darkSpyro

If the raptors were hoping for easy targets, there would be few among the crew, the majority having solid combat experience. Leoquin was shuddering as he became colder, but activated a cold protection spell, which he typically used to explore cold waters. Latnok's armor, providing natural insulation, would protect him, as he knocked a raptor aside with a force strike before rapidly donning the helmet he pulled to himself. Being prepared to work in unison with Raclaw, Latnok activated his combat prescience.
Sere rang the emergency bell, which would be audible from acres away - any man sleeping or off-duty would be awake now. He had a good idea of what was happening - swarm tactics. "Huddle, men!" he ordered, as several of the creatures tried to pile him. With his own combat foresight, he would be able to rapidly respond to attacks with either a spear thrust or a force bolt.
The men, obeying Sere's command, began to huddle together in a tight formation - with some casualties but as of yet no fatalities. With the huddled formation, there would be less surface area for swarming tactics to take advantage of.

The raptors hit by force bolt spells were knocked back. They shook off the hit itself well enough, but stayed away a good distance, not eager to try to lunge again. The ones hit with a spear were wounded, if not killed. The ones that could still move fled the ship and disappeared into the island forest.

The ones that Shade charged at made a sort of yelping screech noise before darting off. They raced off to the other end of the deck, far from Shade.

A lone raptor stayed further back from the pack, perched on some barrels that were on deck. This one was a little greener than the others. The lone green one let out a few roar-like screeches. As the men huddled together, the raptors switched tactics. Instead of lunging at them, they kept their distance and relied on their ice breath. If they couldn't pick them off individually, they would instead freeze them together.

Kasidra stayed close to the other crew members. She noticed some wounded raptors who were too injured to move. She balled her fist, using their blood to control them, and flung them off the side of the ship. When one raptor aimed an ice breath at her, the tiefling pulled one of the fleeing raptors towards her, hovering it in front of her body. The raptor hit its friend instead, freezing it solid.

The dragon watched all this from her spot on the mountain. She spotted additional lightning in the sky and heard the thunder. She knew that wasn't just part of the storm. The dragon took flight and disappeared into the clouds. She flew towards where she saw that lightning. "Crystal!" she roared. The thunderbird had some explaining to do.

When the raptors let their presence known, it was something that Maverick was counting on, though he wasn't happy about it. These waters were always so full of bizzare creature, although he was expecting bigger ones. He didn't know what was worse; if one humongous creature or tons of little ones.
"Oh goodie. Just what we needed! More creature weirdness." he said sarcastically, grabbing one of his swords and hitting the creatures one by one in the air as they lunged at him, almost like an aerial whack-a-mole. He didn't look like his peaceful self. He was a pirate before, and his combat skills were finally showing. When Maverick heard the bell, he started to retreat to be part of the formation, but as he did, he was bitten in the thigh by one of the little beasts. He had no choice but to stab it, and just in time since stabbing it made him duck and avoid one of them going for his neck.

He was bleeding and almost crying with pain, but he still had his fighting spirit. He didn't like fighting and taking any creature's life away, but it was his life on the line as well as others, so if there was really no other choice, he would kill. He tried to spot Ilasi somewhere, but he couldn't see her in all the commotion. If she was being attacked, he hoped she was using the weapon he has gifted her to defend herself from the tongueans.

Quote: A Guy

Veris shook his head from side to side - the typical "no" gesture, as many others would know it as, that he was taught. At this point, he was curious about what a tooth cleaning exactly involved - but it helped Shade eat better? And Angora wouldn't do it for him unless it was good, right?
Veris opened his mouth very wide for Angora, exposing all of his fangs. He didn't even move when the sound of thunder roared above, too interested was he in what Angora had to offer.

Angora didn't expected Veris to be so open with the idea, but now that he was, she was a little scared. Veris did control his bite when she accidentally slipped into his mouth, and that was with food involved. She took a little brush from her pocket, cleaning it up since she used it on Shade and got ready for the clean, trying not to look nervous.
"Alright Veris, first I have to clean them from outside, but if I want to get behind them well... I... need to enter your mouth. So pretty please, try not to eat me while it happens..." Angora said meekly, sounding as if she was saying a bad joke.

