Viridos, Chapter 3

[Mundane Monster]

Nyashi ║ Avian ║ Courier, #5C3104

Nyashi narrowed her eyes at the other Avian, but chalked up her bad attitude to the situation at hand. Destruction and despair tends to change a person. But the girl really was starting to wear on her nerves. The presence of her mother and the child -- How in the world had she not noticed the child?-- stopped her from snapping at the other Avian and instead she focused on her inquiry.

The Staircase? Why would she want to go there? It was a bit late and an inappropriate time for a right of passage. As a child, Nyashi had heard of the staircase and at some point she had demanded that she be allowed to make the climb. However, her grandfather had soon knocked some sense into her after lecturing her about the dangers, both mental and physical, that resulted from attempting or even completing the climb. She'd never expressed curiosity about the tower ever again after that.

She did however, know where it was. "The Staircase isn't near here, in fact it's on the other side," She scoured the ground in front of her until her gaze landed upon what used to be her back door, but was now charred and torn wood with pieces depicting a once beautiful green floral design. She pointed in that direction. "there. If we move in that direction we should reach it..." She glanced at the child and her mother. "Not as quickly as you'd hope. Why do you need to go there anyway?" She asked, returning to her mother, giving her a cautious shake, and picking her up again. If she was anyone else, maybe she would have attempted to journey to the Temple or in search of a healer, however, she wasn't anyone else. She was Nyashi and right now, this ill tempered Avian and child, were all that she had and she needed to stick with them.

 

[Tegan]

Memento - Footnotes

Once his daughter had left with the Key to the Sky, the mad avian sealed himself within his workshop built into the city's outer rim. It's only entrance, a bolted steel door, carved out from the rock, was sealed shut by thorn'd hyrdraroot. Outside his workshop door, storms rage and gravity falls. It suited him just fine. The threat of a sure death was enough to deter any visitors.

Only genius could understand genius. He would need his privacy to continue his work.

 

[Asmodeus]

Riven Airspace

WHUMP!

For a moment, Kozoul thought it was bird strike. Most creatures knew better than to linger in the path of a Riven Great Bee, and it was only a rare and dumb few who suffered mid air collisions. But where there should have been a splatter of blood and feathers, there was instead the glaring face of an old friend.

"Valkyrie!"

"Bee Keeper." Faina steadied her feet on the shoulders of the bee, wobbling as it bucked in annoyance. The avian had dropped from somewhere above and spiralled to a clumsy landing just forward of the saddle.

"Get off my bee! You'll crash us!"

"I need your help, Kozoul. I need the queen's help." Faina scrambled up the thorax of the bee and cartwheeled into the saddle behind her, latching arms around the other woman's waist.

"Gagh! What? I'm bound for Edelon!"

"And the Aviary is bound for annihilation. I can't save it without you!" Faina yelled across her shoulder. "Turn back, my Apis Lord!"

"What? No!" Kozoul yelled at the bee too. "Don't listen to her, Brzz!"

"We don't have time for this." Faina closed her wings sharply, drowning the Forest Witch in feathers.

"Blargragh!"

"Back to Riven, Brother Brzz! Back to your queen!"

East Riven

WHUMP! WHUMP!

For a moment, Begis thought it was falling Aviary debris. Most of the rocks had struck on the outer branches, miles away, and it was only pieces thrown by geomantic force at odd trajectories that vexed the eastern side. But where there should have been an explosion of fire and wood splinters, there was instead the glaring face of two old friends.

"Valkyrie! Bee Keeper!"

"Healer." Faina and Kozoul steadied their feet on the path-branch, wobbling as it vibrated from their impact. The avian and forest kin had dropped from above, where a giant Great Bee hovered between the flower pods. Its buzzing had been drowned by the morning choir-song, and now darting fey clung like pollen to its black and white stripes.

"Get off the branch! You'll break it!" Begis spread her weight anxiously. This particular path branch was only for two at a time. Everyone knew the rules.

"We need your help, Begis. We need a mind healer." Faina tiptoed along the branch and swung underneath it to come up behind Begis. Further along, Kozoul clung to the branch as the vibrations almost toppled her.

"Careful! What? I'm bound for Lady Wysteria's!"

"And the Aviary is bound for annihilation. We can't save it without you!" Faina looped her arms under Begis's. "Hold on tight, old friend!"

"What? No!" Begis yelled to Kozoul. "What is she doing?"

"We don't have time for this." Faina spread her wings sharply and wrenched Begis into the air.

"Woooah!"

"To the Elder Hollows, sister Kozoul! Bring the bee!"

East Riven

WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

For a moment, Buhn thought the pillow would burst. But by the third whack the feather stuffing was evened out nicely. Yawning, she reclined in the banana-leaf hammock and tucked the pillow behind her head. But where there should have been the sweet embrace of sleep, there was instead a deliberate clearing of throats.

Buhn opened her eyes to see three people standing over her bed.

"Valkyrie! Bee Keeper!" She looked at Begis. "Er... hello?"

"Buhnwanah the Wild Flower?" Faina, Kozoul and Begis steadied their feet after dodging a nurse with an armful of seed pods. The avian, forest kin and human had made their way through the aisles of hammocks in the Root Ward, from the balcony where a giant Great Bee hovered. Its buzzing had been drowned by the groans of the injured and the shouts of nurses telling it to shoo.

"That's me. What can I do for you, Valkyrie?" Buhn sat up in the hammock anxiously. This particular visit brought an unnerving air with it. The trio before her had stern faces, pale with the prospect of something grim to come.

"We need your help, Buhnwanah. We need your tree-speaking power." Faina ducked under the hammock and gathered up the girl bags and spare clothes. Meanwhile, Kozoul and Begis clung to their own, hastily stuffed, backpacks.

"Tree-speak? What? I'm bound in service to the Architects."

"And the Aviary is bound for --"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Kozoul interrupted and pushed past Faina to grip the hammock. "Look, dear, the Elders said you were the only one they could spare. Nardunil recommended you to us."

"Here," Begis passed Buhn a vial. "This will restore you for the flight"

"The flight?! But what..."

"We don't have time for this." Faina whistled for the Great Bee, which came floating into the chamber, scattering nurses and scaring toddlers.

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!!"

"All aboard, my friends!"

Aviary Airspace

"His name is Elias, an inventor and eccentric. One of the Tondeo families - a broken bloodline, outcast from the inner choirs."

"That's nice, but why does it concern us?" shouted Begis from the back of the bee saddle.

"We think he's the one who stabilized the Aviary. Some kind of geomancy. But there's a problem - he's insane! We can't convince him to open the doors of his workshop. He won't let anyone in to help him!"

"So you want me to convince him?"

"The key to saving the Aviary is in Elias's mind. We need you to help him help us."

"And you need bees for that?" Kozoul shouted from the riding helm.

