darkSpyro

OOC: It's understandable-- I was busy as well. Have a baby post before work.

Raclaw watched with awe as Angora handled the new device. He was familiar with artifacts or more specifically Guardian-made artifacts, but hasn't quite seen or used something so advanced. Not that he could anyway, as the device seemed to be made with humanoid hands in mind. He wondered what observations it contained on himself and the others of the party.

Quote: darknessdawn

Darkheart glared at her. "I think it came from that little collection of holes there. Pick it up and tap the red and white icon. Gently, it might be fragile. See if you can find anything."

Knowing nothing about the device, Angora decided to listen to Darkheart's every instruction. She tapped the indicated icon, only for the screen to chance.
"Woah... well, this was unexpected. Soooo... what am I suppose to look at?" she asked, not having a single clue. Despite her large lack of knowledge, she was quite entertained with the device, so much that she didn't even noticed Raclaw spying from behind.

"Well, that certainly complicates things," Sere said. "Land-based, but with flying capabilities, similar to a dragon in that regard; great physical strength; resilient to bad weather. Those traits would likely mean that their numbers are limited, due to how much energy they would need to support them. This would likely mean that they do not hunt in large groups, if in any sort of group at all, as it would be difficult for them to find enough prey in one area to support a large number in one feeding session, a hypothesis supported by the fact that the last storm claw we encountered was alone. The tracks, though..." Sere trailed off in his own thoughts.
Latnok, having joined Sere in creating the plan after receiving the update from Darkheart, got back to planning with Sere. "With the tracks, we would be able to find them in areas they walk in, which would most likely be near their roost or eyrie or whatever you call it for these things, or areas they ate recently," he added. "Frequency of storms would mean that tracks we find would not be very old. So we would probably be able to identify areas they either recently left or recently arrived at."
"So we have some idea of how to track them now, then," Sere said. "What remains is to figure out how to lure them, and more importantly, how to catch them."

The device showed a variety of creatures scrolling past before settling on Zorua and Zoroark, showing a few basic symbols and some info. Darkheart peeked over. "I can't read a word of this, it's written in some weird language. But it seems to imply that they live in forests... Oh no. There was a forest we passed, he might have gotten lost inside!"

Angora looked at the image, as well as the othe ones that she scrolled down, and was beginning to understand what this was all about.
"Oh, I see... this is like a magi... I mean, technological encyclopedia. How nice. This can be very useful. How come you don't use it often?" she asked, Darkheart, then remembering that with those claws, it was too difficult.
"Never mind. This... Is this the creature that attacked Shade?" she asked as she saw the current image, wondering if this thing managed to trace it or if it was just a random creature. She was so distracted by the device that she didn't even hear Shade earlier. He needed something to track, and she had even forgotten about the tooth she removed from the corpse.

Darkheart pointed to the one on the left. "That one looks like Star. It's adorable too. Just thought I'd say it. The other... What IS it? It doesn't look like anything I've seen before."

Star collapsed and burst into tears. "HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!!! I'M LOST AND ALONE!" He was in a full-blown panic now, his normally logical exterior breaking to reveal a frightened child who was forced to grow up too early.

"Well then, let's find out." Angora said as she pushed the new icon. She didn't know what to expect, but she was getting the idea. The screen could change what it was showing, so she was ready this time. This could be quite fun and useful if you knew how to use it properly.

The screen showed a full image of the creature dwelling in a group in a forest setting. "Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon. It evolves from Zorua. It is said that those who tried to capture it were trapped in an Illusion and punished. They live in packs, and bonds between individuals are extremely strong. Losing a packmate results in the entire group mourning. Being more powerful Illusionists than Zorua, they can easily fool a crowd with ease. Their large ponytails are possible to keep things in, up to and including a Zorua child."
Darkheart shuddered. "Star said he lost his entire Clan. If that refers to his pack and his bonds are really that strong... It's no wonder he's hurting."
Star, meanwhile, had passed out in a grassy field in the woods.

