Doggo

Reinaan's mood was pretty good all things considered. Ryia's quiet acknowledgment of wanting to try different meats and Pyrrha's energetic response to the boy's passing comment about the Roc meat were only aiding in this. Though he had to wonder if Keres knew what a joke was as she began explaining the behavior of Rocs. It was an interesting fact to be sure that the birds were so territorial. But she did know he wasn't seriously looking to find and kill another right? He had to assume she did and just felt like explaining regardless or else it was going to bother him for a while. However, his mind didn't have too terribly long to linger on the thought as Lindow remarked that despite everything they'd done here, the whereabouts of the Demon Gate were still entirely unknown. Ever observant Keres commented that the Gate had likely been on the central platform where they had fought the Roc. "I had just assumed the marks were from the bird's talons but I guess they were kinda off for that." the Draken inserted as he tried to recall the look of the platform when they had investigated it later. "But how could someone just move the Gate? We saw what it did to those sharks that were just near it in the desert, never mind that crazy wizard. Wouldn't you turn into some crazy monster if you touched it that long?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face. Naturally the Draken's only real considerations were physical and how he might have been able to personally move the Gate as they saw it in the desert. Soon after pondering he realized neither Keres nor himself had addressed Pyrrha who still hadn't actually seen a Demon Gate herself. "So these things are pretty dark, like obsidian or something though not as shiny." he began the less than expert explanation using what materials he was familiar with as reference. "They got these pillars like twice my height and look like they have horns at the top. In the middle there's this little glass-like ball with a lot of crazy looking stuff swirling in it." Reinaan continued while making obscure hand motions like he could somehow make his description materialize more clearly. "But more than anything, you'll know the gate by looking at them. You'll feel all messed up inside. Like a mix of the worst feelings you've ever felt. We were okay because we destroyed it before too long but it can change living things into horrible looking monsters." he continued as he then described the bizarre appearance of the twin headed sand sharks that were able to launch their head forward by extending the bones of their neck. The draken then added in how to destroy them by having your spirit enter it and described how Flux had done so to the first Gate. "So yeah, it's not something you could just up and move." he concluded after reviewing all the details in the process of explaining it to the elf girl.

Things seemed like they were going pretty ordinarily, at least so far as a trio of pokemon trainers walking through a scorching desert could be ordinary. As seemed to be an emerging trend, Kanon provided more directly helpful information in the form of a proper estimate of their arrival time to the new city while Nomi offered what sounded to Milla like jokes. She couldn't exactly argue the sentiment of how long their walk felt or how hot it was on the feet. A break did seem in order as Kanon suggested it. But Milla almost reeled back, subconsciously grabbing her shirt, as what looked like Bug had emerged, biting int Kanon's arm. The girl had never seen a pokemon seriously injure a human and it took her some time to process the scene as it unfolded. Thankfully, a kind stranger, who soon introduced himself as Tavares, appeared and began offering aid to Kanon's arm. Truthfully, Milla wasn't sure she trusted Trapinches much anymore but this one did seem particularly remorseful. "Here, let me help too. We need to make sure it's properly cleaned out." Milla said as she began functioning again. She had her container of water on hand and was at Kanon's side by this point, looking to wash the bite as best they could before applying the bandages. After washing, the heat of the day dried Kanon's arm pretty effectively, which cleared the way for the offered bandages to be applied. "Thank you Tavares, your help is greatly appreciated. I'm Milla, and this is Kanon and Nomi." she said introducing the group to the man. "What brings you out this way?" she asked, her natural curiosity taking over even in this situation.

Estellise was happy to see her initial impressions of Hector reinforced as they interacted. She had correctly surmised that he had many connections throughout town which his familiarity with the girl and knowledge of those who might know more about her helped confirm. The Fereis was impressed to hear the confidence witch which he spoke concerning the less-than-human. Perhaps he encountered them more often. While the young woman beamed at the initial prospects, the energy was tempered by Hector's own frown as he added he wouldn't assist if her if her motives were malicious. Estelle responded in kind, her own mood souring as she again thought of what the families might usually do with one of Delilah's kind. It took her a moment, as if she was unsure how to settle her own feelings on the matter. "She was playing tricks with magic in the marketplace. That magic should be used so carelessly, and simply for mischief, shames the art my family has devoted countless life times to progressing. I wish the girl no harm, and do not wish to involve my family in the matter..." she trailed off as her thoughts landed on her family again. "Some may be more inclined to using or abusing her. I simply seek some means of helping right her course. But so long as she is neither harming people nor stealing from them, it is not a matter that requires immediate attention. We may discuss it more once my companions and I have returned from the Dungeon." she concluded, hoping Hector would see her sincerity in the matter. With further discussion of the matter to occur at a later date, Estellise was pointed back to her companions with an act of generosity on Hector's part. With a curtsy farm too formal for the situation, Estellise bid farewell to Hector with additional thanks for the information he had provided her. "My apologies friends." Estelle began as she returned to the table her new companions had sat down at. "My business with good sir Hector is concluded and thus my full attention is restored to the task at hand." she declared as she gracefully took a seat with the group. She looked to Lana, who seemed rather downtrodden about something. It didn't take long for her to piece together what it might be as she watched Lana's gaze bounce between the presented pie and the waitress. "Please, eat your fill. Let me worry about expenses." she offered warmly while briefly placing an understanding hand on Lana's arm. "It will not do for my companions to be malnourished while I had the means of providing for them." she announced more generally. To have to worry about money enough to even eat comfortably was a foreign concept to the Fereis woman. But the distress it could cause the common folk was not lost on her. So long as she was reasonable in her expenditures on the group's behalf she was certain no one at home would complain. Aside from her mother who was against the idea at all so of course anything was going to upset her.