"His workshop's on the outer rim, in the middle of a graviton eddy, between two gorges formed by the collapse of the Talon Keep. The pegasi and gryphons can't navigate it, and the other avians have fled. Only your bees can get past those obstacles."

"Then why am I here?!" shouted Buhn from the middle of the saddle.

"That's the next problem. Elias has a second line of defense. Hydraroot."

"Hydraroot! Oh gods!"

"The vines are attacking any who come too close. We need someone more persuasive."

"THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLAN!"

"Hold on!"

The four heroes yelled as the Great Bee swarm spiralled up through a cloud of fire and spinning stone, piercing the murk to arrive off the starboard side of the falling city.

 

[Peregrine]

CHELENA-EDELON, cyan

Chelena pouted slightly, but her expression was primarily endearing. "Fine," she said, her fingers slipping across his face to briefly to twine among his hair. "Soon." It was a promise of far more than their next meeting. And then she was darting off, almost before Carus had a chance to finish his closing statement.

The call of the Holler was easy to follow, it drifted in the air like fine blue powder, rolling through the hallways no matter where she went. No longer concerned with anything but the blue, and what was waiting for her at the source of that blue, Chelena darted quickly through the hallways, Vethe scouting ahead for her. She made quick progress, even though she quite possibly covered twice of the necessary distance to get from her unexpected rendezvous with Carus to the source of the Holler. Even if she now had another purpose, she was still inclined to explore. This was, after all, a new place, and she never knew what she might find.

She was distracted only once, by the sight of a flower growing in a corner. She paused in her progress, fascinated by the gentle shades that arose from its petals. Her hand reached out and hovered only a millimeter above the surface of its petals, before the sunlight streaming through an upper window finally forced her to retract her hand. She never actually touched it though. Life had taught her that some colors were intimately tied to life, and she could not bring them with her. And that meant there was no point in disturbing them.

She reached the Holler undetected, and settled in a shadow near it. There was plenty of other room to stand, but most of it was touched by sunlight. And while Chelena was perfectly happy to enter into another battle with her bright foe, she was opposed to losing the opportunity to get to talk with Carus.

The whole room was filled with the bright blue of the Holler's roar. That would be more than enough to distract her until Carus arrived.

 

[Kooriryu]

​

Kozoul, Riven witch & bee keeper
In Riven airspace, Aviary

Not even the seething voice of the Hagmother Drala could surface out the sheer noise of the yelling, the Great Bees' buzzing, and whooshing air. She could barely make out what she had only thought of seconds earlier. It didn't help with Faina's ill timed interruption to her pilgrimage to Edelon completely knocking off her meticulously laid out plans from their course. She touched the bulge under her shirt for comfort, the medallion that would allow the witchling access to the Edelonian libraries would just have to wait a little longer.

"THIS REALLY IS A TERRIBLE PLAN!" the witchling yelled into her moss root mask through the sworling winds as they carried her voice and scattered it all around them. She gently patted brother Brrz on his antennae, assuring him that she would help make sure he and their kin would come back with all the pollen and glory the Hive could want for a century. The smoke and soot of the collapsing Aviary sieved through their limbs as they ascended.

... I changed out of charcoal smudged clothes for nothing.

At the Valkyrie's signal, she tapped Brrz's left antennae to halt his upwards buzzing and to maintain altitude. Kozoul looked out onto the Aviary proper, the fabled beautiful kingdom now a crumbling, burning facsimile of what it once was fading ever further as it deteriorated by the minute. The half kin knew fully the flying capabilities of the Great Bees of the Riven Hive but she had reared some of them from their larval stage and asking them to aid in such a hazardous request weighed on her conscience. Even pollination of hydraroot flowers was only attempted by coordinating teams of bee keepers and Great Bees. The irritation she felt at the Avian, old friend or no, hijacking her pilgrimage ebbed and flowed out of her as she surveyed the remains of the Aviary. Hosia had looked terrible upon their return to port but the Aviary's state was so much worse. Empathy and compassion broke out in the heart of the half kin. She wasn't sure what Faina's plan was, but to making sure the Aviary stabilizes to spare the rest of the Viridosi people of more tragic loss was strategy enough.

Steadying in her rider's seat she turned back to look at the crew the Valkyrie gathered, it looked like Faina had thought of the counter to each possible problem they would face in getting to Elias. Faina's tactical mind, at least, made up for her brusque demeanor the witchling thought, slowly gaining confidence in the Avian's strategy. The others would just have to be as fit for the job as Faina thought they were— herself most of all. Repurposing her magical techniques for combat aboard the Sea Wraith had reintroduced all the doubts the half kin had when she first began studying. Now, however, was not the time to dwell as she did on the ship. Kozoul learned that outside the hive, things move much, much faster and so now must she.

"This is still bad... but now what, Valkyrie!"

 

[Bahiyya]

Sevoret Umilas - Riven, purple

Sevoret had immediately begun her ascent on the trees upon closing her home's wooden door. Her bow was crossed on her chest, and the canister with her arrows in it was slung across her shoulder. She was eerily quiet as she reached up for a thick branch, hoisting herself on to it, only to reach for another. The daggers that were already strapped to her thighs shifted in their holsters as she moved. Nahsahr stirred amongst the Crux. This had been the first time since reaching port, and even a bit before, that he had made himself none. Before, he was just as silent as Sevoret was in the current of the moment. But now, he awoke from his apparent slumber, peeking his head out from her stomach before fully separating from her.

When she had reached a decent spot, so she uncrossed her bow from her body, holding it firmly in her right hand. Sevoret currently stood upon a thick branch as she began to ready an arrow. She moved stealthily, slowly. Her heart pounded in a slow pace against her chest, and she concentrated on this. This was the calm of her heart when she hunted. Hunting was like breathing for her. It put her at a strange ease. A few times she had once come upon prey who did not take kindly to her trying to kill them, and reacted with aggression. But, it did not faze her. It did not make her heart run rampant. To stay calm was a must.

She saw another pathway branch that was fairly close to the one she stood upon. And so, without hesitation, Sevoret bounced over to it. The branch arched, starting up, so she had to pick up a bit of speed, considering the arch was a bit steep, although not enough to the point where she could not make it up.

Nahsahr was following closely behind, an equally calm demeanor, compared to Sevoret's, about him. He was her extra pair of eyes in case he's sees what is unseen by she. He was her intuition, in case he was aware of something she hadn't the knowledge of. And apparently, he already felt strange about something that was unknown to her.

"It would seem as though you possess an onlooker," Nahsahr said, amusement in his voice. This made Sevoret stop at the top of the arch.

"It would seem so? Or would it appear so?" Sevoret asked, preparing to shoot an arrow.

"When intuition is involved, it's often the same."

"Indeed." Sevoret began to look around carefully for any sign of someone or something keeping track of her. At first glance, she didn't quite catch anything. However, once she looked over her surroundings two more times, she noticed two other branch pathways that were close to together. There was someone bent down in the area, trying to conceal themselves. But how poorly they achieved in that. She didn't even need to use her tracking ability.

