darkSpyro

Angora got up casually, with a very serious look in her face.
"If I take two watches? Will it earn me a bit of respect?" Angora said sarcastically, not believing him.
"Yeah. Sure. You'll respect me... the same way you did when I fed Veris, just like you ask me to? Why should I do the watches? I took the risk and fed the animal under your orders, and what happened? You weren't true to your word! You have no honor! Even if I do those two watches, I'm certain you'll find a new reason to belittle me, cause nothing is ever enough for you when it comes from me! It's the same, annoying pattern! If you had only kept your word when I fed poor Veris, I would've done the watches too, but since I now know your word doesn't mean a thing, I won't do it! I'm tired of trying to earn your respect if all you're going to do is lie to me!" Angora expressed angrily, tired of striking deals to Latnok if they were all going to be dull. And he couldn't contradict her. She had witnesses. Latnok clearly stated yesterday that if she fed the wyvern, it would've earned her a little bit of respect from him, but nothing of the sort ever happened today. What's more, he got angry when she returned with the kill this morning, something she believed was due to disappointment. Knowing him, he probably expected her to fail miserably in the hunt.

"Sure, that would have gotten you some respect from me - if you didn't shirk your duties last night," Latnok said calmly. "You had no excuse. Everyone has stuff to do as well. But you put yourself above everyone else. And that is something I absolutely detest. I detest it in humans, and I detest it in you. There. I treat you just like I would treat anybody else who did what you did.
"Do you know what dereliction of duty does? It gets people killed. It forces others to do more work so you can take an easy ride. That is not something I will stand for. Not now. Not ever. But I understand. You don't have the discipline yet. Maybe when you finally reach adulthood, or at least the troll equivalent of teenage years, you will understand. But for now, if you keep showing me such behavior, I will respond in kind. You get no special pass from me. Carry your weight, or be treated like the load you are. Simple enough, yes?
"You know what this was about this morning? Showing yourself to be reliable, dependable. But you did the exact opposite of that by shirking your duties last night. How can I trust anyone who's too lazy to even do what they're supposed to do? We have 9 sapient members here. Of them, one - Dex - is... a wild card. That means, with four watches, we all have to take a watch every night. But if you don't, someone has to do it for you. Do you understand how that works?" Latnok said slowly, trying to explain things to Angora in a way she could understand. "Or would you rather I draw a picture for you?"

"Listen buster! The deal yesterday was I feed Veris! Nothing else! I told you I needed the sleep! I don't know about you humans, but trolls need a lot of sleep to maintain energy! What's more, we don't need to do any stupid night watches! If there is danger, our senses are strong enough to feel it even in deep sleep! Do you think I'm going to distrupt my way of life because it annoys you? I've been alone nearly all my life, and you've just given me more reason to keep it that way once this infernal mission is over! Besides, I already told you, I'm NOT doing this night watch if this is just another lie and waste of time! Now just leave me alone! Take a a nap or something boy, and wash off all that crankiness!" Angora said in a passive-aggressive tone, being her turn to treat him like a child. She knew that even if she did everything Latnok told her, he was going to continue bullying her. Because she was a troll, and nothing could ever change that.

"Yeah, yeah... continue making your excuses, to avoid contributing to the group in any meaningful way," Latnok said. "While everyone else just acquiesces to you, I will call you out for what you are. A selfish, sad excuse for a living thing. Can't help others because it 'disrupts your way of life.' If that's not selfishness, I don't know what is. Thank you for proving my point, though. And don't you worry - I will make sure that whenever I'm on watch, you're on watch too." He then turned to Raclaw.
"Case in point. Straight from the horse's mouth. Just a brat who needs everything catered to her, a waste of the organic material used to create her. I will treat her like the selfish brat she is - end of story."

Angora didn't care anymore if she was being called selfish or self centered, especially coming from someone as full of hot air as Latnok.
"I don't contribute to this group!? Isn't it enough that I fed that beast? Isn't it enough that I did a near full time watch the other night? Isn't enough that I babysat Shade and managed to calm him a few times to drift him away from his corruption? Isn't it enough that I'm training with the Galaxy dragon himself? Or even worse, isn't it enough that I have the fate of the whole, damn WORLD sitting on my shoulders!?!?" Angora pointed out, knowing nothing was ever enough for him, and knowing Latnok will have another pathetic counterargument, she spoke again.

"Know what? Never mind. You said so yourself just now. You just want to prove your point so the entire group can be against me and treat you like Lord Right! But you know what's? I'd rather be a selfish brat than a dishonorable, biased monster who thinks everything is solved through a cheating battle." Angora incriminated, reminding Latnok of all the times he asked her to fight, and the one time he forced her into battle, used a very dirty trick to ensure victory. She was certain that by this time, the whole group was convinced on who the real culprit of all these pointless arguments was.