She was about to start cleaning when she heard Sere's bell from the distance. But this wasn't a reunion bell. This sounded more desperate. More urgent. But she had a job with Veris, and he already looked too enthusiastic about it. But if she stayed there, wouldn't that be seen as a cowardly act? Angora looked at Veris, almost as if asking permission to let her go. The teeth cleaning could wait. She wanted to answer this call before doing anything else...

Alongside Latnok, Raclaw quickly enabled his own enhanced senses adding to the Guardian's own and forming what the two had once deemed 'the sight.' The fur dragon would be able to much better predict any incoming threats and act accordingly. As the Fur Dragon struck one of the incoming raptors with his previously unseen tail spikes-- the spikes would grow in size and effectively decapitate one of the small creatures. And as the Raptors attempted to switch tactics, the green Raptor wouldn't go unnoticed by Raclaw. "Latnok-- the green Raptor! He seems to be leading the pack! A fireball should do the trick nicely so long as we're careful to avoid the ship. Or perhaps a well aimed spear.," he then suggested being interested in trying out the new move in a real world setting. The fireball could pose a risk to the ship if not handled properly, but could also be made smaller and even more precise with the sight active.

Maverick got worried for a minute when he saw Shade attacking the creatures. Once again his overprotectiveness got the better of him. Thankfully, he was in control enough to avoid hitting any of the sailors, and what's better, he didn't use his fire. That could've caused more damage, to both the creatures and the ship. He noticed none of the beasts were attacking Shade, no doubt intimidated by his size. He believed that being close to him would protect them, but if Shade attacked the creatures with the sailors so close, he could accidentally hit one, so the plan was out of the question.

Maverick kept on the formation, realizing it was better to stay on that spot and let Shade fight from his side. As he did, he once again tried to spot Ilasi, but he didn't want to distract himself and lower his guard, so he knew he would have to search for the mermaid later. Perhaps she was somewhere in the formation? He knew Angora was fine locked up with Veris, but the mermaid was somewhere on the main deck and he was really worried. He didn't recognize the magic she used to provide some protection.

Veris, as if in response to Angora's unsure look, closed his mouth, instead laying about as he had previously. It seemed that something on deck was more urgent than Veris having his teeth cleaned. He would wait, hoping Angora would return.

The temperature was indeed getting colder with the raptors' efforts - the huddled crew, however, kept each other warm enough to function, as the formation started to push out to address the threat. More members of the crew poured out from the ship, as the off-duty sailors answered the call with weapons and light armor in hand. Some of the crew weren't out yet, but were donning phoenix steel armor at the armory to respond to a threat which would require such a thing.
Ilasi was inside the formation, safe from most of the attacks. In the chaos, she managed to spot Maverick - and more importantly, the bleeding on his though. "Maverick, get-" she started, as a raptor lunged at her. She instinctively reacted by thrusting the weapon Maverick had given her, stabbing the raptor in the eye - not before getting a large cut in her arm, however. Despite all of her experiences near battlefields, this was the first time she had been in a fight like this.

Latnok quickly took heed of Raclaw's advice. As much as he would've liked to try using the combination fireball in a more practical setting, the situation was too risky to call for it with the little practice they had. He instead sought out a space with a clearer view, bow in hand. As soon as he had a clear shot, he brought his bow up with an arrow primed and fired.

Angora smiled, knowing Veris would be understanding as always.
"I'll be back. You'll feel amazing." Angora said, knowing Beris was enthusiastic about the unique grooming. If there was a fight on board, she would let Sere take the decision on whether the wyvern should fight or not, so for now, she locked him up in his enclosure and headed to the main deck, where things got colder.

