darkSpyro

Angora was surprised to see the celestial armor on her again. It has been a while. Filling herself with valor and feeling more in control of her magic, she materialized her sword, feeling almost like she was fighting Darkmatter again. If Neo was helping her, things were serious.
"Thank you for helping me Neo. As for you..." Angora said firmly, addressing to her mysterious messenger.
"It you want me to avoid potential harm, call off this madness. This is horrible and unecessary. You have to know it. I'm not going to abandon anybody!" the little troll reminded, standing her ground. If there was much insistence in her safety, it meant that they wanted her safe. But why? Was Banewood right after all? It didn't matter anymore. With her increased power, she located Maverick fast.

The faun man has been too nervous to notice her until she climbed his shoulders.
"Stand your ground Maverick. I'm not going to let those ugly things hurt you!" she assured, Maverick being shocked to see her in that majestic armor again. It was then that he realized... this was a war. A suspicion that was further confirmed when he saw the captain taking off the sky in his beloved wyvern, something that truly worried Angora...

Darkheart snarled and ran her claws over each other. The bladelike shadows extending them didn't make a sound as they scraped together, the only part of her that still looked tangible.
Mischief drew upon her unfortunately meager supplies of Mana and readied her basic attacking spells. She glanced at her orb and readied it... Just in case she needed something a bit more potent. Little bits of all three elements circled her orb, ready to have additional Mana poured in for a quick strike. She was ready for anything.

As his beloved Darkheart prepared herself-- so too did Raclaw in the form of enabling 'the sight' courtesy of the shared bond with his human counterpart Latnok. Raclaw, being a Fur Dragon, lacked the scales/armor of the others but would make up for it via his/Latnok's own senses and the subsequent ability to foresee/prevent vital hits against himself. And now; the dragon/human duo was now a fearsome trio and the black dragoness quite capable of handling herself. Raclaw internally psyched and immediately began reading his surroundings. Meanwhile, Risar eagerly withdrew his two greataxes ready to be used and bloodied. Chester, for his part, would stay back and remain a non-combatant although he wished the best for his growing number of companions.

Ahead of the incoming swarm, Sere grabbed a rather large vial from his pack - tossing it into the air, before shattering it with a force bolt. The fragile vial created a loud, almost deafening explosion - but had no other immediate visible effect, as Sere began flying away. Some soldiers in the swarm immediately split off to address the new threat - the striplings did not follow, lending credence to the idea that they were incapable of attacking any solid armor or other tough material, like wyvern scales.
Just a minute away, the swarm was preparing for its descent on the ship - when Sere, launched a fireball as Veris agilely avoided the soldiers. Suddenly, the sky was overtaken by a massive indigo conflagration, immediately causing many soldiers and striplings to burn and fall out of the sky. A potent, volatile gas mixture Sere was able to concoct, with assistance from the black powder he received from the so-called "Mercenary Island."
Much of the incoming swarm was still able to disperse, with the soldiers adapting their armor against fire, and would seek to move in at a different angle; but it was something, at least.

Angora was glad to have a war veteran like Sere on their side, and Veris was stupendous as well, but she still worried for their safety. She had the sword ready in case the soldiers came their way, but as long as they were flying, it couldn't do anything.
"See if you can spot Ilasi. She will need protection as well." Angora said to Maverick, making him so proud that he and Shade weren't Angora's only concerns anymore. But she was too busy to notice. Maybe there was some magic she could use?

It was then that she remembered something when she spotted the captain using what looked like electricity to shatter something he tossed. What was that? A force bolt he called it? Deep in her memory, she recalled Latnok trying to teach her the attack, with awful results. But that was quite a while ago, and despite being out of practice, it couldn't hurt to try. Angora aimed her arm at the flying fiends, and focused. And to both her surprise and delight, it was a complete success. A perfect force bolt, except this was a beautiful blue in color. It was confusing yet beautiful. It hit one of the creatures directly, also destroying the ones near it.

Maverick was trying to spot Ilasi when he witnessed the the pretty light.
"What was that!?" he asked, noticing it didn't came from the sword.
"I think it's called a force bolt. Pretty neat, huh. Didn't know I could do it." Angora said ecstatic, feeling quite proud of herself, but this was a desperate and very dangerous situation. There was no time to be happy about her skills.
"But never mind that Maverick. No more distractions! Find Ilasi!" she urged, with Maverick trying to find her while Angora continued aiming force bolts from his shoulders at the murderous creatures...

