever bonds we may have to stop.. to stop this great evil.," Raclaw said after a long silence and looking up at the looming staircase. Part of him worried about their fates and their continuous fighting among each other, but he tried to not let that stop him.

OOC: So I get the general gist... but where exactly are the characters?

OOC: I sure as heck don't know, that's why I've kept descriptions generic.

Darkheart stared up the stairs. "Well... Here we are."
Star was shaking, looking truly frightened for once. "D-d-do we have to g-g-go up there? It's p-probably an ambush..."
Darkheart looked at him. "Ambush or not, we must confront Shade."
Star nodded, a determined expression appearing on his face. "Well, if that's the case, I'm going too." I'm not giving them a reason to call me a coward! My kind are already considered cowardly, I'm NOT adding to the problem. He attempted to run up the stairs but tripped on the bottom and ended up tipping over backwards. "D-dang it... I'm too small for these stairs."
Darkheart looked at him curiously. "They were likely designed with dragons in mind." His personality seems... Incomplete... Perhaps he can be groomed towards a certain personality?

OOC: It doesn't give us much of an idea on how the surroundings are. Anyway, since no one's replying, I should type something.

Angora waited for the group to confront Shade. But she was now aware that she was stuck with an annoying, incompetent number of creatures, who were doing nothing but arguing and wasting precious time. The little troll was convinced that in all the time they spent bickering, Shade probably has recovered most of his strength back and was ready to destroy them. Whatever the outcome, Angora wasn't going to leave the lantern to anybody. It protected her once and it might do it again. She already confronted Shade once, and Orion gave the lantern to her, so Angora truly believed she had no obligation in helping them.

Darkheart glared at the others and raised an eyebrow. "You guys coming? Or is Star the only one here who's ready to confront Shade? The more time we give him, the better prepared he'll be. We can't afford to waste our breath arguing right now, we've arrived at our destination, so LET'S GO!"
Star looked up somewhat sheepishly. "Uh, could somebody help me up the stairs? I've got little legs."
Darkheart sighed, picked him up, and started climbing the stairway. She glared at the others, as if to tell them to hurry.

Angora hoped the others heed Darkeart's comment. They have indeed wasting too much time on petty arguments. She however, remained firm in her decision of not to come, and sat on a corner like a little boy fulfilling a punishment. She hugged the lamp, the only thing giving her security in this mad environment. If the group were unsuccessful in their mission to confront Shade, she was certain he was going to go after her next. She wasn't very sure she will have the same strength to defeat him as before, but she wasn't going down without a fight. That was the troll way.

Raclaw nodded, indicating that we was going. Regardless of how Angora or the party felt-- they had to do something.

"I'm ready-- let's get this over with.," Raclaw simply said preparing himself for anything.

Star checked his gadgets and gear. "I've got everything in working condition!" I hope...
Darkheart nodded. She tried to say "Let's go." without dropping Star.

Angora watched as the group left for the unknown.
"Good luck..." she muttered under her breath and covering her mouth to make sure nobody caught her in that moment of weakness. She didn't like anybody, not even Raclaw after how rude he was to her, or Orion after he saved her life (believing he only did that to help himself). Nevertheless, despite the negative feeling, she didn't wish any harm on anybody, not even a species she loathed so much.

A mysterious figure, clad head to toe in green dragonhide armor which made it impossible to distinguish his species, drew nigh. Though he was currently holding nothing in his hands, he was visibly armed, with an axe and daggers at his side, and a bow - looking almost as if it were covered with moss, yet clearly maintained - and a quiver on his back.

*Well, let's find this "Shade" guy and get this over with.*

As he passed, he became aware of a motley group of various creatures - though they weren't immediately visible, the magic they exuded gave him a vague idea of what they were. He grabbed the bow off of his back and moved forward, cautious, activating his combat prescience to prepare himself.

Angora has been too focused on hugging her lantern that she didn't noticed the new individual walking nearby to follow the group. Even if she did, she probably would've ignored the stranger, focusing more on her own safety.