Dex remembering that even if his wounds where gone and he was able to move pretty normally again, he was looking pretty beat up made a fast move out of the cave again trying to go so that nobody would see him. He then took a place to hide but made sure he could still hear what has happening inside. He hated to look weak, at least when it was for real..... doing it for oportunities was kind of his game in many situations.... but now he was just looking like a very poor street dog. " Damn it is going to take for ever to get my fur back" he tought and looked at his leg where Latnoks arrow had once hit. " Even that one is not looking so great yet " He thought and lie down feeling frustrated

Angora was quite startled by the eerily specific detail. Zoroark looked like Star, but bigger and more menacing. It almost looked like a werewolf. Nevertheless, she looked quite disappointed.
"What now? We're suppose to find that little black fox, yet this only gives us information about the creature." she said, having believed this device could track as well, not just give info.

Darkheart gently touched her claw to an arrow on the left. It moved to Zorua and intoned "Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. The pre-evolved form of Zoroark. It disguises itself as other creatures for its own protection. It is sometimes said to take the form of a silent child. Many claim it disguises itself when not around friends out of cowardice, but it's simply pragmatism over their safety. Some claim that if a normally talkative child suddenly becomes quiet, it was replaced by a Zorua. This may or may not be true, seeing how some congregate around schools and such as well as the forests they're native to. Much like Zoroark, Zorua place a high value on loyalty despite being prone to mischief. In either case, betraying one is a bad idea."

"Getting its attention shouldn't be too hard," Sere said. "A simple roar should get it to look, and it doesn't seem to be too picky about the size of its prey. Keeping its attention, however, might be a bigger problem. Prey stuck in shelter is an easy target for it - something flying may make it dismiss it as not worth the effort. So we'll have to fly close enough to be just within reach, with just a little more effort, but far enough away to not be captured by it."
"Then, from there, we need a good trap on the ground to lure it to..." Latnok contemplated out loud. "So, what I'm thinking is, see these canyons over here? I set up a bunch of arrows over here, make an energy web. That will slow it down. The bigger part, though, is clipping its wings. I don't think one single arrow will quite do the trick - what we need is a makeshift ballista, I'm thinking. Would take a bit for us to set up, but Veris is still digesting his meal anyway, so we should be good. Getting the wood and setting it up will be the more difficult portion. Most importantly, though, disguising everything. The arrows by themselves shouldn't be anything too concerning for it, but the ballista might. That's where I'm thinking of having Star feature - if he can do illusions, he might be able to disguise us as a tree or something, otherwise I'll have to camouflage it." Plan of attack and takedown for a monster - a task the Guardians rather enjoyed. Though the plan would take some effort, and had some unknowns, they believed that they had something which actually had a decent chance of working.

Darkheart growled. "Then we'd better find Star! He's probably in the forest!"

Angora was very frustrated. This device only provided information about the species, not the location of an individual.
"Great, that's it? That's all? Didn't the little fox put a tracking device or something? How are we going to find him?" the troll asked, sometimes overhearing Sere and Latnok's plan. She missed flying very much, but taking one look at Veris, that would have to wait. However, with the storm over and one of the group's members missing, it was time for a search.

"Alright. You're his friend. You should know what to do." Angora said to Darkheart after a while, willing to help this once. This was a dangerous place, and she didn't want anyone left behind... or at least that was one of her concerns. Part of her wished Darkheart would just take her flying.

Darkheart nodded. As if reading Angora's mind, she crouched, her strikingly lean, almost skeletal body lowering enough for Angora to climb up easily despite Darkheart's impressive height.
As if on cue, the device whirred briefly. "Voice recognition active." It played back Angora's comment before singling out the important part. "Now tracking Zorua in the area." It showed a single dot on the screen, showing the only Zorua it detected. "One Zorua detected. Searching identifying traits... Identified. Star NeoNoctus."
Darkheart was starting to get why Star was so fond of it. "Well, that's convenient!"

