darkSpyro

Latnok, being pressed for time, only gave himself about a minute to meditate. Not enough for much, bur enough to give him the strength for another spell. Reaching out, he telekinetically pulled the collar laying behind Shade, launching it at his neck.

Angora now had a tight grip on him, wanting to make sure he was calm before she released.
"My ears!" she complained, having received the full impact of the roar.

"You're lucky your ears are the only thing that hurt," Sere berated. "You know, I used to be a lot like that - very reckless, even if my intentions were good. Being the head of the Ardent Guardians, however, I no longer have the luxury of being able to discard my life without drastic effects, direct or indirect, on many people. Keep in mind your position. Know your own value." After a brief pause, Sere changed his tone. "You did a good job keeping him steady for the collar, though - I will commend you for that."

Latnok, once again, returned to his meditation. He needed to be ready for action as soon as possible, and sleep wasn't an option with the collar forcing Shade to sleep when he did.

As the connection was established-- Raclaw briefly felt the pain that Shade felt with his eyes becoming a deep black for a very brief moment. However, his eyes soon returned to normal and he gave a nod indicating that the deed was done. He looked down at the now slumbering Shade and felt more pity then ever for the poor Dragonoid, in part of their now blended thoughts and emotions.

Quote: A Guy

"You're lucky your ears are the only thing that hurt," Sere berated. "You know, I used to be a lot like that - very reckless, even if my intentions were good. Being the head of the Ardent Guardians, however, I no longer have the luxury of being able to discard my life without drastic effects, direct or indirect, on many people. Keep in mind your position. Know your own value." After a brief pause, Sere changed his tone. "You did a good job keeping him steady for the collar, though - I will commend you for that."

Angora listened, but she had been too busy getting Shade off her. When Sere was done talking, she managed to get free, and only had a groan as a response. It was clear that she hasn't forgiven him, or Latnok for the ill treatment.

"Well, now that that's taken care of... no progress can be made until Shade wakes up," Sere noted. "It would be wise to take the opportunity to rest, if you have not rested sufficiently already. Veris, come here."
The wyvern eagerly obeyed, as if in anticipation. Sere reached into a bag which was strapped onto it - which, much like one of the pouches in Latnok's bag, he was able to stick his entire arm into - and tossed Veris a giant bird leg he pulled. As Veris eagerly attacked the meat - even eating the bone - Sere sat down and began sipping from a canteen.
It was then that his attention turned to Darkheart. "You, dark dragon... I am not quite sure, bit I think I sense some sort of resonance with you."

After shaking off some of he bitterness and watching the wyvern and it's meal for a while, Angora once again focused her attention on the sleeping Shade.
"I wonder if he needs a pacifier..." she said with a little smile, almost as if mocking him. She was still feeling quite upset about the lousy day she had, so she was trying to have a little fun her own way.

Angora said nothing at the comment, that being too obvious. Right now, things were calm and inactive, and it made her wonder if she could finally have a moment of peace.
"So then, will Shade be under surveillance for a while?" Angora asked, wanting some time to sleep and eat. She hasn't slept for more than a day and only had one measly bird for breakfast. She envied the wyvern for having such a hearty meal, and was almost tempted to ask Sere if he had more meat in that little bag, but she desisted. She instead waited for Orion to answer so she could know if she could had some time for herself before the main mission.

Angora had enough of an answer. She already watched Shade for nearly an entire night, so she was going to let someone else do the watch. Not wanting to sleep hungry, Angora left the group to hunt something, wanting a long and uninterrupted dream afterwards.

"I can feel his emotions-- he is at peace. For the time being.," Raclaw said before looking back up at Onion. "And I'm happy to help however I can. I only hope that this plan doesn't backfire down the road, as Shade is no longer putting just himself or others at risk. The same thing that is helping suppress the corruption can also power it. It's a balancing act and now I'm at the center of it.," he then thinking out-loud and showing his concern. He had suggested it, but he also knew the risks as well.

If one could physically see such things, there would be a spider web of telepathic links between him, his collar, Shade, Shade's collar, and Lotnak. He already had a constant connection with his own collar, as part of his means of controlling it. And now, he also shared a connection with Shade and the corruption within Shade. If the worst were to happen, the corruption would likely have access to two hosts to do with as it pleased. And in its unlocked state, his collar would only help to feed that corruption. He could almost see such connections, perhaps more so then anyone. And it worried him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can feel your pain-- now more then ever.," Raclaw said looking down at Shade. He would do his best to keep their thoughts separated, but the emotions were bound to get through.