She pretended to not notice, however she was slowly pulling back the string on her bow. And right after she glanced away, Sevoret turned back swiftly and released the arrow. It pierced an area on one the branches, deathly close to the presumably furry hand.

The hand reached for the arrow, yanking it out. And then, the mystery person stood.

"Bloody hell, Sevoret. Nearly struck my hand," Krieg said.



Sevoret had readied another arrow, ready to strike again. However, when she saw that it was Krieg, she paused. Krieg Daunt. He was a hunter of Riven, just as she was. They would sometimes hunt together. Two was better than one.

She rolled her eyes, yet smirked. "Wouldn't have struck at you if you hadn't been sneaking up on me." Krieg laughed as he jumped his way over.

"Yes, this is true." Once the ram anima reached her, he handed her arrow back. She snatched it from his hand, reaching behind her to shove it back into her canister. "Are you hunting? Perhaps you need a second man? Or ram, rather."

In fact, it could help. Krieg could help her carry the game back to her home. "A second ram would help, indeed." And upon her saying the words, they were off.

 

[Aschu]

Adelita Judnodn

​

If someone had told Adelita that her home would one day fall out of the sky, with everything she ever cared about with it, she would have called them mental, crazy, or maybe even guide them to a healer to get their minds checked for madness, now though, she would simply thank them and fly away to get Master. Because it was literally happening right now.

The room was on fire, and she was laying on the ironically cold floor, trying to recover from shock. One of her wings were pinned by a collapsed bookshelf that was getting dangerously close to the raging fire. The only thing that snapped her out of her trance wasn't the screaming from outside, nor the constant groans of pain from her master only a few feet away. It was a little, golden bird that landed near, and squawked in, her face. Her Aux, Feren the Phoenix. "Get the hell up Adelita!" he squawked frantically,"If you haven't noticed, you're going to die soon if you don't get up! And if you die, I die, and that cannot happen!" It took a few more good screams to get Adelita completely out of her trance.

Her eyes widened with fear, and she bolted upright, but a searing pain from her right wing stopped her. "AHUUG!" she screamed with pain. She pushed the old shelf off of her wing. "What the hell happen- Master Jonai!" She scrambled over to her mentor and friend, her only friend.

Unlike her, he had not been as lucky as to have a bookshelf fall on top of him, his wings and legs were crushed by two different fucking pillars. She immediately tried to move them, but to no avail. She didn't have enough muscle mass. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think any other race could lift those either"
"Enough Feren! It doesn't help me at all, now go find help!" Ferren looked at her, the panic in his eyes matching hers.
"You know I can't be even thirty-feet away from you! Besides, not even 50 Avians could lift that pillar! Plus the freaking house is on fire, we need to go!"

"Ferren's right my dear Adelita," said Jonai weakly,"leave me, you have to live" Adelita just kept trying to move the pillars, like she hadn't heard a word he had said, but tears were streaming down her face, tears that were reflected in Feren's expression.

"Not with out you!"

"Adelita, listen to me. My wings and legs are broken due to these damned pillars, even if you got me out, there would be no way to carry me out of the city" he untied the amulet around his neck, a charm he had gotten from his mentor, as he had told her, and used all of his available strength to force it into her hand, "Take this to Barvelle, they'll know what it means...." His voice faded away, his body went limp, and his eyes closed. Adelita screamed for him to wake up.

"Wait! What do you mean Barvelle?! Where the hell is that?! Besides you're coming with us..." Her voice cracked. She couldn't do this alone, she was only thirteen fucking years old. There was no way she would be able to survive alone. Feren's head fell, tears filling up in his eyes.

"We have to go Adelita" She looked at him, rivers pouring out of her eyes. She gripped the amulet tighter than she should have as a sign of frustration. "Now"

She then tried to piece her self together and nodded. She stumbled through the hole in the wall the pillar had crushed, along with her master, with Feren flying by her shoulders. They had lived on the outer edge of the Aviary thank the Gods, or God, Adelita wasn't that religious compared to the rest of the green nation.

She looked up to see the only place she had called home crumbling, and blazing. "What could have done this..."

 

[Hecatoncheires]

A solitary, cold eye narrows it's focus upon the horned undertaker as he delivers his obfuscated warning to Lady Ironblood, standing slightly apart from the two as they converse. His gaze never leaves Ash throughout the brief encounter. Little by the way of expression crosses the general's face as Ash speaks, though as the Prophet is mentioned there is a flicker of emotion that briefly illuminates the lines and scars before being quashed. Curiosity, perhaps, tinged with something older and far darker.

And as Lady Ironblood moves away to rejoin him before the archway leading to the Clad and Ash begins to turn away, Tattersal gives him the briefest of nods.
Once again, General and Alchemist stand together in silence. Tattersal surveys the assembled throng of nobles and clergy, seemingly unfazed by the attention they are being given. As he watches a sneer begins to twist across his angular, scarred face. With a flash of movement, he's leaning in close to Ironblood to speak in her ear.
"And as our cities burn, as our people wither and die," he intones, "the flies begin to gather. The carrion feeders circle in anticipation of the feast."

Ironblood turns to look into the general's face, and sees the contempt written as clear as day across his face.

Then suddenly it is gone. The mask has been donned once more. "Come along, then. It would not do to keep the noble and wise Clad waiting."

 

[Asmodeus]

Leaving Edelon

​

Their timing had been perfect. As Carus and Chelena set sail from the banks of Edelon, a graduation ceremony was just beginning. A new class of trackers, graduated from the Polestar Temple, were being wreathed in laurels and led aboard ornate, flower-decked longboats. And on every shore robe-clad choirs moved into position, to sing the ode of passage. The duo slipped beneath a bridge as audience gathered, and were away down the Pilgrim's Stream before festivities began.

But what time they saved was devoured when they reached the valley bottom. A herd of hippopotami decided to cross the river, and Carus was forced to idle the rowboat while the animals passed. To cajole them would have been an affront to Ilium. And when at last the way was clear their progress was dogged by a band of tree fairies who decided to pelt them with acorns. They only gave up their chase when Chelena tossed them a cinnamon stick. With the roar of the waterfalls in their ears, the departure had been a riot of sound and activity, and fully four hours had passed before either of them had time to think.

"She said her name was Nama. I liked how it sounded. Some words are made for women's lips." The Avian noble leant on the punting paddle, keeping the course straight as they navigated the lowlands. Up front, Chelena reclined, one hand in the water, half-listening to his confession as she took in the colours of the forest.

Carus gave a bitter laugh. "Father always said it would bring disaster - me running around, chasing foreign tails. Now he's missing... and fate has proven him right. Me and my dick have brought the Aviary to destruction."

"So you told her about the Alate?

