darkSpyro

"You can share the progress you've made with the King," the guard explained, "and I'll be here to corroborate whatever it is you tell him. Whether we approve any additional measures or not is completely his call. He'll probably be willing to cooperate more if he thinks we're actually getting somewhere. In the end, what he wants is answers - if he gets those, then he'll be pretty satisfied." In the end, the guard didn't care one way or the other - he was simply doing his job, after all, and the machinations of the upper echelons of leadership were beyond his understanding and concern.

With Angora's departure, Veris settled down for a bit, before curling up and beginning to nap. He still bore some apprehensions, and was unsure of exactly how he felt about Angora - but this new reality was something he would have to get used to. If only he could just forget all about his time with her before, when he was ignorant to such a bond with anyone except his rider...

So far, all Sergeant Farlo kept hearing was that the king wanted answers, but it was never specified what kind of answers. The centaur was willing to answer anything, except the exact coordinates of their island and of course, their magic. If it was anything else, he’d be willing to cooperate if it meant Danya could get home again. If the king managed to find out where they lived, he would have to find a way to inform the Old Myth so they could move away and hide from the world yet again. He hoped it didn’t have to come to that though.
“Alright. I’ll go outside and talk to him if he’s still there. Thank you.” Farlo said politely, even if the guard hasn’t been able to speak to him the same way. He wanted to show he had manners, even towards people who couldn’t show the same courtesy.
“I’ll be back soon.” he whispered to the satyr girl, who was in a corner, deep in thought, trying to recall everything else. It made her sad to see Farlo go, but she believed him when he said he’d return. He has been the only nice person since she’s been there, and she didn’t even looked like the rest.

As Angora stayed in her room trying to catch a nap too and Maverick looking at the busy island, Alana wasn’t having such a great day either. While she has managed to resist seeing like she missed her father, his absence was finally starting to get to her. Not even pranking her brother earlier was enough to make her feel better. She didn’t want to show sadness at school, but sometimes she couldn’t help it. She really loved her father and mother’s trio of friends, especially the huge, mute one, but it wasn’t enough. If only Angora, who was her father’s dearest and oldest friend, could come home already, although she doubted that would be enough to cheer her up. She just missed her father so much. She started to believe she should’ve sneaked on the ship when she had a chance. She already sneaked inside a security prison. Sneaking on a ship would’ve been a cinch... if only she had tried...

Seraos, in the meanwhile, was right where he was when Farlo left - in the adjacent hallway, some distance down. Seeing Farlo get ready, he gave an expectant look.
"So, have you been successful in learning any information from our friend?" he immediately asked Farlo as the centaur approached, the Royal Guard standing by as usual. "I would very much like for this to have been a fruitful endeavor. A mutual agreement is meaningless without reciprocity, after all." Seraos sincerely hoped that Farlo didn't think he could get what he wanted by standing on some moral high ground.

Serenat Farlo explained the progress he made so far.
“The girl remembers how and why she got here. She doesn’t remember me well, but remembers her little friend, and that’s where the real progress could be done. As for the... incident, the memory still needs some work, but it won’t end well if she’s forced to recall it. She will need some time to assimilate what happened. For now, she knows the reason why she’s here. In the continent I mean. It all has to do with the important piece of paper she brought here. A... treaty if you would.” Farlo explained, knowing that the king would know what he was talking about and what the treaty was about if the paper has indeed been found.

He took a small breath before continuing.
“There’s progress, but she’ll need more therapy. I request a room where I can be with her and help her relax to recall more, but I’m willing to go into the walled cage with her if that’s not an option.” Farlo expressed, hating the idea of having very limited mobility, but Danya was the one who mattered now.
“Also, before I forget, if I could humbly ask you to be gentle with the pam flute she carried. Not an easy instrument to make.” the centaur asked serenely, wanting to believe that despite the rocky reception, the king was as understanding and merciful as his friend Lyon once said he was.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“You know your bond with him is strong. Yes he’ll be sad but he’s got to realize you aren’t going forever. You’ll still visit him.” Neo said.

Angora sighed at the response.
“Yes! He knows that! But he wants me to stay forever! He has made it very clear! Visits won’t be enough for him. I doubt he’ll want to bond with another caretaker. In fact, I don’t think he’ll be willing to bond with anyone ever again for that matter. Because of me! I mean, he has seen the danger, and so has Sere, and even if I wanted to stay or renew my contract someday, I don’t think Sere would allow it now. I just... if only there was a way to make Veris happy without the need of my presence!” Angora lamented, feeling lousy for thinking that bonding with Veris has been a bad idea. She really loved him, and was really a very dear friend. If only he wasn’t a wyvern. Or better yet, if only she wasn’t a troll. Not only did she risk getting eaten, but also be the cause of fights like yesterday’s, that could cause severe injuries. While the other wyverns were now afraid of attacking her, she didn’t believe it was going to last for long. The instinct was strong, and she didn’t want the reptiles to have a fear or hatred towards Veris because of his friendship and protectiveness of her. Even less for Veris not to bond with his own companions.

“I will, and he knows that. But... that won’t be enough for him.” Angora lamented, knowing that the constant lack of her presence was going to affect him greatly. She knew well that the week long break she took was bad enough as it was.

Getting comfortable in her bed, Angora contemplated the possibility of returning to her caretaker job if things with Draikon didn’t work out. Or after her job with him was done. Whatever came first.
“You know what Neo? Something tells me I will have to return here. I mean, I’m not worried about Veris’ safety, not the physical part at least. I mean, he literally brutalized that Cymbal wyvern when he attacked me. But I’m worried... about his emotional state. Gosh, why did he had to be so... attached? I fear that if I leave for too long, he’ll enter a depression he won’t be able to get out of.” Angora dreaded, Veris demonstrating time and time again how hard it was for him whenever she was away for very long, and she doubted mere visits or gifts would make a difference. If Veris got depressed, it means he won’t function well as a mount, or even as a hunter, and if that was the case, chances were that even Sere himself was going to ask her to return. Despite the danger and stress the job caused her, Angora was already considering returning to it... forever, just like Veris wanted.

Seraos' expression remained neutral, hiding the extent of his feelings on the matter. He had, of course, wanted more information - but there did seem to be some progress, and Farlo seemed sincere enough. The document being found in the path she took would corroborate the idea of her arriving for some purpose related to it.
"At least for the moment, I'll have her moved to one of our 'golden cages', if you will," Seraos answered. "A more pleasant place, equivalent to what we would normally provide diplomatic guests, but naturally she would not be allowed to leave, as she is not clear of her charges. She will be permitted that space for as long as I feel it benefits us."
Speaking of benefits - Seraos needed a few moments to think of the situation with the flute. There was potential benefit to them in disassembling it, and no particular benefit in leaving it intact if they had learned all they could from it in that state... but perhaps a kind gesture was suitable for the moment, and would help facilitate cooperation. "As for the flute, I'll instruct our researchers to leave the flute intact," Seraos said. "It will remain in our possession for now. Once we have ascertained that we can trust you and have nothing further to be concerned about regarding you, we can arrange terms for mutual cooperation. Such a thing would naturally involve hefty material compensation for the actions of your friend, including the injury she caused and the resources spent to investigate the matter - but that is only fair, is it not?"

Sergeant Farlo nodded, the king being much more cordial than the rude guards he had to deal with earlier. A golden cage... more comfortable? But that was such a hard metal. But maybe it wasn’t so bad? Either way, showing that he could be trusted should be easy. He meant no harm, and neither did Danya, but it was too unfortunate that such a terrible accident had to happen, and in a land that was so hard with their rules.
“I thank you majesty. You’ll see, she will recover. This much progress in so little time means that she can regain her memory completely with just a little more effort. I sincerely apologize for what happened to your guard. If there’s ever a chance, I would like to apologize to him in person, and I’m certain Danya would too once she remembers what happened. And I’ll make sure you’re compensated for this horrible incident so that there won’t be any grudges left.” Sergeant Farlo assured in a soothing voice, still incredible that such a calming tone could come from such an imposing creature. While he was losing faith in humanity in general and didn’t see peace in the near future, at least this young king seemed willing to negotiate fairly.