By the time Shade woke up, Angora was returning from a successful hunt. She managed to catch a small monitor and two more birds, which were enough to satisfy her. At last the moment she was waiting for; catch the sleep she desperately needed.
"Oh? I see Beastly Beauty is up. Well, he's up, and I'm out, so later." Angora said as she climbed another tree, taller than the last one. She still didn't trusted that group, but she was a light sleeper, plus if anything went wrong, she was certain Neo would notify her.

"Yes-- I'm sorry. It was the only way.," Raclaw confirmed with a nod. "For better or worse, we are now linked. The corruption that resides within you now resides within both of us. As a result, you now gain in my ability to better resist and absorb the corruption. On the other hand, your loss is now my loss and we will both succumb to it if we lose that battle. The collars help and while mine no longer affects my own abilities, it can still aide in absorbing yours and the corruption within. We may also inadvertently share thoughts or feelings, although I will do my best to keep an barrier between those aspects of our two minds.," he then explained plotting both the advantages and potential downfall of their new reality.

"Like trying to destroy the world and making it to your image? Angora whispered, making sure it was low enough for only her to hear. She had been listening to the conversation for a while now, but at that moment, sleep finally beat her up. She slept profoundly this time, and fortunately, unlike last time, this was a pleasant sleep, with no dreams or nightmares. She really needed this.

After a long meditation, with an emphasis on magic control, Latnok finally felt good enough to function. He opened his eyes. Scanning the environment, he noted the peaceful scene around him.
Angora holed up in a tree did not escape his notice, as he scanned them again, lest she rudely butt into another converaation. With brief deliberation, he raised his hand and cadt the personal silence spell again.
Sere turned to Latnok, a look of disappointment on his face. "Is that really necessary?"
"Yes, it is," Latnok said. "You know how she can be. Stubborn. Insufferable. Self-righteous. Unwilling to admit any sort of wrongdoing. She hasn't shown that she intends to be any different, so I will just focus on the mission, and not with pleasantries with her. Orion is the one leading the operation, anyway."
Sere sighed. "Very well, then. How about a bit of a shadowboxing session, to see how you're feeling?"
"Sure thing," said Latnok, "let me just put on my gear." Reaching into his pack, he grabbed a new shirt, which he put on. He then began donning his armor, in the same order as before, from the bottom up.

Angora kept sleeping like a log, her whole surroundings quiet. Even if Latnok hadn't cast that spell, she would still be unable to hear anything. She was having a dreamless sleep, somewhat feeling calmer knowing that she had a spirit that protected her. Having eaten well also helped. This was a time for herself. Latnok wasn't bothering her and Shade looked under control, so there was nothing to worry about in that sacred moment.

Arms up. Feet spread. Latnok was in a fighting stance, ready to go. Soon, with Sere's magic, his own shadow extended out, and started launching punches without delay. "Defend yourself," Sere instructed.
Block. Dodge. Deflect. This wasn't too hard - he felt right at home. Suddenly, a blast of dazzling light hit Latnok in the face, blinding him and hurting his eyes. "Now do it while blind," Sere called out.
A much harder task - Latnok took a blow to the abdomen, which almost winded him, but he stood his ground. He had to listen and feel - shadows were quieter than the things they emulated, but with enough focus, he could hear it. He barely deflected the second punch, and doged a kick. "Noe finisb the job," Sere called.
Latnok focused his energy into his right hand - much easier with the gloves on - and retaliated with a force punch - the same one he had used against himself - when he heard an opening. Feeling it connect, the shadow faded and returned to him.
"That was easy enough - let's step things up a bit," Sere called. Another blast of blinding light. Ready your weapon. You face a wyvern next."
"Are you trying to kill me?!" Latnok protested, but steeled himself, pulling out his axe. Veris' shadow was pulled from him, and the he roared in surprise at the shadow wyvern. "Here goes nothing..."

If she had been awake, Angora would've definitely enjoyed the scene, but she was too exhausted to even twitch an eye, snoring what it sounded like like a puma purring. The world was out for her. Nothing was worrying her, not even the enslaved wyvern. The priority was her recovering the sleep she missed so that she could be more focused for the mission, and hopefully be less bitter and rude with the group, especially the two humans.