"I told her everything. Every little sordid detail of the Aviary. I'm used to whores moaning for coins, you see? But this one... well... she rode me for the price of a few words." He looked out to the trees, where poison and rot made slow encroach on Edelon's borders. The avian was caught up in confession, laying out his sins whether Chelena approved or not. "And gods, what a ride! She danced for me at the brothel, and I carried her all the way back to Aviary, just to have her in my own bed. That's where I wanted her... that's where she wanted me."

"And how did this angel overpower you?"

Carus smiled again and cradled the paddle shaft. "With a kiss. There was toxin on her lips. I didn't wake for three hours, and by then the Alate was gone, and I was the single architect of my people's demise."

"You're taking it well." Chelena looked up at him ambiguously, neither cheer nor contempt, neither pity nor outrage. She was unreadable, as ever. Carus watched her for a long time as the rowboat drifted under hanging palm leaves.

Suddenly he snapped, "It wasn't my fault - it was her's! That bitch." The boat swayed with his outburst. He sat down dejectedly, his wings drooping, trailing in the water. A bag of seeds lay open in the hull and he scooped a handful, chomping down as if to forget his troubles. "I need your help to find her, Che. You're the only one I've seen as good as her."

Chelena raised an eyebrow and Carus circled his hand, as if trying to dispel the confusion. "I mean... that is to say... a lady of sleight."

"A thief?"

"I didn't say that."

Chelena went back to trailing her hand in the water, pupils dilating and shifting. "What makes you think she went to Hosia?"

Carus swallowed. "Poisoned forest to the north. Fallout to the south. No one in Viridos is going to buy that rock from her. So either she'll smuggle herself out of the country, or try to sell it on the Avarathi trade route. It's a reasonable assumption."

"You mean it's what you would do."

"I may end up leaving the country myself if I can't fix this." Again that sadness cleaved his charms - a dark grip he didn't know how to react to. This noble's son had never had to deal with guilt. He was a babe in the woods. "Please, Che. I have to fix this."

The thief reclined and looked back to the sky, enjoying the slow saunter of the boat. "Madames Shekar and Belphebe will know if something's selling in the guilds."

"We'll dock with my friend, Khanaan. He knows the city."

"And what if the Alate is already gone?"

Carus took the paddle again and rowed harder. "Then we'll find a nice spot where you can bury me."

 

[E.T.]

Goodbyes had never been so easy. By the time the row boat was lowered over the side of the ship and two crew members had been chosen to take them ashore Caoimhe had had all she could take of sea travel and the ones that had facilitated it. But there was one thing that slowed her steps, one thing that made her hesitate disembarking the boat. A man that she had come to call Grandfather. She had been aware that he would not stay with them, but that didn't mean that she was not sad that it had to be now that he was leaving them. She was quick to spot him at the railing, and in silence they exchanged looks.

Most of what a wolf communicates is done so silently. A glance, the twitch of an ear, the sway of tail, the position of the head, and while it had been a long while since she had spoken with a wolf Caoimhe still retained the ability to read silence. And more often than not she could read someone's silences better than their words. And Glyph was one of those men who could speak volumes in his silences, even for those who were less fluent.

But even so as she approached the railing were the boat waited in the water, she felt that something was not yet complete. Most commonly wolves left each other with scars, badges earned in fights, simple grazes left from a particularly good play session, she had many of her own as she did not have the added protection of a fur coat. But that first family she had met had quickly taught her that such marks were frowned upon by most. And she traveled so lightly that there was nothing that she really could give. Suddenly on a whim she reached up and swiftly pulled her wolves tooth necklace from around her neck. For only a moment she gazed at the tooth that had once belonged to one she had called brother and the bone beads that she had spent a winter carving, keeping her mind away from the cold that had gnawed at her bones. Folding the whole thing into the palm of her hand she pushed away from the railing and ran back to where Glyph was standing. Without a word she pushed the necklace into his hand and then just as quickly she turned and vaulted over the railing and onto the waiting boat below. She didn't look back.

Once on shore she took a few seconds to look around at the land that seethed before them. Using them time to enjoy the feeling of solid land beneath her feet. Back on solid land she felt more at home, yes even this humid jungle felt more like home than the deck of a ship. Gently she shifted her back from where it was cradled against her chest to her back. It was true that she preferred having the egg in her arms, but she wanted both hands free if she was going to be moving through this new territory.

Already it seemed that they were attracting some attention, something that was putting Caoimhe on edge, but not as much on edge as their new contact Shekar. This merchant had a hungry sort of smile and Caoimhe could admit to starting forward a hair in defense when she had thrown the flask at Medwick. But there was little for it, so she followed along behind all her senses on alert, although she was pretty careful to keep to herself, only snapping at Shekar's Aux once when it bobbed just a little to close. Upon receiving the cloak she cast a quick glance at what remained of the group. It was so hot that she was reluctant to put on any sort of clothing, having stripped down to her thinnest layers long before now. When she finally put the cloak on she looked up at Shekar from under the hood and said softly.
"Where now?" On the ship she had heard another name mentioned but she had no idea what they were going to do now. They had not discussed where they were going to meet, what to expect, nothing and she was not sure what to think about it.

 

[Nitsua43]

Medial Riven Branches

The trek to the inner branches took three days. Three days of hiking, climbing, resting, and avoiding upper branch dwellers like the plague. Wysteria had a way of making enemies simply chatting, and it showed. Several forest kin were ruffled enough with the election of a human into an advisory. When Wysteria acted her typical mystic, it angered many kin in high branches. Those closely associated with her were blacklisted by the kin and typically driven into. Messengers often disappeared. Begis was unaware if he was noted as an associate, as the kin usually payed him no mind, but being cautious away from home never hurt.

The closer Begis traveled to the Riven trunk, the less prominence humans had over the tree. Cottages and tents gave way to lit hollows and gargantuan flower fields. Begis crept in between each, lengthening the trip all together. He kept quiet in the presence of forest kin, cursing himself for answering Wysteria's summons. News of the Avian city falling disturbed Begis, among the usual whispers of death and poverty of the outer branches. Along with the death of Jameson, Begis entered a somber state, making him avoid forest kin and humans alike after two days. On the third day, Begis spotted debris falling from the sky. The Avian city... a flying wonder... crumbles like molded bread... life in the outer branches can't compare to that loss... wonder if the Avian people will rebuild? The moment Begis took his eyes off the 'debris' was the moment it decided to careen towards him at breakneck speed. The 'rock' altered its course with graceful recklessness and paused only to check its aim.

