darkSpyro

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Latnok gave a cheerful shout at Chester's accomplishment. "There we go! Easy, just like that!" He had full faith in Chester's ability to learn - and it was evidently well-placed.

It wasn't long 'till Chester returned to the hunter ball in mouth; he could see why *this* ball was the Beagle's favorite. The little Beagle had done it once, now he had to make sure that Chester was willing to do it again as many times as needed. Getting into the water was one thing, staying in the water was another thing, but getting back into the water repeatingly and willingly would be the key. Once wasn't enough-- Chester would have to want to go into the water whenever the situation demanded it. And with an Guardian in charge, that was more likely than not. "Excellent! Good boy Chester!," the hunter exclaimed upon receiving a slightly slimy and very much wet clear belled ball. By now-- the hunter, bloodhound, and Beagle-in-training were about half way out in the deep end of the larger pond. "Now boy-- go wait for me on the shallow end right where we entered.," the hunter then ordered knowing that Chester would have to make the journey without support.

Upon receiving the order-- Chester briefly looked at the hunter/others with hesitation, but soon complied making way toward the opposite end of the pond. Of note was the fact that the hunter still had the ball and that was part of the plan. What followed was several more 'games', the ball introducing an element of fun into the exercise. At first-- the hunter threw ball further into the deeper waters making Chester retrieve it and return to the same spot in the shallow end. This would test the Beagle's abilities to go in and out of deeper waters without issue. After the first throw-- the hunter repeated the exercise only this time, he made Chester get out of the water and get back in via the initial point of entry. Another throw followed through-- this time requiring Chester to jump in directly into the deep water, ensuring that he would be comfortable entering from any depth. After several more throws and some exercises involving Chester being in the water by himself; the hunter was confidant in his own abilities to teach and Chester's ability to learn.

And as the hunter, the bloodhound, and the now taught-to-swim Beagle got out of the water-- Chester would return to Latnok's side and lay down very much tired from the very much thorough exercises. "Well Latnok-- it is official. Your Beagle.. can swim. I have to admit lad. Good energy and intelligence.. that one.," the hunter admitted purposely sitting down near both Latnok and Raclaw and pulling out a notebook. "You did good out there.," Rofus the bloodhound barked upon laying down near Chester. "Now about our deal-- tell me about your winged friend here.," the hunter then said pulling a notebook and being prepared to write notes. He briefly petted Raclaw's side, feeling the fur dragon's softness. He could also feel where some of the fur was slightly less soft, inferring that dragon companion had seen some battle action and had healed up over time. He looked at Latnok, awaiting a response although also welcoming any response from Raclaw himself.

"You are most welcome, Angora," Shepherd told the troll as he began to lead her out, through the path they came from. "We pray you return to us after having a chance to consider the matter further."
The trip down the path was uneventful. When they reached the start point, the same two galuds were there - there was an additional guest, however. A mastermind.

Angora was glad to be leaving, in no way ready to make such a decision at this point in time. Why her? Why did Shepherd chose her from everyone else on that big ship? At first she thought he only needed her to summon Orion, but now he wanted something more from her. Why did she always have to get stuck with the hardest decisions? All she wanted right now was to leave, already feeling stressed with everything she had to think about. Once they reached the exit, Angora remembered it wasn't over. There was still the mind erasing issue, something she suspected when she saw the galuds with company.
"What are you going to do to me now?" Angora asked, afraid of what will come next. She was already stressed enough as it was, and someone messing with her brain wasn't exactly something that calmed her down.

Meanwhile, Maverick continued walking Dahlia, stopping once to get the dirt buffalo closer to Shade. Everything was going well, but a bellow and a strong struggle made the message clear.
"Alright alright Dahlia. You aren't ready. Ok. Entiendo. Just calm down por favor!" Maverick begged, feeling sad about his dear mount's uneasiness. He was hoping she could finally be ready to approach the dragolet, but her wary prey instincts were still too strong.

"This is a relatively simple process," Shepherd began explaining, as a root opened up in the ground. "You will step into that root. Once that happens, our friend here will erase some more sensitive information in a process that will put you to sleep. Once the procedure is complete, the root will transport you to an area by foliage near your ship. You will wake up and be able to head back then, and hopefully we will meet again at some point in the future."
The mastermind gave Angora an odd look with some of its many eyes. "ENTER THE ROOT SO WE MAY BEGIN THE PROCESS OF MEMORY ERASURE AND YOUR DEPARTURE FROM THIS AREA," it commanded.