Seraos gave a faint smile. "Wonderful. Provided things go smoothly, I can see about arranging some sort of diplomatic agreement," he explained. "Which brings me to how I plan this to work - a more permanent diplomatic relationship between us, with some initial stipulations. The major condition would be that you pay us for each citizen of yours who is a prisoner of ours based on how much of a problem they have been for us, and we release those prisoners - with the understanding that you will educate your citizens on our laws going forward. Now, naturally, you only have one prisoner here; however, given that the condition is nevertheless a general one applying to all of your citizens in our prisons, it would not be a personal intervention on my part if she were to be freed under those conditions. What say you?"
At this point, Seraos wouldn't have been surprised if Farlo made yet more demands - his presumptuousness was a fact that Seraos had come to accept. Farlo, however, was hopefully learning that it was an exercise in futility to try to be pushy when he wasn't the one holding the cards.

Sergeant Farlo wasn’t exactly liking the proposition, and he didn’t know in what way the king wanted to be paid. In his world, there was no such thing as money, but since he didn’t want to seem ignorant, he didn’t ask for details, at least for now.
“A diplomatic relationship... I do look forward to a relationship of peace and willing to pay for Danya’s freedom, and you don’t have to worry about more of our people getting in your prison. The last thing we want is to cause trouble and get in the way of others. I can explain to my people how things work out here... but don’t expect them to want to live here. Even if your intentions are good, there are still so many out there that might not have the same good will.” Sergeant Farlo explained, still remembering the unprovoked attack at Zandar Swamp, but decided not to mention it to avoid getting Lyon in trouble, unaware it was far too late for that.

“We have survived for so long because we have stayed very far away from the rest of the world. Fauns are extinct. And we became close to extinction ourselves until our ancestors decided to run far away. I know you want to be fair and want a decent relationship, but I can’t promise us moving out here... if that’s what you mean. We could have a diplomatic relationship like you want, but a long distance one. I hope you can understand.” Sergeant Farlo explained calmly, hoping the king wasn’t implying that his people should move to this horrible place in order to have this diplomatic relationship. There was a way to have it far away from each other, right? What the centaur was worried about the most was the small chance the king was fooling him into thinking he was fair and was just looking to conquer and control them, or maybe even kill them, if he turned out to be a greedy human just like the conquistadores who eradicated the peaceful fauns half a millennia ago.

King Seraos gave a slight shake of his head. "There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding. We don't need you to move here," he said. "In fact, you staying where you are would probably be for the best - we wouldn't want another incident like this, now, would we? In spite of that, there are other sorts of relations we can have."
Farlo and his people were evidently not familiar with anything more than the basics of diplomacy - so Seraos decided he would need to go into some detail. "Now, then - do you know what the most valuable thing to a nation - especially to a nation's leader - is?" Seraos asked. He knew that Farlo would not give him the correct answer - but it would get him thinking, and would help Seraos see his line of thought.

Sergeant Farlo actually blushed in embarrassment, feeling awful for thinking Seraos was implying they should move.
“Forgive me young king. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that.” he apologized, promising himself to not to imply things out of the blue again, although he was slightly offended that the king seemed under the impression that his people would hurt his people like Danya has done, but knew it was another form of implication and that it wasn’t wise to dwell on that. He immediately proceeded to answer Seraos’ question.
“The most valuable thing? Well, the safety of their people, no?” the centaur answered, not certain if that was the answer the king was expecting, but even if it wasn’t, this human monarch has been very patient with him and was speaking to him in the most cordial tone, which was more than he could say for his guards.

Although Angora managed to get only a full hour of deep sleep and fortunately no nightmares, the rest of the morning was more dozing than sleep. It wasn’t time for Veris’ lunch yet, so she wanted to spend the remaining time in her room, far away from people. She would love to spend time with Julian again, but he was usually a very busy man, and he already spent much time with her yesterday, so she decided not to disturb him. She kept thinking about the attack, and how it somewhat reminded her of when she first met Veris. But she doubted she would be able to befriend Cymbal the way she did him, so she wasn’t even going to try visiting him, not to mention that would mean going against Sere’s orders. She would wait until the heat was over and ask for permission again, someday, not to befriend the injured wyvern, but to let him know she didn’t held any grudges. The last thing she wanted was to have one of the creatures she worked to such close proximity to hate her or Veris.

The answer Farlo gave was actually much closer than Seraos expected - he was expecting an answer betraying a more unflattering perception, such as "power". Seraos gave a slightly pleased smile. "Stability," he answered. "That includes keeping people safe - but also includes keeping them fed, and happy. If people don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, or whether they're going to be invaded, then they're free to focus on their duties. And when the status quo has people satisfied... they tend to not have any reason to try to throw it all away and risk everything in an effort to change it. Thus, stability is just as beneficial to a ruler as it is to his nation - people can't pin all their suffering on you if there is no suffering available to pin on anyone."
Given that Farlo's people likely never had to consider anything to the level of a bigger country like Aelinon, Seraos figured he would have to go into more detail. "Allow me to explain. Given your knowledge of history, I will assume that you know some of our history - beyond just being some force of nature that destroys everything in our path. Do you know why the Dragon Empire came to existence to begin with? It offered stability - orc leaders didn't have to worry about infighting when dragons backed their military might, and they didn't have to worry about food when they were getting it from humans. Dragons, having a constant source of food, didn't have to hunt and didn't have to be as spread out as they were. The empire grew in power because it was stable. However, there was a significant problem - that stability was caused by a system that exploited other races, mostly humans. That leads to resentment. Resentment is like black powder - you let it build up enough, and all you need is the tiniest spark, and chaos will ensue. Their empire was only as stable as its weakest link.
"Now, we had the rebellion - do you know why Aelinon eventually won? It wasn't because we were stronger militarily - but because, by the very nature of the rebellion, the haphazardly established leadership was more stable than the empire it broke off from. Given who the rebels were, we had plenty of food - and given who we rebelled against, their food supply was dwindling. We had the luxury of waiting until we could take favorable battles, while our enemies were always on a timer. Time was on our side - and it will tend to be when you aren't running at a deficit. In the end, the empire was a house of cards - when the base fell, so did everything else built on it."
Seraos wasn't sure how much of that Farlo understood, but hoped that it, at the very least, helped get his point across and showed he knew what he was talking about. "Now, logically speaking," he asked, "given what I've told you, what do you think would be our desire, from any sort of diplomatic relationship with your people?"

Farlo thought very hard about the king’s question. He knew about fauns, but knew little about the dragon conflict with humans. Wyverns were sort of dragons, right? He knew the fate of those beast at least. He believed that was a subject for later though, since the king looked more interested in his answer.
“So with this diplomatic relationship, you want something from us that would make the lives of your people better, am I right? If you’re worried about going against you, or a planned enslavement, don’t. Me and my people only want one thing, and one thing alone; peace. We lived centuries with it, and while we could refuse contact to continue this peace, there came a time where we grew tired of isolation. Of our limited lives. Of being hidden from the world and living in constant fear of what the world, namely humans, could do to us if they realized we still existed. And yet, we couldn’t help but to rescue those who were in trouble, even if that meant risking our very lives. But at the same time, we were hoping that the people we rescued would be grateful enough to keep our existence a secret, at least until we could decide ourselves to see if the world was ready for us. And that’s where you came. When we heard about the young, kind king who defeated those awful Ishulgites and showed mercy to the most unlikely of creatures, that’s when we believed we had the chance. Sadly, my first attempt to contact you was... a complete failure. But our main girl, Danya, she was so disappointed. I... if I had known what she was capable of. That she would go as far as to take that treaty and head here...” Sergeant Farlo began to say, but then realized he was talking too much.

Taking a small breath, he continued.
“Oh listen to me rambling about and getting off topic. Forgive this wide tongue. As for your desire, our knowledge perhaps? Magic? Items? I do agree about what you said your majesty, about stability, and do the best for your people, but it’s not worth it if it’s through the harsh backbone of others. We’re not like that if that’s what you’re worried about. As for stability, there always comes change, and with it the chance of the stability being broken, at least for a while until the change can be adapted. We want the same thing your highness, the good of our people, which is why I’m here. If Danya got here with the treaty it was because she wanted to succeed where I have failed. She is... was an optimistic child. Perhaps a bit too much. But the poor lass was probably so afraid that she hurt someone in her haste to get away. I’m certain of it. Once again, I apologize for the awful event, but if someone must pay for it, let it be me. If I had paid attention to her. If I had hidden that treaty, then none of it would’ve happened. So please, let me be the one with the punishment. I’m willing to go with this diplomatic relationship if that’s what you desire the most.” Farlo assured, knowing that if king Seraos wanted the best for his people, then he would understand his position. Danya was part of his people after all.