Mischief's eyes flashed for a moment. "Enochian!" Elemental energy swirled around her, turning dark where different elements mixed. More quietly, she noted morbidly "If they fear magick, they'll see that the most destructive of the Artes is my greatest proficiency... Assuming they notice before they're blown to pieces." Choco approached. Mischief hopped onto him and stood on his back clinging to his neck for support. "In just a while, I'll be able to summon powers straight from the void. There's no defense against it except avoidance, although it burns Mana like nothing else.*
Darkheart stretched her immense wingspan, then flapped them a couple of times. "I see they're not interested in being in melee range. FINE. BY. ME. As a dragon, I don't need my prey to be on the ground. This is only slightly different." She took to the skies, leaping before flapping her wings powerfully. She rushed the first one in range. "Hold still, you beasts!"

The soldiers deftly avoided many of the incoming attacks, with many of the regenerating from wounds already sustained. As some fell, others soon became immune to whatever the biggest danger happened to be.
As some the soldiers started to land on the deck, the men on board engaged them with all manner of weapons on board. The striplings were - for the moment - deterred by the increased armor. There were a few individuals, however, not in any form of thick armor.
Ilasi tried to leave, but the chaos on deck was already evolving - a soldier immediately impeded her path, lashing out with its mandibles, which she barely avoided.

Latnok picked up his resonating chime, focusing the magic and creating a soothing ring. Nearby soldiers began to lose their adaptive armor, though the sheer noise of the battlefield limited the range at which the chime was effective. Striking some of the soldiers down with his own force bolts, others with his axe, he, with his foresight, was able to witness Angora using a force bolt to great effect. Useful for something, at least.

Angora was too focused on the flying attackers above to pay attention to anyone else. Among the chaos, Maverick managed to spot Ilasi. She stands out in a crowd, which helped greatly in the moment of spotting her. He saw to his horror how one of the giant, ugly insects was trying to bite her. Taking out his own sword, Maverick came to his aid, all while Angora attacked whatever came from behind or above them, not leaving his shoulders. The faun man aimed at the creature's neck with deadly precision, determined to save his lady. Due to his behavior, it was easy to forget he was once a pirate, with a lifetime of training in various forms of combat using different kinds of weapons. Maverick hated violence, but knew this ocassion had to be an exception.

Angora attacked with force bolts from one hand and swiping with her other hand the sword to slice whatever creature came too close. Trying not to lose her focus, Angora attempted to detect wherever the last message was sent to her.
"When will this idiotic madness stop? In what part of this ludicrously 'a better world' is spelled? I was too stupid to think someone like you would be interested in my happiness!" Angora said to her messenger using telepathy, sensing him but not able to detect him. She wanted to say more, but the more she searched, the more focus she lose with her force bolts, so she had to stop the message in order to keep focusing on the aiming.

As the soldiers poured in-- Raclaw had a plan of action. He knew that his fire would do little to them given that they had already adapted to it from before, but his breath weapon wasn't his only weapon. He still had his tail artifact and it's very effective spikes. He also had his telepathy and had prior experience in briefly blocking or prohibiting similar enemy types. 'Damon! You're on spike duty-- you know what to do!,' he internally thought as the 'two' performed a similar pattern of actions. First, Raclaw would block the target and briefly attempt to prohibit their movement. And then, Damon would use their shared energy pool to extend the tail spikes once his tail got into place...

Meanwhile-- Risar and his two greataxes would do what they did best, the two heavy axes swinging into and through with prosumily little issue. "You ugly pests!," the minotaur would shout as he swung his two weapons simultaneously. His weapons and his armor had been made just for him.. and he knew how to use them well.

In the heat of the battle, Latnok was able to make out Shatterstar's urgent request. Looking for a clear moment, with Risar's efforts helping to create an opening, he raised the chime - only to catch one small key detail in the fight too late, among everything else in his prescience he had to sift through. As soon as he raised the chime, a shot of a sticky webbing blasted the instrument out of his hands, and straight overboard. At least one weaver had managed to make its way onboard with everything happening.
Leoquin was nearby, he himself managing to take out a couple of soldiers with assistance from the chime. No sooner had he seen what happened then he was prepared to act - moving as quickly as he could on the deck, despite his legs soon giving way to a tail.