As the training went by and they all had the rest and relaxation they needed, Angora slowly woke up after a few hours, still not receiving the sleep she needed but was enough for her to feel much better. She was even having better humor, not feeling angry when she looked at Latnok or Sere, and she didn't even care to know what they were doing. Despite not feeling hungry, she wanted something for the road ahead. She got off the tree quietly, doubting anyone would miss her. As she walked, she practiced with Neo how to activate her armor.

Just a little less than a mile away, Angora spotted a wild boar, slightly bigger than her. She needed something small, but she couldn't resist the temptation. Materializing her armor to avoid injury, she wrestled the boar with her own two hands, and after one single minute, she managed to kill it without even needing to use the sword. The armor didn't interfere with her agility, and even though Angora was very small, she still had the brute strength trolls were known for.
"Still got it... but what should I do with the rest? Hmm, maybe I should ask Orion to statch it somewhere. He may have some magical bag." Angora said, not a particular fan of killing, but it was necessary for her daily life. Orion was the only one she didn't dislike so much, and she wasn't in the mood for sharing, at least for now. She improvised a bag of her own to carry the meat she would need for the road, and using her own strength, she carried the rest of the carcass to camp.

As the shadow approached, Latnok listened closely for the sounds of rustling vegetation and wind, and felt for the magic which would compose the shadow. Rolling out of the way as the shadow surged, Latnok then jumped to avoid the swing of its tail - but miscalculated, and ended up being knocked to the ground. The shadow darted its head towards Latnok, attempting to bite him, but Latnok, having used correct breakfall technique, quickly recovered, using the opportunity to sidestep and strike the shadow in the neck with the full force of his axe.
The shadow dissipated. "Well, you seem to be in good enough shape to fight," Sere said. "Though you still might want to take it easy for a bit."
"Eh, like any other wyvern," Latnok said, as his vision returned to him. "Recognized the pattern. Easy enough fight."
"Still did pretty good for a man who had no vitals earlier today."
"Like the story of the man turned lich?"
"Well, not quite. You didn't wake up and murder everyone. Well, not yet. You may have some killing yet to do."
"The story always makes me feel pretty bad," Latnok said. "He and his family were abused his whole life, did the only thing he knew to punish those responsible, and just completely loses himself..."
"You seem in control of your faculties," Sere said. "Now how about a nice drink?"
Sere pulled out two vials of the same concoction Latnok had been drinking earlier, passing one to Latnok. "To good health to us..."
"...and a good future for humanity," Latnok finished.

Soon, Angora made her appearance. But instead of going to the group, she stayed behind the tree she slept on, wanting nobody to notice her or her recent catch. She still wasn't in the mood for sharing. As she suspected, nobody missed her, and if someone was bound to notice her, it would be Orion. She wanted him to statch her hard earned price and continue on with the mission, knowing she was well rested if she managed to take down such a stubborn animal.

"And if you didn't have legs, I could beat you easily," Latnok said, "but you do. And you do have a collar on, because we're not going to risk you going rogue and killing us all. You use whatever advantage you have." He took a swig from the vial, feeling the warmth surge through his veins.
Sere also took a swig from his vial. "So, Orion, what will happen from here?" As he spoke, he noticed a faint sound by one of the trees, and with the wave of his hand, briefly manipulated the light on it to allow him to see through it. "Not a bad catch," he telepathed to Angora. "Though you may want to consider brining it if you do not intend to eat the whole thing in one sitting."

Angora looked quite entertained by the scene. So when she wasn't around, Lanok would discuss with Shade? She should hide more often. She believed Latnok couldn't spend a minute without annoying anyone, and since she hasn't been there, she assumed Shade was the replacement.

Her amusement was cut short when she was spoken telepathically. This was Sere's voice however, so she was willing to forgive just this one time since he probably didn't know how much she hated that.
"Are you kidding me? And having to share with the rest of you animals when you haven't earned it? How will I know you won't all steal it from me, especially that freaky pet of yours?" Angora replied, still not in the mood for sharing anything, especially not with a bunch of creatures who had done nothing being mean to her for the simple fact of being a troll. The only one she could debatedly share with was Orion, but he was a deity, so he probably didn't need any food to go by.