Farlo's answer, while it wasn't bad, was noticeably lacking in one aspect - it only considered the end goal, not the means. Seraos supposed it was his fault for not phrasing his question appropriately. "You talk much about what we want from you - which is reasonable," he said. "There is one matter that needs to be addressed, however. A diplomatic relationship is a two-way affair - how we relate to each other. And currently... all of your expectations of what that would entail for you are permeated by fear. Now, fear is healthy. You very well should, for example, fear what we would do if you gave us reason to consider you an enemy. However, too much fear dulls reasoning.
"If your people are so bigoted and fearful and feel so lowly of us as to believe we have no greater purpose than to destroy you for the simple fact that we have a plurality of humans, then so be it; however, with no meaningful diplomatic arrangement between us, there is no reason to allow anyone to escape their lawfully imposed punishment simply by paying enough. Given that the satyr - Danya - was the one who committed the crimes, you cannot take her place; that's not how justice works here. We do not allow a criminal to get away with their acts just by nature of having followers willing to sacrifice themselves for their sake."
There was a good chance that all of this was likely much to process for the centaur at once. "Now, I'll let you think on these things for awhile; those are the facts of the matter, however," Seraos said. "If I do not have a strong reason to make an exception for you, then I cannot make that exception." Though Seraos' own concerns about the potential threat from this Old Myth were being assuaged, the peoples' own poor opinion of Aelinon before even making first contact were making him significantly less sympathetic. Was this, perhaps, Lyon's doing?

Farlo was very frustrated that Danya was still deemed a criminal for an accident caused by understandable fear, and also the image the king was painting about them.
“Bigotry? You are mistaken young king. We’re not bigoted, just... cautious...” the centaur said with some hesitation, now wondering if Seraos was right and if their caution has turned into bigotry. It really got the drill sergeant pondering...

There was one word that filled him with hope though... exception. He somehow needed to make a very good impression on the king in order to get the exception he needed. He was the highest power here, and if anybody could take Danya off the hook, even if it was just a little bit, it was him.
“I apologize if we have seem that way your majesty. It’s true, I don’t know how things work here, and I probably sound too ignorant. But... if I can’t take Danya’s place, at least help me reduce her sentence. I know all this caution and fear might look like too much for you, but it’s the only way we know how to survive. So please, don’t misjudge us for one unpleasant event, or our way of survival. We did... I tried to make contact, but like I said, it was... a failure. It’s wrong to judge an entire species, I know. Faun history has taught us that. A small group of humans helped them, and yet, it wasn’t enough to prevent their extinction. We don’t want to have fear. We don’t want to judge anybody, but unfortunately, the sins of a few can lead to dire consequences. Even if you and many other humans out there have the best of intentions, you can’t control the actions of those who don’t. Those are the ones we’re afraid of. But we don’t want to anymore. So please, just tell me what you want. What we can offer. Or what you can offer us to make this diplomatic relationship a success.” Farlo pleaded, the king sounding a bit more forceful than before. Was he getting impatient? His tone of voice remained cordial though, and he really seemed interested in this relationship if he has spent this much of his precious time talking to him and trying to teach him how the law worked in Aelinon.

Seraos' hard line in the sand seemed to be an effective means of opening up more cooperation from Farlo. The centaur was still exceedingly cautious - but such a thing was very reasonable. Seraos was not completely forthcoming about one aspect, however - his own willingness to seek a diplomatic resolution was not actually something that could be taken for granted, particularly in light of very recent events.
"So you are willing to negotiate - that is well. I can give you a general idea of what we would be looking to get, and what we would be looking to provide - we would be looking for mutually beneficial trade, and perhaps exchange of knowledge, and would be willing to provide the same protection we would provide any other ally," Seraos explained. "However..."
Seraos' expression revealed some slight dissatisfaction as he continued. "I will be forced to consider recent events when deciding how much any arrangement would be worth pursuing. The man you knew - General Lyon. He and his daughter were recently arrested for treason. Despite negotiations for their possible freedom being in the works, contingent on what we could uncover regarding you, your people, and this attack on my Royal Guard, he escaped prison - with outside help. No small-time effort, either - powerful magic, wielded by skilled mages. In light of this, I have recently - more recently than we entered this place - outlawed him and his daughter, and I've been forced to consider if this plot isn't actually even deeper than my own worst fears. Given that you are a diplomatic envoy, it would be severely poor form to harm you or hold you hostage, so I can promise you that you do not have to worry about your own safety here. Diplomatic immunity, if you will, provided you don't seek to abuse it. But while we can establish a framework for an agreement, you will have to know that these recent events will make it significantly harder for us to trust in your actions being in good faith, and it will thus be harder to solidify details until we know for certain how we need to regard you."
Seraos returned to a more neutral expression, to show that he wasn't trying to completely stop any further back-and-forth. "I didn't tell you about this until now because it was recent to me, and there was a good chance it would completely shut out any cooperation on your part before we could even begin, knowing how we are treating the one man among us you trust. This is, however, the behemoth in the living room - a matter that is hard for us to discuss, but you would inevitably learn about as easily as any resident of our nation. It is better you hear the news from me than anyone else."
Seraos took a slow, soft, but deep breath - his frustration with the sudden, drastic turn of events being slightly but unmistakably betrayed, despite his great effort to keep a calm facade for his men and the diplomat. "I'll arrange for the movement of the satyr and give the relevant orders, as agreed upon. You can continue the course of action you agreed upon - or you can leave. We will not stop you, if that is your choice. I would pray that things can work out between us - but Aelinon was formed by people forsaken by gods, and I will not start entreating them today. In the end, my rule is hanging by a thread - and I must secure that thread by any means necessary, for the sake of the stability of our nation."

Sergeant Farlo was relatively calm, until he heard that big however. He was left dumbfounded when he heard about General Lyon.
“Lyon? The old merman? Treason!?” he repeated, managing to keep his voice down to avoid sounding rude, even though he was in shock. He was unable to believe it, and was completely unaware that he was partially to blame for the predicament.
“I don’t understand. He’s possibly the most loyal lad I’ve ever met. He even rejected my offer to retire and live in our humble community. I even invited his daughter, but he wanted to continue working for you.” Farlo assured, beyond confused. Was it perhaps a misunderstanding? How could a lad as loyal as him, who rejected a better life to keep working, and his beloved daughter, be in such a horrible predicament? What could they have done so wrong to deserve their punishment? Before escaping that is. He didn’t want to believe the king was just being paranoid. He has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extreme and even cruel lengths to keep the stability he talked so much about.

As awful as he felt for Lyon and his daughter, the centaur had another priority on his shoulders.
“I know I’m not in the position to give an opinion, especially if I don’t know what happened to make him deserve such punishment, but I can promise you, his devotion knew no boundaries. He showed it to me.” Sergeant Farlo assured, hoping the king could at least reconsider. He was willing to help Lyon and Lydia, but only if the king allowed him and only after he’s done helping Danya. She was the more important one right now. Plus he was in a foreign land where he had no power, where the rules were different and far more strict. He even believed Lyon likely jumped at the chance to escape for the sake of his daughter. If the prisons were as depressing as this one, it was no wonder. Or maybe they were kidnapped? It was so hard to imagine what they were going through at the moment. But for now, Danya was his main concern.
“I thank you once again for allowing me this time with Danya and for allowing a transfer to a better place until the therapy can produce further results. She might’ve recalled more of her memories through the time we’ve been here talking. I’m ready to continue if there’s nothing else you think we need to discuss.” the centaur finished, ready to be escorted but waiting to see if the king had anything else to say to him or explain more about the diplomatic relationship he was hoping for. As for Lyon and daughter, there was too little he could do for them, except help the man almost literally in charge of their fate to think things through.

Seraos had nothing left to say, and needed time to sort out everything that was happening. "Excellent. I look forward to seeing your later progress, then," he said. "I'll leave you to it, then, and have my men do as we discussed. I have other pressing matters to attend to, so I will speak to you some other time."
Seraos began to leave, still pondering the matter of Lyon and Lydia - ad that was still on top of all of the other business he usually had to attend to. He couldn't let things with those two completely dominate his affairs, so he had to settle for getting back to work, and getting a sitrep once some more details had been discovered.
He couldn't shake the thought, though - was he doing the right thing? Was Farlo telling the truth? Did Farlo know the truth? What could be done about all this? At the very least, he wouldn't know until the organizers of the prison break were discovered.