Angora did a small groan, not bothering to hide how much she disliked the idea of her mind being altered. But she knew better than to go against their wishes, so she followed the instructions. At least they had the decency of transporting her near the ship to avoid the dangerous wilderness she faced earlier, so that gave her a bit of relief. She entered the root without looking at the mastermind, it's appearance creeping her out too much. She closed her eyes and waited, hoping this would be quick and painless...

As Angora entered the root, the mastermind began the process of entering her mind to root out the more recent memories, a process which would likely put her to sleep in the process. It sought out her memories of how she arrived at the Hall - and, more importantly, the memory of the residual energy from Orion being amplified and absorbed. What it would leave her with were memories of Shepherd's kindness and concern, his goals, and his desire to see her volunteer to join them. With the process complete, the root would swallow her up, moving her back through the same motions before opening somewhere near the ship, easily laying her down, and vanishing back into the ground without even a trace of disturbed earth.

Angora could feel her mind being trifled with, feeling as if there was a little worm making it's way annoyingly, yet painlessly throughout her head. She was bothered by the process, yet somewhat pleased it wasn't painful, just extremely bothersome. Then all she could see was black. She couldn't hear anything either. Next thing she knows, she's feeling dirt, grass and leaves below her. She was in the woods, but she could also hear the waves. She got up, with bags under her eyes. She brainstormed for a while about what just happened, but thinking right now was giving her a headache. All she remembered was that she met with the stranger from the orb, and that he called himself Shepherd... but where did she met him? She could vaguely remember a very large room, but beyond that was a blanc. She did, however, knew how much he shared with him, and his desire to join him. Deep inside, she knew something else happened afterwards, but she didn't know what. All she bothered to know right now was that she met him, and that whatever happened during that meeting made her exhausted. She wanted to sleep, but she knew better than to stay in a place where hostile wildlife most likely resided.

With much effort, Angora got up, guiding herself with the sound of the waves. She was so tired, and as if that wasn't enough, she also felt nauseous. She couldn't help it anymore. She crouched and started to throw up.
"Ugh, what is happening to me? I feel like such a wreck! This is humiliating!" she said to herself after being done, feeling that wherever Shepherd took her, it made her feel dizzy. She was usually strong and resistant, so this awful display made her feel so embarrased. Nobody was around (she hoped), so nobody had to know. While she was dehydrated, she felt a little better now, and now it was time to head to the ship, which could be visible among the foliage that ended on the beach. But as she walked, she remained highly on guard, not trusting this island one bit...

Latnok squatted down to hand Chester the jerky he had promised, before answering the hunter. "Raclaw here is a fur dragon," he said. "Very much different than the scaled dragons you typically see. He and I are close friends, and our abilities complement each other. We are actually here because, in part, we have leads which point to at least one of his parents being here, or having been here." Latnok volunteered no more information at the time, leaving the decision to Raclaw.

"I will fill you in further.," Raclaw informed the hunter as he took a brief moment to decide what information to diverge or not diverge. He smiled at Chester, who was happily devouring the jerky prepared by Latnok. "As my good friend here has mentioned-- I am a fur dragon. Simply put, I have fur and feathers rather than the usual scales you may see your typical dragon.," he started to explain slightly flapping his wings to empathise that they were the feathers. "My species is rare, which.. which is why you may not have heard of us before. Our horns, claws, teeth, and internals are mostly the same as our scaled brethren. My elements, my abilities, include the use of fire and telepathy. My fire does not hurt me, although that is not to say that I cannot burn. My telepathy is an more advanced form than most and might better be described as mental manipulation. I can sense emotions, read thoughts, and other things in combination with Latnok's own powers. In addition, I process some unique traits due to my unique circumstances.," he paused deciding on what information to further omit. He opted to forgo the fact that his own collar could greatly hurt him via the use of electricity, albeit an excessive amount.