When Angora headed to the stairs, she could see the steps frozen. A troll's skin could insulate both heat and cold, so the extreme temperature didn't affected her much, even though she could still feel it. At first she believed they were probably going through a blizzard, but why was here such a commotion up on the main deck? And they just left an island that looked mostly tropical. How was it possible that they reached cold lands so soon? The ship wasn't that fast, was it? She soon got her response when she took a peek at the end of the stairs, seeing some bizzare, fish like creatures the size of chickens. They seemed to be concentrated on something else... until one of them sensed her and glared at her, and that's when she could take a closer look.
"Holy... and I though I was ugly..." she began to say after taking that look to the horrendous fiend, but before she could say anything else, the creature lunged at her, prompting Angora to protect her face with her arm. The lunge was so unexpected, it made her fall backwards down the stairs, wrestling with the small beast. It was biting her, but unlike Maverick, the teeth didn't penetrate as much. Unable to reach her weapons, Angora was forced to grab the creature by the head... and strangled it right there. Now she knew the gravity of the situation. There was a swarm of those things, and all she could think of was the danger the crew was facing, especially her friends. She grabbed the poisonous knife on one hand and Veris' fang on the other, and began cutting the creature's throats or beheading them with both weapons. She didn't know if the first knife still had poison in it, but she used it as a normal weapon, and continued killing, taking advantage of the creatures being distracted by the defensive crewmembers...

Quote: A Guy

The temperature was indeed getting colder with the raptors' efforts - the huddled crew, however, kept each other warm enough to function, as the formation started to push out to address the threat. More members of the crew poured out from the ship, as the off-duty sailors answered the call with weapons and light armor in hand. Some of the crew weren't out yet, but were donning phoenix steel armor at the armory to respond to a threat which would require such a thing.
Ilasi was inside the formation, safe from most of the attacks. In the chaos, she managed to spot Maverick - and more importantly, the bleeding on his though. "Maverick, get-" she started, as a raptor lunged at her. She instinctively reacted by thrusting the weapon Maverick had given her, stabbing the raptor in the eye - not before getting a large cut in her arm, however. Despite all of her experiences near battlefields, this was the first time she had been in a fight like this.

Maverick hugged Ilasi quickly when he saw her get attacked, and felt proud when she managed to defend herself.
"Ilasi! I'm so glad you're okay. Oh but look at you. Is your arm alright? Get behind me! This isn't over." Maverick said protectively, with a frown that didn't make him look like himself. He was the spitting image of his mother, with almost nothing resembling his father... except his frown. Maverick hated killing for sure, but he wasn't above not using it when his loved ones were threatened.

The lone green raptor was hit with the arrow, wounding it but not killing it. It let out a pained screech. The pack all heard this and stopped in their tracks. Completely ignoring their previous actions, any able-bodied pack members rushed to the green one. Most of the pack encircled the green one, facing their enemy. Some others carefully picked the green one up in their jaws and jumped off the side of the ship. They began swimming away, heading for the island shore.

Once they were gone, the rest of the pack roared at the crew before taking off into the water, following after the wounded green one. However, they left behind any dead or wounded pack members that were unable to follow. The wounded ones that were still alive simply laid where they had been struck. They growled at the enemy, but were too weak to fight back or flee.

The dragon met up with the thunderbird. "Crystal, why are there pests on my island?" she growled.

Angora was about to slice another one of those beasts when they started to run away out of nowhere. Where they giving up so soon? Or did she arrived that late? Angora wasn't certain, but at least she made herself present in the battle and managed to defeat a few of those fiends. As she saw them retreat, she found it amazing how they could walk on water like that, though she'd rather miss the spectacle than have them returning. As she surveilled the aftermath, she was thinking of doing a mercy kill to the creatures that remained alive, but knowing Latnok and Sere, she didn't want to do that in case that they found it offensive for whatever silly reason. She looked at Shade and he looked perfectly fine. Right now, her priority was finding Maverick and see how he was doing...

After the creatures left, Maverick immediately went to look at Ilasi's arm, completely forgetting about his bleeding thigh.
"Estas bien Ilasi? Can you heal this? Let me know how I can help. I'm not much of a doctor." Maverick said with concern, looking at the arm but not daring to touch it in fear that he would cause worse pain.

After the raptors were gone, Kasidra took a look around the deck. She was checking on the crew members, seeing if anyone had been injured. When she spotted Maverick and Ilasi, she noticed they were injured, and that at least one of them was bleeding. The tiefling headed over to them. "Hey, Maverick, Ilasi, do you two need help?" she asked.

"I'm... fine," Ilasi said, somewhat exhausted. "Nothing a bandage and the right medicine cant handle. You - your leg. We need to get that checked out immediately!" Though Ilasi worried for Maverick, there would undoubtedly be other casualties who would need medical attention. Many had first-aid experience, but she would likely be working in the infirmary for a while.
When Kasidra asked Ilasi if she neded help, she was somewhat relieved - she had completely forgotten about someone else who could help her. "Yes, I would appreciate help," she said. "See to it that the injured have their wounds treated until we can administer more care to them." Ilasi's immediate thoughts were of the others and on doing her job, rather than patching up her own arm (which she knew wouldn't be too big an issue.)