Faina and Kozul spotted Begis awhile ago and picked him as their first pick up. They flew into the Riven tree with the force of a falling star, swooshing any branch close to their descent. The 'falling with style' duo stopped suddenly in front of Begis' oblivious face, glaring with earnest at him. The surprise nearly toppled him over the branch. Begis sputtered out two words when he recognized them through the fear of falling."Valkyrie! Beekeeper!" More forest kin and avian peoples followed them, all drowned out by the buzz of a large bee. he pair echoed his greeting with "Healer." Recollection of what just happened numbed any memory of past relationships, leaving Begis to shout at his old friends. "Get off the branch! You'll break it!" They merely ignored his plea and reasserted their arrival. "We need your help, Begis. We need a mind healer." Protest on Begis' part proved useless,as the avian soon carried him off into the sky.

Above Riven

Begis eventually settled into his own bee, riding it side saddle to allow him to shift through his potions and droughts while talking. Valkyrie and Beekeeper disclosed why they snatched him and a tree builder, Begis could only shift uncomfortably. He spoke in his best doctorly voice, as it seemed appropriate, with his outer twang still peeking. "The salvation of the floating city, lies in the mind of a madman? Coming to me for help means he can only be nuts, famous, and functional. Tough to crack. He could live in his own world, or see any outsider as a threat. I feel the best approach would be to understand what happened to him. More than likely he's shutting himself up out of fear... dangerous." Begis thought about the whole thing, puzzled by the drastic behavior. I suppose there is a chance he's unaware of the fall. Not likely, but still something to think about. Maybe something caused him to destroy the city himself?

 

[DotCom]

Memento - Two Days Past

Part Four - Revere

​

In the empty spaces between heavy wingbeats and ragged breaths, Aerie could hear the air crackle around her with heat and flame.

She was tired.

Sweat pooled between aching shoulder blades to run down her wings. Dust and debris clung to her skin, her hair, her feathers. Smoke made her eyes water and her lungs burn, and the fire leeched what was left of the oxygen from the air. It was easier to fly low, where the air was arguably clearer, cooler.

But there was danger there, too.

Her home had seemed to know she would be returning, and wanted to greet her by casting itself into the sky. It was a rare moment when pebbles and bits of glass did not tear through her wings, but even that was preferable to having to swoop up, over, and around collapsing buildings.

There was another rumble to her left, the only warning before a small cottage shuddered and collapsed, coughing dust and debris into the sky. Aerie made the mistake of turning aside to shield her eyes from glass and had to fold her wings and drop from the sky to keep from being crushed against one of the supports toppling into her line of flight.

Around her, the city burned.

Ahead, the tower loomed out of smoke and flame, a great black maw in the orange sky.

Aerie - The Aviary, darkred

"We?" repeated Aerie. If her broken, tired wings could have slumped any further, they would have. The disappointment and reluctant acceptance hung so thick in her voice, she'd have not been able to hide it, even if she wanted to.

And she hadn't.

Granted, it was a little late to look a gift horse in the mouth, but people tended to find Aerie disagreeable on the best of days, and this was certainly not that. She had a city to save, and she wasn't going to be helped by a child, a bleeding old woman, and her over-sensitive daughter.

But.

But she did seem to have a better idea of where the Staircase was than Aerie. The fall from the tower had done more damage than she'd thought to have gotten so badly turned around. Though it wasn't helpful that she could fly much above the canopy of smoke sitting overhead, either.

Aerie dismissed the other woman a moment, looking from the small girl to the old hag and back again, wondering just how cursed she'd be if she assented to leave the two here on their own and force the more able of the trio to accompany her to the Staircase.

To what gain, though? Elias had made it very clear no one else was to touch the crystal. And whether that was because he didn't trust anyone, or because he'd built a surprise bomb into the locking mechanism, she didn't know and didn't care. Things had to be taken care of, one way or another, soon. Now.

Groaning in defeat, Aerie held up the box.

"I can give you the short answer," she said tersely. "Briefly put, I need to get this box to that Staircase, or the next few days will be much bumpier, much hotter, and much shorter than these past. So, are you going to stand around pointing, or are you going to help me?"

 

[Tegan]

Edelon
​

With Tattersal's whispers still churning in her brain, Ironblood quit the Council Hall as her fellow Clad gathered around the General. It was a neglect of her duties, but there was a matter more pressing.

The alchemist found the undertaker in a corridor leading back to the great hall.

"You seem to know a lot about me, undertaker."
"I am Ash of the Heartwood."

"Ash? Follow me to my lab, if you please. My hand is injured and I could use an assistant."

Alchemists Laboratory

Ironblood had lived in the same monk's cell within the temple of Ilium for most of her life. She slept in the same sun-drenched bedding, took her meals with the other neophytes seated on a cool dirt floor. On the day she was accepted into the Clad and pronounced High Alchemist, the Lady was allowed a private workshop.


On that day forward, Lady Ironblood lived in her laboratory. This was the world that she understood; devoid of alien emotions and dualities. Where the only variables were the ones she had placed and well-documented. A place of pure cause and effect ad infinitum. A world where she could break everything down and rebuild it again or into something else entirely.


Ash ducked, trying to avoid tangling his antlers in a series of tubes suspended from the ceiling. The Undertaker then passed a vial of salt to the alchemist. With a pestle and mortar, she ground the ashes the forest kin had given her with the salt, sulphur and cinnabarite. "You traversed the dreamtime with the Jade Prophet?" She seemed genuinely impressed.


Ash took the heavy mortar from the work table, and held it over a round bottom flask, while the half'kin dusted the contents into a clear solution. They placed hot coals beneath the flask. "Yes. While I was with him, my Aux and Crux were as one."


"Then he showed you what...what happened." The solution began to bubble over, Ironblood removed the flask and held it aloft in her left hand, so that Cora could watch dozens of crystals form in the solution. The alchemist deposited the crystals and remaining solution into a funnel stoppering a vacuum flask. They waited as the impurities in the solution were filtered through a venturi tube.


"And he didn't tell you anything else? Where he was going? What to do about," Ironblood moved, as if to perform a mudra to convey her thoughts, but she quickly abandoned the endeavor in favor of gesticulating incoherently. "This?"


The Undertaker shook his head. "No," he whispered with some remorse.


"He must have done all this for a reason. He wouldn't just abandon us like this." She drew out a crystal, pinching it between her bare fingers. She squinted as she held to the light then declared:


"Congratulations, you've brought me the ashes of thirteen dead people."


Cora's jaw dropped, before she burst. "But he already told you about all that!"


Ironblood smiled, held the crystal closer to Ash to inspect. "Yes and see the clarity! This confirms that it was their Aux that was corrupted, not their bodies." Though dark circles lined her eyes, and her skin was pallid, the woman seemed to be elated to speak of the thing inside her. "This thing inside of me corrupts via transmission of its own geomantic frequencies." Ironblood stopped, realized she had been pacing, and that Cora and Ash were staring at her.


"It possesses people."

"Which means, if we can keep its corruption from spreading to my Aux, we have time to invent a new prison."

 

[Saphen]

Ash of the Heartwood

They spoke of the dream, the dead, the prophet, trying to piece together the puzzle that was undeath.