"Without going into detail-- I was raised by humans and grew up alongside a canine sibling. This has resulted in my ability to understand animals and to speak the canine tongue, the bark if you will. This includes Chester here and it includes your companion Rofus. This has allowed us to work together as a team and to fully take advantage of each other's abilities including full communication between each of us.," Raclaw said giving a smile and a nod to Rofus indicating that he could indeed understand the bloodhound. "Rofus. If you will-- could you please run around your master and return to the same spot.," he then barked issuing an odd request for demonstration purposes. The bloodhound did as requested, although he found the request strange. "I just asked Rofus to run around you and to return to the same spot.," Raclaw said returning to common and completing the demonstration. "Please feel free to take measurements if you wish, although it is worth noting that my abilities and some of my features may be unique to me. Admittingly-- I have not seen another of my kind, so I can't compare myself. But with luck, we are hoping to change that.," he then finally said standing up and allowing for accurate height measurements if the hunter wished. The older man obliged him walking around him and jotting down notes. Included was a crude drawing his Raclaw's basic shape and what features were exclusive to him specifically. The collar, harness ring, and tail band were listed as accessories; crude illustrations drawn to the side.

Latnok felt an odd sense of discomfort as the hunter took his notes on Raclaw - despite the fact that it was something that Latnok himself would regularly do after encountering a new species, given the chance. Nevertheless, as long as Raclaw didn't protest, Latnok was okay with it.
"If that will be all, then we should be going now," Latnok said to the older man. "I thank you and Rofus for the assistance you two have provided us. Who knows, maybe we'll end up back here one way or another." Latnok waited for a response from the old man (if any) before leading Raclaw and Chester back to the ship.

"Feel free to come back anytime. I make an excellent soup.," the hunter said waving the Guardian and his two companions off. Raclaw gave a nod and allowed Latnok to lead him/Chester back to the enduring legacy. He normally wouldn't have considered giving up so much information to just anyone, but the old man had done his part of the bargain and he seemed harmless enough. He had provided more than enough information and measurements, while also leaving out possible weaknesses and the exact circumstances behind the collar. "So Chester-- what do you think of the water now?," he asked looked down at the slightly damp Chester. "It's.. it's not so bad. And I can see now that you can do more than just take a bath in it.," the little Beagle responded now feeling more comfortable about the occional bath he had been forced to take ether by Latnok/Raclaw or his old owners prior.

As the trio moved along (talking mostly about Chester's recent experience, though Latnok also asked Chester about his thoughts on Rofus), the ship would come into view in seemingly no time due to their distraction. Boardin the ship was a relatively simple matter, with nothing outside but the impaled tonguean.
No sooner had they boarded the ship than Latnok noticed a most unusual visitor - a tiefling? And a female one at that. He had heard of tieflings, but this was the first time he was seeing one in person. She was lithe, and armed to kill... an assassin? No one seemed to have a problem with her being here - maybe she had already introduced herself. Well, Latnok wasn't going to keep himself in the dark.
He came over to the newcomer, without any bit of subtlety. "Hey there," he said gently but firmly. "I'm Latnok, right-hand man to the captain. Haven't seen you before. Who are you, and what brings you here?" Latnok would normally be much more aggressive in his questioning - but perhaps because of Raclaw's influence helping him empathize more, he held off.

Kasidra noticed yet another person boarding the ship, who appeared to have the same armor, skin, and burn marks as the captain. Ah, so maybe that was the one she was told about. She also noticed he had a dog with him, and... Some kind of furry creature? Kasidra wasn't sure, but what she did know was that there were more animals on board. Geez, how many pets did these people have? Her thoughts on the subject were halted, when the man approached her. When she heard his name, that confirmed it. The captain had mentioned him earlier. "Hey. So you're Latnok. The captain told me about you," she said, casually. The tiefling gave another curious glance at Raclaw before continuing, "Kasidra. Mostly work and a storm. Your captain was nice enough to give me a way off this island."

"Is that so? Welcome to the crew, then," Latnok said, as he offered a handshake. At the very least, with this stranger having absolutely no knowledge of them before, and not having had any negative experience with the town, Latnok had no reason to believe that she was trying to kill anyone on board. "So, then, what did you offer? Seamanship? Combat skills? You look pretty... agile, I'd say. An assassin, I'd guess?" Latnok didn't want to press the newcomer too much, not wanting to give her the impression that he was interrogating her - Sere had already vetted her. He would instead ask her if she had any questions for him after she answered the next questions, provided she didn't ask them herself.

"Thank you," Kasidra replied, taking his hand and lightly shaking it for a moment. She offered a small smile. "Good eye. I'm an assassin alright. Although, I'm a fairly competent fighter all around. That's my specialty, but I can also work as a thief-- Not for allies, though. I only steal and kill when I'm paid or ordered to." Kasidra didn't want to give the wrong impression. She just met these people, so she knew no one would trust her yet. "I can also heal with my magic, blood magic to be precise. Although, I can do more than that with it," she explained.