Though he could not read Angora's mind, Sere nonetheless detected her contempt for the suggestion. "Just a suggestion. Think nothing of it."
"Are you communicating with the troll?" Latnok asked Sere.
"Yes, I am."
"Don't waste your time. Stubborn, won't listen to anything you say. We just have to stop her from getting hurt," Latnok said as he took another swig from the vial. Meanwhile, Veris flew off - heading to the water pool. "Like that. The wyvern makes sure to take care of itself, and won't avoid doing so just because you tell it to."
"I fear that poor communication will harm the mission effort," Sere said. "Nevertheless, it would seem that Angora's behavior is is a constant. Bring unable to change it, the best course would be to change how we deal with it." They continued speaking as if Angora wasn't even there.
"I already decided how to deal with her. Don't, and just focus on the mission. If I had two casts of personal silence and was stuck on an island with her, a banshee, and a siren, I would cast it on her and the banshee, and hope the siren killed me before it wore off."

Angora was extremely annoyed how the two of them talked about her as if she wasn't even there. This was their perfect opportunity to talk to each other telepathically and they didn't, probably just to bother her. She decided not to argue though, and took the docile approach by ignoring them to avoid an argument, being too tired with her fight with the boar.

After contemplating the kill, she decided not to give it to Orion after all, figuring that he was probably going to be too benevolent and share it among the group, possibly without her permission. She couldn't carry the boar all the way, and she couldn't hide it somewhere among the woods since ants and carrion eating creatures would most likely feast on it. She didn't want it to go to waste, so she had an idea; she carried the carcass to where Veris flew off, deciding to give him the rest of the meat.
"This is madnesses! But... it's worth a try." Angora said, actually trying to win some point with the wyvern. The way to many creature's hearts was through the stomach, and she wanted to know if he could buy the pseudo dragon's trust that way. Even though she hated a creature's enslavement, watching Sere with such an obedient creature made her feel it would be nice to have such an obedient pet at her disposal, so that way she would have somebody to defend her and a mount that will save her the trouble of walking so much.

As Angora approached, Veris first turned his head, then his whole body, slowly walking towards her. Though not aggressive as he had been initially, he was extremely wary. Nonetheless, seeing the meat, he slowly moved his head foward. He sniffed the meat for a few seconds, then licked it...
...and then very happily devoured it. It was gone in mere seconds, muscle, bone, hair, guts and all. Veris was evidently not very picky when it came to meat. As Veris sent the last of the boar down his gullet, he let out what sounded like a hum, and once again faced Angora, this time with a much more friendly and inviting expression.

If Raclaw knew Angora was there, he gave little attention to the troll having already tried again and again-- just to make up for one single misunderstanding. She would come in her own time and in the meanwhile, he had other things to worry about...

"Shade! It's not worth it-- I know you want nothing short of your freedom, but this isn't the way.," Raclaw soon said walking aside Shade and sensing the dark dragonoid's strong emotions. "Right now, the collars are the only thing preventing your corruption from coming out. As much as I hate the idea of the humans being responsible for both our collars... This is the only way. At least untill we figure out another solution. And we will. I promise." he then said revealing a hint of his own conflicted feelings concerning the humans.

There was still the matter of finding our his true heritage-- and part of him wondered if the Guardians were even looking for the information. Then again, he could probably just ask while the Grand Master himself was here. He would wait untill the time was right before asking for any updates. And in the meanwhile, he tried not to let the others' feelings concerning the Guardians affect his own opinion too much. Instead, he would base that off how they handled his own situation and how they handled Shade in the end. The ones who had raised him we're kind and Latnok had even shown some kindness himself, but Latnok wasn't the one who had collared him a long time ago and knew nothing other then what his higher ups told him. It would be up to his collar and others in the organization to reveal that information to him.

Quote: A Guy

As Angora approached, Veris first turned his head, then his whole body, slowly walking towards her. Though not aggressive as he had been initially, he was extremely wary. Nonetheless, seeing the meat, he slowly moved his head foward. He sniffed the meat for a few seconds, then licked it...
...and then very happily devoured it. It was gone in mere seconds, muscle, bone, hair, guts and all. Veris was evidently not very picky when it came to meat. As Veris sent the last of the boar down his gullet, he let out what sounded like a hum, and once again faced Angora, this time with a much more friendly and inviting expression.