Sere reached into his pack, grabbing a large water bowl from it. Setting it down, he began waving both of his hands back and forth over it - evidently tiring him out as he was doing it, as shown by his shaking and need to sit down after a while. As he did that, however, water began to condense into the bowl, until there was a notable amount. Veris, needing no prompting, waddled over to the water bowl - with as much gusto as a bloated wyvern could muster - and began gulping down the water.
"The condensation spell is much harder to cast in this blasted environment," Sere remarked. "If it's necessary to keep Veris in good shape, however, it's something I will have to tolerate." Sere turned to Latnok, still sitting. "I believe I overheard the others headed to the forest to search for Star. You should head with them, as well, and bring back a decently sized tree if you can. I will remain here with Veris, and any others who choose to stay."

Quote: darknessdawn

Darkheart nodded. As if reading Angora's mind, she crouched, her strikingly lean, almost skeletal body lowering enough for Angora to climb up easily despite Darkheart's impressive height.
As if on cue, the device whirred briefly. "Voice recognition active." It played back Angora's comment before singling out the important part. "Now tracking Zorua in the area." It showed a single dot on the screen, showing the only Zorua it detected. "One Zorua detected. Searching identifying traits... Identified. Star NeoNoctus."
Darkheart was starting to get why Star was so fond of it. "Well, that's convenient!"

Angora shyly pretended she didn't know what was going on. There she was thinking about flying and Darkheart lowered her body to do just that. It was creepy to think she read her intentions too well.
"Oh, so we're going flying? Good, we'll cover more ground that way." she said, pretending it was Darkheart the one who came up with the idea. The troll gave a little wave to the group to indicate she was leaving but will be back soon.

She looked at her device, and was really glad that it had a tracking device after all.
"Well now, this is more like it. This should've shown sooner." she said with a scowl, believing they wasted too much time working this electronic thingamajig.

The device beeped in a way that sounded apologetic. "I apologize. Star was working on my AI but- BZZZT - He hasn't finished yet. My name is Digi V2. I finally finished booting up what I could. Star apparently was working on me to replace another he lost to humans who -BZZZTT - suffered from superstition and paranoia."
Darkheart sighed. "Oh, joy, it talks now."

With everything the device has already showed her, Angora was not surprised. She had been ready to expect anything.
"At least it's polite." she casually said, as the beeping got louder. Despite Angora not being technological at all, she could correctly deduced that the sound and insane blinking meant they were close to their objective.

"There. By that cluster of trees. This thing is going crazy. Check the area. If you see Star, just snatch him. You heard what the Galaxy dragon said. This place is unpredictable. We must act before another storm hits, or worse, attacked." Angora urged, being too concerned about her surrounding to actually enjoy the fun. That first time was an experience out of this world, but the moment was brief and the situation was dire, so the little troll couldn't afford to enjoy herself.

As Angora and Darkstar were flying up above, Latnok was making his way on the ground, running at a pace which, while not quite as fast as their flight, was enough to avoid losing the duo. As he continued to follow, the forest eventually came within sight. "Okay, Star, I've got a nice, cozy bag for you, now let's find where you are..." He would also have to bring back enough wood - a large tree would be too wide to fit in his bag, and as he had to frequently recast the hyperspace spell, forcing a bigger drain on himself in order to fit such a tree would be unwise.

Darkheart landed as silently as if she was a ghost. "Star! Star, where are you?!"
A pathetic whimper was heard from the little fox, and Darkheart turned around to see him curled among the roots. "H-h-help..." He was shaking like a child left in snow despite warm weather.
Darkheart looked at Angora and Latnok. "He's... Acting so much like a child now... What happened?"

OOC: Last post today.

Quote: darknessdawn

Darkheart landed as silently as if she was a ghost. "Star! Star, where are you?!"
A pathetic whimper was heard from the little fox, and Darkheart turned around to see him curled among the roots. "H-h-help..." He was shaking like a child left in snow despite warm weather.
Darkheart looked at Angora and Latnok. "He's... Acting so much like a child now... What happened?"

"He probably was traumatized with something. Now can we please leave? I don't like this place." Angora commented, urging Darkheart to just take the little fox and leave. She looked unamused at Latnok and groaned, feeling that no matter where she went or what she did, she couldn't take a break from him.

With great caution, Latnok slowly inched toward Star. As he got closer, he took his bag off and kept it out in front of him. "Hey, Star. Glad we found you. It's dangerous out here, especially by yourself. Hop in and we'll get back home." He wasn't quite sure how Star would react, but activated his combat prescience and braced himself for an adverse reaction in case Star wasn't in his right mind.