Ash watched with concern, Cora with wonder as the Iron Child made her concoctions. Lady Ironblood held the vial in front of him and so he looked at it curiously. She explained how the beast did not harm the Crux but rather the Aux, this realization caused him to look at Cora for the first time since they had entered the room.

Ash was all too familiar with danger, even in his line of work he dealt with his fair share. Even the occasional grave robber could spell the end for the undertaker and it was a danger that he had accepted as a part of life for Crux. The one thing that kept him going above all else was that Cora could never be hurt in the ways that Ash could. She was his companion, his friend, and the only true love he had ever experienced in his entire life. She was with him in every moment, in every thought, whispered in every dream, they were inseparable. That even if she felt the deepest emotional pain that at least no one could lay a finger on the one that truly held his heart.

And now it had all changed, that this vile creature that the Iron Child had caged could come crawling out of her throat and strangle Cora in her sleep, the very thought frightened him. At the same time it reminded him of the world the Prophet had brought him to. Where Aux and Crux were of the same body, they were one. If they were one in that world could Cora be harmed there as well?

Ash stood there for long moments, the air felt thick and his expression was pensive before he finally broke the silence.

"What is this beast? Crux or Aux?" Ash asked curiously, Cora's gaze turning towards him as she listened to his thoughts before he spoke. To Cora it was a jumbled puzzle of random ideas, like many children speaking at once, but she was practiced at deciphering what he was thinking even in his subconscious. Cora's expression began to match his own and after a moment she closed her eyes, melding their thoughts together completely. Every moment they did in unison, their eyes twitching, hands rubbing together, even the way they balanced on their hooves seemed to happen in perfect harmony.

"You are wondering what would happen if Lady Ironblood went to the Prophet's world aren't you?" Cora asked aloud and Ash nodded in reply staring at Ironblood before Cora and Ash began speaking in unison.

"If Crux and Aux become one in the world of the prophet, what would happen to you if you went there with this beast inside of you?" The thought brought about even more questions as to what this creature was, why it was here, and what would happen to the world if it could corrupt a being of great power.

"What if the Prophet left to protect his Aux from this corruption?" they said together once more before their thoughts began to be separate once more.

"This is too dangerous for you Cora," Ash said aloud to which Cora replied "And what? Are you going to send me home?" A whimiscal smile forming on her face but Ash's grave expression caused her to stop smiling quickly.

 

[Wordsmith]

Z'tir, Green

Z'tir waited motionless as the Great Prosperos flowed endlessly by.

The Anima's brain was going a million miles per hour as he tried to make sense of the insane premonitions the River had shared with him over the last month. Indubitoly, the pieces of the puzzle did not fit together at all. The Prosperos had given him an amazing gift, but after a life time of strange visions nothing made sense anymore.

Utter confusion of the meaning of reality did not subdue his courage to act though. Spotting the exact group of river-boats from his vision, Z'tir called his Aux to perch at his shoulder before setting off into the mighty flow of the Great River to meet the tides of destiny head on. Z'tir had a part to play before it was all over.

Approaching Chelena and Carus' vessel, Z'tir hailed them with the grim and deadly face of a rapid tiger, "I am know as Z'tir to all those whom call the Prosperos home!" His voice sounded strange and mysterious, making him seem more convincing, "The Great River has fortold to me your part in the game that is about to begin... it is my job to see you to your destination... These lads mean all well, but they do not know where you must go...I do... It has been told to me... I warn thee now to heed my words!" That last part he growled baring his teeth.

 

[Falcon]

[dash=grey]

Hosia - Shekar Ma'alin, saddlebrown

"Where now?" Shekar echoed as she studied the group in front of her as they donned the cloaks. "Now, I take you back to my shop where we will find you better fitting local garb and discuss the protocols you will follow when meeting my associate. From this point forward we will walk some of the main roads. You will not gawk, you will not dawdle, you will not act like you want to hide, and you will not stop to offer pity to any we see. Since the Aviary fell many are refugees and few will stop to question a stranger when they have their own homes and fires to douse. So long as you don't act like a tourist there shouldn't be any problems."

"Pretend instead that you belong here, that you have purpose." Nox offered helpfully bobbing around the group. "With all the chaos going on around here with the falling debris and fires, anybody who looks like they're lazing about is getting roped into work."

Shekar ignored her Aux and led the way out of the alley. Many Aux, it seemed, did not speak to any except their own Crux. Nox was an exception. It worked to Shekar's advantage that he spoke to others. This time was no different. Their individual reactions to his speech would tell her something about them where words could not.

She was very purposeful in the route she took them after they left the alley, crossing public squares and walking down main boulevards as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do with three foreigners tailing her. Sometimes she'd cross through a back alley, but only where it served as a shortcut to where she wanted to go. Anything else looked like skulking and that she wanted to avoid. Thieves had taken to looting the ruined houses and they could not afford any misunderstandings. She took them the quickest way between the docks and her shop at the roots of the great tree. There was no point in trying to get them turned around. Everyone knew where her shop was anyway. That and there were refugees camped in her front yard, not to mention the cots set up in the main shop.

Behind the open, green painted front door was a large space filled with bedding and blankets, with little walking room in-between, across the flagstone floor. The merchandise had been shoved up against the walls or squished into corners. The walls and curves of the room were the natural wood of the still growing tree, The counter was a long thick portion of one of the roots that had raised itself from the ground before curling under again. Even the bookcases full of old tombs that lined the back wall seemed to be the tree's natural indentions, as if the wood had simply grown that way, or been coaxed to grow that way.

A few refugees were still inside. Those that were, seemed busy about their own tasks. A porcupine Anima and a willowy forest kin rolled what appeared to be bandages for the wounded, two girls with butterfly wings worked on mending a basket of cloths, a father and teenage son worked at mending tools, a young mother had taken a moment to feed her babe, an old man snored softly in the corner, and a soft moan issued from the darkest of the shadows behind the counter.

Shekar ignored them all and pulled out a chest from a corner and opened it to show it was filled with old, but well cared for cloths. "Take what you need," she instructed them, "Consider the price part of my bargain with Kessel. If modesty concerns you I will unlock my office for your use." From her belt she took a small silver key and opened the door in question showing a small simple room beyond. Let them search it if they liked. It would be interesting to see what they found.
"After you change we will talk. You will be going nowhere else until I have been satisfied you will not do anything stupid."

[/dash]

 

[Asmodeus]

Hosia

"You'll have to enlighten me as to your definition of stupid, being a talking lizard who lives in a tree and worships imaginary beings at the behest of a schizophrenic."

Shekar turned in the middle of the shop floor and scowled at Medwick. Silence hung between them. Then she snatched a crossbow off the wall. The bolt sailed across the shop and thudded straight into Medwick's heart. His eyes went wide. Blood spattered from his mouth.

He fell.