A casual stroll through the rain in the morning. It seemed like such a simple thing. But for Nanami Hamasaki it was the first such time she'd been able to do so in some months. Her first day off house arrest and free of that annoying ankle bracelet, it seemed like a great time. But to be on the way to this school, in light of what had happened. Well, she wasn't about to dwell on it. She simply continued moving as the rain continually beat down on her. This wasn't an issue to the girl, a humanonid shark due to her quirk. Her skin quite appreciated the water. But this annoying new uniform, adapted for her large tail, was going to get soaked without an umbrella. But then, what sort of first impression could someone like her even hope to make anyway? There was no one to impress. Just a bunch of hoops to jump through so she didn't get locked away. What was a soaked uniform on the first day gonna matter in the long run? "Enough of that shit." Nanami told herself to get her gaze up and her mind focused on other things. Being down on herself wasn't going to help anything anyway. What was something positive? The rain, duh. But other than keeping her shark skin fresh it was always a relief when it rained. Nothing knocked scents out of the air quite like precipitation. The girl could just enjoy her walk without worrying about someone scraping their knee a dozen meters down the sidewalk. For all the benefits the stronger nose brought, it was calming to just not smell anything but rain for the time being. Calm was the main thing she needed to be. If she showed everyone nothing much affected her she'd pass their little test. The closer the shark got to her destination of Hairo Academy, the more things got bizarre. All sorts of students, kids about her age, were beginning to flow into the rather unassuming school building. Of course there wasn't going to be much to see she thought. No one was going to spend money on the problem kids who were all likely to turn into villains anyway. In fact, if there was anything to see, it seemed like it had just been created today. Cracks in asphalt and cement that looked fresh due to the rubble around them. "I give it a day before the whole place is dumpster fire." she scoffed out loud. No doubt some of these kids were way worse than her. Everything conceivable was going to be vandalized before anyone knew what was happening. They'd probably all get expelled and sent to jail after a month. But again, too much thinking. Nanami just needed to settle into a routine and all this pointless thinking would stop. She didn't want to have to deal with people collapsed on the ground before the first day had even begun. But ahead of her she caught notice of a boy who seemed a bit out of sorts. Again, she didn't much feel like taking on anyone else's troubles for now. But seeing someone else's nerves on display was enough to get her back into her usual mindset. And so she approached Midome from behind, giving him a playful and firm pat on the back with a soaked hand as she passed in front of him. Well everything was soaked by this point but that was beside the point. "Hey, loosen up kid. We're just gonna get told how much we suck for eight hours." She said as she looked back, with a bright confident smile putting her array of pointed teeth on proud display. She continued forward before turning to walk backwards for a moment to continue addressing Midome. "That's like a vacation for people like us!" Nanami added, not wanting to single herself out as constantly being yelled at and lectured while home. It had to be a pretty commonplace occurrence for kids here she imagined. Now getting a better look at the person she'd been hoping to helpt sort out she wondered what his quirk was. But then not everything was blatantly obvious as mutation types. It could be anything. Whatever it was she wasn't gonna linger on it. No doubt there would be a number of getting to know you activities. Whole pointless affairs of introducing yourself and your quirk on a superficial level. The only place to go was in, still dripping wet from the rain.

Reinaan was at once energized and relieved to hear Lindow explain the encounter with the large weasel. It was fun imagining his friend's swift movements in dispatching the beast before it could hurt him more or shift focus to Pyrrha. And at the same time it was nice to have his feelings from when the group split that he would keep whoever he was left with safe. On the whole it affirmed his impression of the man and it was nice to feel like he was actually correctly understanding a person after the council's deceits. Keres explained their side's findings, showing the pendant of the man they had been sent out in search of. That added something of a somber note to the proceedings as the boy thought of the message they'd have to bear to the poor woman back in town. In any case, the Draken returned to Kloqah's side, and spent the remainder of the food's preparation and cook time restoring the newfound shine to his scales after all the tumbling around in the dirt. He was feeling sore and could tell he'd likely wake up pretty stiff all over for the battering he'd received. Though oddly the soreness was setting into his legs too which he had felt hadn't taken too much of an impact. When the food was finally prepared Reinaan, once again as shiny as ever, excitedly retrieved his portion of the weasel and enjoyed consuming a new type of meat. The weasel was gamey and a bit tough, though perhaps more to humans than one with as many sharp teeth as a Draken. The boy almost visibly shuddered to discover Geoff didn't eat meat and was going to subsist only on vegetables he'd been keeping with him. That sounded like true torture. Thankfully Keres' comment of alligator tasting better took his focus. "Aw man!" he exclaimed in dismay as a sudden realization occurred to him. "We should have carved some stuff off the bird. Giant bird's quite the taste. Well, dunno about the ones here but I'm sure I coulda pulled my village's specialty off with it anyway." Reinaan declared. It didn't diminish the enjoyment he had of eating now, but it was still sad to think they'd left that whole thing out there. At least local animal life would no doubt make use of it. "Guess we'll have to find another one." he continued with a laugh. Of course, the last thing he wanted to fight right now was more giant birds. He didn't want to fight anything right now, he just wanted to get back to town and sleep for a while.