"Again... when the lives of millions are on the line, I win however I can. Or does that not make sense to you?" Latnok said. "I personally think that valuing the lives of millions is quite a good trait to have, don't you think? Unless you think that they're not worth winning for?
"Wait. I forgot. They're not to you. This is just about you. Always has been. This is your ticket to people to stop treating you like the child you are and to start worshiping you. And guess what? It may work for some here. But I will see you for what you are. Just a lonely, selfish, deluded little troll trying to compensate for something. And I will call you out on it. Every single time. And that is the way it will remain until you prove yourself to be willing to put in just as much as everyone else, and to do what you have to in order to protect the many.
"Do you think you are the only one with the fate of the world on your shoulders? Yes, you have Neo enamored with you. But what happens if I fall? How long would Raclaw and Shade last before turning? How well would your mission go then? And unlike you, this isn't something I can take a break from - but I do that on top of all of my other duties. And you want me to be impressed by you going hunting once with Neo doing all of the killing when you shirk your watch the night beforehand, with some terrible excuse?
"But that doesn't matter to you, you have shown. You and I, we have similar backgrounds. But unlike you, when I was rejected by the world, I didn't just mope about how the world was out to get me. I bettered myself. Gave my life a greater purpose. You are still bitter at the world - but here's the truth. The world owes you nothing except what you put into it. And if you're not willing to put in a watch every night, then what do you expect to get out of it?"

Angora could barely believe the amount of delusion and fantasy Latnok was living in.
"Worship? Now you think that I'm saving the world so they can worship me? Purchase a disctionary you idiot, and educate yourself on words. I'm doing this, and chances are nobody in the world will ever know. What's more, I'm very sure you and Sere will lie about what will transpire. I even dare to say that you or him will take the credit for everything! You'll never accept me as a troll! It's as if you blame me for being born this way! " Angora accused, believing them capable of doing something as low and that.
"You have no honor! No dignity! All the promises and deals you make are dull for those who aren't like you! Or do you think you can prove me wrong?" Angora asked, almost as if challenging him. It seemed that it was getting harder to Latnok to defend his argument, always dismissing her points of views as a simple excuse rather than reality, and Angora was having fun seeing him get more pathetic in his struggle to be the one who's right.

"I offered you more respect," Latnok said, "under the condition that you recipricate. I provided it, you spat it right back in my face. I upheld my end of the bargain. But you cannot uphold yours, instead making excuse after excuse while spouting more delusions. Simple enough. I don't need you to care, though; I just need to drag you to where you need to be, and as long as you are not actively obstructing that, then this is fine.
"You keep spouting nonsense about things you think we'll do. Ask for a chance, but never offer it yourself. This conversation is getting nowhere. I will treat you like the selfish brat you are, and you will continue to resent me for it. That is all there is to it. As long as the mission is done at the end of the day, I don't care what you think. Because my job isn't to try to win over an obstinate child. My job is to ensure that we can put an end to this nonsense. As we speak, we have been studying the magic with your weapon. One day, we won't have to leave the world to Neo's whim, once we finally crack it. Until then, though, we'll play the game." Latnok's tone remained calm, almost blank, reflective of how little care remained for the subject matter.
"And please... stop spouting nonsense about how I hate you for being a troll. What makes you think I wouldn't hate a human who did exactly what you did, being derelict in their duties and yet expecting everyone to acquiesce to their every desire? Pretty pathetic, if you ask me. Your behavior is not defensible - stop trying to find a scapegoat."

After Latnok had explained that they had been studying the sword, the truth hit Angora like a ton of bricks.
"Oh, so that's why you've been spitting hot air all this time? So you can distract me and study Neo's magic? Hah! And I thought you couldn't get any lower than that! Thank you for confirming what I've been saying all this time! You guys are jealous that a troll was chosen for this mission, so you study the magic to see if you can find anything more powerful to overcome me and take all the saving credit, cause you won't be able to live with the fact that a troll saved you all. Or perhaps... you'll leave me with all the hard work, take the credit, and then murder me cause I won't be of any more use to you..." Angora said, not bothering keeping her suspicions a secret anymore. What she told Raclaw earlier, she was saying it to everyone so that they could also believe that both humans were planning to betray her as soon as the mission is over. It was sad to know the supposed Guardians were studying the power, cause the Galaxy dragon himself provided with it. We're humans so egocentric that they wanted the most powerful things of the world to themselves? It was pitiful.

"Simply an insurance policy against something like this happening again," Latnok said. "Though it's no surprise that a narcissist like you thinks that we are more concerned with images than, you know, saving people and not leaving them at the mercy of some being enamored by a child. Unless you personally have an issue with others who are not yourself being able to defend the world against this monster as well? Though, your delusions about us wanting to kill you are ridiculous, of course... If you won't be of any use to us, and won't oppose us, why wouldn't we just leave you alone?
Because, let's face it - no one so incompetent would be a threat to anyone. We kill actual threats to humans and our allies, not children in need of a babysitter. Just yet another assumption about our intents, from someone who wants us to give them a chance and respect them..." Latnok's tone then changed to be significantly more assertive.
"So why don't you show us cold, hard evidence for once? You want to accuse me of intent to murder, and have the group act on it? Then show me this evidence you have, instead of just hearsay. Prove that you're not just being paranoid. Or shut up about it, and realize that no one cares for baseless accusations."