Darkheart watched silently.
Whatever reaction Latnok expected, it wasn't this. Star ignored the bag and proceeded to climb right over it, trying to snuggle into him. He was hyperventilating, in a complete panic attack. As such, he seemingly forgot to keep his right eye closed, and in fact seemed to have partly reverted to childlike behavior.

Latnok, despite having slight forewarning, was caught completely off guard. Dropping his bag, he fell back into a sitting position to accomodate Star and his behavior. The closest he could recall any other creature behaving similarly was a stray dog he knew during his days as a street urchin. "Hey, Star... what happened?" he asked, attempting to pet him in a similar manner as he did the dog. "Don't worry. We've got your back." The wood would have to wait for now.

Star whined and licked Latnok's face. "Lost... Alone... Hold me..."
Darkheart realized something. "By the Maker... He's suffering a panic attack! I should've noticed it quicker, I've seen it before! Latnok, get him to the cave. He needs to feel safe to calm down! Angora, let's go!" She reached out and grabbed Latnok, preparing to take off. "Latnok, hold him firmly but gently. That's the best way to comfort a child, and he's reverted to acting and thinking like one."

"Understood," Latnok said. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me, just move." Though he had never actually controlled one, he had gone wyvern riding many a time - he knew exactly how to stay secured, while keeping Star between himself and his bag to protect him from the worst of the effects of the wind. "Don't worry, Star. You're in good hands."

Darkheart took off vertically this time, and flew back to the cave far faster than she flew to find Star.
Star practically burrowed into Latnok.
Darkheart landed and placed Latnok down. "There." She was rushing a bit, and formed a nest like the one in her home, just smaller to cater to Star's smaller size. "Latnok, let him curl up here. Dear lord, I sound like a mother. Oh, wait, I am. Or, well, was..."

Darkheart looked at Shade. "Physically, he's unharmed. Mentally, he's in the middle of a panic attack that brought him down to the behavior of a frightened Hatchling, excuse me, child."

Latnok complied, setting Star down in the nest. "So how long will it take him to recover, then? And what exactly is it that he saw or that happened to him that would cause him to panic like that? And I still need to get enough wood for our plan..."

Darkheart shrugged at both questions. "He'll recover when he feels safe. He already seems to have calmed down a bit. As for what he saw? Who knows. Some people panic when lost, and he's so reliant on his tech he may have forgotten the natural methods of navigation. Thus, he got hopelessly lost."
Star passed out.

Before Shade curled around, Star was covered by what looked like holed cloths. The truth was that when Angora got down, she remained silent all this time. She seemed quite annoyed. This was supposed to be a mission that only Darkeart and her would do, but Latnok had to play the egocentric hero as always. She knew she shouldn't feel that way, but she did. Despite still feeling that way long after entering the cave, she looked at Star and knew how much support he needed. She made sure nobody watched, as she tore some rags from below her armor, the only form of clothing she ever knew, and went into a dark corner of the cave, tired and still frustrated.

Star curled up, still asleep. He hadn't had a proper nest or even a blanket since who knows when. Now, suddenly, everyone was tending to him. When he woke up finally, it was extremely sudden. He looked around at the dragonoid around him and finally identified it. He tugged at the rags and sniffed, identifying the scent as Angora but electing not to say anything. "You guys... You... You didn't have to rescue me..."
Darkheart tilted her head. "And leave the only scientist here to die in the woods? Though, Angora seems to have taken a liking to your machinery."
Star seemed only mildly surprised. "Technology can often replicate functions typically served by magic, but it can also do what magic cannot. It's no wonder a being without magic in this world would show an interest in technology. I must sound like an advertisement or something... Anyway, what happened? I tried to follow you via DNA trackers, but my GPS stopped working and I left my datapad..." He stopped mid sentence. "Is THAT how you found me? Anyway, is there something you guys need?"
Darkheart admitted "Several somethings actually. The others can explain it, but Latnok could use your illusory prowess and Dex... Well, he's wounded."
Star raised an eyebrow. "Dex? What happened?"
"Well... He fought a thing that dragonapped Shade and has some nasty wounds from it... And his acidic blood isn't helping heal."
"Dex did WHAT?!" Star couldn't help dropping the façade of having seen everything. "And I wasn't there to see it? I bet that would've been a crowning moment of awesome."
"Yes, yes, now can you help?"
"I've got various medicines, everything from Potions to Max Potions, Full Heals, and a few Full Restores."
Then get over there and help!" Darkheart took on a tone like a mother ordering her child. As Star scrambled up and rushed out, leaping over Shade with ease, Darkheart commented "I'm turning into a mother again. No, a mom."