Angora looked both surprised and amused how they wyvern gulped down the whole thing without even enjoying it. Seemed to her as if Veris was more interested in swallowing than flavoring.
"Well then, that's all it took, didn't it? Glad you liked it. Better than to be left off for ants and opportunist." Angora commented, glad the boar wasn't wasted. She loved insects, but ants were one of the few exceptions. Even though she may have won some points with the wyvern, she didn't dare reach out to pet him, not wanting to take any risks. That boar was bigger than her and look what he did. She decided to leave it at that.
"Alright, no more generosity. See ya later." she said in a kind yet stern voice, turning asides to leave. Veris was merely some practice for the future creature she could domesticate, but also to be on the wyvern's good side. She hated how they started out, so she wanted to make sure there was no hard feelings between them.

Veris turned back to the water hole, beginning to drink once again to complement the food he just ingested.
Back at the camp, Latnok was practicing his archery, with Sere sending out several fast-moving shadow birds, and Latnok taking aim and shooting them down. He did this while standing still, while running, and while jumping off from a tree after climbing it. Simple enough things. "You know, as powerful as many of our enemies are," Latnok said, "I'm glad that the vast majority of them don't train as hard and as often as we do."
"To be fair," Sere said, "most of our enemies aren't dedicating their lives to becoming a weapon for their fellows. We have that luxury. If we had a family to deal with? Ambitions to start up a business? We wouldn't have the free time to. We also have the Tree of Vitality, to allow us to train longer, harder, and more dangerously - though that is, unfortunately, a non-factor for the next few weeks."

Angora left the place quickly in case Veris wanted the meat she had on her bag too. Arriving quickly at the camp, she left her presence known this time, going in front of the same tree instead of behind it. She said nothing about the boar, pleased with herself and not feeling the need to show off. The little bonding moment with the wyvern made her feel good too, but she was still upset with Sere and Latnok, though she said nothing and let them continue with the training, though wondering why were they even bothering. She was the one who was going to face the worse eventually, and it didn't help the fact that she didn't know what this supposed corruption was that she was supposed to stop. Was it some dark matter? A surreal force of nature? Or a sentient being she would have to battle? Whatever it was, she knew she totally depended on Neo to pull this off. She just wanted this to be over, for she couldn't stand being among a group any longer, and doubted she would make progress with them. Being a troll was a curse itself.

"We saw what could happen with the collar off," Latnok said. "No chance in hell we're taking that thing off until we're certain you won't go rogue." Latnok would be one of the very last men to be moved by pleas for sympathy. "Look, I need you to go along with this just for now, okay?"
"So, Shade..." Sere began. "Tell me. What exactly does it feel like when you lose control? Do you have any forewarning?" If he could understand signs, the mental effects, perhaps there would be a more effective method of suppression. As Angora came back, Sere noticed the complete lack of the food she had previously. He was considering asking her about it, but decided it wasn't at all important in the end. "Not like she would tell us, anyway."

Angora noticed Sere looking at her, and gave him a smug look in response. She then concentrated on the scene before her, wondering what Shade would've thought if he knew Latnok had already been dead and didn't even needed his help to do that. She decided to keep it a secret for now, knowing there were more important issues at hand.
"Come on, grant poor Blackie his wish, even if it's just for a few seconds. Although maybe we should find a clearing first." Angora suggested, sympathizing with Shade but knowing the risks. If they were on a clearing, like a meadow, then there would be less risk of him damaging the terrain.

"So it would seem that one potential means of preventing you from losing control would be to somehow negate those emotions," Sere said. "Unfortunately, the only spell I know that would negate emotions would pretty much render you unable to think or really do anything, and it would require a connection with you, which would be dangerous to me. We have Guardians which would have those spells in their repertoire, but I am not willing to have them get involve and risk them becoming corrupted."
"We also have the potential issue with your mental connection negatively affecting Raclaw," Latnok added. "If you lose control, and Raclaw is overwhelmed, not only may he go rogue as well, but he will be able to draw on the power in his collar while engaging us. Fighting two super-powered dragon creatures is definitely not within our best interest. We just need you to suck it up for now until we find a more permanent solution."

"Permanent... riiiiight..." Angora whispered quietly, believing that meant the humans were willing to sacrifice two lives in order to stop the rebelling. How more permanent could that be? She didn't voiced her opinion though, for nobody heard her when she suggested Shade to be free for a while, so why should they listen to her now? As lately, she decided to take a vow of silence. It was better than arguing all the time when Latnok was the only human in the group.

OOC: AARRRGH SUMMARY PLEASE

OOC: Nothing too great. Shade went rogue again but got recollared with the help of Raclaw. Sere and Latnok doing some training. Angora feeding Veris (Sere's wyvern). Sere noted what he felt was an odd resonance with Darkheart.