"Blood magic... interesting..." Latnok commented. He had fought a vampire or two capable of using such - and was trained in the appropriate countermeasures - but never knew of its potential for healing, although it made sense now. "I'd very much like to see that in action. Maybe we'll get the chance in combat here - gods know this place is teeming with all sorts of nasty critters. Ilasi might also be interested in your healing magic, if you can catch her and speak with her about it. She's the only mermaid on board, so she should be easily identifiable." Latnok was blissfully unaware that Kasidra's first encounter with Ilasi was under less than ideal circumstances.
"As a member of the crew, I have one major rule - make sure you spend some time training every day, if you're not too busy working. It shows that you are dedicated to the accomplishment of the mission, which is very important. But it doesn't look like that'll be too much of a problem for you. Hmm... how about a little sparring tomorrow? Practice weapons, of course." Of course, Latnok naturally had the advantage in one-on-one spars due to his effective use of future sight - but that was a secret he kept from most of the crew, just using it as needed as those who sparred with him proved themselves more capable. Of course, someone like Risar would be strong and skilled enough to force him to use some force magic to stand a chance...
Latnok's attention was drawn by Shade's interruption. "This is Kasidra, our latest crewmate," he informed Shade. "You don't need to know any more than that."

Maverick had been watching the introduction from a distance while he gave Dahlia a bucket of water to drink on, one used exclusively for animals like her and Veris. He even felt embarrased with the thought that Latnok of all people had been more forward with an introduction th an he was. That wasn't the Maverick he wanted to be. As soon as he was done with Dahlia, he would give a proper introduction himself, not wanting to be seen as rude or ungentlemanly.

At the edge of the woods, Angora had claimed a tree to get some of it's fruits, but then remembered this island wasn't quite like the rest of the world. This fruit probably wasn't edible, and despite a troll's stomach being much stronger and tolerable than that of a human's, she didn't want to take the risk. She a,ready had a delicate stomach after that dehydration, so it wasn't worth it. She already spent much energy climbing the tree, so she got off quickly before something could go wrong. When she arrived at the gangplank, she noticed the newcomer, but she wasn't in the mood for introductions. The cabin was a long walk, and she wanted to rest already. So not wanting to draw attention to herself, Angora hid among some barrels, taking an apple to have a little something in her stomach while she took a brief rest...

Kasidra turned her head towards Shade as he approached. She saw the black dragon already, but was unaware of his speaking capabilities, at least in terms of human languages. She stared at him curiously for a moment, before turning back to Latnok. "Maybe. Blood magic isn't for the faint of heart, and it's difficult to use, but it is effective in different uses when mastered properly." She gave a smirk. "Maybe I'll show you the more nasty uses of it against some creatures, if any are bold enough to pose a threat."

When Ilasi was mentioned, Kasidra's smirk faded to a more neutral expression. "Ah, right, the mermaid," she stated plainly. "Yeah, she's identifiable alright. You're not wrong about that. I'll... Talk to her later, I guess." She gave a shrug, not certain of when would be a good time to do that. Kasidra would have introduced herself already, if the previous tense conversation hadn't taken place.

She nodded to Latnok's rule. "Sounds reasonable. I tend to do that anyway, when time is permitted. I don't always have the opportunity." Kasidra smiled again when sparring was mentioned. "The captain did say you were the man to talk to about that. If you're free, then just name the time and place, I'll be there."

Latnok gave a small smile. "Excellent. We'll meet out here on the deck at first light, then" he declared. "We'll use training swords. No magic, not trying to kill each other here. I'll try to take it easy on you." Latnok stood around for any more questions from Kasidra, though he would leave it at that if she had nothing else for him. He wondered how she would fare tomorrow - he honestly didn't feel that she could give him a challenge.

While Latnok and Kasidra talked, Angora slumbered away, falling asleep almost as soon as she took that corner among the barrels. She was used to sleeping on the ground, so the floor didn't bothered her one bit. Maverick didn't noticed when she got on the ship, so he still focused on Dahlia. Having enough excercise plus a meal and a drink, he proceeded to take her to her enclosure, meaning to report himself to his girlfriend before heading to the deck for a proper introduction. He felt quite sad seeing Shade introduced himself from the distance, only to be coldly rebuffed and ignored afterwards. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the scene was quite self explanatory. Not even when he was trying to be polite he would catch a break. Angora was forbidden from talking to him... but did he too? Maverick didn't remember if he was part of that prohibition, but now that he has returned alive and well and had a rather high position on the ship, perhaps he could ask the captain to interact with Shade and give him the much needed moral support he was lacking.