Shardis released a yowling cry and pounced on Shekar, ripping her limb from limb, blood and body parts spattering the refugees as they screamed. And as the shopkeeper was dismembered, Caoimhe clutched the dying Medwick to her chest, holding his head and tipping back her own. She howled skyward, a single note of mourning, and through the doorway behind her, Aerie landed in the street and raised both arms in victory.

They warped into limbs of pure ice as she laughed with Golem fury.

"THE GHOUL SAGE IS VICTORIOUS! WAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!"

Hosia

"Are we clear?"

Medwick blinked from his daydream and focussed on Shekar. He managed his best smile. "As ice, Madame."

Never before, even in the cramped and seedy shadows of the Black City, had Medwick witnessed such crowdedness. The shop of Madame Shekar was not only nestled within the rooted bowels of a Blood Cypress, but was furthermore cluttered with antiques, assorted debris, the food-crates of merchant ships, and no fewer than fifteen unwashed refugee families. And that was only the inside. The Architect-sung branches of the outer walls were hung with all manner of leaves and canvas to provide tent-space for twice as many families again. A communal toilet did battle with the scents of oranges and roasting eggplant, while chicken, monkeys and parakeets were alternately startled and aroused by the Aux around them. The rafters alone were a battlefield of hissing cats and squawking pigeons, fighting for a square foot of piss-soaked territory. And then there were children - not the good kind that shut up or die of cholera - tugging on the wizard's robes.

For a man raised on an ice plain, where the sight of a fellow mortal was a cause for celebration and mutual warmth-sharing - this city was HELL. The claustrophobia struck with a force as savage as his allergies. Sweat broke out on his brow and neck. His heart raced.

And he was blocking the doorway.

Shardis and Caoimhe jostled him inside and started looking through the chest of fabrics Shekar offered them. The Hosian silks were lightweight and airy, like scraps beside Pegulian cloth. They smelled sickly of cumin and cinnamon, and sported embroidery that was no doubt religious. Medwick had to wonder which household spirit he would be offending or pledging himself to by choosing one robe before another.

"RAAAAAGHBLAGHAABRRRAAA!" He screamed at a mob of street children and fairies that were hassling him, and as they scattered he found a corner to undress. With a recently-dislocated shoulder and a rheumatic knee, it was not the swiftest of procedures. The mage uncovered pale skin, crossed with rashes from allergic scratching. For every scar there was a pimple, where insect bites festered. The wizard was a meal to Viridos. His blue sage robe, once the pristine emblem of the Barvelle elite, came away a tattered relic. Torn by ice golems, festered by mountain ice, creased by pirates and stained with swamp water. The record of his journey would now be told in his eyes alone.

Beside him, in the corner, an old man snored loudly. His face was a warty, contented kind, with fat cheeks and wrinkles, like he was carved from wood. Medwick tossed the robe on top of him, and the snoring continued, albeit muffled.

"Oh shit!" He turned to face the other way as he removed his leggings, and promptly found two anima fornicating within arm's reach. They gave only glances to him in their ecstasy and continued their rhythm. Medwick stumbled away and wrenched his leggings off. His only recourse was to screw his eyes shut and get through. At the very least, he wasn't the only naked person in the room.

A pair of brownies ran inside his discarded leggings and made off with them. A monkey tried the same with his boots, and was swiftly punted across the room. Medwick snatched a dark green robe from the chest and pulled it on as fast as humanly possible, before dashing at a birch tree Forestkin.

"MINE! THAT'S MINE! YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" He snatched his marker sash away from the tree-person, seconds before it was sniffed, and tied it around his waist. Then he spent the next few minutes yanking his falchion sheathe from a nest of brambles that had decided to grow around it. The sword came loose with a spray and Medwick sneezed again before whirling.

"Right, I'm ready. Let's go. Come on - we're leaving! This instant!"

Never had the wizard wanted to eject himself from a place of shelter as much as now.

 

[Peregrine]

Leaving Edelon

Even as Carus went back to hurriedly paddling, Chelena lounged back into the boat. A tarp had been draped over the prow so that she would have a place to hide from the sunlight, but right now she sat boldly in the bright rays, little concerned with the tight feeling that was starting to grow in her skin. She cupped some water in her hand, letting it run through her fingers, before taking another handful and flinging it at Carus. He spluttered and nearly dropped the paddle, before rounding on her in indignation.

"This is serious, Chelena."

"I know," she replied, unconcerned with his shift in mood. "But paddling in this river won't get us where we want to go much faster. You had a plan to speed things up, too, I hope?"

Carus was silent for a moment, but seconds later their concern was set aside. The colors of a small boat pushing its way through the waters was enough to draw Chelena's attention, and her sudden shift in focus was enough to cause Carus to look around as well. In the small boat was a Tiger anima, who rapidly pulled up beside their own small craft.

Chelena barely gave him a chance to finish stating his business before she was vaulting over the side of the boat and into that of Z'tir's. A knife had materialized from somewhere, and was now placed only a millimeter from his furred throat.

"Chelena!" Carus shouted after her, voice trapped somewhere between an order and a plea. "Leave him be."

"I don't like him." she replied, the knife not wavering an inch. "Or his colors."

"That is no reason to go slitting his throat," Carus replied calmingly, wings half open as he prepared to jump after his unpredictable companion. "He's someone who can speed things up."

Z'tir pushed backwards, away from Chelena, and one massive, clawed hand came up to press against her side. Chelena doggedly kept the knife right next to his neck. At this rate they would both die together. Carus watched from his own boat, desperate but unable to intervene.

Finally, Z'tir spoke. "I really am here to help," he said, unconsciously falling back into a more normal voice. Having a knife pressed to his throat is a good way to remember manners. "You need to get to Hosia as fast as possible. No one can get you there faster than me."

Chelena contemplated for a second, then unexpectedly patted his furred cheek. The dagger was gone as quickly as it had come. "Fine," she said, dancing quickly back over to her own boat. Carus grabbed her roughly and pushed her down, before tenderly stroking her cheek.

Once Chelena and Z'tir reached their peace, the two-day journey progressed smoothly. Even Chelena was forced to admit, although certainly not out loud, that they easily traveled twice the speed with the tiger than they would have without him. The Prosperous River remained calm underneath them, and the closest the group came to disaster was when a larger merchant vessel nearly ran over them. Only quick action on the part of Z'tir saved them from taking an unwelcome bathing. Chelena screeched angrily after the boat in an almost perfect imitation of the tree fairies. To her pleasure she even found one of their acorns in the seed bag, and she hurled it with surprising accuracy at the retreating boat, hitting the helmsman squarely on the top of the head. He spun around angrily, but by that point Z'tir had gotten them far enough away that the man could do nothing in retaliation.

Satisfied, Chelena returned to her shaded portion of the boat, ducked under the cover, and snuggled back up with Carus. The avian had not even bothered to get up, and he wrapped Chelena in a soft wing, leaving Z'tir entirely responsible for the boat.