Angora didn't believe him for a second. She expected Latnok to be ready for murder not because she was a threat, but only for the mere fact that he was annoyed and irritated. He despised Neo for choosing her, this omnipotent spirit why saw there was more to her than she lets out, yet Latnok still insistently believed he chose her for other reasons. Barely anyone defended her, not even Orion, but she started to believe that everyone was simply afraid that Latnok would think toxicly of them as well, so they let the bullying continue.
"I don't care either. I'm not just stating facts, which you are trying to sadly counterattack so your biased views can remain. But of course, what can you expect from someone like you, who thinks his own kind are the only ones worth saving, and either kill or enslave those you deem inferior or dangerous?" Angora said, looking at Veris to prove her point, but as always, she knew he wasn't going to see her point of view. The troll had a test for him, something that she has been formulating in her mind for a while, and that would hopefully get Latnok leave her alone already. But it was a risky move, and he has already proven that he was nothing but a dirty liar that never kept his end of the deal, so she wasn't certain if she should do it.

Instead, Angora looked beggingly at Orion, wondering why he allowed this bullying to continue. She didn't know he tried to scold Latnok earlier. Raclaw already tried defending her and it was futile, so she wondered if Latnok would listen to the Galaxy dragon himself...

"You mean like how you were going to leave absolutely everyone to their fate because of your own personal feelings?" Latnok berated. "I'm not going to take morality lessons from someone so naive and selfish, especially when you have no idea the work we do to keep wyverns happy, yet call it 'slavery.' But of course, you do not know how absolutely impractical it would be to kill everyone we disagree with.
"Let me break this down for you," he continued, starting to speak much more slowly, while using telepathy to illustrate his point with depictions of a map. "Let's say, for example, we tried to kill every single troll. What happens when we start going after every single one? The rest realize that we're going to kill them no matter what, and aren't just defending our fellow man. That means that more trolls are going to attack humans. And we simply do not have the numbers to defend every area on the continent from troll attacks.
"So, if nothint else, we have no reason to be that stupid. Believe it or not, some of us do more than just live under a rock all day. We have jobs to do, and like to do those jobs well. Please think about these things before making these dumb assumptions," Latnok said. He figured that maybe, just maybe, a different approach might work for getting Angora to understand things, though he highly doubted it.

In the meantime, Sere was experimenting with Grimbane. With a thrust, he applied the first prototype of the mimicked magic. There was a very brief appearance of something solid - but it soon dissipated. There would be adjustments to be made.

Angora shook her head slowly, disgusted that Latnok was still reminding her of that day.
"Still thinking of the day I almost left the world to it's fate? I told you millions of times you made me too angry back then. It was all from the mouth out. I just needed some time to clear my head. I never would've done something so horrible, but of course, you couldn't even allow me some time to think! You just had to find me and distrupt that moment of peace like some terrorist!" Angora scolded, feeling like Latnok was a gluttonous leech out for every last drop of blood. Heck, he has even avoided her from speaking to Raclaw. By this time, Angora was certain she and the fur dragon would've apologized each other for their past behavior, but it was as if Latnok has conspired to prevent that from happening.

Sick and tired of this infernal and wasteful arguing, Angora made her decision, one that she hoped would make Latnok finally leave her be and Sere trying to sabotage her magic.
"But never mind that! You'll use that sick day as leverage all your life to want to be right. But let's just say for a wild moment I believe your claims... and that the horrible images you showed me when you cheated on our one battle was all a fake..." Angora reminded, not wanting Latnok to forget that dirty trick. Since he used the past to make a point, so will she.

"... let's just say I believe you and you don't mean to exterminate species you deem too useless or violent, but most of all, believe that you are indeed making your captives happy..." she looked at Veris.

"... are you willing to make a wager? One that will confirm that your claims are true? After all, I need to see if you still have on ounce of dignity and truthfulness, cause you did lousy last time. What do you say? I'm even willing to put my life on the line for it." Angora finally said, knowing that she couldn't back down on her words now. She believed she was making a tempting offer, for she didn't think for a moment that Latnok intended to let her live anyway after the mission...

Latnok's attention was slowly starting to drift away from Angora. Such meaningless words, such paranoia...
That was, until she mentioned the wager. He snapped right back into listening.
"You have my attention," he said, as nonchalantly as he could make it out to be. Something she was willing to wager her life on? What could it possibly be? "So, what are the terms? What could you possibly be so sure about that you, of all people, would put your life on the line for? Let's hear it." Whatever it was, Latnok was confident that he could rise up to any challenge Angora could possibly have for him, especially if it involved competing with her.
Sere's attention was also caught, temporarily distracting him from his research efforts. Veris looked on, having had his fill of water, being attentive as ever.

OOC: Short but to the point. I actually want to get some sleep soon.

Raclaw watched as well, very much interested in what Angora was about to do. This was probably the only way they would get peace between her and Latnak-- he just hoped the troll knew what she was getting into.