With his master's blessing, Vorpu was ready to begin the trek to the outside of the pyramid. Before he knew it, several had taken him up on his offer and decided to join him for the journey. First was the small boy Caleb. One Vorpu knew very little about yet did not intend to brush aside as nonthreatening simply based off of his appearance. In fact, the front of innocence likely made him all the more lethal. But there was little reason to harbor distrust for any of the pyramids denizens at the moment so he attempted to brush his concerns aside. Next was Asiya, a human woman. For her to be standing here meant she must have been fearsome indeed and the presence of another warrior was somehow comforting to the kobold. Then as the trio began moving a shadow moved along the floor. Up from it sprang a creature with a skull for a face that seemed almost made of the shadows itself. The awe in its face as it looked at him was not lost on Vorpu and it seemed thrilled with the idea of seeing the outside. He could understand the sentiment. Prior to his outlandish training he had never left the pyramid himself, it was quite something leaving the place for the first time. "Good to have you all with me." he started by addressing the group now with him. It was a strange feeling to stand at the head of them as something of a leader. How long had been fighting alone for vengeance of a fallen people? His tail flicked some with a spark of happiness that almost reached his face. But the time for levity was later, when they had a better idea of what was going on. In any case, he began walking again, his scaled and clawed feet making distinct clacking sounds on the stone floors as he did so, to keep the group moving along as they made their way to the outside. "As you may have heard from Lord Usaphaidos, I am Vorpu. So long as you all stay close by I can promise your protection. My powers haven't left me despite this grand change in the world so that's at least one constant we can count on." he offered as an introduction to the group. He doubted they much wanted to know anything about him and it was far more likely the current circumstances had everyone on edge. Safety at the least was one mental comfort he could provide to them all.

No sooner had the cat jaeger pushed Lachlan along into the room to join the others did Catriona notice a stray blast heading their way. Of course, she had the benefit of already keeping her acquaintance her staff's length in front of her. And she was a bit faster on the uptake it would seem as the poor boy took the brunt of it while she dipped out of the way and further into the room with the grace one would expect of her. As the dust settled and the infatuation curse holder scrambled back to his feet only to fall over again, Catriona couldn't help but laugh softly to herself at the whole situation. The little pup was here and seemed to be intent on fighting him. That almost sounded like everything she could have wanted to see but then again the Dragon Slayer was in the room. He seemed to be the source of the blast from earlier and she couldn't help but curl a strand of her hair and shoot him a flirtatious look for a moment. Not too long of course, she needed to keep the man on his toes. There was just a bit too much going on here but maybe she could multitask. Just being around the Dragon Slayer was enough to bother him so for now she had lover boy and the wolf to mess with some more. "Puppies acting tough is always adorable." Catriona jested as she prowled around the perimeter taking everything in the room in. Knowing what she did of Lachlan's abilities, she had to wonder how Lucine intended on fighting him. Unless she had some sort of weapon on her, things were about to get particularly interesting. "Maybe I'll tag in when things get too tough." she added with a crooked smile, but it was unclear who she aimed that of the three immediately about to get to sparring. All she wanted to do was cause chaos among the group but there was a good chance she didn't need to intervene. All the while she'd be sure to stare the Dragon Slayer's way every so often, just to see she was distracting him from the task at hand.

With a battle concluded, a Bug captured, and a pillar superficially investigated, the team was finally back together and continuing on their way through the heat of the desert. Ever more similar pillars dotted the landscape as they continued but never could Milla pick up on any particular differences between. The issue was going to have to be a slow burn on the back of her mind for a long while, she could already tell. As they continued walking, fatigue from the heat was clearly setting in. Nomi in particular seemed to feeling it most directly as she began to slump more and more in her step. At least they probably weren't long for the next city at this point. One could hope anyway. "I do hope the city's a bit cooler." Milla managed to vocalize as they walked, wondering if perhaps she commented on the situation Nomi might open up about needing to take a break. "How far out are we do you think?" she added while scanning the immediate area. Ever more sand in every direction, as expected. Wild pokemon scurried about every so often here and there. Kanon's battle from earlier brought to mind the idea of training her current team some more. The girl wasn't keen on another addition, not so soon after Andante. She wanted to form something of a relationship with the Litleo before rushing off to another new teammate. But while she pondered and spoke she continued walking, for stopping now surely meant taking a prolonged break.

Reinaan dismounted Kloqah not long after Keres did so, letting the lizard take her rest from the long walk back she had done for them. The boy was staying vigilant for the moment, keeping his eyes moving about, looking for any more hostile creatures. Though he had left his weapons on Kloqah's back so what all he intended to do if he spotted something with only the protection amulet about his neck was anyone's guess. He would begin to relax soon as the buffalo man took to recounting the tale of the battle against the roc, though would no doubt add all sorts of half true flairs to it to attempt to impress. The Draken huffed briefly in a mixture of amusement and disbelief that the man had lasted this long as a fake Chosen. But then he couldn't outright deny Geoff's abilities in battle after all this. At Pyrrha's comment Reinaan naturally wandered over to the corpse of the animal the elf and Lindow had fought together while the group had been away. He looked it over for a minute before crouching down to attempt to get a good smell of it. "That's a new one." he commented after his inspection. "Meat's meat though." Reinaan concluded, figuring he'd enjoy it well enough regardless. He wasn't known to be particularly picky, so long as plants weren't the food at hand. The boy looked back to LIndow before turning to Pyrrha and looking the elf over for injuries. "Looks like the thing left you alone for the most part. Lucky break after that big pack." he observed with some playfulness to his voice. "So how'd ya kill it?" he continued, a bit more excited at the idea of hearing their story. It wasn't a very grandiose fight but if he was about to eat this weasel he wanted to hear the story of how they hunted it.