Latnok took stock of the enemy fleeing - if they were smart, they would realize that the ship was probably not a soft target, and was not worth attacking. He wasn't going to count on such creatures being logical, however.
The fight, he had (with some assistance from Raclaw's own abilities) been able to see many details of the field - including Kasidra's own performance. Blood magic was no doubt effective against those who had no countermeasures to it, and Kasidra had used it to excellent effect. She was definitely worth her space on the ship.
"Stop throwing perfectly good wyvern food away," Latnok ordered Shade - who he figured should've known better by now.

As the dust settled-- Raclaw retracted his tail spikes and allowed his tail band to return to its 'natural' form. "Chester-- you alright?," the fur dragon asked as the Beagle soon joined him again with a confirmative bark. Risar, seemingly uninjured, checked on his men and directed any injured to Illasi.

The dragon, Tyraika, growled. "Looking to steal treasure, no doubt. We had a deal, Crystal. You know I don't like people being on this island. Get rid of them, or I'll have to deal with them myself," she warned.

Kasidra nodded. "I'll do what I can." She noticed Maverick's thigh was bleeding. "How about I start with you?" She knelt down and raised a hand over his thigh. By controlling the blood, she was ushering it back into his leg through the wound. She dried the blood around the wound to seal it, preventing anymore from escaping. "It's not ideal, but it'll hold for now." Kasidra glanced at Ilasi. "I'm sure you can take it from here. I'll go help the others." The tiefling rushed off to check on the rest of the crew.

Maverick was touched by Kasidra and Ilasi's concern, but he insisted that he was fine.
"I feel fine. No se preocupen. Look, see? It's just a little nibble. If I have tried to forcefully yank it off, it would've thorn flesh..." Maverick analyzed, looking at the wound himself, and was left in awe at Kasidra's blood magic. He was aware of the variety of magic that existed, but never in a million years he thought he would look at someone that controlled blood of all elements.

The concerns for him weren't done though, since Angora was approaching him.
"Oh for heaven's sake. Are you two alright?" Angora asked, with Maverick noticing she said two. Was... was she referring to Ilasi too? Angora provided the answer when she looked at the mermaid. The troll didn't know much about medicine either, so she let others take care of that.

Seeing that Maverick was already treated and Ilasi was a healer that could take care of him and herself, she decided to let them be, smiling warmly at Maverick.
"Be well..." she said, referring to both, when she heard Latnok scolding Shade for 'throwing' wyvern food away. But she was still too upset with him to address to him, so Angora headed to Sere instead.
"Sir? Should I take the downed creatures to Veris?" she asked, knowing the wyvern would be more than glad to have new meat down his gullet, but she wanted Sere's permission first.

As Shepherd took his spot at the center of the platform, the procession began circling around, using stairs mounted into the walls to get to better vantage points for viewing. Despite the size, the process took next to no time - everyone seemed to know where everyone else was going, and no one got in anyone else's way.
Once everyone was in place, Shepherd was ready to begin. "My fellow Ishulgites, blessed be us all this evening!" he called out, with the crowd returning the enthusiastic greeting. "We are here to strengthen our minds and souls, preparing ourselves for the events to come. First, let us pray."
The Ishulgites put down their head in prayer. Shepherd began. "Ishulgu, we come to you this evening, in worship - for we know you will seek to prove yourself worthy of it. As we speak, we have already begun the great effort to remove the ability for evil gods to influence this world. Through our faith and devotion, there will be none who will prevent you from seeing us thrive as you will. We pray you continue to steel us for the times ahead - those of us here who are further developing this sacred ground, and those of our brothers and sisters working out on the mainland to set the stage. Provide us with the resolve to see these things through, regardless of the hardships to come. We know you want nothing but the best for your people - and seek to actually demonstrate as much, not through words, but through actions. This we pray."
As the prayer went on, the members of the procession would feel somewhat drained - yet satisfied, like one would feel after a bout of exercise. Their mood was higher than it had been previously.