Kasidra nodded. "On the deck at first light, got it." She nodded again. "Right, of course. I don't think it'd look too good to the captain if I managed to kill his second-in-command on the first day," she said in a more lighthearted tone. Granted, Kasidra doubted she could kill Latnok that easily, but she didn't want to take any chances. She smirked at his last statement. "Oh, you will, huh? Alright, well, we'll see if you even need to tomorrow." Kasidra wasn't going to boast or anything, but she was confidant that she could probably at least keep up. She doubted he'd have to hold back much. Although, she also didn't know the full extent of a Guardian's capabilities.

Kasidra turned to the black dragon, who finally seemed comfortable enough to talk to her directly. "Nice to meet you, Shade. I'm Kasidra." She sounded polite enough towards him, but blinked when he mentioned his other name. Scourge? This dragon was the Scourge the others were talking about earlier? Now it made more sense. Surely a dragon was capable of such mass damage, when not kept under control. He seemed fine now, though. "I see," she said quietly, with a slow nod. "Well, so long as you're working to improve yourself, and don't try to attack me, I don't have a problem with you," she added with a shrug.

With the night setting in, Latnok decided to retire to his cabin, with his friends Raclaw and Chester offering him company as usual. They had accomplished a really important milestone in Chester's development, which was satisfactory achievement for a day. Latnok was curious about Kasidra, their new crew member, and how effective she would be at the job - he would find out at least some of that tomorrow.
Meanwhile, neither Ilasi nor Leoquin could sleep well; Leoquin was frustrated by the seemingly irredeemable Ilasi, and Ilasi was very much being eaten by the thought of the things Leoquin said. Were they really true? How much of his feelings was Leoquin hiding?
Laszur would stay on the deck, as usual for the night; he had been up for a long time, however, and would turn in sooner than he usually did.

After some time, the sun would peek over the horizon. Latnok was already prepared on the deck; his armor and helmet donned, the helmet giving him a more inhuman appearance, while he wielded the training sword. He awaited Kasidra to show up, as ordered.
Sere was already up as well; he headed to the wyvern pen, to feed Veris, only to be surprised at how clean his scales were. This certainly had to be the work of Angora; she asked to take care of the wyvern, and no one else would do it for fun...

Kasidra woke up early, having slept well during the night. She headed down to the deck for the planned training with Latnok. She was somewhat eager to begin, both to show some of her skills and also see what the Guardian was capable of. When she arrived, she saw that he was there already, wielding one of the training swords. "Morning," Kasidra greeted as she approached him.

Latnok was already primed. "Good morning," he greeted, as he grabbed another training sword from a barren and tossed it at Kasidra. "Well, there you go. Whenever you're ready." Latnok would be analyzing Kasidra the entire time, trying to identify her strengths, and areas where she could improve. Of course, he figured that Kasidra would probably have a lot to work on...

Nearby-- Raclaw and Chester waited nearby having woken up at the same time with Latnok. The two furry companions were curious about their new crewmate, while Chester (being the friendly dog he was) also wanted to make a proper introduction. The two four-legged friends both wore collars that clearly connected them to Latnok be it pet or otherwise. Elsewhere, Risar was managing the morning crew and also keeping an eye on Shade's current whereabouts on deck. Between him, Lazlar, and Latnok-- one or more always had to keep an eye on the improving-but-troublesome dragolet.

Kasidra caught the training sword with a smile. She was ready for this. She only wished she could make use of all of her abilities, and really show her specialty and where her strengths lay. However, that would likely involve risking his life too much, so she understood why she couldn't. Perhaps sometime soon she could show her full potential against some sort of nasty creature. In the meantime, Kasidra would focus on the training.

In a heartbeat, she went from a relaxed and casual stance, to rushing towards him, with the sword at the ready to strike at his chest, if her attack were successful.