It was a complicated struggle Milla faced as the only one of four parties actively trying to resolve the situation at hand. Nomi seemed content to stay where she was while both pokemon pushing and pulling only frustrated her attempts at getting her teammate off of her. But eventually, after recounting a determined melody she once heard, Milla managed to roll Nomi and herself over onto their sides, and from there was able to push some distance between them, or at least enough for her to sit up herself. The scramble began for a pokeball as the girl recalled Rondo to hopefully ease up the chaos. She had a feeling Rondo was going to be particularly cautious around Nomi and Bug now which was less than desirable. With a deep sigh of relief she began the process of standing up after the impromptu bout of wrestling and began brushing the sand off her body and clothing. "Now then, Bug..." she began but her eyes caught sight of Kanon and Paula bringing their battle to a close. Things seemed much more peaceful now than they had when both trainers had attempted to assault the other in the middle of the battle. "Kanon!" Milla called from the sidelines as she began moving towards her. "Is everything alright? I was wondering if the two of you were going to fight after your pokemon were done." she commented with an earnest curiosity.

Estellise's expression dampened some at Hector's initial comments. That Emma's family was good despite their lack of a surname. It was't that she doubted the idea but rather it saddened her that the common folk would feel it necessary to include in a conversation with someone from one of the major families. What's worse she couldn't argue the necessity of it, as many of the Fereis felt there was little worth to be had among those outside of the mage families. She didn't have too long to dwell on it as Hector shifted focus to Chris, one of her newfound adventuring companions. It sounded like the man had a soft spot for Chris and she was beginning to understand why Emma had spoken so well of him. "Of a truth, I cannot say that what we seek to do is entirely safe for him, or any of us. The lot of us are looking to go a bit further into the Dungeon than most of my family's parties would wish to go so soon." Estelle began, not wishing to appear overly confident. "But on the Fereis family name I swear to you he will return in one piece. My magic should see to that." she continued with more of her positive energy returning but not breaking into full on joviality. Though a thought came to mind as she once again scanned the tavern, looking out for any of the Fereis servants her mother might have sent after her to track her movements. Nothing seemed out of place for the moment but it seemed best not to dwell too long on it all. It would be best to move along with her group quickly, but before she could rejoin them there was one more thing she wanted to know. "Before our expedition begins, as one who seems to know a good many people in the city Hector, I wonder if you might known something of one Delilah. A small, young girl with a... um... horn out the left side of her head." Estellise began describing in more of a hushed tone, not wishing to draw unwanted attention to the matter of the prankster.

Vorpu had little idea what to actually expect upon entering the lord of the pyramid's chambers. The two had never met face to face, there having never been a need for such things. Or perhaps it was they were never meant to interact. Of the places he had been allowed to roam, Usapaidos' chamber was certainly not one of them. And so he knew his master's name without ever having heard his voice directly. It was all something of a surreal experience to hear that everyone gathered had felt the same awakening in their minds. A liberation from the rules and boundaries that had been set for them. Upon Jacques and Usaphaidos' conversation concluding their first order was to explore the new area and find out where it was they were. It seemed reasonable enough. Information was key in figuring this all out. Though something stuck out in his mind. The pharaoh's plan to revive his own people. Despite questions being solicited prior to their departure, Vorpu dare not ask his question. That one might hold the power to bring his brethren back was a dream he had long since cast away any hope of. Even if his master held the power to do so, to have it confirmed now would feel wrong. He would need to prove himself worthy of such grace first. "As you command." he declared with a slight bow of the head. While not full prostration, it was more than he would give to most that he had not directly clashed blades with. He turned to leave, quelling the burning desire to speak his wish at this time, and looked back to the others in the group. "I intend to survey the outside of the pyramid. Any who wish to do the same are welcome to follow. No harm will come to those under my watch, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in." he stated, expressing a confidence in his strength. It was all he had ever really had, even now. And so he would trust in it no matter the strange new world at hand.

Mako Mania

Milla could only watch as her Sneasel attacked the Trapinch that was clinging to her shirt. Bug switched his attention to Rondo as the two began wrestling with each other in a most interesting display given the relative size of Bug's head and limbs to its body. Rondo on the other hand was proportioned more like a human and one would think this fact would give him the advantage in wrangling a bug like creature yet neither seemed to be immediately prevailing over the other. The girl could only blankly stare at the whole affair for a few seconds before brushing her shirt and shifting it about back into its proper position while Nomi questioned if they were having a battle because of this. "It wasn't my intention, I should have put Rondo away soone-" she began as the two pokemon began moving their way, causing Nomi to back up to stay out of it. As she did the two trainers made contact and then Nomi seemed to lose her balance as the entirety of her weight now pushed into Milla. Due to the unexpected nature of it all, Milla was much less than ready to support Nomi's weight and so back the two fell into the sand. Before she knew what was happening Milla was looking up at the sky rather than the feuding pokemon and she felt the warmth of the sand all along her back. Her new friend meanwhile was atop her to which she began scrambling to try and get her off without being incredibly rude about it. "I'm sorry NomI, I should have backed up too" she groaned as she tried shifting about in this awkward position. Why she was apologizing in this she hardly knew. Perhaps it was to try and stay on her new teammates' good sides, lest they leave her as well. At the moment she was just worried Nomi might have hurt herself in the fall though. Rondo meanwhile, who had been trading headlocks with Bug somehow, took note of his trainers plight and so ran off to begin poking and grabbing at Nomi's leg attempting to pull the girl off.