Ilasi's more powerful medicine wasn't immediately available on the deck, but was typically kept either in her room or in the infirmary. "...how are you feeling, Maverick?" Ilasi asked somewhat nervously, as she waited to see if Maverick would be able to follow her. If not, she would have to go get the medicine she needed, or have someone assist her. Ilasi didn't exactly feel comfortable with how 'hands-on' Kasidra appeared to be when treating Maverick's wound - but left that to herself for now. It was a ridiculous thought - she was just trying to help. Right?
Angora's presence was somewhat of a surprise to Ilasi - though she figured she shouldn't be surprised, considering the emergency bell. Angora seeming to voice some concern to her was well-received by Ilasi - the talks might not have all been for nothing. There might have actually been some bonding. "I'm fine, thank you," Ilasi said. "Maverick is going to e taken care of." What Ilasi did have was some first aid supplies in a satchel. She pulled out a bandage to wrap around the wound on her arm before securing it - it would do the job well for now.

Sere would be assembling everyone on the crew following the battle after the scene had settled - that would be somewhat later, though. For now, he was helping to administer first aid, after initial triage didn't reveal any immediately life-threatening wounds. He had just finished with one crew member when Angora came up to him.
"Go ahead," Sere said, his mind already focused on the next man. He was glad that someone was around to handle the ever-needy Veris, so he could focus on other tasks.

"Well, those creatures will be afraid of us all now if they have half a brain," Latnok said. "Probably wouldn't live long if they didn't have a shred of self-preservation, the way they all get into a fight like that. I wouldn't be too worried about them returning." Latnok's own armor had received some scratches, but it was nothing that would render it ineffective.

"Indeed-- just watch them try to board us again.," Raclaw said still somewhat excited from the battle and briefly showing off his tail spikes. "Kasidra, you faught well.," he then said restracting the spikes again. "Agreed.," Risar added with a approving nod.

Kasidra was administering first aid to anyone who needed it. She used her magic to help her, much in the same way she had with Maverick. Anyone who was bleeding no longer had to worry about the blood loss. She smiled at Raclaw. "Thanks. Blood magic sure comes in handy in a variety of ways. Let me know if anyone else needs my help," the tiefling said.

Electricity crackled throughout Tyraika's body. Thunder rumbled. "Well, I can assure you, whoever they're looking for is not here. No one's here. It's just me and the other creatures who live here. Those pests aren't welcome here, so just get rid of them. If you don't..." she growled. Lightning flashed. "I'll have to deal with them myself."

"I'm feeling fine. Really." Maverick reassured, glad for his girlfriend's concern but believing she was way too worried. His wounds weren't as bad as they originally seemed, and with Kasidra's help, it would heal in no time. He walked to show her he was fine. The wound hurt, so he was limping, but nevertheless could walk fine, without the need of a cane or anything of the sort.

Angora could rest assure, knowing there was two healers on the ship now. Ilasi was Maverick's girlfriend, and she knew the mermaid would make more than sure that he was fine. And Kasidra, for what little she could see earlier, had some healing magic as well. She didn't know exactly what she did to Maverick, but his wound didn't look so bad. So resting assured about his safety and the others, Angora proceeded to pick up the deceased creatures after receiving Sere's permission, also picking up the still living ones, and stacking them all inside an empty barrel. She was thinking on giving the live ones a merciful kill, but it was probable that Veris would like killing his own prey, so even if it was cruel, she left them alive. She wanted to offer Shade a few of them, but she was still forbidden from interacting with him, and he didn't seemed interested in eating any of them, so she didn't bother asking. Not to mention was far more picky than Veris, and he probably didn't want anything too foreign in his mouth.

Picking up almost three dozen of the creatures inside the barrel and sealing it up, she began rolling it down the stairs, heading to Veris' enclosure. Even with the sealed barrel, the creatures smelled pungently, like dead fish and a chicken farm. She bet Veris would love that. She cautiously entered his enclosure.
"Hey Veris. Now don't get crazy, ok? We had a crazy enough battle up there. These bizzare little creatures attacked us, but we won. And look who gets to keep the prize?" Angora said with a smirk, loosening up the lid of the barrel and getting out of the way immediately. The stench intensified, but she was certain Veris wouldn't mind. She made sure to stay pretty far away from him as he fed, and deep inside, she was hoping Veris would have forgotten about the teeth cleaning. His breath was going to be awful after a meal like that.