As Sergeant Farlo was escorted to continue the therapy with Danya, he couldn’t stop thinking about the young human. He sounded truthful enough. He didn’t want to believe he was just fooling him into thinking he really wanted peace. The very existence of his society was at stake. Having ill thoughts about Seraos was something he didn’t want, but he couldn’t help being overly precautious. He couldn’t be the greedy kind, could he? He was a king. What more could he want? He had a strong military presence and a bunch of terrain, and by the looks of it, more than enough resources to obliterate those who wish him or his people harm, so what did he really want? What’s more, what could’ve possibly happened to him to make him distrust and punish those who were the most loyal to him? With Danya, he could understand, but Lyon? Did he do or say something that he took badly? All these thoughts were driving him crazy, so he decided to focus on the matter at hand and forget about everything else for the time being. There would be time to talk to the king again and help Lyon if he could. Danya was the priority now.

Far away, Maverick was missing his family a lot. He didn’t dare venture to the island and explore, even though that would distract his mind quite well, if you could get past the fish smell that is. Huntress was staying very far away from him, not wanting to meet the idiotic Icestorm again. He really wish he could befriend her and find out exactly why she hated him so much, or more so, what his father did to her to make him the root of her hatred.

Much later - with the actual time taken being hard to discern with no light or sight of the outside world - Lyon and Lydia were finally brought to a burrow of sorts, where their escorts stopped them.
"Down we go here," one of them indicated, as he withdrew a rope from his supplies. "You're familiar with the concept of rappelling, I'm going to assume? No fancy base or anything here - the entrance is as improvised as everything else." As he spoke, he secured the rope onto a sturdy stalagmite nearby, giving it a good tug to ensure it would hold.

That evening, it was time for another meeting with Alithe. Latnok set off as usual. Perhaps they needed to leave soon - Latnok was beginning to feel that staying much longer wouldn't be particularly fruitful. First, they had to see how things were going on Alithe's end, and how he was handling all of this new information from the outside.

Lyon nodded when asked the question, as did his daughter. While Lydia has been happy being very far away from that awful prison, once they came into a halt, it's when she really started to get scared. Why were these people helping them? What was in it for them? Lyon went down the hole first, giving her a smile and a small nod as if he could read her concern. From below, he would watch her as they got down. While he shared Lydia's same concerns, he doubted these people meant harm, otherwise they wouldn't have gone through the overwhelming amount of trouble of helping them.

The day went slowly for Angora and her care. She wanted to take Veris outside to hunt, but he didn't seem motivated, so she didn't force him. He has been very sad and quiet. If he wasn't going to bring the Cymbal subject, neither would she. Better, since she didn't want to talk about it either. Wanting to improvise a toy to see if Veris played, she brought her pillow. Waiting to see if he would respond, she took the time to look at the other wyverns... and they looked completely terrified and unresponsive, very likely the root being Veris himself. It was really painful seeing them that way. If Veris wasn't able to bond with a new caretaker, she was hoping he could at least do so with the other wyverns, but that also seemed like it was going the wrong road. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to stay with Veris in the enclosure for the night... if he'll have her.
"Well... good night big guy. Let's try hunting tomorrow. Both this time, shall we?" the troll suggested, Veris often being the hunter while she just watched. But maybe having a hunting partner would help? Plus shd could use a little exercise herself...

Once everyone was down the hole, the escorts continued leading the others on. One of them, with a flame spell as they passed by, set some torches in the wall alight - it would seem that this area was at least somewhat settled.
The sound of men chattering could be heard in the distance - judging by the subdued nature of it relative to the environment which would normally foster an echo, one familiar with such a thing would perhaps be able to identify a sound dampening barrier. A sharp bend in the corridor revealed a lit chamber, with many mermen and galuds who were seemingly anticipating the arrival of the pair - or, at least, Lyon's arrival.
"General Lyon! It is an honor to see you here with us! We are proud to have you on our side!" one of the mermen said as Lyon was led past. The merman, among many others, still addressed Lyon by the rank he held, and gave him the salute befitting such a rank.

Veris was, naturally, still very down about what happened. Life was usually simple for wyverns - but Veris was subjected to emotional turmoil the likes of which most other wyverns would never come to understand. Trying to make sense of the conflicting emotions regarding his feelings about his actions, his feelings regarding Angora, and the knowledge of Angora's impending separation - these all proved to be a taxing affair which he was certainly not trained for. It seemed the only constant in his life now was his human.
As Veris saw the other wyverns cowering, he secretly reveled in their fear - it being one of the few things that made him feel good at that moment. Doing so felt wrong - but though Veris' indignation since the event had subsided, it morphed into festering resentment against his fellow wyverns as he had time to dwell on his thoughts. This was all their fault. They attacked his caretaker. They were the reason she was leaving. They were the reason he did what he did.
Why shouldn't they fear him? Why shouldn't they know their place? If they respected him, they would have left Angora alone. He was the biggest, strongest one, after all. It was his right to domineer. Everything going forward was up in the air - but perhaps fear would stop anything like this from ever happening again.

Lyon’s hearing wasn’t the same as before, or wasn’t paying attention, since he couldn’t identify, or at least didn’t notice any kind of barrier. Lydia was relaxed to be there, the group seeing friendly, but the light was not bright enough to appreciate their faces, so she didn’t know if there was a familiar face. She smiled seeing her father getting the respect he deserved and being called by the rank that should’ve never been taken away from him.
“Greetings fellow merman. And gentlemen. Before we settle in with the formalities, I will say to you, I’m not proud of this. We were in the process of a fair trial, and it pains me to know this escape goes against any training and belief I have in my king. I only did this... for Lydia.” Lyon expressed, still wanting to remain loyal to Seraos despite everything, but wanting the best for his daughter.

The comment infuriated Lydia.
“Father! Why do you insist so much? If ki... Seraos really cared about us, why was he taking so much time to settle the trial? Why did he still left us rot in that horrible prison with that awful food? We... I was tortured, remember?” Lydia reminded, still recalling vividly what was done to her before they were locked up.
“Seraos didn’t trust you. He didn’t believe you. Even after DECADES of service! It meant nothing to him! WE mean nothing to him! He put a child who knows NOTHING of our ways in prison because of an accident, treating her like a lowlife criminal! And who know what he’ll do to her people once he finds out where they live!” she yelled, having lost much of respect for Seraos, if not all of it. Lyon didn’t scold or tried questioning her, knowing it was useless to speak to someone when this mad. He would wait for Lydia to calm down first. For now, he looked at the mermen who greeted him, hoping Lydia’s anger didn’t leave a bad impression, and wanting to make sure everyone knew his daughter was the only reason he escaped. If he had been the only one in prison, if Lydia hadn’t been arrested as an accomplice, he would’ve remained in that prison and refuse rescuing.

While trying to conceal sleep, Angora would sometimes look at Veris when he wasn’t focusing on her, and some of his expressions were... scary. What was he thinking? What was going through that complex mind of his? Veris was the only wyvern she has met who had no interest in preying on her, at least currently. Whether it was due to suppressed instinct or a high level of emotional intelligence, or both, was up in the air. Despite the higher empathy, the biggest irony was that he was the more deadly there, and the fact that the rest of the wyvern were terrified of him proved it. Of course, he wasn’t the Guardian leader’s mount for nothing. She opened her mouth to ask something, but desisted, fearing the answer. Instead, she rested her head on Veris’ belly, leaving her pillow with him in case he wanted to play with it later. There were conversions to be had for sure, just not right now. They could talk tomorrow after a good hunt...