Ilasi gave a quick sigh of relief, hyperventilating from the sheer chaos and danger of the environment around them - not the least of all due to the chime having the side effect of starting her own transformation. She had almost resigned herself to being bitten within the next few seconds, not imagining anyone being particularly concerned for her with so much happening - when Maverick's qjick, adroit blow felled the soldier, who shuddered as its adaptive armor failed to take effect while still under the effect of the chime. "Th... Thank-"
"Hey, Ilasi!" Leoquin called out - having quickly spotted her as the battle-hardened sailors formed a defensive ring, even managing to rotate out injured warriors relatively effectively. With all the time they had to prepare themselves, the mercenaries were showing themselves to be well worth their pay.
Ilasi swept her head and eyes back and forth, until she was able to identify the source - Leoquin. "Ilasi! We need to find Latnok's chime! It was knocked overboard!"
"O-okay! I th-th-think I can help there!" Ilasi barely stammered out. Even though he had some misgivings as to her loyalty, Leoquin knew Ilasi's talents - divination being one of them. Searching for an object in the water, such an ability would more than prove themselves useful.
With the first clearing that could be made, the duo both found an edge to climb overboard. No sooner had they hit the water than Ilasi began focusing her divination efforts.

In the air, a large host of soldiers were now pursuing Sere and Veris - they seemed intent on stopping them in particular from getting to the ship, even if it meant splitting themselves. Perhaps it was a tool Sere had that they didn't want being used?
As some soldiers intercepted Sere and Veris, the two acted in perfect sync - Sere fired a powerful blast of light, triggering the adaptive armor of the soldiers right before Veris blew through them, biting one in half along the way and devouring the mouthful. Sere's actions would be limited while they were being forced away from the ship. The best he could hope for, for the moment at least, was that his crew knew what they were doing, and the dragolets proved themselves to be as formidable as he had seen them.
It was then he recalled - Shade. Someone had to allow him some more of his power.

Fortunately, Laszur on the deck, invisible in the melee, had thought ahead. With the device Sere had granted him, he pointed to Shade, giving the "Free Power" command. If Shade were particularly sensitive to his own power levels, he would be able to detect such a change.

Angora continued battling the creatures of the air, shifting between sword and force bolt depending on the circumstance. She was glad to see Ilasi was fine, but she reminded Maverick not to afford any distractions. Angora knew he wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss his girlfriend, but he had to focus on the fight. They had to survive if they wanted to do that again. As he covered her back, Maverick could see the soldiers surrounding them, protecting them in a similar matter that dirt buffalos did for their young. But the comparison reminded him of his beloved Dahlia. Poor girl must be so terrified, but the battle was right there. Dahlia was safe as long as she remained way below the ship where she could be protected.

While Maverick watched over Ilasi and helped the sailors fight the soldiers who touched ground, Angora continued focusing on the ones on air. She grinned when she spotted Veris giving himself a feast. Almost anything with meat was fair game to him, and after this battle, it seemed like she wouldn't have to feed him for the rest of the day. But seeing the wyvern reminded her of the way the individual from the orb expressed himself about him, and it made her mad, to the point where her force bolt had a slightly more severe boost in casualties.

Darkheart clawed and slashed at the bug like creatures around here. "You really think you're the monsters here, don't you? Don't make me laugh!"
Mischief readied a spell... Then noticed Angora in danger. She fires a lightning bolt at the closest soldier then forms a spear tip on her staff with ice. She jabs at the one she hit, still unaware of the adaptive armor. "Hey! Keep your paws off of them!" She noted the increasingly intense elemental energy. Only a little more... Soon she'd hit full magickal charge... And Polyglot would kick in. Then she could fire off her best spell.
Choco kicks and pecks all foes around him.

Quote: Felines

While Huntress hated the predicament, she knew she was stuck. Her life was threatened yesterday, and it was likely not going to be the first time if the conflict between Blue and Dex's societies continue. She and the elf woman were caught between the crossfire, and they could die if nothing was done.
"This group, they know we are in Redwater. While leaving the city could be an option, we would be more exposed if we left it. I have connection. I have the government on my side and my own skills, so even if they know we are here, it will be more difficult for them to strike us. Not that it stopped them of course. They were bold enough to attempt on my life at the border, right under the soldier's noses. We're clearly dealing with a group who don't care about their own lives, or even their freedom, so we won't be able to do this alone. We need bodyguards. We need to put warnings everywhere. So that the other people who are being targeted they are not alone. These societies are after us, so, we will create a society of our own in order to keep each other safe until this madness end on it's own, or at least until the Sivianestri war is over and we can have Aelinonian's full support." Huntress suggested, loathing the idea of bodyguards, but it was their lives on the line. Pride had to be left behind if they hoped to increase the chances of survival. Huntress had no doubts the Silvianestri war will be won soon, and as soon as that happened, Aelinon will be free to deal with this new problem.