Sere and Latnok instinctively drew weapons (Sere a spear, Latnok a bow) when Crystal came down with such news. "I don't give a damn about your friend," Sere said, as other crew members soon joined him. "We mean no harm, but if they wish to fight, we will be willing to oblige them."

Veris was immediately beaming when Angora had brought him fresh meat. Angora was wise to immediately move out of his way - he didn't take his time to attack the food, live and dead meat all going down the same. When he was done, there was a bloody mess on the floor and not much more, as he immediately got back to slouching about.

Tyraika followed Crystal from a distance, remaining hidden high above the clouds. She circled the area, her eyes locked on the ship as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. With a closer view of the ship than before, she could now see that there were more than people on this ship. Her eyes widened in shock. Dragons? There were dragons on board? The thunder began to quiet down and lightning became less frequent. The situation was more complicated than she realized.

"If she wants us to leave, then she's free to come speak to us herself," Sere said. "I don't care how you personally feel about the matter. We've dealt with creatures much more threatening. You have a lot of nerve trying to tell us what to do after getting my men killed." Sere was tempted to order an attack on the thunderbird right now, but would hold off on doing so at the moment.

As the thunder and lightning settled down, the clouds started to get lighter. Tyraika still watched the scene from above the clouds. She had to get those dragons off the ship somehow. This would require more strategy and planning than usual. "Crystal, there's been a change of plans. Let them stay. For now," Tyraika called out in a roar. Her roar sounded more like the last bit of thunder in the sky.

"If your friend doesn't like trespassers, then she's free to try to remove us," Sere said. "Now get off my ship before I force you off." Sere wasn't at all buying the thunderbird's claim - even if not intentionally, he believed that she at least used the ship in an effort to protect herself, and got his men killed as a result.

"You didn't tell me they had captured dragons on board," Tyraika stated. "That changes things. I'll have to free them now, before they leave. Just don't spoil my plans. I can't have them predicting my course of action."

Maverick was uneasy with the sight of the thunderbird, knowing the Guardians weren't very fond of her. He didn't do anything though, so he simply waited to see how things develop. He was very relieved to see her leave... but now he was worried about this other she was Crystal talking about...

Quote: A Guy

Veris was immediately beaming when Angora had brought him fresh meat. Angora was wise to immediately move out of his way - he didn't take his time to attack the food, live and dead meat all going down the same. When he was done, there was a bloody mess on the floor and not much more, as he immediately got back to slouching about.

Angora cringed at the sight, having seen her share of bloodbath and having hunted herself, but this wyvern was just so messy! She didn't know if it was a wyvern trait or if it was just Veris. Now she wished she could've given that mercy kill to those poor creatures. She was worried some of them were possibly swallowed alive. She couldn't imagine a worse and slower death.
"You're such a savage." she commented after he was done, beginning to clean the bloodied enclosure as Veris went lazy.

It didn't take her as long as she expected. It wasn't impeccably clean, but it'll do for now.
"Well, guess you want alone for some digestion..." Angora said quietly, looking at Veris to see him seemingly dozing off and not paying much attention to her. She took this time to play dumb and try to leave the enclosure, wanting to be saved from the teeth cleaning. She didn't intend on breaking that little promise, she just didn't want to do it right now...

Tyraika scoffed and blew a puff of smoke. "Free dragons don't stay with people and wear their belongings," she stated. "If you're so concerned about your own life, then you can go. I'll deal with this on my own."

"Do they trust you, though?" Tyraika asked. "It didn't seem like it. They pointed weapons at you," she snarled. "No, we're on our own here. We just have to separate the dragons from the people. They can't stay on that ship forever. Eventually, they'll have to search the island, and that's when we can split them up."