As Lydia made no efforts to suppress her outrage, the chatter around them indicated a general sense of approval. "Damn right!" a voice could be heard saying in the background. The escorts didn't stick around to give everyone a chance to chat, however - they kept leading the way to another hallway, a much shorter hallway this time.
The hallway branched into several short paths. The escorts led the merfolk down one of them, leading to a small room. In the room, slightly more well-lit than most of the area, was a lone merman sorting through various documents.
The merman could be readily identified by those who knew him as General Brinecrag. He was one of multiple generals present when Lyon was arrested for treason.
"General Lyon... welcome," Brinecrag greeted. "A pleasure to see you here... and it seems your daughter is safe as well. I'm sure you have many questions, now... I will let you start with just one." He looked patiently and expectantly at Lyon, as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

Instead of being shocked, Lyon gave a scowl.
“You!?” he exclaimed, immediately recognizing him.
“I know. You were just maintaining image.” the old general expressed, knowing it would’ve looked too suspicious and treacherous if he has been the only one to vote in his favor. Certain it was the reason, Lyon proceeded to take advantage of the chance to question.
“Just one question; what’s the deal? With everything? King Seraos sees me, one of his trusted generals, as a traitor, then I escape. And now you, another general, turn out to be against him? The boy is paranoid enough as it is, on the verge of making poor decisions that may already be in the process of affecting his health and sanity. This could make things far worse. So tell me, what is the purpose?” Lyon asked, wanting to keep it as just one question. The big why. He didn’t want to imagine he and Lydia were not the only prisoners they have released. Or what intention he had with Seraos, or even Aelinon itself.

At a different prison from where Lyon and Lydia escaped, Sergeant Farlo and the satyr girl were being escorted to the so called Golden Cage.
“This has nothing to be called gold.” The centaur has said.
“Maybe it’s to make it sound pretty?” Danya responded, having spent enough time hearing the guards to sort of know how things worked around them. Farlo accepted the answer, but didn’t like it. He thought it was too misleading and an ugly lie. But the thought was just a triviality. He had an important matter to focus on...

Brinecrag gave a small smile, happy that Lyon could at least figure some things out, before returning to a more neutral expression. One of the documents on his desk could be identified as a map of various waterways in Redwater, though the details and accompanying data would be difficult to make out unless one was picking the map up to read it themself. "Right to the meat of the matter, I see. Very well. Here's the deal..." he began.
"To start, you immediately hit on a major point - the King is clearly losing his sanity. He is not fit to rule us. And the truth is - humans never were. Now, you are clearly a man of principles. Your convictions would not allow you to stand for what was happening, and forced you to confront the problem that is humanity when the transgressions were too great to bear - even at the cost of your own self-preservation." As Brinecrag spoke, he showed a side of himself that very few who knew him would have seen - his callous, casual contempt for humanity.
"You know our history. Humans were only ever a means to an end," Brinecrag continued. "They were useful bodies to fill the ranks, and we needed someone they would fall in line under. This expedient act is why we now have to endure a human king. Our nation has made progress in many aspects, however - isn't it time we make progress where it matters the most? In the very role which dictates our direction? As generals, it is our obligation to force a regime change when necessary for the sake of the people - and that is what I intend to do."
Brinecrag once again gave a soft smile before his expression flattened. "Now, General, the problem you had is that your convictions were too strong - they drove you to act prematurely. I am not quite like that, General. I prefer my enemies never know that I am able or willing to take them down - right until the dagger is in their back. Being hard to read, fickle - being impossible to plan against is what has given me success in my career.
"However, this occurrence can be made into a good thing. In fact... this is better than I could have hoped for. Everyone knows your story now. The propaganda will try to paint it one way, but those who matter will only need some nudging to acknowledge the truth. A man like you is a hero to rally around. And that is what you will be - the hero who stood up for what was right, the hero that every person who resents the current rule can identify with on principle. You will be... our Rogaso." Brinecrag paused to allow Lyon to get a word in. The general's words now were a drastic contrast from how most people knew him - no one who knew him would have any inclination of someone who could, without the slightest effort, share such disdain for one of the three major species of Aelinon. Unlike most people, he provided not even the slightest tell to those he was not directly sharing his ideas with.

Lydia smiled at General Brinecrag’s words. Finally somebody who saw his father as the noble hero he was. However, she was afraid of what Lyon would say next considering his expression.
“You sound like a different merman General Brinecrag. Like I don’t know you. I must say you did a good job hiding this side of yours. I’m afraid you’re right. I didn’t do a good job hiding my principles, and in doing so became a traitor to the nation...” Lyon began to say when Lydia interrupted him.
“Only because of some foolish law!” she reminded, but the unofficial general lifted a finger to shush her.
“I have become too sentimental with age, and knew I risk putting the people of Aelinon in danger keeping an entire nation a secret. But how else can you honor those who give you a second chance in life? Not that it matters now. With the satyr girl in custody, the nation could be in jeopardy, all because I wasn’t more careful.” Lyon pointed out before continuing.
“I must say you really surprise me general. What you’re suggesting could cause a catastrophic civil war. It’s true that we originally intended humans to be just an image, but at this point in time, you really think it’s a good idea to back down? Too much would be at stake, for us and them.” General Lyon expressed, believing it was quite insanity what his fellow general was saying. Lydia agreed with her father of not wanting a potential war, but also agreed with Brinecrag that Seraos shouldn’t be ruling anymore. Not because he was human though. But because of his slip in sanity.

Brinecrag was not bothered by the question at all. Indeed, it would seem odd for Lyon to not ask about potentially being involved in something potentially as big and significant as a civil war.
"You are wise to ask, General," Brinecrag responded. "This could potentially be catastrophic... but my plan is to lay the foundation beforehand for a swift consolidation of power. Just trying to instigate something without any idea of what victory looks like, or how one would achieve it - some commanders, admittedly, are flexible enough to make such things work. I, however, am not a man who prefers to jump out on a wing and a prayer, entreating gods who do not care for everything to work out in my favor."
Brinecrag picked up the map he was looking at earlier, the subject seemingly causing it to become relevant. "I can lay all this groundwork because I am beneath the notice of the Silent Spear. You happened to draw their attention with unusual activity after defending the satyr child; I do what I am expected to do, and then I am free to be here in the times no one needs to account for me. Now, the key to this is to immediately be able to rally as many people to our side as possible, as quickly as possible - once that happens, it will be very easy to assimilate would-be opposition that would rather join the seemingly strongest side.
"Now, in order to quickly draw people in, we not only need someone they can rally under, and resentment and discontent to drive them - we need an impetus. Something that puts the failings of the current regime on full display. Something to contrast our own promise with. Something that resonates with people not just on a personal level, but also on the level of their species.
"I am confident that our plan will enable us to snuff out Seraos once the situation calls for it - but to do so prematurely would create the power vacuum before we can ensure that we'll be able to draw the people we need. Once that's all established, however... then, we could proceed. With a strong enough impetus, this would ideally cause almost all of the merfolk and galuds to flock to us."
Brinecrag placed the map on the table. "This is a map of the traffic in the waterways of Redwater. This is also the key to creating the impetus." Just like everything else, Brinecrag didn't even hesitate as he mentioned assassination. Perhaps his coldness was meant to show his commitment - or perhaps he had spent so long planning that everyone and everything had been reduced to data.

Lyon was having a hard time believing what the general was suggesting. Now it was somebody else’s sanity he was questioning.
“You do realize what you’re implying, don’t you General Brinecrag?” Lyon expressed, his plan sounding more insane the more the merman general elaborated on it.
“Let’s just say your plan works. What is your vision of the future then? Humans might not have the... physical attributes mermen and galuds possess, but they are far more numerous. And what about behemoths? They already established their loyalty. Seraos is a human, are there are still many out there who will follow him blindly. I made an oath to protect him many years ago, and there are still many more who made the same oath, human or otherwise. Isn’t it our duty to make sure he and the rest of humanity can choose the correct path? After all, it’s still a young race, and Seraos is still a boy, driven by the strong desire to do the best he can despite everything working against his safety and mental capability. Even if you gather this... impetus, it doesn’t matter who the victorious party is. The loss that’ll result will be too great, not just the loss of life. Even if we get the victory you want, what do you think will happen next? How will that make us different from the dragons of old? Or worse, the Ishulgites?” the old merman pointed out, not even daring to ask if his companion was suggesting outright murder king Seraos himself to accomplish his objective.

Lydia listened carefully, remaining silent. She was really grateful to General Brinecrag for rescuing them and giving her father the admiration he deserved, but even she was wondering about the plan. It indeed sounded too dangerous... and crazy. Wasn’t there another way? She knew her father was making some very solid points, and she didn’t know anymore whose side to choose in this discussion.