While scanning the room for responses, Estellise found it very curious how many different kinds of people could assemble into the same place. Some seemed confused as to why she had made so much noise, others seemed to find something funny about it. At home if she declared something like this it was usually met with simply a yes miss or something to that effect by one of the servants. But the common folk preferred a much more personable form of interaction it seemed. It was something to keep in mind for the future. But then how else was she to find Hector more efficiently when she knew little of what he looked like. Thankfully it didn't take all that long for Hector himself to respond. The man in question was the bartender who seemed engaged in cleaning something. So despite being trusted to be the main face of the tavern he must not have been the actual owner of the establishment. Cleaning was a job for an employee not an employer after all the Fereis lady thought. Still, she lit up as she approached. Understandably, he seemed to think he might have upset one of the major families and implied he used to do some sort of work he no longer preferred doing for them. "No good sir, it is nothing of the sort." Estelle started softly as she finished moving from the gathering of her new friends to the counter. "I only wished to pass along a greeting. I met young Emma selling apples in the marketplace on the way here and she made mention of you." the Fereis explained while curiously looking over the bar. "I suppose then you must be friends with her father or mother. Or perhaps simply a frequent purchaser of her produce." she posited curiously. She wished to know some speck of the relationship between the two as it seemed odd at first glance that the young girl would know an important worker at a tavern, a place less than appropriate for children most times. Though while awaiting her answer she shifted in place some, a bit antsy from the look of it. Another young girl she'd met on the way here was occupying her thoughts again which was only serving to frustrate her.

A deep sigh. The same sight as always. A chamber on the lower levels of the pyramid wherein lie dozens of corpses of slain kobolds. A singular living Kobold stood in the middle of the room, looking over the scene as he had many times before. Vorpu the Ascendant he was called. Aside from his stature and muscles he was through and through a simple Kobold. An incredibly challenging boss, made from a joke. How long had he been attempting to atone for fleeing from his people in the hour of their crisis? While he had been allowed to appear in several areas of the pyramid in the past, he often walked these grounds, looking over the slain. But things were different now. For once, he stood there and actually got to ponder the weight of the loss. When his mind had become clearer and more connected he had hoped maybe, maybe somehow the tragedy that defined his life would have somehow been undone. But it was not to be. Here they lay, his brethren, dead as they ever were. And yet who did he have to seek revenge on? "More free than I've ever been, and yet all the more chained down for it..." he lamented aloud to himself. There was so much more he could try and do now yet little held any appeal. The only comforts he had to himself were his sword and shield, which, as he wasn't intending on fighting anything immediately, were not physically present on him. He could summon them at any time and yet would they do any good? No amount of training could change the scenery around him. Eventually he sat on the stone floor of the room and here he would stay deep in thought until he could battle his own mind sufficiently to feel like moving about to explore the full impact of these changes wrought upon him and world. He sat alone for quite some time, until he heard the sound of footsteps. All at once he jumped to his feet, his sword and shield appearing in his hands. "You did well to return her-" he started out of habit. But instead of saying the line has he often had he was able to stop himself now. To add to the strangeness of it all, what was before him was not another adventurer, but a mummy. Vorpu was informed this was a creation of Usaphaidos, lord of the Abyssal Pyramid. He was calling for as many guardians of the pyramid as could be gathered in a timely manner. The Kobold's weaponry disappeared again as he listened to the summons and agreed to the meeting. Another sigh as he departed the place his people had fallen. His stride was brisk but not rushed. He had no strong loyalty to Usaphaidos but knew better than to displease the lord of his home. Hopefully the place hadn't developed any sort of dress code since the change to the world as Vorpu had long since cast away the rags his people commonly adorned to serve as near worthless armor drops to new players. That he could even ponder such a trivial thing was oddly amusing. Due to his pace, Vorpu would find himself among the last to assemble at the appointed chamber. What awaited him here he could only wonder.

Reinaan reached his weapons before long and readied his halberd in particular as he turned himself about. He was grateful to see not an ongoing fight, but rather Ryia delivering the final blow to the Roc. A sense of relief set in as the body ceased moving and a now somewhat familiar sphere of light emerged. Once again the boy could feel power flowing into his being from the monster they'd felled. And despite the rush of energy that came with it, he couldn't entirely fight off the fatigue of the battle, the confusion from separating from Ziiyol, and the rattling his brain and body had taken while being tossed from the bird after his big jump. With a deep sigh the draken fell back onto the earth to rest a moment and gather himself. The fire spirit hovered ever nearby and began running her hands along the boy's body in an attempt to check him over. There was little she could immediately do, but something about the warm sensation moving up and down his body was relaxing so for once Reinaan humored her. Geoff of all people declared victory while Keres began checking on the group. "Yeah, I'll be fine." the draken responded as he returned to his feet. The Water Chosen spoke of the nest. It would make sense that the central pillar held it. He hadn't exactly been looking for it in his earlier maneuver but it seemed like the only platform big enough for a bird this size. The boy managed the series of jumps again, this time with the others, to investigate the nest. While sifting through scraps of cloth and bones both animal and human they came across several oddities. A cold, softly glowing dagger, jewels and other fine things, and the pendant they had been sent in search of. Without saying specifics Keres expressed what they were all thinking. Reinaan's eyes focused back to the bones though. The focus shifted as his gaze seemed to go beyond the things physically in front of him. How many people had this bird killed? To carry this news to the woman, to anyone. It was almost more than he could take as his thoughts flowed ever back to his past in the village. The boy shook himself alert again just as the image of a Draken's face draining of life returned to him. "Not here..." he muttered as he finished rummaging through the nest. With their objective complete, the group descended and moved to retrieve the mounts. Thankfully, the grass had indeed been tall enough. The Roc had ignored the animals as they had not immediately been in sight. At Ryia's call Kloqah emerged from the grass. Reinaan went forward to meet her and secured his weapons into their place. Once everyone was ready, Reinaan mounted the lizard before extending a hand to help Keres up to sit behind him on the mount again. He wasn't about to take any chances with anymore snake run ins. And so the boy stayed vigilant despite only wanting to rest as the group began their return trip of several hours. Eventually a pair of familiar figures would come back into view. Lindow and Pyrrha who had stayed behind. At least from this distance they seemed to be doing well enough. "Heeeey!" Reinaan shouted to the two while yet a ways off. Best to let them know they were coming, assuming neither were keeping watch for them.