The elf woman nodded ” I see what you are thinking. Redwater is clearly the only place we can be. Those groups are much stronger outside, so Why take the risk. But if we start an open society against them, and they see what is happening and get the connection with the soldiers that will make their numbers grow. Even if we hate it people are stupid, and someone like us is not ready to put their trust in the guards, they will sell themselfs to this groups they are now trying to fight. I am not saying that we should not use your connection, but we must be carefull How we do it. Wrong move can easily go against us. Could there be anyway we could get close one of these groups? Find more information about them. Maybe as interested recruits or something? I know that is risky, but you said you have met this Dex once and you are still alive. Maybe they seriously want you on their side? That could be helpfull? So what do you think should we try that or should we just try something else” She said trying to look like the scared one like before, but it was clear She was getting bit excited, ofcourse it might just be because She finally felt like She had some help

Huntress didn't like the idea, but thinking about it better, if she recruited guards, particularly Aelinonian soldiers, they would want to know what's up. They were already in quite an uproar for the murder attempt yesterday, and if the men that attacked her were interrogated and they didn't say anything, they were going to be in the same, wild goose chase she was before.
"Dex... he sent me a letter the other day. I have to find him. He's apparently working against this Blue, but I'm not so sure. He could be secretly working for him r be a double agent. I don't know, but he's our best bet now." Huntress commented, loathing the idea of finding him and still upset for what he has put her through, but he was the only one now who could shed more light into this predicament.

Huntress got up and told the woman to move along too.
"We're going to the black market now. If we want answers, that's where we have to start. Only Dex can give is more answers." she suggested, finding nothing in her visit that morning, but the black market was going to be more full at that time of the day, so maybe they were going to have better luck this time...

”Yes ofcourse, but wait just a second.” She used a spell to make her face look different ”I can not let them see who I am right, they seem to have as much a problem with me as the other group does. Maybe you could tell them I am your apprentice that would make my presence acceptable.... they dont know my face when this spell is on”. The elf said.

At the black market things had not chance too much. But where there had usually been small Flags as the symbols of the black market, there was now a white flags with somekind of silver circle, and in that circle there was red triangle. There was two people guarding the place, which was not normal. Usually there was just one asking passwords or anything else that would proof you where Welcome there. Those guards had armors with the same logo as in the flag.

It was hard to concentrate with the situation the way it was, bu Ilasi forced herself to do so. The divination spell - what was the item she was looking for? She thought she recalled seeing it at least once...
"Down there! It's not too far off!" Ilasi excitedly called out to Leoquin - easier to pass on through the medium of the water. "It's moving towards the beach."
"We should get it before it comes up and the damn things try to take it," Leoquin said as he began his swift swim to the direction Ilasi kept him in. Leoquin was the much faster swimmer, on account of all of his experience fishing and at sea - he moved ahead, until he could make out the shape of the chime shimmering just below the surface of the water.
With no hesitation, he snatched the chime and began swimming back with a purpose.

As the mastermind oversaw the battle and gathered all of the data it could, it noted the source of the psychic presence - Raclaw. The others were armored... but he was not. Not at the moment. On its direction, striplings began grouping up from their scattered positioning, all making a beeline for Raclaw.
The direction was immediately obvious to Latnok, least of all because of the Sight. He shoved a soldier - whose armor had become resilient to his efforts - in order to make room to grab and fire a quickly charged arrow, which detonated in midair. Though some striplings were felled, the rest pressed on.

"I'm alright!," Raclaw called out grateful for the help from his scaled/armored allies. It was then he redirected his mental energy-- spotting what could be the Mastermind and briefly 'switching' from spikes to tail armor. He would recall a rarely used trick and use the Sight to selectively 'extend' his armor to counter the individual hits from the remaining striplings. He wouldn't, however, be able use both armor and spikes.

Beginning to draw energy from the collar (so as to increase the effectiveness of his own natural breath)-- Raclaw prepared to fire upon any striplings that went around. He had noted how the others had already resorted to green or plasma fire, something he wasn't quite capable of. Meanwhile, Risar maintained the fight while trying to make his way towards Raclaw. The solders would delay his progress, however.

Angora looked at Shade's effort in trying to protect them and even felt bad about it.
"Shady. Try to protect others who have no armor or magic." she instructed, not even wanting to imagine what the others were going through. She wondered if they already have fatalities on their end. Using this brief moment of Shade's protection, she noticed someone was missing.
"Maverick! Where's Ilasi?" she asked, fearful.
"She went to sea with Leoquin." he said, having seen them. He was truly worried, but wanted to trust Leoquin and Ilasi's own skills. It was crazy going to sea like this, but he recalled something about retrieving something. Angora was worried as well, but she kept attacking, knowing they couldn't afford too many distractions...