Brinecrag's expression remained neutral, not at all changed by Lyon's opposition. "it is wise for you to be cautious of something so ambitious, General," he responded after a few moments. "And you are right in that there is potential for great loss. However, even that is... rather short-sighted, relative to end goal here. The consideration isn't for just ourselves..."
Brinecrag made a hand motion towards Lydia. "...but for our children. Would you not do whatever it takes to ensure that they do not have to live in a world where they are subject to cruelty for protecting others from the human scourge? We can create that world - but such things always come with a price. After all, Aelinon did not break free of dragon rule by playing along with tyrants. We challenged the status quo, and knew that blood would have to be spilled for it."
As Brinecrag spoke, he grabbed another document on the desk and scanned it over - perhaps it was also relevant to the matter at hand? "As for the behemoths - they will follow whoever commands their unit. That is why it is important that we be able to sway as many officers as possible to our side. The best way to do that is to become dominant enough that we are clearly seen as the winning side - which we do by having a head start, the one we are working to create. Once that happens, even humans will cede and come into the fold. That will be fine - more fodder for the front lines."
Brinecrag put down the document, looking back at Lyon. "I understand that such a drastic plan will leave you uneasy. In the moment, it seems unacceptable - but I know you are a principled man, Lyon. Though the far future is hard to appraise due to its abstract nature, I have confidence that, with a little time, you'll be able to come to terms with what we must do. You will realize that this is for the good of the many - and not just those of us here right now, but those of us to come."
Brinecrag raised a hand, and one of the escorts approached. "Allow him to take you to your room here. It's nothing luxurious, but it should be much better than where we pulled you from. Sleep on the matter. You know there will be a price - but the corpses of today are the crops of tomorrow. I will speak with you more another time."

General Lyon was in shock. Has his companion lost it? How could he think of something like this? It was insanity! And it upset him how he used Lydia to sway him more into his side. It didn’t matter the approach or the time. There was going to be too much loss, and the only ones who would benefit from everything would be the ever hungry behemoths.
“Lydia and I will take our rest now, thank you. And thank you once more for getting us out of there. But I will warn you from now, I only escaped... for her, and her alone. I don’t want Lydia to be part of any of this. And I will tell you from now, I am not happy about this. There’s still much we need to talk about after my rest, but of course, you know that already.” General Lyon assured, not wanting to leave anything up in the air, but age, the long walk from earlier and the poor food they have gotten lately left him completely exhausted. Before resting, Lydia wanted to eat, but she imagined they would be treated with food once they were in their new room. Like her father, she was having her doubts. She has lived long enough to know the terror that was war, no matter how well planned it was. Getting behemoths to their side would almost ensure a true win, but she never liked those beasts, and like her father said, there were still too many people loyal to Seraos. And like Lyon, she didn’t want loss of life to be part of the equation. But these people saved them. What could be done?

At the Guardian base, Angora slept soundly by Veris’ belly, finding his breathing strangely soothing and the movement of his stomach as he breathed relaxing. Despite having too many thoughts that stressed her, she wasn’t having any dreams or nightmares so far. One of the guards that gave his night rounds around the pens managed to spot her, and was very shocked. It was no mystery between the caretakers and guards how close Angora was to the master’s wyvern, but this reached ridiculous levels. Has she done this before? No caretaker would ever go as far as to sleep with one of the animals. He didn’t know if Guardians did it, but nevertheless, it was a dangerous move. Too much could go wrong being close to any sleeping dragon. As he continued his rounds, he wondered if he should report this to master Sere...

As the escort guided Lyon and Lydia to their next room, he stopped someone in passing, telling them to arrange two meals to be brought to what would be their new room. Once they arrived at the room itself, the escort explained the daily routine - and noted the importance of not leaving the base without coordinating first.
"You two are outlaws now," he informed them. "You'd likely be killed without ever getting a chance to explain yourselves. in the event you weren't, you would be endangering the rest of us. Be careful."
The room itself, while rather minimalist, had better accommodations than the prisons - much like Brinecrag said they would. Notably, in addition to the torches, there was a small device - a work-in-progress - that would allow the installation of a sun crystal once it was complete. Sun crystals were a magical tool originally developed by humans, which allowed those living in the underground to avoid the chronic effects to mood and health that could be caused by lack of sunlight.

Latnok arrived at Alithe's place through the open door - having not seen Alithe's door open before, but not immediately knowing to think anything of it. That changed immediately when he came into the next room, seeing Alithe's bed shifted over, and an enforcer menacing him with a club.
The enforcer gave a surprised glare upon seeing Latnok enter. "What are you doing here?" he challenged.
Alithe was behind him, giving Latok an almost pleadig look. What to do...?

Lydia lied on the bed, wanting to feel something that wasn’t the hard floor of the prison. It was not like her bed at all, but it was still an improvement.
“You have to worry about nothing. There’s no way we’re going back there.” Lyon explained, knowing too well that escaping would mean an automatic outlaw. While Lydia was grateful to be out of there, she missed her home too much, but knew they might never be able to return to that pleasant underwater house again. The meal she made for her father was likely spoiled by now, if none of the guards ate it.
“Thank you.” Lydia said to the escort, wanting to show genuine gratitude but unable to avoid having mixed feelings about this whole situation.

The night guard continued his rounds around the wyvern pens, deciding to give the report to Sere after his shift was over. He was likely asleep or busy at this hour anyway. But while Angora and Veris already slept, Maverick was unable to close his eyes. In order to pass the time and tire himself out, he was playing a game of spin the bottle with the minotaurs. Wherever the bottle pointed to, that individual would have to tell an anecdote about their past lives. Many were similar, so the minotaurs really hoped the bottle could point at Maverick so he could explain his own past, although the faun man would rather not recall his father and would try finding the most pleasant parts of his backstory.

As arranged, one of the men at the rebel base - a galud - brought meals to the room of the two merfolk. He set the two trays down on a table in the room. The food itself was actually of good quality - like a home-cooked meal, as opposed to the purely functional meals soldiers often had out in the field, or the somewhat edible (or, more fittingly, potable) sustenance that passed as food at the prison.
As soon as he left, another - a merman this time - came with several bundles of clothes, which he left on a desk. The clothes were a uniform, the same one worn by other members at the base. The clothing only being shaped for men, much like the lack of doors and lack of separate accommodation, was another indicator that having women at the base was not at all a consideration, which was not surprising for anything regarding military in Aelinon.

Veris' usual dreams of hunting were, this night, interrupted by the sudden appearance of another wyvern, a large male challenging him for his kill. A wyvern with no respect for him - the wyvern needed to learn his place. Veris found himself engaging the wyvern, besting the wyvern in combat... and killing the wyvern, adding him to the haul of a successful hunt.
It was a good dream. Perhaps it should have been a nightmare - but Veris found himself odddly pleased by such a thing.

Latnok looked at the enforcer, and back at Alithe. "Hold up, what's happening here?!" he demanded.
"Wondered what this old man was doing with you strangers here all the time," the enforcer said. "So I decided to look into it myself. There's no way he's not getting some extra food or some contraband from this deal you have. And I'm going to tear this place apart until-"
The enforcer suddenly struggled to grasp at the arm Alithe had wrapped around his neck. It was a pointless effort; the choke was a strong one. The man was unconscious within several seconds, and dead before much longer with Alithe holding the choke.
A rear naked choke - a simple technique to execute, but one that shows some knowledge on the part of the attacker. Latnok looked at the fresh corpse on the ground, unsure how to react.
"...I've done this before," Alithe answered, preempting the obvious question.
"Well, that... explains that," Latnok said. "Mind telling me how you're going to hide this? Pin it on us?"
"Well, that's one option," Alithe answered. "You guys leave now, and everyone will think you committed a crime and escaped. The second is that I frame this as a potential murder by a fellow enforcer."
"And they'll buy it?"
"Oh, that sort of thing is nothing new here," Alithe said. "Infighting amongst those who have the power. The Queen doesn't care as long as she gets what's hers in the end. Between that and other factors such as limited medicine, death isn't anything exceptional in this place."
Latnok had to think...