Estellise beamed as her team of common adventurers gathered around her quickly after her own arrival. It was invigorating to be among those who did not treat her like a noble. Of course, Delilah from earlier hadn't done that either but this was a positive spin on the experience of being treated like anyone else. With Lana, Sergei and Chris at her side she felt ready to tackle the world, or rather the Dungeon. But food seemed to be the first order of business for some. It crossed the Fereis' mind that perhaps not all had her typical breakfast experience. Dedicated chefs were no doubt a luxury of her and the other prominent families. While not hungry, it was still an exciting opportunity to familiarize herself with a commoner's experience. And more importantly, Chris had mentioned Hector. She had to pass on Emma's greetings. As Chris escorted them in, she happily trotted in and took the sights of the place in. She'd been here before; that was how the group had even assembled. And yet she found new things she had failed to notice before. As the group sat she did a small curtsy. "Excuse me friends, I have a matter to see to." she said, excusing herself from immediately joining in on the planning. "I seek Hector!" she called out happily as she looked about at the various faces in the room. Surely with such an announcement, anyone with the name Hector would speak up to answer the call. At least, she hoped that was how this worked. She had no actual physical details to go off of to properly search for him.

Milla returned Bug's stare as he was presented to her to be asked personally to dig about the pillar. The eyes of human and pokemon met, and for a moment a deep understanding that stretched beyond time and space set in. Truly, this was the wonder of pokemon. This connection to the universe and the greater forces behind it. Such wonder and awe hidden away in the lovely orange carapace. Alas, the cosmos were not to be understood at this time as the trainer took note of the pokemon clamping onto her shirt with its mouth and tugging at it. She looked down and processed it for a moment longer than she ought to have. Nomi made no real effort other than verbal to stop Bug. Milla meanwhile remained mostly calm and placed a hand on Bug's head before beginning to stroke it gently a few times. "Come on Bug, I need you to let go. I wanted to ask you to dig around the pillar for us." she started asking of the Trapinch. As she continued speaking she began grunting some here in there as she tried pulling back against the ground-type's pulls on her shirt while attempting to prevent it ripping. "Bug- please I ne- ed you to stop." she attempted to say, the tugs getting stronger as she did so. Rondo locked on to the Trapinch harrassing his trainer, his eyes narrowing as he perceived a threat. The Sneasel brandished his claws, readying an uncalled for Scratch as he darted in. Milla fought against the playful Bug a bit more before taking note of her pokemon beginning to move. "Wait, Rondo!" she called out hoping to stop him. But it was too late. There was no stopping this clash of weasel and bug. One would have to yield. Perhaps this too was perceiving the universal truth of pokemon. But somehow it all felt much less philosophical than the earlier stare down.

Catriona listened intently as Lachlan began trying to explain himself. More than anything she was looking for the slightest slip in his facade. Some shred of evidence that her suspicions were correct. He'd keep trying to play dumb and innocent no doubt. But this particular angle, that he was something of a King Midas, was not the approach the woman was expecting. Rather than turn whatever he touched to gold he made people fall for him. The magic was being framed as involuntary and passive rather than intentional or predatory. A likely story but then the jaeger continued on about his idea of what proper true love was as suddenly the anger consuming the cat jaeger began subsiding. Were this all an act, Lachlan was hands down the best actor Catriona had ever met. No, it was a much simpler, and therefore more likely, story that this was all the honest truth. His rambling continued with thoughts of shapeshifting into a woman and asking her not to blow things up. Perhaps one of the deepest sighs of her life escaped Catriona's lips as she withdrew her daggers from Lachlan's neck. With a practiced precision and grace she spun the weapons in her hand a few times before stowing them away on her back again in the blink of an eye. "You really need to work on your explanations. I'd hate to see you get in trouble just because you ran into someone less patient than me." she eventually replied after attempting to process all the words Lachlan had bombarded her with. As she spoke she bent down to retrieve her staff. Normally this would be an opportunity to draw attention to specific parts of her body but this time the extra effort was skipped in favor of efficiency. She still appeared irritated but if she was still angry the fires were smoldering rather than raging at this point. "You were going to do some training weren't you?" she asked as she poked the end of her staff into the man to prod him forward through the doorway their confrontation had been occupying. "Go work up a good sweat for me and maybe I'll decide against exploding the place. Sound fair?" Catriona stated, some of her mischievous energy returning to her. She hadn't seen fit to sort out what Lachlan had clearly overheard her mumbling to herself. Better to keep everyone guessing as to what she could actually do. "Oh and, of course, if you ever tell anyone what happened here I'll have to practice my knot tying skills on your intestines." she added with the most wide and fake smile she could muster; a flick of her tail and twitch of her tail accented the whole affair.