With most of the chaos having died down, Sere rang the assembly bell, calling those on deck. The wounds had been treated well enough to allow for the men to sit around a bit longer - any further treatment would be handled at the infirmary.
The men dutifully gathered, with Latnok taking his usual position and Leoquin hanging about somewhere near the middle. Ilasi stayed near Maverick.
"Good evening, sailors!" Sere called out. "You all performed admirably that battle - no fatalities, with the enemy suffering heavy damage and being forced to retreat. The quick response of those off-duty was excellent - showcasing how well you can prepare for combat at a moment's notice. We've suffered wounds, but we can get those taken care of.
"As you may know, we had the thunderbird reappear, warning us off of the island - the same thunderbird who likely baited us into trying to handle a problem for her. Whatever this creature is with a problem, it's evident that it is too afraid to tell us itself. We have a goal here; and those who would seek to interfere with that without a significant reason will be rendered a non-factor if they try.
"Scouts will get some data on the island this evening; everyone else will return to normal procedures, with the night crew set up as usual. Once again, excellent job. You are all dismissed."
Sere's crew soon dispersed, their morale heightened by their recent victory. Between their successes in recent battles, their successful navigation through the storm, and rumors of people vanishing into thin air after speaking of mutiny, the crew was currently highly loyal and obedient to the captain - just like his old days of command on a battlefield.

Sere wasn't surprised at all by Shade's ridiculous request. "Of course not. Why would we send the most blatantly obvious creature on a scouting mission when someone here has a problem with us?" he asked Shade rhetorically. "No, we have people on the ship perfectly trained for the mission and they will conduct the operation."
On cue, Laszur soon appeared next to the captain, supplies prepared and ready to move out. There wasn't much indication that he had been in a fight, except one of the spears in his possession had been bloodied. "I'm ready for the operation," he said.
Sere looked around the deck, before spotting Kasidra again. "Grab the tiefling as well," he said. "Similar concealment capabilities - she should be helpful, or at the very least, not dead weight." Laszur nodded, before leaving.

It wouldn't be long before Laszur would appear before Kasidra - considering the quiet nature of his movement, he might have startled anyone who wasn't being particularly aware. "You and I are going out on the scouting mission," he informed Kasidra. "I take it you will be familiar with how to conduct such an operation?"

Kasidra was still nearby on deck, after being called for the assembly. She was glad that no one had been killed at least. It seemed that their injuries were minor compared to what those raptors suffered. She wasn't too sure of what the deal was with the thunderbird, but Kasidra could tell that she wasn't a friend of the crew. The tiefling wasn't sure of what to expect on this island, but it seemed that something definitely didn't want them there.

When dismissed, she was about to leave to help Ilasi in the infirmary. Kasidra didn't expect the captain to have something else planned for her. So when Laszur quietly approached, he nearly made her jump. The tiefling was about to ask what he needed, before he had answered her question. "A scouting mission?" she questioned. Kasidra wasn't expecting it, but she wasn't about to refuse. "Yes, sir. I'm familiar."

Tyraika was quiet for a moment as she thought about how best to approach this. "The fur dragon leaves the ship? Then we will start with him. He should be the easiest to separate. We'll worry about the others after that," she said.

Raclaw, Chester, and Risar had taken their usual spots during the assembly-- the Fur Dragon briefly looking up into the sky after it had concluded. "That roar...," he thought out loud. "It sounded like a dragon; possibly the first dragon we would've found in the archipelago. Whoever or whatever it is-- it's wild and very territorial. Although I do wonder.," he said to whoever was listening. "You.. you don't think it's one of your parents, do you?," Chester barked looking up at the same sky Raclaw was. "I-- I don't know. It's possible, but it's only the one dragon IF it is indeed a dragon.," Raclaw replied not wanting to assume until they were entirely sure.

It was very much possible that his parents could be wild, but they wouldn't know for sure until they actually knew. As Raclaw read his senses-- this unknown flying individual wasn't showing up as anything familiar. It may/maynot have been a dragon, but surely this was someone else. Wherever his parents were, they would presumably be found together whereas this 'dragon' seemed to be alone in the world. They would have to wait to see...