Quote: A Guy

Latnok's attention was slowly starting to drift away from Angora. Such meaningless words, such paranoia...
That was, until she mentioned the wager. He snapped right back into listening.
"You have my attention," he said, as nonchalantly as he could make it out to be. Something she was willing to wager her life on? What could it possibly be? "So, what are the terms? What could you possibly be so sure about that you, of all people, would put your life on the line for? Let's hear it." Whatever it was, Latnok was confident that he could rise up to any challenge Angora could possibly have for him, especially if it involved competing with her.
Sere's attention was also caught, temporarily distracting him from his research efforts. Veris looked on, having had his fill of water, being attentive as ever.

Angora paced around, knowing she has gotten into a mess, but she wasn't going to give up. She looked closely at Veris, and after a while, she finally spoke.
"You claim Veris is happy, even after you have shown how limited you have him. Even after we've all seen that he's commanded to do something as basic and natural as sleeping?" Angora said accusingly, before doing the bet.

"Let's make a deal then. As you know, you need me alive for this mission... but as soon as this Darkmatter thing is dead, I want just one thing... a little experiment. Put Veris... AND you two to the test. Once the mission is over, we will let the wyvern choose with whom he wants to go with. Of course, if I win, I will get the wyvern and give him a better life you could ever give him. Release him if he wants to. But... if you win... then I'll sacrifice myself to him. How does that sound?" Angora said, almost choking those last words. It was a deadly deal, but one that she had planned for a while. She still firmly believed that Latnok was planning to kill her once everything was over, so she'd rather have the wyvern do it himself to deny him the pleasure. But at the same time, make sure that both Latnok and Sere had any honor and sense of promise. She needed to see if they were willing to make such a bet. After all, all they could lose was the wyvern. She had her life... AND Neo to lose.

Latnok and Sere stared at Angora for a few seconds - speechless, really considering what she said. Finally, Latnok spoke up.
"That's it? You think I'm interested in watching you get eaten?!" he said, almost outraged. "I know you think I crawled straight out of the gates of hell, but I do not enjoy watching children die," he continued with indignation. "Of the thousands I've killed, none have been children, except potentially the game I've hunted. No, I want something else if you lose."
"Neither part of the deal is something I would like," Sere said. "We came here with ten, and I intend to leave with ten. That's the way I've always wanted it, the way I've demanded it from every one of the leaders below me. Latnok, of course, knows this. Besides that, Veris is a great asset to us - exceptional breeding, amazing strength, stamina, size, intelligence, and perfect coloration for night flights. We would not be able to release him without at least having him for breeding a replacement.
"Besides that, anyone who rides one of our wyverns must complete our gruelling month-long wyvern care and ridership course, and in order to be eligible for that we would have to teach you to command at least basic magic. Those aren't things you would be interested in, I take it," Sere said confidently, attempting to remain as neutral as possible. Though he didn't mention it yet, there was perhaps mire that Angora could help with when they were done...

Angora scoffed, and even giggled under her breath, relieved and amused at the same time.
"Fine, don't do the deal. It's better that way. I'm very sure you would've cheated anyway. Or perhaps you're just too afraid to lose your precious pet... or better yet, you know I have witnesses, so you don't want to strike such a gruesome deal to avoid damaging your benevolent image." Angora accused, having no trouble backing down the deal if Sere and Latnok were willing to do it first. Part of the reason for her to make the deal was to get Latnok to shut up, but since that didn't seem to happen, she got straight to the point.

"So then, no deal! That much us clear! Now that that's settled, will you just leave me alone right now? Do you have any idea how much time we wasted in this argument? Every time I want to talk to somebody, you ALWAYS interrupt. But no, I'm the only one that interrupts conversations." Angora said furiously, really wanting to talk to Raclaw, cause she wanted to find it in her heart to forgive him for siding with the humans and rudely ignoring her.

"Wait, wait, wait, you didn't think you were getting off the hook that easy, did you?" Latnok said. "Constant giggling and scoffing... classic sign of a narcissist, don't you think? Especially ironic when Neo does all of your fighting for you.
"You want a wager? Here's a wager. Without Neo, see if you can so much as touch me within 10 minutes. Not even a fight. Just touch me. Or are you too scared to do even that?" he finished, tauntingly. "Or do you think I'll somehow manage to 'cheat' this time? Is dodging cheating?
"You win, I'll respect your capabilities a bit more. You lose, and you will be addressing me by my rank and saluting me. Those are the terms."

Galaxy Dragon
(rules read)
-------------

Name: Slumber
Age: 18
Species: Dream Dragon
Good or evil: good
Appearance: https://toyhou.se/2461383.slumber
Personally: she is kind to most creatures she meets unless they are a poison/dark-like element, then she will avoid them like an illness
Slumber also has a bit of a temper and can be ticked off for seemingly no reason.
Weapons: her breaths
Elements: lucid
History: Slumber was hatched in the dream realm during the year of the dragon.
most dream dragons are tied to the dream realm but any dragon hatched in the year of the dragon is able to pass there sleeping mind into the dream world
but Slumber can pass her lucid body to the physical realm, giving her a real body.