The Roc had adjusted to Reinaan's movements, attempting to keep the Draken in sight with its one good eye. Acknowledging he wouldn't be able to run fast enough to keep in the blindspot, the hunter met his prey head on and began charging straight forward even as the bird lowered its head and did the same, looking to skewer him with its beak no doubt. The draken made no motion to the left or right and collision seemed imminent before he leaped up into the air and allowed the beak to slide in under him. With the maneuver he latched onto the front of the bird's face, a move that clearly annoyed the creature. Before it could protest much more Reinaan readied the flame claws and plunged them in lengthwise to the bird's forehead, hoping he had successfully picked its brain. At least for now the creature seemed to have no intention of stopping and instead kept running. "Don't tell me even this big they have nuts for brains." Reinaan muttered as he withdrew his claws and picked a different spot in the face to plunge them in again. This he continued while the bird kept running forward. It wasn't slowing in the slightest and yet looking behind him Reinaan saw they were fast approaching the central tower in the easter row. A ramming maneuver. Not the dumbest bird he'd ever encountered by a wide margin. Reinaan continued stabbing and restabbing different parts of the bird's face with his claws until the last momement, diving off to west right before the impact. Another less than graceful landing saw the draken boy rolling a bit more, this time with a face full of dirt as his rear end lifted up some, his tail pointing straight to the heaven's above. The bird was clearly dazed from ramming its own head into the stone structure before it. It moved very little and what it did seemed uncoordinated. Now was the time to finish it before they had to play another game like that. Yet Reinaan had barely moved from his position. Ziiyol materialized at his side, ever excited as her usual response from the merging and separating process. This left the boy a bit dazed himself as he struggled to his knees and spat out the dirt that had found its way to his mouth. He wasn't far from where he'd dropped his Halberd and crossbow however and the shine of the metal blade of his new weapon was what first caught his eye and refocused his vision. The Roc was behind him, the weapons before him. Attempting to merge with Ziiyol again so soon would likely be a fairly explosive process so he had to hope he'd be fast enough or that one of the others could fell the beast as it was sooner. It took a minute but he eventually stood and began making his way toward his weapons.

Delilah as she called herself, wasn't doing much for Estellise's opinion of non-humans. Surely they were not all like her, but to hear the girl try to imply that Estelle herself enjoyed Emma's plight was crossing a line. And yet before this anger could manifest further, something seemed off as the girl continued to speak. Something about her face. That was it. Her lips weren't moving with the sounds Estelle was hearing. With her introduction and extended hand Estelle had only one course of action to confirm her suspicion. "I will not deign to giving my name to one who so reeks of Apati treachery." the Fereis replied with contempt to the voice rather than the figure before her. Rather than accept the offered hand she attempted delivering a slap to the girl's face, but sure enough, her hand simply passed through as the illusion distorted and began to fade. "Your cowardice will sustain you for only so long." she declared to the likely already departed culprit. She had entirely failed to capture the girl which meant she now had to resort to less pleasant means of redressing the issue. However harmless she proclaimed her tricks to be, a girl like her couldn't be allowed to simply so as she pleased. She needed to be taught a lesson but Estellise herself was the not the law of the land. As such she needed to be handled by the law. Already in her mind she devised a course of action for reporting the girl to the proper authorities after her venture into the Dungeon. With her mood sufficiently soured, Estellise began a more direct route toward the Drooling Dragon, the tavern where she had met the adventures she would be exploring with. There was much to think about concerning Delilah's situation but for now it was best pushed to the back of her mind. The more she walked the better she began to feel about it all. And as the tavern came into view, so too did Chris, one of the people who had agreed to go into the Dungeon with her. He was standing outside, perhaps waiting for the group to assemble at the agreed upon meeting place. "Greetings friend!" she called cheerfully to the man before hastening her step to come to his side sooner. "Have you been waiting long? I should have been more aware of the time." she continued, concern evident in her voice. While the issue of Delilah had been an important one to address, being late to an agreed upon meeting time because of it was simply inexcusable. It would reflect poorly on the Fereis at that, and the smallest of the families needed every boon to its reputation possible.