At that point, Angora had quietly left Veris' enclosure, leaving him to rest and taking a rest herself in her cabin, somewhat happy that she could elude the teeth cleaning for now. She was having second thoughts about that task, so she was going to continue playing dumb and hope the wyvern had forgotten all about it. When she approached the cabin, she noticed the ship wasn't moving anymore. She looked at the window and there it was. Land. So soon? That was great news, though this one looked more solitary than the last one. Still, she could give Veris some excercise later. She would explore the island herself after making sure it was safe, but for now, all she wanted to do was take a brief nap. It has been a long day. But before closing her eyes however, she grabbed the orb.
"Shepherd? Shepherd sir? Are you there? Please tell me Icestorm is alright?" Angora asked, having been worried about the mini kaiju for a while now. Usually, her concerns extended to Shade, Maverick and lately Ilasi, but now she couldn't take this particular individual off her mind, feeling partly at fault for what happened to him. Icestorm was banished, when it could've been her. She knew she was still there thanks to Maverick's influence, and since Sere didn't want to exile her for his sake, she felt he chose Icestorm instead to make an example. The guilt was becoming white overwhelming for her.

At the infirmary, Maverick and Ilasi were helped by the three released pirates; Opium, Random and Sand Dune.
"If you want some time alone, let us know. We were suppose to find Mr. Risar after we were released, but we didn't dare to show our faces on deck. We headed there when we heard the bell, but the battle was already over. If you see Mr. Risar, please let him know we're here. We're a little embarrased to go." Sand Dune explained to Maverick and Ilasi, hoping one of them could do them that favor. In the meantime, they were helping them with whatever they could.

"Get any supplies you need and be ready to move out," Laszur ordered. "We'll hopefully gather enough information to inform movements in the morning. At the very least, we should be able to catch any sneak attacks before they happen." As soon as Kasidra was ready, they would begin their movement.

Ilasi wasn't perfectly comfortable working with criminals like the pirate trio, but refrained from saying anything at the moment. She would have her hands full since Kasidra was being assigned to scouting. She would simply focus on the task at hand for now, making to make especially sure that Maverick's wound didn't worsen.

The orb remained dormant and unresponsive for now; Shepherd was too busy with his sermon to attend to anyone else at the moment. There would be no helping it for now.

The orb's silence didn't make Angora feel any better. Shepherd replied to her often, so him not speaking right now made her feel uneasy. She really wanted to know how Icestorm was doing, but even if it was painful, she would have to wait. With nothing else to do, Angora lied down on her bed, but soon became depressed being there doing nothing, so she got up and headed to the main deck. If she knew the Guardians, chances were they were already exploring the island, or at least having somebody doing it, so she was going to take Veris out to a flight only after a safety report. This island looked more gloomy than the last one, so it was better not to take any chances. Wanting something to do, Angora headed to an enclosure, Dahlia's this time. Maverick was probably either at the infirmary or at Ilasi's cabin being treated, and she was still forbidden from talking to Shade. Veris was probably still asleep after a banquet like that, so she decided to take care of the dirt buffalo, knowing Maverick have been busy lately. She didn't need to ask his permission, for she knew he would accept someone having take care of his precious mount, mostly like Sere.

At the infirmary, Maverick agreed to give Risar the report about the three released former pirates once he got out of there... or rather waiting for Ilasi to give him permission. The wound wasn't so bad, she she was treating it so carefully that one would've think it needed amputation with how much attention it was receiving. Maverick could only smile and gaze adoringly at her.
"Don't forget to treat your own wound Ilasi." he said warmly, believing she was overseeing her own injury for the sake of treating his.

"Then we will watch and wait for now," Tyraika said. "We'll have a better chance of succeeding if at least one of those dragons leaves the ship. Hopefully, they'll be in a smaller group than usual. In the meantime, we do nothing. I'm not interested in dealing with the scouts." She flew back to her mountain and landed on top.

Kasidra nodded. Although, she didn't really have anything she needed to grab. She already had all her gear on her. Her boots and cloak would help to conceal her from the enemy, whereas her blood magic could actually be helpful in other ways. The tieflng wondered if she should go ahead and explain or just show it off once they got started. "I'm ready, sir."

At the deck, Angora brought Dahlia, meaning to take her for a ride only at the ship. She was attacked once on a certain island for being left alone, so the risk wasn't worth it in this creepier one. The dirt buffalo was skeptical. Not only was she still rather wary of Angora. She was starting to smell like dragon. Even so, this was a chance for a bit of freedom, so she followed the little troll around, staying very far away from Shade.
"You know, eventually you'll have to get use to him." Angora said to the animal, getting quite tired of her cautiousness when Shade has proven time and time again he didn't want to hurt her.