OOC: Hello there. Welcome. Didn't expect a new user to join this far. I'm sure SC will be glad

Angora nearly pulled off what little hair she had, this whole thing being a nightmare to her.
"Again with the fighting!? And if you win I have to salute you!? Now who's being narcissistic? You have accused me of being everything you are!" Angora remarked, finding Latnok even more horrible the more he talked.

"Besides, Neo can't leave me even if he wanted. He linked his soul to mine. I should know. I tried to drive him away. And what's more, I already told you millions of times I'm NOT going to fight you! I'm not a savage like you, who wants to resolve everything through a damn fight! And you heard the Galaxy dragon! We can't waste our time and energy fighting each other when there's a bigger threat out there! Now just leave this obsession already! Ever since you've met me, all you wanted to do is to fight me! And you claim you don't want to hurt me? Hah, it's like you made it your goal to make my life as miserable as possible! You don't let befriend anyone, or what's more, I can't even have my privacy, cause you invade even my mind, wanting to find anything you can use against me!" Angora remarked so full of fury and sorrow, she looked like a volcano erupting. The vein in her temple was incredibly visible and her eyes went red again, but like those last times, she hold on the tears, not wanting anyone to see her so hurt and vulnerable.

As she let out this mountain of discharge, she gave occasional glances at Orion, wondering why he wasn't stopping this injustice. Was it all a cruel test? Or was he simply studying them? Whatever the reason, Angora felt all alone, enduring all this abuse, all the insults, and nobody in this big group was coming to her defense.

OOC: Slumber-Dragon, you couldn't have picked a better time to join. This chapter is getting wrapped up, and the group is in a foreign land where exotic creatures like your character are everywhere to be seen.

"I already told you. No fighting. Just touch me," Latnok said. "Or is that too much to ask of our little princess? Wants respect, but backs out when she has the opportunity to earn it. But of course, you must always assume the worst. Because somehow a simple game of tag is too violent for you.
"Please, don't waste my time with your boasts and false confidence. And, like I said, your right to privacy ends where mission success is endangered. You attempting to poison Raclaw's mind with your propaganda and biased ideals is a direct danger to the mission. Should you succeed, I will have no choice but to sever the mental link for our sakes."

"Right, just touch you... so you can attack in treason? Sorry, but you've given me every reason NOT to trust you. And I already told you before, I don't want your respect anymore. It's not worth gaining. Go ahead. Think of me every little horrible thing you can think of. You think I care? And Raclaw, if he wants to talk to me, why don't you let him? You think he's as limited as that poor wyvern? He's free to do whatever he wants! But enough of this humongous waste of time. This conversation is over!" Angora said with determination, increasingly sick of it all. She then sat near her corner, being closer to Raclaw in case he still wanted to talk. If Latnok had anything else to say, she was going to leave him to talk alone. If he wanted to have the last word, she would leave him have that pleasure. She already had enough stress as it was, and Latnok only made things much, much worse.

"Very well, you craven," Latnok said. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done so in your sleep... but that wouldn't fit your narrative, now, would it? We see you for the coward you are, not willing to rise up to the challenge, shirking your duties. I'll carry you, though. I'll drag you as long as I need to, and when we're done, you can go back under your hole, with nothing but your own naive beliefs and delusions exist. For someone who doesn't care about my opinion... you sure do make a big deal of me treating you like the scum you are." Latnok started walking away, before adding "Don't forget. You will be doing watch whenever I'm doing watch."

"Veris, to me," Sere called, with Veris eagerly coming. "You are to stay away from the troll. You may let her ride you when I order it, but otherwise, do not deal with her." Veris, moping, walked to a different corner of the cave in compliance. Though Sere was not particularly happy to give the order, he had the interests of himself, Latnok, and the Guardians in mind.

OOC: what is the lactation, like in a room, market, town?

Quote: A Guy

"Very well, you craven," Latnok said. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done so in your sleep... but that wouldn't fit your narrative, now, would it? We see you for the coward you are, not willing to rise up to the challenge, shirking your duties. I'll carry you, though. I'll drag you as long as I need to, and when we're done, you can go back under your hole, with nothing but your own naive beliefs and delusions exist. For someone who doesn't care about my opinion... you sure do make a big deal of me treating you like the scum you are." Latnok started walking away, before adding "Don't forget. You will be doing watch whenever I'm doing watch."

"Veris, to me," Sere called, with Veris eagerly coming. "You are to stay away from the troll. You may let her ride you when I order it, but otherwise, do not deal with her." Veris, moping, walked to a different corner of the cave in compliance. Though Sere was not particularly happy to give the order, he had the interests of himself, Latnok, and the Guardians in mind.

As promised, Angora said nothing, letting Latnok waste his breath. She didn't care at all what he thought of her. She only cared about what she and those who were genuinely good saw in her. Why Latnok was such an idiot? Of course he hasn't killed her in her sleep. It would mean he would've doomed the world. Plus, she doubted Neo or Orion would've allowed that. One thing was certain though, she wasn't going to let Latnok force her to do the watch as if she was one stupid recruit or another dumb animal to control. She, and only she, controlled her life, not anybody else, and if she was going to save the world, is because she accepted the mission. And if he forced her, she was even ready to find another cave just to be away from him.