Angora had ignored most of the conversation, shaving been distracted with Star's wondrous thingamajig. She even put her hand in the holes where the sound came so that nobody old notice she was using it. It wasn't until Darkheart mentioned it and her that she put it away, pretending as if nothing happened. She has never been able to use magic properly, and the staff she had used most of her life never listened to her. It has somehow blended with her lantern before it transformed into an armor, so she deduced the staff's magic was part of her protection now, so not all was lost. Nevertheless, she still wasn't fond of magic, but technology seemed like a very interesting source to explore.

Upon the group's return, Veris raised his head and let out a cry in greeting. He seemed somewhat more animated than before, though still lazy.
Latnok was relieved to have Star back to his regular self again. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Star! You had me worried for a bit there. Try warning us before you rush off again! You have no idea what kind of dangerous creatures are lurking here.
"Anyway, when you're done with that whole business, come see Sere and me, you might be able to help us out quite a bit against those creatures which attacked Shade and Dex. I'll have to get some construction materials, but I'll give you all the details then." Latnok's eagerness was readily apparent in his voice - regardless of his intent, there was always that innate satisfaction he and the rest of the Guardians got from engaging other creatures, and he was executing a plan which he and Sere had carefully crafted. All that remained was to gather the materials and set the plan in motion.

OOC: I'm gone back and deleted self-contained OOC posts to preserve the remaining pages. I've had more than a little fun with this RP as you can probably tell.

"I'm glad you're back Star. You worried us you know.," Raclaw said with a gentle smile as he watched Star return to his 'normal' self. He then remembered about Dex and his injuries. "I'll go with you when you heal him-- I'm sure he could use the support and a gentle reminder that his great deed today did not go unappreciated.," Raclaw then said knowing that Dex probably felt more than a little left out.

OOC: Little?

Angora mouthed Latnok's word in mocking, believing it was all false concern and more heroic wannabes from his part. She was also still angry at Veris, and completely ignored him when the creature greeted. Feeling bitter and embarrassed at the fact that Darkheart blurted out her interest in Star's device, she took it out and went to the black little fox.
"Here is your... thingamajig. All's well and done." she said neutrally, handling it to him while looking away.

Latnok found the image of a small troll playing with something like Star's... whatever it was... quite amusing. "Had enough fun, have you?" he asked sarcastically. "Try doing something meaningful with your time, like practicing your swordplay or something. We all have our jobs to do, and victory isn't going to fall right into your lap without you doing anything for it. Try working at least half as hard as the rest of us, while you're at it." Latnok had not been impressed by anything Angora had done up to this point, and was not seeing any reason to change that line of thinking.

Quote: A Guy

Latnok found the image of a small troll playing with something like Star's... whatever it was... quite amusing. "Had enough fun, have you?" he asked sarcastically. "Try doing something meaningful with your time, like practicing your swordplay or something. We all have our jobs to do, and victory isn't going to fall right into your lap without you doing anything for it. Try working at least half as hard as the rest of us, while you're at it." Latnok had not been impressed by anything Angora had done up to this point, and was not seeing any reason to change that line of thinking.

Angora simply glared at him and grumbled, not willing to let anybody lecture her.
"I already KNOW swordplay! But unlike YOU, I learned out of necessity. And I use it to defend myself, not for the damn heck of it like you do!" Angora growled, not letting him live down the fact that he tried to fight her more than once when she never even lifted a threatening finger at him despite all the antagonism.