Quote: cyndego

”Yes ofcourse, but wait just a second.” She used a spell to make her face look different ”I can not let them see who I am right, they seem to have as much a problem with me as the other group does. Maybe you could tell them I am your apprentice that would make my presence acceptable.... they dont know my face when this spell is on”. The elf said.

At the black market things had not chance too much. But where there had usually been small Flags as the symbols of the black market, there was now a white flags with somekind of silver circle, and in that circle there was red triangle. There was two people guarding the place, which was not normal. Usually there was just one asking passwords or anything else that would proof you where Welcome there. Those guards had armors with the same logo as in the flag.

Huntress knew such a disguise wouldn't be very effective against most of the mage's that worked for the king, but at the black market, perhaps none would be the wiser. Huntress visited the place not too long ago, and she could immediately tell there was something very different. She warned her unlikely companion about the atmosphere, and then she went to one of the guards.
"Excuse me. We need information. Have you seen a black little fox around here?" she asked, knowing she should be more discrete, but she was desperate for answers. She was ready to attack in case these guards were the hostile kind...

The striplings pulled back for the time being, with the mastermind keeping its senses open to search for more vulnerable targets. The fur dragon itself seemed to have a sort of adaptive armor; a tool, perhaps? It must be.
As the soldiers became more hardened against the assault, Latnok dearly wished he had the resonating chime on hand. He could take advantage of soldiers who had adapted to fire, following up with a force bolt or an axe strike, but the environment gave him little freedom to use his bow, the arrows which made up a good portion of his offensive magic.
He wouldn't have to wait for much longer. Leoquin leaped out of the water near the ship, for just a moment; he couldn't afford to stay out while those striplings were out and about. Though they could swim, they were likely much slower in the water than they would be on land, and had no hope of catching merfolk.
At the top of his breaching, Leoquin, with great precision and accuracy, tossed the resonating chime to Latnok - who pulled it in with the telekinesis that most Guardian items were compatible with. He would be more careful this time.
Despite the melee, Latnok was more than capable of focusing in such an intense environment. He gave the chime a ring in tune with his magic, and a soothing dinging sound came out, albeit limited by the noise of the battle - at least for the moment...

As Angora continued striking with the sword and force bolts, Maverick took out the ones that managed to land, sometimes helping his fellow sailors when they seemed to be about defeated. Some were genuinely surprised by his skills, but then again, he was underestimated often. Maverick knew he looked like a meek wimp, so in the times where he had to use violence against those who gave him no choice, being underestimated gave him a great advantage.
"This is taking too long Angorita! How many of these things are they?" Maverick asked, fearing they might get tired before they could win. They were only a few of them and this was an entire army. If it wasn't for the dragolets, they'd be severely outnumbered.

The little troll kept trying to contact her ghastly messenger while she fought, but she couldn't sense him anymore. Perhaps he left or was avoiding detection? Maverick was right. This didn't seem like it was going to stop. Hordes of those creatures seemed to be coming out of nowhere. But she wasn't going to give up easily. She felt somewhat responsible for this mess. If she had gone to the island when told, perhaps she could've convinced the attacker to stop the assault? But wait, it couldn't be. This seemed planned from the very beginning. They were already on their way when she was contacted. Still, Angora couldn't stop feeling guilty for this mess. Was she really so necessary for this better world of theirs? Was Banewood right and they only wanted to use her? The thought was too depressing, so Angora started thinking of other things so that the sadness wouldn't mess with her magic...

Mischief felt her elemental Mana finish forming as an effect Black Mages called Polyglot activated. It didn't do much by itself, simply powering up spells. She giggled, raising her staff as black and purple energy swirled around the gemstone. "It's over. Behold, the greatest spell in the Black Mage's arsenal! Xenoglossy!" The magic exploded outward, an intensely powerful burst of energy, shockingly strong... But not quite as Mischief hoped. Sure it likely brought down a notable number of opponents who were too close, but at a great cost to Mischief, who just about collapsed. She'd overestimated her power and underestimated the Mana cost of the spell. "... No... It wasn't enough... It wasn't nearly enough to stop them..." She struggled to stay upright, Mana deprivation having nearly brought her down with simple exhaustion. Her staff fell from her paws, landing on deck. Mischief whimpered, tearing up in frustration. "Why... Can't I protect... Them..." Finally she fell to all fours, glowering at her opponents even through exhaustion. "No. I'm... I'm not... I'm not finished yet!" Weakly unsheathing her claws, she continued her efforts, but was far less powerful now. She wasn't going to quit, not with her only friends in danger. "If all I have left are my claws, then I'll scratch you to death!" she shouted, panting.
Darkheart slashed, allowing rage to fuel her strength. She reshaped her shadow claws into scythe shapes, Dark Illusion activating and allowing her to further blend with the shadows twisted around her. It was hard to identify where flesh ended and shadow began. "You'll all die! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU BEASTS!"