Catriona could only giggle as Lachlan tried to nervously explain his blatant anxiety away. It seemed he'd overheard her muttering to herself about the lack of excitement. Had he perceived it as a threat? How adorable. Such an honest soul. It was rare among humans, never mind Jaeger. It would almost feel bad to prey upon this honesty any further and yet the cat woman was confident she wouldn't lose any sleep over it in the long run. "You're right. Nothing rash. We'll take things... as slow. As. You. Want." she said, dragging out each of the last words and layering on her seductive tones. How many more hints she'd have to give Lachlan before he realized what was actually going on she didn't know. But this next move was one likely to break him entirely. Her hand lifted from his shoulder and moved gracefully through the air to lightly grace the side of his face. No sooner did the hand make contact with the jaegers cheek before a strange feeling overtook Catriona. She looked at the Jaeger in front her's face and found not a toy to be played with, but a man to be desired. Every feature was hiding deep and complex beauty. Every motion his body made looked like the work of a master artist. Like he'd been put together by the gods themselves. How long had it been since she'd been in this position? How long had it been since she'd found herself captivated by a man, rather than luring one in. She had to have him. Her other hand raised and forcefully gripped Lachlan's other shoulder, her hand on his face gently caressing it. Her face began drawing nearing, her lips coming together, seeking an embrace with Lachlan's. Nothing else mattered in the world as her eyes closed as the gap between them did. As fast as the feeling came, a thought flashed into Catriona's mind that this wasn't right. Their lips were all but touching before she abruptly pulled away from Lachlan and immediately the overwhelming attraction towards him vanished. The cat jaeger looked out of breath, clearly distraught, as she looked at her hands and back to the jaeger before her. Her gaze shifted between them some until it settled on Lachlan, this time a look of contempt and anger dominating. "What's your game?!" she demanded, nearly screaming. Before giving him time to answer she had dropped her staff and reached both hands behind her back. In the blink of an eye she had both her knives at either side of Lachlan's throat, her arms crossed in front of him to do so. "Oh I get it, you play the shy, confused boy. You trip over your own words, there's nothing dangerous about you. Then the moment a woman gets in close you work your magic on her huh? What a cute trick. Must be real nice to not have to worry about their choices! I was going to play nice with you, but I wonder what you had in mind for me." she continued, in a very distressed tone. That someone had almost taken on their terms, and manipulated the feelings of love and romance that she so valued had shook her greatly. But she relaxed some after a tense moment of silence passed. Her blades stayed fixed in place however, ever so delicately touching the skin of Lachlan's neck so as to not cut him on accident while standing ever ready to slit the throat. "I'd choose what you say next very carefully dear. There's not many people I've met that much enjoy bleeding out." Catriona said with a devilish smile on her face.

Milla watched curiously as Nomi responded to her requests. First the sand. Her teammate felt the sand and commented on the heat and dryness of it all. It was an interesting note given the ongoing Rain Dance from the battle nearby. But the girl said nothing really to the strange quality of it compared to normal sand, meaning Milla's initial idea of something being off with it remained outside being phrased in concrete terms. And while that was frustrating, Nomi was moving on to touching the pillar which was probably more immediately interesting. She made no direct comment on the ringing but the annoyed look and calling the pillar a dumb rock indicated she must have experienced it too. "As I thought, there's certainly something unnatural about this. Someone or something put these here. But to do what?" the white-haired girl pondered aloud as Nomi's investigation came to a conclusion. Milla took some time to look over the pillar again. As far up as she could see clearly on the structure nothing seemed out of place. On every side or angle it was the same story. She placed her hand once more upon it, confirming the ringing sensation from earlier. She stepped back some before grabbing a pokeball and releasing Rondo to her side. The Sneasel looked around, wondering what he was needed for and eager to impress whatever it was. He saw a battle going on that Milla wasn't a part of so that wasn't the plan. "Rondo, could you please use Scratch on this pillar here?" the trainer asked of her partner while crouching down to do so at eye level. Rondo looked to her, then to the pillar. His posture slouched as he looked back at his trainer. He didn't seem to want to get any closer to it. That Rondo would be afraid to do anything worried the girl but after a moment he looked back to the pillar and started walking. "Wait Rondo, if you don't want to-" she started but her partner went ahead and performed the requested move. The tension built as Rondo readied his claws then all at once a decisive Scratch! And then nothing. The pillar was unmoved. The Sneasel retreated to Milla's side who put a hand gently on the back of his head. "Thank you." she said softly while looking back to the mysterious object. "So nothing above... hitting it doesn't work..." Milla thought while looking around. Her eyes landed on Nomi and her new Trapinch. A ground type. That was it! "Nomi, do you think uh... Bug was it? There might be something going on under the sand. You think maybe Bug could give it a look?"

While Ryia intercepted the now grounded bird, Reinaan struggled to his feet. It took a moment but his head stopped spinning and his vision came back into focus. With balance and orientation back in place he began to test his limbs more thoroughly to check for breaks. Nothing that he could tell. A wicked grin took over his face at the amateur self-assessment as the flames reignited and extended from off his claws. The Earth Chosen had managed to land a solid blow or two to the bird. It wasn't attempting to fly after what Reinaan had done to it, and now it seemed to be struggling on its feet as well. Add to it a well timed mace throw to its face and and a sword stab through its beak and the draken thought he saw his opening. As the roc recoiled from the damage to its beak Reinaan charged at it. It's focus still on Ryia, the bird didn't notice the reptile's approach until Reinaan had managed to get under it. As soon as he could reach the roc's body he plunged in his flame claws and began dragging them through the thing's gut toward the tail. But the bird was not oblivious to sudden searing pain. With some flaps of its wings the bird managed to hop away from the source of pain, but it still didn't take to the skies. Flying seemed beyond it for the moment and Reinaan was going to capitalize on this fact. He ran after the bird which turned its attention to the Draken this time as it ever seemed to shift attention to the thing to last hurt it that was close by. As it had with Ryia, it now thrust its head and neck forward to peck at the Fire Chosen that was approaching it. Reinaan thought he saw his opening and made a small jump to the side to narrowly evade an embarrassing death of beak to chest before trying to stab at the creature's eye with his flame claws. If he could just drive it into the head, but no he was slammed into the by the rest of the thing's body. The roc's eye was slashed across and effectively rendered useless, but Reinaan was still knocked back and away, left only with the relatively shallow cut to the thing's face. Still, with half the thing's sight gone Reinaan could feel this was coming to a close soon. He began another charge at the beast, moving in an arc to attempt to stay out clear sight of the good eye. The boy looked back to Ryia briefly, hoping she'd join him in the attack. No way this thing could handle multiple angles of assault in its state.