The move was rather telegraphed to Latnok; he was expecting an immediate charge, as opposed to a more measured engagement. He stepped to the side as he lowered his sword to meet his opponent's weapon to deflect it. With his own defense secured, he attempted a quick low kick to knock his opponent off-balance before she could fully recover, not having quite made a sufficient enough opening with his deflection for a riposte. With his companions on the side, Latnok had no intention of embarrassing himself. "Try something a little more subtle next time," he said to Kasidra telepathically. "Every experienced warrior will be prepared for something like that."

Angora was awakened by the chatting of Kasidra and Latnok sparring. She had spend the entire night at the barrels, having been too tired to go to the cabin. She saw the two of them talking, but remained hidden, not wanting to interrupt whatever they were doing.

Maverick was waking up early too, having been unable to sleep well too. His girlfriend was very upset yesterday, and all of his attempts to make her feel better were in vain. He tried to talk to Leoquin, but all he managed was to help him cook. He rebuffed his attempts for talking. Maverick felt very useless, and he decided not to introduce himself to the newcomer feeling this down. He slept on his own cabin, starting to get worried when Angora's bed wasn't slept in. He trusted in her survival instincts however, so he tried not to be too worried. He headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for the entire crew, hopefully make a good impression to the newcomer. He did a bit of excercise, and changing his outfit, he headed there, using whatever was at his disposal to make the meals get done quicker.

Kasidra didn't seem surprised or caught off-guard by Latnok's defense, as he easily deflected her sword. She blocked his low kick with her tail, preventing it from hitting her legs. She tried to push her tail towards him to knock him off balance instead. "Noted," she replied simply.

Kasidra reacted quickly to the counterattack - a good sign. She definitely knew at least something about fighting. Latnok quickly brought his leg back as Kasidra pushed it, firmly planting it in the ground with the motion to maintain his balance as he attempted a quick jab with the sword. "Not bad," he telepathed. Maybe Kasidra wouldn't be a pushover.

Kasidra blocked the jab with her sword, trying to knock his away from her with the deflection. She attempted to punch his arm or wrist with her free hand, to disarm his weapon. Her tail switched sides, striking his other leg with blunt force, to knock him off balance. She normally preferred to rely on her tail's poison barb, but that wasn't an option here, so she opted for a blunt attack instead. "Thanks," Kasidra replied.

Angora decided to be a spectator for the time being, the fight actually being rather fun to watch. She wanted to give Shade a morning greeting, but she didn't want to get in some petty trouble so early in the morning. She grabbed a pear this time, having it as part of her breakfast as she continued watching. She felt so much better now. A long sleep is just what she needed to recover from the horrible turmoil she felt after visiting Shepherd. Wherever he lead her to it was hard trip. It seemed nobody knew about her little escapade, so that was a relief. She felt somewhat bad for not helping Maverick with the sales, but at least he had Ilasi, and she was a far prettier face for the sales. And if Maverick questioned her as to why she didn't come to the town, she could always say she stayed with Veris for a while longer, which wasn't exactly a lie. Speaking of which, she wondered if she could take the wyvern out again if the ship was going to stay with another day, imagining Sere wouldn't have the time again. She would try. For now, she was feeling pleased with just breakfast and a show.

Latnok was expecting more simple attacks after the initial rush, not a coordinated use of multiple limbs to attack. His dragonhide armor took the blows at his wrist and leg - he kept his footing and grip by pure strength, rather than any finesse. He wasn't going to always be that lucky. Rather sloppy of me... he thought to himself.
He was evidently going to have to put in a bit of effort on this one. He was considering resorting to his future sight already - as much as he wanted a good sparring session, he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of the crew by a female giving him such a hard time. Not yet, however. He was going to step things up by treating Kasidra as a real fighter before he went that far. This time, he went for a much heavier swing of the sword, in an attempt to make blocking much more punishing.

Leoquin woke up, and was soon on the deck to see if he was needed. He was also looking for Maverick - though he wasn't sorry about Ilasi, he was definitely sorry about how he acted towards Maverick in his frustration. The man truly was a saint, with unbelievable levels of patience. He would have to apologize, and thank Maverick for the help yesterday.

Maverick was almost done with the cooking. He wanted to feed Dahlia while the food was being done but he didn't want to risk it getting burned. He prepared the tray and the cart, not knowing what the newcomer would like, so he would choose to go to her first so she could choose and have an idea of her tastes. The smell was already strong enough to surround the closer hallways, so if Angora was around, he could give her the meal right there on the kitchen.