Quote: Felines

Huntress knew such a disguise wouldn't be very effective against most of the mage's that worked for the king, but at the black market, perhaps none would be the wiser. Huntress visited the place not too long ago, and she could immediately tell there was something very different. She warned her unlikely companion about the atmosphere, and then she went to one of the guards.
"Excuse me. We need information. Have you seen a black little fox around here?" she asked, knowing she should be more discrete, but she was desperate for answers. She was ready to attack in case these guards were the hostile kind...

”Hello there” The guard said with a happy voice. That was not something which was very normal in a black market, if somebody was happy he would not show it. Then he continued ” We do not have that kind of information, but we must tell you that this black market is now under controll of the Alliance. If you want to keep doing your business here, you must join or sign a cooperation agreement with the Alliance. If thats what you are here to do, I can show you to the right place, otherwise I can not help you.”

The other guard noticed what the one was talking about ”Sorry about that, the first question should be do you already have a token of membership or the token that tells us that you have made the agreement. If not then follow his orders. Sorry about this, it is all pretty new to us also.” The other guard said

They where both happy clearly. What ever was the change, these guards seem to like it.

"I have to ring the chime!" Latnok called out to Shatterstar with his telepathy over the noise of the fight. "You'll have to come over here." As he fought on, he foresaw a powerful magical blast - bracing himself for the blast to avoid being caught off-guard. The attack, as powerful as it was, did not have the far-reaching effect it needed to make a drastic difference in the fight.

As the mastermind looked over the battlefield, it made note of a particular dark dragon - attempting to strike through the shadows with impunity. It couldn't safely address the threat yet - not without revealing itself. Perhaps something to consider for next time...
There had been a powerful elemental attack, but such a thing seemed short-lived, and the source was exhausted. With the creature being weak and vulnerable, the mastermind ordered a ball of striplings down to attack it.

In the heat of the battle, Angora suddenly remembered something extremely important.
"Mischief! Where is Mischief?" she asked terrified, remembering right now she last left her with Shade.
"No te preocupes Angorita. She went to the captain last time I saw her. If she's as resilient as I think she is, she'll be fine." Maverick assured, speaking quickly, knowing someone as small as her would be able blend among the sailors. And she was a magical being if the staff had something to do with it. Maverick wasn't very sure about her himself, but he had to assure Angora somehow if she hoped to keep attacking the enemies successfully, but the battle continued on, making the worried Maverick wonder if there was an end to it, and terrified that they would eventually grow too tired to continue and be defeated...

Quote:

Hello there” The guard said with a happy voice. That was not something which was very normal in a black market, if somebody was happy he would not show it. Then he continued ” We do not have that kind of information, but we must tell you that this black market is now under controll of the Alliance. If you want to keep doing your business here, you must join or sign a cooperation agreement with the Alliance. If thats what you are here to do, I can show you to the right place, otherwise I can not help you.”

The other guard noticed what the one was talking about ”Sorry about that, the first question should be do you already have a token of membership or the token that tells us that you have made the agreement. If not then follow his orders. Sorry about this, it is all pretty new to us also.” The other guard said

They where both happy clearly. What ever was the change, these guards seem to like it.

Huntress wasn't happy with the management, but she needed entry to the black market.
"Fine. What is this token you need?" she asked, sounding quite bitter. She wanted this situation over with already, and hopefully death to those who dared to attack her when she had a low guard.

The elf woman did not say anything, mostly because She thought it was the best thing to do now.

”If you dont know How it looks it seems you dont have one. No worry, follow me and I will show you where you can get one. No need to be so Angry about it” The first guard said and started to show the way to the black market.

In side the black market things where pretty much normal. Only the ones with the brotherhood where removed, and there was a lot of flags with the Alliance symbol in them. The clear change was that large part of the Bar was changed to have a reseption desk. The guard pointed to the desk ”There you go, thats where you can get your tokens” he said. There where many people working there, but Huntress could see that some of those where the men helping her earlier (exept the dwarf).

Huntress didn't like the new status, but the process of getting into this new black market didn't seem all too difficult. She couldn't involve the Aelinonian soldiers given this place was illegal, so she had to play along with the new system for now.

After completing the process and following the instructions, she suddenly remembered about Dex's letter. She thought about tossing it off last night, but in her rush to get into an inn yesterday, she packed it. Perhaps it could be used as a trump card? However, she decided to ask for Dex around first, and if someone knew him, she would show the letter to convince them to give her more info...