When Latnok was done with his insulting comment, Angora picked on her ear as if she was trying to pull away a bug from it, wanting to demonstrate just how poisonous she thought of his useless, racist words. She was fine... until she heard what Sere just said. Not only did he encouraged his protégée to be this cruel, but he was even willing to forbid the only genuine friendship she had. Veris has been the only one who has been kind and compassionate with her, but because he was such a limited animal who didn't know he could do better, he felt like he had no choice but to obey his equally cruel master, comply with these enslaving monsters who didn't want a troll to have a little bit of happiness. Angora touched the tooth Veris gave to her earlier, which she kept hidden under her belt. No matter what, she was going to treasure this item, and only wished Veris could understand how grateful she was for being so patient with her, and see a side to her that everyone else refused to see.

OOC: can i join The Mountain of Dreams RP or do i have to wait till the next rp starts?

OOC: Feel free to hop in. In fact, there should be an opportunity really soon.

"Well, that's done with," Latnok said. "So, Raclaw, if you'd rather seek the favoritism of someone who is blatantly only concerned about herself and her own ego, rather than someone who has and still continues to help you, then there is not much I can do except sever our mental link to stop you from corrupting me with your thoughts. But I'm going hunting." He then walked over a bit to Veris. "Hey, Veris!" he shouted. "How about I get you some real food?" Veris nodded his head, some drool coming out of his mouth.
"You be careful out there," Sere said to Latnok.
"Don't mind me. Just a bit to kill the time while we get ready to move. I've menorized the map you made, so I know the safe spots."

Veris immediately began to freak out, flapping his wings while moving his head from place to place and roaring. "Calm down, Veris..." Sere said, slowly walking over. "Lower your head here." Veris lowered his head as ordered, and Sere began to pet him. Veris' excessive movement ceased.
"You have got to be joking," Latnok said in frustration. His tone soon changed, however, when he realized the potential. "This is it... we can catch a storm claw here!"
"Do you remember all of the details of the plan?" Sere asked.
"Of course," Latnok replied. "We'll be ready as soon as the storm abates, provided one doesn't show up before then." He eagerly grabbed his axe and began spinning it around in his hand in anticipation. His excitement shot up strongly and quickly enough to be sent over the mental connection to the other two. All of their planning... they were going to see if it worked.
With the storm's fury, it was hard to imagine any creature surviving out there for long - yet there were those who managed to do it regularly. Those were secrets to be learned. "You know," Latnok said, "I wouldn't be surprised if some other creature caught out came here to take shelter from the storm."

As the rain came and Latnok quickly got excitable, Raclaw became alert-- obviously affected by the strong emotion sent over the mental links. He briefly looked at Angora with a look of hope in his eyes, as if her and Latnok's never-ending struggle would one day come to a end. Perhaps then, they would be able to talk and part of him still believed that was possible. 'Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow, but someday...,' he thought to himself glancing between the rain and the now very much excited Latnok. He was almost getting restless, having felt as if he had been stuck there for ages forced to listen to their endless arguing and even having attempted to directly intervene-- anything to make it stop and to simply have some peace. He didn't know why he wanted to befriend the Troll so badly, perhaps it was his own desire to right a wrong or perhaps it was simply pity for someone who felt alone in the world. All he knew at the moment... was that there was still hope.

the sky grew darker and the rain fell harder Slumber's need to find shelter became more urgent.
climbing up the mouton not taking the rick of flying and getting struck by lightning she searches for a cave to wait out the storm.
feeling more fatigued from climbing, Slumber's urge to sleep grew stronger
resisting the overwhelming need to sleep, she pressed on determined not to nap for if she naps she will most certainly have a nightmare
finally she dragged her self into a cave, ready to let the darkness consume her when she noticed she wasn't alone

Upon seeing the strange figure crawl into the cave, Latnok, already holding his axe, put it away in favor of grabbing and aiming his bow - but what was it? A... dragon? Not a kind he'd ever seen before. He lowered his bow, keeping his eyes trained on the figure.
Veris was not nearly as polite. Straight into battle mode, he charged at the strange dragon. "STAND DOWN," Sere commanded sternly. Veris instantly stopped his charge, though he kept his teeth bared and his wings flared.
"So what brings you here, dragon?" Latnok asked, intrigued by the dragon. "What kind of dragon are you?"

OOC: For reference, Latnok and Sere are both humans - albeit significantly modified. They are "Ascended", humans who have undergone a ritual known as Draconic Ascension which grants them significantly more power physically and magically, though with some other notable effects. The two typically wear dragonhide armor, including a helmet which covers their entire face, essentially rendering them faceless to those who see them. Veris is a wyvern, and Sere's mount.

OOC: Welcome Slumber! In case you didn't know, I have shared folder of RP-related resources set-up HERE.
I'll explain more on that in a bit and I'll also make sure to add you to the Oriondéx, a Pokedéx-style overview of the party.