Lydia, being very hungry, wasted no time to wolf down the food. This was far better than the food in the prison, although her cooking was slightly better. Maybe she could cook meals for these people in gratitude when she had the time.
“Careful now dearie. You’re going to choke.” Lyon warned, being more patient and deciding to check the clothes first. But Lydia was too focused eating to reply.
“Hmm, this will be a little problematic.” the old merman said after seeing the size. Lydia, who was calmer now after a few quick bites, looked at the clothes.
“I wonder why ladies are not so considered in the military. Come on, we are just as capable as battling as any men. We might not have the same physical strength, but we compensate with other abilities.” Lydia complained, always finding it unfair how women weren’t given much of a chance. Her father has trained her to be a general before, but she has always doubted she’d be accepted.
“Well none of that matters now darling. This is better than nothing. Perhaps we can shape it to your size somehow later.” Lyon wondered, though Lydia was not interested in that. She would wear the clothes just fine even if they likely end up looking like pajamas. Having examined the clothes, Lyon finally settled down to eat at last.

Angora was momentarily awakened by Veris’ growling. But he was still asleep. Dreaming about food perhaps? That was the Veris she knew. It did scared her a little though, so she got a bit further away from his head just in case. Lacking the knowledge on how deep and horrible this dream actually was, she resumed sleeping herself, knowing that the more interruptions, the more tired she’d be in the morning. The night guard was already further away, so Angora didn’t see him.

"Well," Latnok asked, "how exactly are you going to frame someone else?"
"Easy," Alithe answered as he picked up the enforcer's club. With two quick strikes, the corpse's head gained all the typical signs of bludgeon wounds from behind.
"They're going to believe that someone else did it?" Latnok asked. Though he wasn't particularly doubtful, he wasn't familiar with the typical behaviors and thought processes of the islanders.
"Well, they don't have to believe that for sure," Alithe answered again. "All I have to show is that this shows all the classic signs of an enforcer killing another enforcer - our visitors, like yourself, use very different weapons than the ones that would cause this. The others trust my judgment on these matters... so I am generally beneath suspicion."
Well, Alithe certainly didn't seem like just a helpless old man. Perhaps it was time to start heading back.

It was time to sleep for Ilasi and Maverick’s children. Sand Dune was the only one there tonight, with Opium and Random staying at the latter’s home to tidy up their place so they could invite Ilasi and the young ones one day and change environments for a while. Random was even making a spot for Dahlia in case the dirt buffalo felt too lonely. The faun man was still playing the game with the minotaurs, with the bottle never landing on him. One of the minotaurs even tried cheating so it could land on him, but was caught. As the others told their anecdotes, Maverick was left wondering where was Huntress. He knocked on her door, but it was locked. She was really recluses from the crew. He has seen her sparring with a smaller minotaur, but that was just about it. He hasn’t seen Icestorm either. He could’ve played the game with them. He was left wondering if he could somehow make peace with them. It was quite clear the two hated each other, and only wished Icestorm could stop interrupting each time he tried talking to the bitter maiden...

There was little progress regarding the satyr girl’s therapy, unlike the last time. The memory must be too traumatic to recall immediately, so Farlo took other approaches, not wanting the moment to be recalled too suddenly. If he could help Danya recall other memories and leave the one they needed to last or to surface on it’s own, it was going to be better that way. The king seemed like a busy man, so he hoped he didn’t come to see the progress too quickly. This was likely going to take much time...

As Latnok headed back to the ship to communicate what happened, there would be one major problem; unbeknownst to anyone, Leoquin had not returned to the ship after heading out.
Earlier in the day, he had been fishing to pass the time, as he typically did. rather than the fish he sought to catch, however, several armed mermen converged on him. Arrested for "stealing the Queen's fish" - that was the charge put on Leoquin. It was nothing short of ridiculous; the island was teeming with fish, and a bit of them caught for sport would be incapable of even registering when there were multiple boats trawling for them.
As he languished in some prison above an underwater passageway, Leoquin couldn't help but feel there was a different reason for this all; he was being used to keep the ship at the island. That was, at the very least, his strongest suspicion. The Queen certainly realized that nothing good would happen if they were to leave, yet a direct attack on the ship was likely to prove fatal - so perhaps she needed some other means. He had major doubts as to whether the minotaurs would care enough about him to risk staying to find a way to free him, however.

As the game came to an end with the bottle never landing towards him to his relief, Maverick prepared to leave and finally conceal some sleep. After giving a brief farewell to his horned companions, he momentarily thought of Leoquin, wondering how his old friend was doing, but since it wasn’t strange for the merman to disappear and not interact with anyone for days sometimes, even while the ship was on the move, he didn’t think much of it. Constantly sad for his family, Maverick believed he needed much space, and didn’t want to be pushy. Plus Maverick focused too much on trying to befriend Huntress and get her at peace with Icestorm that it never occurred to him anything bad could happen. As he headed to this cabin, he hoped the woman wasn’t getting into much mischief given her hatred for dragons, but someone like her was bound to stand out in an island like that, not to mention that anyone smart enough would know better than to mess with a behemoth sized dragon.

Fortunately for everyone, Huntress wasn’t planning to do anything stupid like trying to get into the lair of a dragon as big as that. Behemoths not only had a hard skin, but they were nearly impossible to kill, their size alone being a big help. She figured dragons would be the same. She was not going to let her hatred of them get in the way of her common sense. In order to vent her frustrations, she kept a journal where she wrote everything that angered her. It was the best way to cope with everything she often kept to herself.

After returning to the ship and relaying the information for the night, Latnok returned to his cabin for some rest. The plan would be to get full accountability of everyone in the morning, and proceed with the travel plans from there. With the usual daily muster of the crew being in the morning, none would discover Leoquin's absence until then.

The night at the base would proceed with little to disturb Lyon and Lydia, apart from the rather rambunctious atmosphere typical of many a barracks. By way of one of the men unceremoniously entering the room, they were informed of when breakfast was typically served; General Brinecrag wanted to see Lyon immediately after he had finished eating.

Maverick woke up a bit earlier than usual that morning, unable to sleep anymore. He thought it was due to being on an island where a humongous dragon lived. Or that he missed his family so much. Since he was already up, he made himself breakfast, having permission from the minotaur cook to use his kitchen. He was also up early, so he was already there. Minotaur food was meaty and often greasy, so he had to end up cooking his own meal. When Maverick went to the main deck to get some sun, he saw Huntress on the stern, looking at the very visible fish from the clear water.
“You pathetic creatures, serving as nourishment for a disgusting dragon.” she muttered, having overheard some of the fishermen near the ship talking about food for the Queen. Anyone near her would only hear some muttering and no clear words. Maverick didn’t know what she was doing, but at least she wasn’t getting into trouble. He saw Icestorm a few distance away, and of course, a lot of minotaurs, including the captain. Someone he didn’t see though... was Leoquin. Where was that merman? Out for a swim? This early? Maybe he missed the water after so much time in a ship, and while he didn’t want to be worried, the long absence was starting to get to Maverick. The concern was arising...

While Lyon adapted to the conditions fairly quickly, but Lydia was having a harder time. The old merman fell asleep fast due to exhaustion despite his worries, but Lydia took a while longer. There was just so much to think about. What General Brinecrag wanted to do was just too insane. She was starting to think they should’ve stayed in that prison... no wait, that was crazy talk, wasn’t it? It wasn’t long before Lydia’s own tiredness made her sleep uninterrupted for the rest of the night. In the morning when they woke up, she didn’t like how their room was entered without announcement, but said nothing, knowing it wasn’t the place to complain about anything.
“Don’t worry my dear. I will speak with the general and then return to you quickly.” Lyon said after sensing his daughter’s concern. The food wasn’t something to write about, but it was still very edible and filling. Once they were done, Lyon announced he was finally ready to speak to Brinecrag...

The word was passed, and some men soon arrived to escort Lyon to Brinecrag's office. Brinecrag was waiting patiently, reviewing what seemed to be a plan of some sort.
"General Lyon. Our soon-to-be hero - no, legend! Welcome," Brinecrag greeted exuberantly. "Hopefully, a soft, warm bed and a full belly have helped clear your mind and consider the situation better? Remember - this isn't just about you, but our children and grandchildren! That is the most important thing to consider - the future!"
Lyon, having been a colleague of Brinecrag, would likely be able to recall a fatal flaw of his - though he was magnificent at strategizing, and deceiving and exploiting his enemies to have them act as he needed them to, he himself did not adapt very well to setbacks, often ordering his subordinate officers to "figure it out" when major hangups occurred. It was a testimony to his skill that he had achieved the rank of General in spite of that.