But Angora wasn't near. She could however, smell some of the food, which escaped through an open window near the kitchen. Dear Maverick and his culinary art again. Now that was a way to start a day. She left what remained of the pear for now, wanting to accompany with whatever breakfast Maverick had for her.

With Latnok's armor, Kasidra wasn't surprised when her attacks did basically nothing. Normally, she wouldn't have attacked someone with thick armor in such a way, but she didn't have a lot of options right now. Most of her usual fighting tactics were currently unavailable to her. So Kasidra had to settle for showing what she theoretically could do, without being able to do much more to someone wearing armor.

Kasidra opted for a dodge this time, jumping around to his side, instead of outright blocking the attack. She jabbed at his side with her sword, aimed a punch at his head, and used her tail to attempt to sweep his legs.

Latnok was prepared this time, quickly sidestepping the sword blow, following up with a much more forceful deflection, and moving his head to dodge the punch. This time, he would respond to the sweeping attempt with a counterattack - a stronger low kick, where he would focus the heel of his boot on the tail this time. Latnok fully intended to use his strength to his advantage here. He wasn't going to look bad here. "Like hell she is," Latnok said frustratedly to Shade, having overheard his quip. He was going to put an end to that sort of thinking.
Leoquin had managed to find the sparring session in the meantime, with many other crew members. Latnok certainly didn't look like he was taking it easy on the new recruit...

The more forceful deflection was a bit too strong for Kasidra, as her grip on her sword loosened to the point of dropping it. Only for a moment, however, as she quickly recovered it before it hit the ground. Kasidra grunted when her tail was struck, recoiling it back behind her afterwards. She jumped back to give herself some distance from Latnok now. One thing the tiefling lacked was the strength to overpower her foes, so having lost a battle of brute force, she retreated momentarily to consider other options. Kasidra watched him warily in the meantime, calculating her next move. She knew what she would do against an enemy, but she couldn't go all out against an ally.

Having higher speed than strength, Kasidra rushed towards him, circling around behind him now. She hoped her speed would give her a chance to strike before he could effectively counter. Kasidra aimed her sword for his back, and her tail at his arms to disarm him.

Latnok was on high alert, pivoting on one leg to quickly meet Kasidra. He just barely managed to deflect the sword strike, before taking the arm strike from her tail. He gripped the sword tightly - and the wooden handle started to weaken.. This time, he had a counterattack in mind - he attempted to reach for Kasidra's tail with his free arm and grab it so he could pull her to him. "Damn, you really are something else..." he said out loud.

Kasidra smiled at his words. "I'll take it you're impressed then?" Her sword strike was blocked, but she was already thinking of her next move. Her tail was still free to strike, and she was about to go for his armed hand, when the motion was stopped. Latnok had managed to grab her tail now. Her former smile had turned into a grimace. This wasn't good. Knowing she had to free her tail somehow, Kasidra used her free hand to punch the one holding her tail.

When Maverick prepared the cart and the trays, the meals were already done. The large pots was very useful to cook a lot of meals, even if they took a bit longer than usual. With everything done, Maverick proceeded to out the meals on the trays and push the cart, reaching the point that he hated; getting it on the stairs. He wanted to head to Ilasi first and give her breakfast in bed like he usually did, but he didn't want to bother her if she was sleeping. After the effort, almost having a close call with some of the trays, Maverick reached the main deck, thinking on how useful it could be to have magic and just levitate the cart right there.

"Breakfast! Breakfast is ready!" Maverick called out, using the small bell attached to the cart. Angora heard his call, but she didn't want to be seen by the sparring pair, so she left the barrels using another route, and headed to Maverick, overpassing the two of them and treating their fight as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Maverick could see the two of them as well and pushed the cart to their direction when he noticed the troll.
"Good morning Angorita. This one's for you. It would go great with the pear." he said after noticing the bitten fruit on her hand.
"Thank you Maverick." she replied, his hospitality always welcomed. How she missed these moments. She sat on a barrel to eat her meal in peace while Maverick continued distributing the meal and giving his calls, going near the pair but not interrupting their training in case they weren't ready to have breakfast yet.