In Raclaw's new alert state-- his senses instantly detected the presence of a new creature taking shelter from the rain, just as Latnok had predicted. He stood slightly at unease, letting the Guardians do the questioning. He certainly hadn't expected to get a newcomer this late into their journey, but wouldn't be unwelcoming ether. He also hadn't seen a dragon quite like this one ether and wondered where exactly they had come from. Was this rainy mountaintop their home, or had they simply gotten lost along the way to somewhere? Etherway, they would soon find out.

seeming more awake and aware of the situation Slumber stood up and announced her voice laced with worry and hope
"this is the The Mountain of Dreams, right?"

"also i would rather you not attack me and make me an article of clothing, i might have to give you nightmares"
she said, not sounding like its something she particularly wants to do

The troll saw the rain, and felt momentarily amused that it started to rain at the precise moment Latnok decided to hunt. She even wished to think it was the weather punishing for being such a cruel man. But the brief happiness didn't lasted. She saw the stranger, and couldn't believe the nightmare just intensified. Another dragon, probably somebody else that was going to bully her eventually.

After seeing Raclaw had no interest in resuming their previous conversation, Angora simply assumed that he, and the rest of the group, were too afraid to be targeted by Latnok if they stepped up, so she really started to believe she was all alone, doomed to tolerate this cruel bullying until the mission was over. She had it so well with Veris, and just because she didn't accept such a ridiculous deal, she was forced to deny herself that friendship. And Veris, as she has seen, was just a dumb animal who will always care more for his stomach and pleasing his master than a friendship. Nobody was doing anything to console her. She was going to be the world's savior, and this was the gratitude she received? Feeling the lump of her throat getting tighter, Angora knew she wasn't able to hold out the tears any longer, so she picked part of her drags to cover her eyes and nose, and trusting the rain would drown out the sound, she began sobbing, slowly coming to the reality that nobody was going to accept her for what she was.

Latnok, in an attempt to leave a better first impression with the dragon, tossed his bow to the side, removing his helmet to reveal his face - skin significantly darker than typical human skin, burn marks around the eyes, the typical traits of the Ascended. "Now, where are my manners? Nice to meet you, I'm Latnok. Professional hunter and leader of men."
Sere followed suit, revealing the same traits on his face. "I am Sere. I am the head of a group known as the Ardent Guardians, dedicated to protecting humans and their allies."
"He is my superior," Latnok said. "Quite a bit, in fact. But you don't have to worry about us - if you're not here to try to kill us, or other humans, or our friends - like these dragons here and the mermen which live in tandem with many humans - then we will have no issue. But did you say... nightmares? Could you be a dream dragon, perhaps? I have to say, in all my years, I haven't seen one. But to answer your question, yes... you are in the right place." Latnok's intrigue and curiosity showed in his eyes - he, much like the other Guardians, respected dragons, at least the ones they didn't fight.

"indeed i am a dream dragon....and i can breathe meany types of breathe as long as they are compatible with my element....including nightmares"
Slumber replayed deliberately leaving out her other abilities

"oh im silly for not mentioning my name, im Slumber"
she didn't bother saying other tidbits like how she was hatched in the year of the dragon

Slumber walked feather into the cave, making sure to give the ill-tempered Wyvern his space

"Excellent... well, that's one to cross off the list," Latnok said. "Are you hungry? I have some brined fish - a day old, but I cooked it well, so it should still taste decent. We also have some fruits from the Tree of Vitality in our stronghold - pretty invigorating." As he was saying these things, Latnok laid out the tarp from his sack, setting down the foods in question.
"The wyvern is Veris," Sere said. "Not quite fond of strangers, but he'll be fine with you after a while. Especially if you feed him." Veris, as usual, perked up at the mention of food, looking at the food Latnok had set out - he had the discipline, however, to know that it wasn't for him.

Despite all this, Latnok heard a faint sound. Was that... crying? Who would be crying here? More likely just the rain. It sounded pretty unusual, though...

It was a brief cry, and Angora wiped her eyes andnose after she was done. She could see the way Latnok was acting around the stranger. All polite and proper, because like he said, he only respected dragons and other humans, and didn't care a single hell about the likes of her. She had to be cursed by being born a troll, one of the most despised creatures on the planet. And to add more wood to the fire, she also had that pathetic dwarfism. It's like life itself wanted her to be miserable from the very beginning. With an air of false hope, Angora looked to see what Veris was doing, almost as if expecting he would at least glance at her to let her know he still appreciated her... but her hope soon vanished when her eyes got distracted by a small crevice that was on Veris' former corner. Since the wyvern wasn't there anymore to be more far away from her, his body didn't hide this small hole anymore. Not looking at Veris and completely ignoring Raclaw and everyone else, Angora walked towards the crevice and crawled inside, being very cramped but finishing with a cave-in that was twice her size. It was the perfect hiding place.

Angora wasn't in the mood to meet anybody, and with Latnok sucking up to the newcomer, he was probably going to encourage him to be mean to her as well, since she believed that was his only objective. Finally, in this quiet place, with nobody but rocks around her, Angora finally cried to her heart's desire, still using the rag to clean up the tears and drown out the sound, using the rain as backup.