With the opportunity presenting itself, Latnok Focused on the chime and rang it in tune with his magic - immediately reaching for Shatterstar's tail afterwards. The resulting chiming resounded throughout the whole battlefield - soldiers who were once hard to take down were now rendered vulnerable, and began to fall much more quickly than they did before.
"We... we're pushing them back!" one of the wounded sailors called out, as his companions fought to keep him and the other casualties as safe as they could.

The mastermind knew when the fight was a lost cause. On its command, the soldiers, striplings, and weavers all began to retreat back to where they came from.

Darkheart roared to the skies in victory. Afterwards she dove to join Raclaw, her shadowy armaments dissipating. "They're retreating! We won!"
Mischief smiled weakly in victory, but was too exhausted to stand anymore. She collapsed with a whimper, although a strange blue glow started shining from her.

The chime rang in Angora's ears so much she had to cover them. Maverick was shocked and almost accidentally sliced her, but he managed to stop in time.
"Is... did we win?" he asked dumbfounded, seeing the fiends retreating. He almost fell to his knees in exhaustion, but after seeing the battlefield, he felt the need to help. One of the injured sailors was his new friend, the one who was eaten by the tonguean once. One of his legs looked partially chewed.
"Oof. Getting devoured by that giant chameleon was far less painful than this." he said, trying to make a little joke to lighten the mood and forget a bit about the pain. Maverick helped him stand up, getting him to the infirmary as he inspected the deck. Many sailors were injured, and some even looked dead.

Angora rested on Maverick's head, watching everything. It was quite a massacre. Many of the attackers were dead, but like Maverick, she feared some sailors were deceased too. She looked at her hands and the one that fired the force bolt had some considerable burns. She has never used that magic for so long and so thoroughly. But somehow, she will have to try her healing magic. Now more than ever, it was needed.

Below deck, Sand Dune, Opium and Random were having a hard time themselves. They wanted to join the battle, but they were forced to stay when the creatures tried to enter through the window. If they had entered, they could've killed them or damage important medical equipment. They were about to enter forcefully when they retreated, much to the sweating trio's relief. What happened up there? Whatever happened, Sand Dune warned his comrades to be ready. Whatever those monsters were, no doubt that they caused great harm up there and they had to be prepared...

As the battle soon came to a end-- Raclaw reverted his tail artifact to it's default band form. "You were great, Darkheart!," Raclaw and Chester (who had been watching) both said upon the larger companion's mate rejoining his side. However, Raclaw's senses soon told him that something was wrong with Mischief...

Angora left Maverick's shoulders and helped him gather as many sailors as she could, asking Shade for help. He couldn't fit through the stairs, so they would need a smaller dragon's help, maybe Veris or a younger dragolet. As she helped, the little troll looked for Mischief among the mess of corpses and injured...

More help was soon on the way. Sand Dune and Opium headed to the main deck to assist everyone, while Random stayed behind to prepare all the bandages and antibiotics they were likely going to need.

Darkheart bowed low. "Thank you. That actually was really cathartic too... Is something bothering you?"
Meanwhile, Mischief lay whimpering, so exhausted it hurt. Yet the blue glow only grew brighter. "Why am I glowing? Is this how death greets a mage?" She whimpered more, wondering if she'd so thoroughly exhausted her Mana supply as to be fatal.

"My senses are telling me that something is.. different about Mischief's aura. I can't quite explain it, but it's as if she's changing somehow. She's exhausted, but that's not what I'm sensing--.," Raclaw replied not sure exactly why the Fox Pokémon was suddenly drawing his attention.

Darkheart raised an eyebrow. "Like she's... Changing? That's awfully vague. Any idea as to the extent of the changes?"
Already Mischief's body was bathed in bright light, tinted slightly blue but blindingly bright. Her body began to grow, her mane lengthening as her tail receded. Her limbs grew and her muzzle extended. Her claws extended, lengthening and sharpening, almost visibly. She also felt a strange rush of energy, like she was suddenly becoming. Her clothes weren't taking it well, though, tearing as their owner so suddenly grew.
Digi beeped and whirred in a panic.

"I don't know-- I've never experienced these readings before. It's almost as if her aura is getting.. stronger, more complex?," Raclaw admitted as his eyes soon spotted and followed the bright blue light that was Mischief.