"Orion is right-- you can't blame yourself. That creature could've taken any of us.," Raclaw said looking back at Shade. If anything, it helped to show them the dangers of the land and showed that the creature could at least be killed. Furthermore, it showed the strength of them sticking together-- all of them.

"Evidently not well enough," Latnok said, flatly. "Every time I've seen you use a sword, your motions were telegraphed. Could see them coming from forever away. Not impressed. Only effective at all because Neo does all the work. And I would watch what you say - I know every single skill I do out of necessity. Wasting my time practicing pointless parlor tricks is not something I can afford to do when facing life or death as often as I do. Besides, you don't just need to 'defend yourself' here - you need to hunt that thing down if it tries to flee. Keep that in mind." Just who did this troll think she was? Did she think she was actually doing anything meaningful besides just landing the final blow?

Letting Star's device in front of him, Angora turned her back to Latnok, giving him an eerie silent before replying.
"You're right. I should train, not only in sword fight, but also in catching. After all, if I get the upper hand, evil entity or not, I know it would be coward enough to run away, or worse, cheat..." Angora gave a smug look at Latnok when saying that last word.

"I will train... just not with you. Your master, Zero... no wait, it's Sere, he created those shadowy dummies for you to fight. I believe that is the best way to know what to expect." Angora said with a grin, evidently mispelling Sere's name wrong to be annoying. She was willing to train, but not because she felt she needed to. She was simply bored out of her mind and wanted something to do.

At that last comment, Latnok grunted, seeing Angora's mispronunciation more as ignorance on her part rather than as a deliberate act of disrespect. "Just as long as you do train." With that, he walked off, intending to meditate a bit before heading back out.
Meanwhile, Sere was sitting in a corner, continuing to take notes on the environment, his plans, and potential future applications. He set his book down for a minute to put a hand to the ground, sending a magical pulse through it to determine its thickness and the feasibility of tunneling to avoid the worst of the weather.

Angora grinned, evidently feeling proud of herself.
"How does it feel to try to do the right thing and be rejected?" Angora muttered quietly, much more to herself than to Latnok. This was just payback for the way he treated her, and how offensively he dismissed her tries to have a polite and tolerant relationship with him.

She then saw how busy Sere was, and decided not to interrupt him. Even though she found him much more likable than Latnok (not that she will admit it), he was still Latnok's teacher, and possibly the reason why he was that way. With both humans out of her way, she decided to approach Orion instead, being him the only one he somewhat trusted enough to get close.
"Well then... Galaxy dragon, as the rest study and explore this little terrain, I guess it's up to me to prepare for the worst. Don't you have a little magic spell or something to create warrior dummies or something of the sort?" she asked, preferring to train with something that wasn't alive. If a human could master it, Orion must know something.

Angora scoffed, not very surprised. Some deity he was, but of course, he had to be rescued by a troll once. She then saw the little shadow the cave managed to make of her and decided to train with that... but before that, it was time for a meal. All this frustration and rescuing has made her very hungry, so she went to a corner to have some of her starched boar meat. She wasn't in the mood for sharing, so she hid herself from everybody, especially the gluttonous Veris.

OOC: Sere is doing the scan, not Latnok.

Sere ceased his attempts to identify the area with his magic. "That is rather unfortunate. We will have to keep a detailed map, then. I will be more than happy to do so." Sere then considered beginning a tunneling spell, but decided not to bother - there were too many unknown potential consequences, such as causing a cave collapse, hitting a large body of water and getting flooded out, or disturbing some unknown underground creature, to risk attempting such without a scan. "I think that, at the very least, we are best off waiting for the next storm to come and go, to give us a bit more time when we do step out and to allow us to better track the storm claws."
Meanwhile, Veris seemed to become more lively. Raising his head, he began sniffing out something - food, perhaps? "Do you sense any intruders, Veris?" Sere asked. Veris shook his head and let out a lower-pitched cry - a gesture he was trained to use in order to answer 'no' to questions. "Stay put, then," Sere ordered, not wishing to have to track Veris to make sure he didn't get into any trouble or put his nose where it didn't belong. With a slight whimper, Veris reluctantly obeyed.