Veris, though distracted by the thought of food, still had his senses active - and he heard something. With a brief look around the cave, he was able to identify one spot of interest... Steeling himself for potential enemies, he slowly crept toward the source of the odd sound, sniffing to try to identify what it was. Feeling confident he was good trail, he was able to identify it.
Angora. But... behind there? He could barely fit his head there. Besides, he was under orders not to interact with her. But...
He surreptitiously looked around the room. Latnok and Sere were both still distracted by the new dragon. After some hesitation, he began wedging his head into the crevice.

The crevice was only small enough for Angora, and others like Star, and the entrance was cramped for her little plump body. The wyvern would have to break it's sides in order for his head to fit in. Before able to do so however, Angora felt his warm, strong breathing, almost like a breeze. She rubbed her eyes, swollen with the crying, almost looking as if she has been punched.
"You again? Get out of here you brain dead slave! Did those two monsters asked you to find me? Get out!" Angora said angrily, pushing his heavy snout out of the crevice. This was her alone place now. She believed that Veris had no interest in her, and was only there under the human's orders... or maybe just looking for food. She was angry with everybody, even the wyvern, for only caring about his stomach and following orders. She couldn't even cry for two minutes without having someone bothering her. Nothing was peaceful to her anymore as long as she remained stuck with that irritating group.

Veris, despite the infeasibility and against Angora's wishes, continued his futile attempt to get his head in the crevice. As Angora pushed on his snout, he stuck his tongue out, in an effort to lick her tears, though the size of his tongue would prevent such precision. Sere and Latnok were still distracted by the new dragon, not concerned about Veris.

Instead of acknowledging Veris' attempts to help, Angora was disgusted, covered in drool with the licking. Closer to the entrance of the crevice, Angora listened to what was going on outside, and heard Latnok and Sere still talking to the stranger. Chances are they didn't even know she wasn't in the same place as before, so she mistook Veris' kindness with an interest in food. Perhaps it was the residue of sloth she still had from his feeding frenzy? Either way, she didn't believe his care was genuine.
"Please... just leave me alone! Your master's stupid protégée already hurt me. Are you going to do it too?" Angora said as she retreated into the small opening again, desisting her attempts to push him away to avoid more licking. She didn't want anything to do with the wyvern again, but in part, her attempts to push him away to avoid him from getting in trouble with his imbecile master.

Veri, upon Angora's repeated rebuffs, withdrew his tongue and began to pull his head out, dejectedly. However, his efforts to shove his head in originally ended up leaving it wedged in the small space. He tried one, two, three times to escape; seeing that he could not get out, and realizing he needed help, he began shrieking, a call for his rider.

Angora was annoyed beyon reason, wondering why everyone was conspiring against her to distrupt her peace. The yelps were hurting her eardrum.
"Beast! What did I..." she started to scold, but when she saw the wyvern, she knew the predicament.
"Calm down! Don't move! Let me just..." Angora said, patient and concentrated, changing her demeanor almost completely. She pushed away the patches of skin that were stuck in the corners of the crevices, having been made even worse by his brief struggling, and slowly pushed his snout the more patches she released. As she did everything, she hoped Veris learned his lesson so he could stop begging her for food. She still believed that was the only reason he sought her out, and was annoyed on how the wyvern would constantly ask her, when he had Latnok and his master to do that.

With some struggling, Veris finally managed to break free, with Angora's assistance. Sere, now ealking over to Veris, only noticed his head breaking free, but his previous experiences with Veris allowed him to infer what happened.
"Got your head stuck again?" Sere asked. Veris nodded.
"What were you..." Sere, considering the situation, took a brief look around, noting that Angora was not present, at least not in this section of the cave. "Angora wouldn't have happened to be in there, would she?" Sere asked casually. Veris shook his head from side to side strongly - a vehement "no."
After a brief pause, Sere continued. "So... you're telling me that if I open up this wall, that she won't be behind there?" he asked, suspicion in his voice. Nevertheless, Veris nodded yes.
Another pause, before Sere continued again. Veris had his trust - the wyvern had never lied to him before. "So what was it there? A mouse... again?" Veris nodded. Sere sighed. "Your curiosity is always getting you into these silly binds..." The two walked off, to join the rest of the main group.

Angora had retreated into the small opening, wanting to make sure Sere didn't spot her inside. It was to avoid getting Veris into trouble, but she kept telling herself that it was for her own sake, to prevent the guardian from finding her and forcing her into the main cave. Still, after a while, Angora knew she couldn't have her alone time anymore in that little hiding place, so making sure everyone was still distracted with the newcomer, especially Sere, she got out of the crevice and returned to her original corner, glaring at the wyvern, furious of him for ruining that brief moment of peace.

"Don't worry! After this brutal madness is over, I will get out of this hell, and you will never see me again." Angora assured, sulking once more. She felt so emotionally unstable that in all her angry sorrow, she picked the tooth Veris gave her and threw it into the crevice. She had promised herself she would treasure it, but she was so angry at him, and Latnok, and everyone else, all she was thinking at that moment was not to have any reminders of them when it was her time to part away from the group.