Lyon felt weird about still being called a general. He was not an official one anymore. It still angered him how General Brinecrag was still using the next generation to convince him further to go along with the plan. Despite never seeing this side of Brinecrag before, one that was willing to go against the ruler of their land, he knew him well enough to know he was ambitious and firm, and was quite prone to anger when things didn’t go his way. The general was giving much passion to this plan, and looked certain it was going to work, especially if he was involved apparently.
“General Brinecrag, you know I’m all for the future of our children. You have no idea how deeply I regret bringing Lydia into this mess, all because I couldn’t give information about the people who saved my life. And now I’ve dragged her in deeper with this escape. Let’s just say I go along with... everything. I want her to be no part of it.” Lyon assured, not wanting Lydia to continue paying for his decisions.

Despite morning becoming apparent outside, Veris’ large body kept things dark for Angora, not to mention the protected wyvern pens didn’t get too much sunlight, only the necessary for the cold blooded reptiles. Once the troll finally opened her eyes, she flinched, having forgotten where she spent the night. She tried getting up but felt as if something was tying her up. When she looked down, it was Veris’ tail, wrapped around her like a boa constrictor. Unconscious reaction or did Veris wrapped her on purpose to prevent her from accidentally slipping away towards the other dangerous pens? Or perhaps she tried using it as a blanket last night? Luckily, the pointy end of it was a safe distance away from her. She tried slipping away to get his food, but couldn’t. She was trapped. She was about to whisper for him to loosen up, but Veris seemed still so pleasantly asleep. She didn’t want to disturb him. She would have to patiently, and boringly, wait for him to wake up and release her...

Brinecrag's pleased expression was a clear indication that he heard what he wanted to hear. "Don't you worry, General - if you do what we need, and don't let her be witness to matters she may feel indignant about, and your daughter will never have to be involved," Brinecrag said reassuringly.
"Now, you've accepted that there will be a cost; we can move forward, and I will show you just how our plans will come into fruition. I realize that you may get cold fins, seeing things go from mere insubstantial talk to concrete plans. You may feel ill at ease, being complicit in facilitating these matters. However, understand this, General - finding and freeing you was an opportunistic act. I have been planning these things well before your imprisonment. My die has already been cast - the plan will move forward, with or without you, and freeing you has limited how long we have until our enemy wisens up, so we will be moving swiftly. They are still reeling and coming to their senses - we must strike again before they recover. The man you are, General, I know you can see that the future we seek is worth fighting for."
Brinecrag grabbed one of the many documents on his table, giving it a quick scan before continuing. "Now, then... I mentioned an impetus. The people must be shown the danger human rule poses to them, they must come to lose confidence in it, and they must come to demand something else - that is when a champion like yourself will most easily resonate with them. We are going to conduct two major operations to that end. Are you ready to see the machinations of the future?" Brinecrag looked expectantly at Lyon for the answer he trusted he would receive.

Before giving a concrete answer, Lyon needed to make something else clear.
“Of course, I hope you’re fully conscious about the events you’re trying to bring to life. Even if there is success, we’ll be gaining the hatred of humanity, and we’ll be seen like the greedy dragons of old, or the genocidal Ishulgites. And if there’s failure, it would mean the death of us all, and everything would be in vain.” he warned, knowing too well that there was no turning back from the situation. The moment he decided to accept help in escaping, it meant automatic outlaw, and even if he wanted to remain loyal to the king and warn him about General Brinecrag, he and Lydia were going to be executed long before they had the chance to explain themselves. He hated how the younger general was trying to guilt trip by telling him that releasing them has put them on the map further. In this point in time, Lyon was very uncertain what was the right thing to do...

His concern growing, Maverick decided to look for Leoquin around the ship, starting with his cabin. Where could the merman be? It was like him to disappear sometimes, but not to stay missing for so long. He was a hard worker among the crew, even if he didn’t interact with anybody often. While she liked him, Huntress didn’t bother looking for Leoquin. She would greet him when seeing him, but she wasn’t one to be worried or look for anybody. He was an adult. She wasn’t going to worry about him or anybody. She was going to mind her own business like she usually did, when she wasn’t obsessed with somebody that is.

Lyon's comments didn't seem to give Brinecrag any concern. "In the end, they will come to see things our way," he assured. "We will show them how a nation ought to be ruled. And there is risk - but there is risk in every great endeavor. The rebels that formed Aelinon risked total annihilation for breaking the chains - but it was worth it. I do have to say, though - I'm disappointed that you would think me foolish enough to attempt to build a new nation founded on tyranny. I want a brighter future for our nation - not a future where resentment and desperation leads to rebellion, ending in continental extirpation and exile for us."
Brinecrag set the document aside. "Well, moving on. We will show the people that their King has no reverence for their lives, or the sacred concepts they hold dear - such as justice. You remember the Redwater Scourge Disaster. Hundreds killed, who knows how many wounded. All a result of a dragon being allowed to fly away with a court order following one incident, and then violating the court order. This dragon - the Scourge - was, instead of being executed for his crimes, allowed to live, being fed much better than you were in prison because the King sees it as a weapon."
Brinecrag gave Lyon a few moments to process this. "A perversion of justice. This monster should have been put down purely on the grounds of safety - doing the world a favor - and yet it is living with its needs taken care of after what it's done. People have forgotten what our King permits to satisfy his own desire for power - and we will remind them."
Brinecrag grabbed a different document, laying it on the desk for Lyon to see. It was a map of the prison complex Shade was confined at. "Now, the prison it is kept in. It's well-guarded - but we have the knowledge and the tools for an infiltration. We know the power of the beast is kept in check by a collar provided courtesy of the Ardent Guardians. We know that the collar can also be used for things such as paralysis or the infliction of pain. We know that the collar can be controlled directly by the Guardians, but also by devices they designed to allow others to use it. And we know the guards have become complacent.
"Here's what will happen - our infiltrators will break in. They will procure one of these controller devices. They will find as safe a spot as they can to use it undetected. Then, they will release the power restraint, and inflict the pain necessary to drive the beast into a frenzy. At the very least, the beast is allowed to escape without ever receiving its due comeuppance; more likely, this event proves catastrophic.
"People will remember what their King allowed - and will know that he permitted it to happen, knowing full well how dangerous the beast is. They will know that he did this, instead of killing the beast to protect them, or to deliver the justice its victims were entitled to. None of that means anything to this human - anything for more power. If one ever wonders why humans never developed monstrous strength or innate magic, their consistent ability and dogged determination to use anything and everything as a means to power would show one that any of those abilities would have long been rendered unnecessary."
Brinecrag picked up another document, reading some intelligence and continuing on before giving Lyon an opportunity to voice his thoughts. "Also, as fortune would have it, the one Adjudicator among the Guardians who is usually stationed in Redwater left on an expedition some time ago, and we have no reason to expect him back soon. Though the Guardians themselves do not tell us of the movement of their men, informal sources say it's an effort to... explore the lineage of his fur dragon. Or something like that. To think that the Ardent Guardians would go from sacrificing themselves for the power to stand against dragons, to willfully setting out on long expeditions to satisfy the curiosity of their pets - quite the fall there.
"Regardless, we have no reason to expect any Adjudicator in the city, and they are likely the only ones who rank high enough to take direct control of the Scourge's collar. Any Guardians that are in the city will most likely be off-duty, anyway, with them not having particular business here. I would say this is a blessing from the gods, but gods have never done anything but watch us in our suffering."
Brinecrag knew avoiding the obvious matter would be impossible with Lyon. "We know there will be a price, General. The lives of our people are valuable. But that is the key word - valuable. Not invaluable. As generals, we know that the lives of our troops matter - but we have to make calculated decisions, and know those decisions will come at a cost. Holding a defensive line? We know that every minute of them standing their ground will cost us some men.
"The most important thing is that those lives are not wasted. When giving the order to hold, we can accept the sacrifices made by our men, because keeping the formation intact is the difference between a victory followed up with a mop-up operation, or a rout and a slaughter. These lives will not be wasted.
"You would pay any price for the sake of your daughter, would you not? When your own daughter refuses to acknowledge the tyrant as her king after torture and starvation, you certainly realize that something needs to change. It may be hard to accept - but you've weighed the lives of your men before, General, and you know, deep down, that doing whatever it takes to put an end to that sort of atrocity for those who come after us is the right thing to do." Brinecrag's expression was rather warm and open as he finished, though his look didn't indicate any particular hopefulness or expectation.