It was obvious when they drew close to Hosia, simply because the commotion on the river grew tenfold. Hosia was not quiet at the best of times, but now refugees of all sorts were flooding in from the surrounding forest. The city could barely hold all the people inside of it, and it was bursting at the seams. Chelena and Carus slipped out from under the covered portion of the boat, Chelena's dark skin almost entirely wrapped in her various scarves. Fighting with the sun was one thing, but she intended to spend several hours outside and this was not the time for her to be collapsing from heat exhaustion. She wrapped one arm around Carus' waist, and even turned to throw a surprisingly friendly smile back at Z'tir, and together they watched the city draw steadily closer.

 

[Asmodeus]

Outskirts of Hosia

​

He should have dreamed of fire; of burning houses and falling skies. He should have seen the faces of avians, in terror as they fled, in tears as they mourned, in anger as they questioned why? He should have heard the whispers of the forest, of Ilium and the river, proclaiming "guilty... guilty....... GUILTY!".

But Carus was not that kind of bird. The hand of the noble son went wandering as he slept, sliding over supple flesh. He traced the curve of Chelena's leg as she dozed beside him, beneath the sun-cover of the rowboat. He lingered on the hip bone, then lifted to the breast, circling dark flesh, like ashen mounds. Fingers lingered on the azure tattoos that crossed this darkness, following their lines and bringing soft breaths from the nocturne girl. Briefly to her lips, finding wetness, then plunging, with unconscious intent, to her belly and below.

There was a jolt. The boat had stopped. Carus blinked awake, uncurled his wing, and looked up at Z'tir. The river mystic stood with the paddle and gave a nod. "We have arrived."

It had been half the time he expected, a rapidity that made his heart ache. Carus had hoped to delay the inevitable, to have more time in Chelena's warm embrace, and days between him and the toils of adventure. When the river mystic had boarded, it had brought both ease and trepidation. Legends abounded of these prophets of the waterways, who sensed the coming of momentous things and vouched safe the ways of providence. It was a comfort to know they were beneath Z'tir's protection. And yet... the very fact of his presence meant that this journey was, indeed, momentous, and that great and terrible things must to be done.

Carus was not used to hard work.

"Arrived?" The noble yawned. "Arrived where?"

Z'tir stowed the paddle and hopped ashore to tie the ropes. "The house of the blacksmith Khanaan Hardhoof."

Carus sat up and peered through a haze of swamp flies, up a mossy bank, between the trunks of twisting river oaks and at the smithy nestled on the banks. Thick smoke poured from the green membrane-bellows at the rear, and there was light inside, flickering with forge intensity. He could hear chinking rhythm - an anvil being hit, and hooves on the floorboards.

"How did you know I wanted to come h--?" Carus gave up asking the question halfway through and huffed. Z'tir had been full of wisdom ever since he joined them. The very evening before he had practically guessed the entirety of the avian's reasons for travelling. Tears in the sky, a prince cheated by lust, a jewel stolen, the prince oath-bound to retrieve it.

The mystic had made Carus's colossal fuck-up seem almost poetic.

"Alright, I'll do the talking. You stay here." He untangled his wings and legs from the limber form of Chelena and half-fell onto the shore. A pair of brownies were in the trees overhead, waving a pair of leggings and jabbering about something. There was also a dejected-looking monkey, further along the bank. Nothing out of the ordinary for the outskirts of Hosia. Carus kissed the earth and whispered thanks to the forest spirits, asking permission to enter their realm. Then he proceeded to trudge up the bank to the smithy.

"Make sure he doesn't steal anything," he murmured over his shoulder to Chelena. Then his eyes shifted to Z'tir, and he added. "Make sure she doesn't steal anything either."

There was a rustling sound coming from the house now - like a thousand tiny bits of metal clinking together. Either Khanaan was making chainmail or crafting enough nails to crucify a centipede.

"HEY!" Carus pounded on the oak front door. "KHANAAN! IT'S CARUS! I NEED A WORD!"

 

[Seth Bloodmoon]

Valyrin, Hosia

Valyrin had been busy since the Sea Wraith had limped back into port with the aid of a massive sea turtle that the fox anima chef had caught on his line. He had personally visited each family, in Hosia, of those members of his crew that had died during the ill fated expedition. He had written letters to the families of those who hadn't lived in Hosia, with the exception of those who had lived in the Aviary. Dark times were upon Viridos.

He was angry with Lady Ironblood, but had kept that anger in check. It was not exactly her fault that events turned out as they had. Things might have turned out differently if she hadn't had the Sea Wraith push into unprotected waters. Then again, the pirates had clearly been waiting to spring an ambush. They had clearly known about the Sea Wraith's mission, and the monolith. He was also of the opinion that someone had sabotaged his ship. So many cannons failing to fire couldn't be sheer coincidence. If he ever got his hands on those responsible for doing such he would make them suffer greatly.

There had been one bright spot amongst all of the ugliness, though. Lady Ironblood had given him names of men connected to the pirates that had hit the Sea Wraith. With the chaos wrought by the Aviary's fall, it had taken several days to gather the necessary men, and resources needed to make a move on the three ships.

It was dawn when Valyrin headed towards docks of Hosia with a small contingent of soldiers and several members of the Sea Wraith's crew. Anger simmered in the depths of his eyes when his gaze fell upon the Storm-alley, the first ship that was to be siezed this day. A part of him simply wanted to storm the three ships and slaughter their crews. That wasn't an option, though. Besides, the act would offer little satisfaction in the end.

"Let's do this with as little blood shed as possible," the half-Kin captain uttering those words as he strode towards the Storm-alley, "Sieze the ships and take their captains into custody. If any of their crews attempt to resist try to bring them down with non-lethal force. If it is apparent such is not an option then take them down with whatever means necessary." The men under his command acknowledged his words, moving with purpose.

The crew of the Storm-alley offered little resistance beyond verbal discontent when their ship was boarded. Jax Geth, however, had seemed like he would put up a bit of a fight, demanding to know why his ship was being seized. The hishian captain protested vehemently, but in the end he had surrendered, realizing it would be futile to fight.

After the Storm-alley had been secured, Valyrin moved on the Calvera, taking the merchant class vessel with even less resistance. There was no captain to give the crew a backbone. Apparently the man had been relieved of his post after taking an injury. It wouldn't save the man from being brought in, though, if he was still in Hosia.

The seizure of the Secundus didn't go as smoothly as the other ships. A brief, bloody skirmish broke out when the ship's crew tried to prevent Valyrin's men from boarding it. Things quieted down after Valyrin had subdued Captain Belltower after the avian had engaged him in a vicious melee. In the end several members of the Secundus crew had been killed with the majority of the remainder injured in one way or another. The Virdosians suffered only two fatalities and several injured. Valyrin, himself, had taken several minor cuts in his dual with the avian captain.