Kasidra's attempted blow might have been effective if she had more time to follow up on it - however, with Latnok having her so close, her tail was right within chopping range of his sword, and he still had a solid grip. The spar was effectively over.
"We're done for now." Latnok let go, as he tossed his own sword back in the barrel while letting go of Kasidra's tail - which he felt oddly uncomfortable gripping. He removed his helmet - to reveal a rather satisfied smile. "Well, now, consider me impressed," he complimented. "A lot better of a spar than most of these blokes here can give me, that's for sure. This was a straight-up duel - a sort of fight someone in your occupation is most definitely not specialized in, while I am very well-trained in the matter. You didn't have access to magic or poisons or other tools you would typically rely on - while I use magic myself, something tells me that it's more important to you than it is to me. And the strength difference was clearly apparent - I am what we in the Ardent Guardians know as an Ascended, and the ritual on top of my training renders me much stronger than most humans.
"Regardless of all of this, you still showed incredible tenacity and adaptiveness. These disadvantages did not stop you from putting up a very good fight. The opening was a bit shaky - but you seemed to have adapted shortly after that. Your speed, agility, and resourcefulness got you as far as it did in a very lopsided fight - you are someone I'd be glad to fight with any time." Latnok extended his now free sword hand to offer Kasidra a congratulatory handshake.

Leoquin was amazed by the fight. The newcomer pushed Latnok harder than any of the other mercenaries on board had managed, that much was certain. Hopefully she would prove to be as useful as she seemed.
Leoquin's thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of Maverick distributing food. Leoquin gladly came over - but would prioritize speaking with Maverick before taking food.
"Hey, Maverick," he said plainly. "I'm... yeah, I'm sorry for yesterday. You were just trying to be helpful to me. It's... well, it's not your fault. I wish I could explain everything in my head better..." Leoquin felt extremely awkward giving his apology, completely at a loss for the verbage to use.

Kasidra tossed her training sword back into the barrel. She curled her tail around her body, gently rubbing it with a gloved hand, where it had been grabbed and struck. While Kasidra understood it was simply part of the sparring, the tiefling still didn't quite appreciate her tail being grabbed. After a moment, she straightened it back out behind her, hiding it behind her cloak.

Kasidra smiled as Latnok began speaking. She appreciated his words of praise. "Thank you. It wasn't easy, I'll admit." She nodded at his assessment. "Yeah, I wasn't able to use my full bag of tricks against you. No stealth, magic, poison; it's difficult for me to fight effectively without them." Kasidra was well aware of her strengths and weaknesses as a fighter, and knew she couldn't show her full potential in a sparring match like this. Still, she was pleased that she could still hold her own and prove herself despite the setback. "I look forward to sparring with you again then." Kasidra smiled and shook his hand.

Quote: A Guy

Leoquin was amazed by the fight. The newcomer pushed Latnok harder than any of the other mercenaries on board had managed, that much was certain. Hopefully she would prove to be as useful as she seemed.
Leoquin's thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of Maverick distributing food. Leoquin gladly came over - but would prioritize speaking with Maverick before taking food.
"Hey, Maverick," he said plainly. "I'm... yeah, I'm sorry for yesterday. You were just trying to be helpful to me. It's... well, it's not your fault. I wish I could explain everything in my head better..." Leoquin felt extremely awkward giving his apology, completely at a loss for the verbage to use.

Maverick thought he knew Leoquin enough, so his apology almost knocked him over like a bag of bricks. Leoquin was always so rough and harsh, Maberixk believed he would be too proud for any kind of apology.
"Oh. Well, no hay problema. We all got our occasional stress. If it happens to me, I just make sure I find a quiet and comforting place to let it all out." Maverick suggested, wanting to give him some friendly advice. While he did accepted Leoquin's apology, he was still a bit upset by the way he treated his gentle girlfriend. Ilasi was so delicate, and to have someone snap at her like this, especially a friend, must've been so hard on her. She didn't even want his company last night, so Maverick just let her be and hoped a good night's sleep and a future breakfast would be enough to cheer her up.

Angora could see Leoquin talking to Maverick. She could hear their voices, but was too far to make up their words. She angrily believed Leoquin would berate Maverick in some way like he has done in the past, or maybe even humiliate him, but none of them seemed angry, so Angora let them have their conversation.

"Excellent. Keep at it," Latnok said proudly. With all that, there was little that remained to do except wait for what Sere had for him today. "I look forward to seeing you in action. Oh, and sorry about the... tail. I'll try to be, uh, more careful next time."

Ilasi was finally making her way onto the deck, so emotionally drained was she from yesterday. She still had her daily water purification to attend to, however. She immediately sought the barrels of water the sailors would have brought up this morning, being too ashamed to even try to find Maverick at the moment.