As Angora helped Maverick with the injured sailors, she searched for Mischief.
"I'll be right back." she said, leaving Maverick for the time being, needing a higher place to search for the fox. She was afraid of the repercussions she would face if she interacted with Shade, so she climbed another dragolet instead, holding herself to his neck.
"Forgive me." she said, realizing that she didn't ask for permission, but this was urgent. Mischief would've been impossible to spot in this mess if it wasn't for the blue light. Angora could spot it very easily, though she had no idea what it was all about. Latnok was some distance away from that light, and it didn't seem like his magic, or Raclaw's, not even Sere's. She had to look for Mischief, but then she remembered she had an orb almost like hers, which was likely magical. She went to the source of light, being very careful not to trip with anybody and risk injuring more, which was quite the task...

Maverick continued helping with Shade and a few other dragolet's help, knowing Angora enough to know she was looking for the little fox. She was her responsibility after all, and if it was Latnok of all people who tasked her with the care, she didn't want to mess up...

Darkheart followed his gaze and stared slack-jawed at the blindingly bright light. "Okay, what the hell is going on over there?! Is something gonna explode or something?!" Finally it hit her. "Wait, is that Mischief?! What's happening?!"
Digi meanwhile was absolutely freaking out. "It's time! She really was close to Evolving! Now she'll soon be a Zoroark!" He got higher pitched with every sentence.
The light ended with a miniscule burst of energy, and where there was a Zorua a Zoroark now stood. Mischief raised her head, tired eyes looking around. "Ugh... What just happened- WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CLOTHES?" She looked herself over in a panic.

When Angora finally managed to reach the place, she couldn't believe her eyes. Star? No. Couldn't be. She did recalled him looking like Mischief at one time, and then adopting this... form.
"M... Mischief?" she asked, as she cautiously approached. Many of the sailors stood still at the spectacle, though many others were too injured or focused on the injured to witness something so unique. Angora wanted to inspect the 'new' comer. If that truly Mischief, she has certainly changed a lot, bigger, stronger, and with fangs looking sharp enough to bit somebody's face off. Once again, Angora was the smallest of her few friends...

With the retreat of the Ishulgites, Sere was soon able to land Veris on the deck - the wyvern helping himself to the remains of the enemy attackers. Sere had no time to waste.
Finding a few sailors, he gave the order to perform triage on the casualties. Some were obviously fine... time would tell if the others could be saved or not.

With the battle drawing to a close, as detected by Ilasi's divination, she and Leoquin swam out onto the shore, shimmying their way back to the gangplank. Ilasi was already able to identify what was happening on board with her magic previously - though it didn't take particularly strong deductive skills to figure it out.

With everything settling down, Latnok was still in high alert. Mischief was... transforming, in a flash of brilliant energy. And there was this talk with Darkheart about her potentially not having full control of herself... and she looked just like... Star? That murderer.
Not again. Latnok grabbed and raised his bow, nocking an arrow - facing Mischief, though not aiming at her yet. "What the hell is going on with you?!" he demanded, even sounding outraged. "What are you hiding from us? Speak now!"

Mischief raised her head, groaning. "Hi, Angora..." The shout from Latnok scared her. "AH! I DON'T KNOW SIR WHAT DID I DO?" she squealed all in one breath. She raised her paws, falling backwards from Latnok in a panicked state.
Digi shouted from inside the bag "According to my sensors, Mischief just Evolved into a Zoroark! Her Illusions will be more powerful and she'll have more strength overall!"
Darkheart tilted her head, gazing at Mischief. "Well, that brings back memories, not all of them good..."

Angora tried to calm Latnom down, but she didn't dare to face him directly, so she instead looked at Digi and listened to his explanation.
"Oh. So like a metamorphosis..." Angora stated, having seen that many times in insects, but never in mammals. She knew of some changes like spots on lion cubs disappearing when growing up and such, but never such drastic change in appearance. Though with Mischief seeing this way, it was no wonder it was going to stir a certain bad memory, so she had to keep an extra watch on her... and partly Latnok...

As Maverick continued helping, he spotted Ilasi on the shore. He breathed out a sigh of relief seeing her safe. He wanted nothing more than to rush there and hug her, but he was very busy right now.

Quote: Felines

Huntress didn't like the new status, but the process of getting into this new black market didn't seem all too difficult. She couldn't involve the Aelinonian soldiers given this place was illegal, so she had to play along with the new system for now.

After completing the process and following the instructions, she suddenly remembered about Dex's letter. She thought about tossing it off last night, but in her rush to get into an inn yesterday, she packed it. Perhaps it could be used as a trump card? However, she decided to ask for Dex around first, and if someone knew him, she would show the letter to convince them to give her more info...

Most of the people had heard the name, but because things where new most of them just did not know much about him. Finally one of the people Hunteress asked was member of the old guild, so the man very Well knew who Dex was. ”Yea I do know him. But Why do you ask?” He said