A Familiar Face [Training|Diego]

With Heliohapt in the process of rebuilding and the events of the festival on every tongue, Ilirran had decided to find quiet where he could. He yearned for a fight to distract him from remembering his fight with the black creature and the things he had seen afterwards, when he had gone into the city. With tensions high, the guards were itching to quell any disturbance, especially after the loss of the Pharaoh. The quick temper of the guards gave even Ilirran hesitation to fight within the city.

He had managed to find quiet inside of a small library. While he didn't understand the scribblings in the scrolls, it was empty besides the friendly owner. Ilirran stared at a scroll in front of him that the owner, Bernice, had given him to practice reading.

She smiled up at him, pointing to a word, "What is this word?"

Ilirran squinted his eyes, trying to make sense of the chicken-scratch. Grunting in frustration he slammed his fist on the table, "It could be Asisiak's bosom for all I know!"

Bernice raised a brow, "The Imuchakk warrior who bested the demon at the tournament?"

Ilirran shook his head, "No, that's not Asisiak. Forget it, learning to read is hopeless."

Bernice gave him a look that said she thought otherwise, "You've seen this word before. It is cat. See the characters here and here?"

He could probably see the word a thousand times more times and not see the connection between the two. While Bernice continued pointing out different words, Ilirran's thoughts drifted to the prize he had won after defeating the creature. His fingers found the glasses in his pocket and he drew them out, looking them over for probably the hundredth time.

Bernice noticed he had stopped paying attention and cleared her throat. Curious at why he was fascinated by the glasses she gestured to hand them over. Ilirran passed them over to her, watching her carefully. Bernice put the glasses on for a moment before looking over the frame. "Aha!" She pointed to the strange symbol Ilirran had noticed before. "Do you know what this is?"

"The name of the person who made the glasses?" Ilirran shrugged, he wasn't familiar with magical symbols.

Bernice chuckled, "Not quiet. Wait here a moment."

Bernice walked to a tall shelf, looking for a particular scroll. When she found it she unrolled it and pointed to a similar circle. "It is called a Magic Symbol. The mark shows that it is a Magical Tool that has a specific utility."

Ilirran moved his chair back and gave a death glare to the glasses. He was not a fan of magic, especially magicians. "You mean I've been carrying around magic?"

An amused smile stretched on Bernice's lips at Ilirran's reaction. "In a way. The question is what these particular glasses provide. It says here to pour magoi into the symbols to activate their power." She handed Ilirran the glasses to Ilirran with a look that said he should try it.

A small growl passed Ilirran's lips, but after a brief hesitation he put the glasses on. "How do I pour...magoi into them?"

Bernice looked over the scroll, "It says to will your life force, for lack of a better term, into them. Close your eyes and try to focus on activating it."

Listening to her instructions he closed his eyes and tried to activate them. After a few moments he growled, "It's not working!"

Bernice gave Ilirran a stern look and he tried again. This time he tried yearning his whole body into activating the glasses. A strange sensation came over him and he opened his eyes in panic. What did the glasses do to him?

He was about to ask her when he looked down at the scroll and noticed in surprise that he recognized several words. Her words ran through his mind as he recalled the different nuances of the characters and how they formed a word. He leaned over the scroll and slowly mouthed the words as he drew parallels between the words he recognized and others.

"This word here, is that 'fish'?" Ilirran asked as he pointed at one.

Bernice blinked in surprise and quickly tried to hide it. "Wait, you recognize those letters?"

Ilirran nodded and pointed out where some of the letters were in other words she had shown him before. Bernice put her hand over her mouth in thought. From her point of view, it seemed the glasses made the leopard headed man more intelligent, able to draw connections where he hadn't before. She wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, maybe taking his mind off the subject had let the lesson sink in. She definitely didn't want to tell him her conclusion, while he hadn't been violent with her, she wasn't sure how he would react if he thought she called him dumb.

Spoiler:

Diego had spent the days after the events in a dark mood, trying to avoid people. Madam Trixie did her best to keep him company and raise his spirits, but the memories were still too raw. For his part, Zanzibar had tried to do the same, but the spider didn't have the same bond with Diego that the tiger shared. Diego tried to smile, understanding that they cared about him, yet the screams still rang in his ears.

Presently, Diego and Zanzibar were atop Trixie's back getting fresh air. Zanzibar crawled up Diego's back, wiggling his mandibles on his master's ear. Diego gave a small chuckle as the spider's hairs tickled his ear and reached a hand back to rub Zanzibar's fur. With a 'Squee~', Zanzibar wrapped two pairs of legs around Diego and made chittering noises in his ear.

As they passed around a corner, they saw a group of people gossiping about the events of the slave auction. Diego sighed, it seemed that he couldn't get away from the festival anywhere in Heliohapt. He got some strange looks as he passed by, but he ignored them until he heard a familiar name.

"I heard from my husband that a group of magicians said a man named Jagang had been behind the auction. The magicians were forced to make magical tools to cause the chaos. Such a-"

Diego had urged Trixie onward, his mind reeling from the new-found knowledge that Jagang had a part in the festival. It didn't surprise him that much to know that Jagang had been behind a terrible massacre, but that he hadn't suspected shocked him. A memory rushed to the surface of his thoughts, a hooded man with a familiar voice. Diego brought a hand to his forehead, how could he not have known who the man was? After everything Jagang had done to Diego's tribe, how could he fall into one of the man's traps again?

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that Trixie was sniffing at the door to a library. She made whining noises and scratched at the door. Curious, Diego poured some magoi into the bracelet on his wrist to see what was bothering her. Unknown to him, a flicker of green Rukh passed from the bracelet to Trixie and then to his ears. 'A familiar smell,' the bracelet had translated Trixie's vocalizations into a format he could understand. It wasn't the same as direct communication, but it allowed him to get the basic message.

"I wonder who it could be," Diego muttered as he slid off her back, patting her neck. He opened the door and walked inside, Trixie nosing her way in behind him.

Diego walked past several shelves piled with scrolls before coming to an opening with several chairs and tables in the middle of the room. An older woman with greying hair sat next to a tall leopard-headed man over a scroll. Diego recognized the man from a gypsy camp where he had met up with Altair and Ayero. He recalled that the leopard man had been friends with Lexi, the small girl with animal features as well.

Bernice saw Diego and his pets out of the corner of her eye, with a smile she turned to them. "How can I help you today? Are you looking for anything?"

Diego pointed to Ilirran, "Are you Lexi's friend? I remember you from the gypsy camp...I was the one who hid from the chickens." Diego blushed at the memory, embarrassed of his phobia but there was nothing to be done. Evil creatures...

Spoiler:

Engrossed in the scroll and deciphering the words, Ilirran had not noticed Diego and his pets enter the library. It wasn't until Bernice asked if she could help them that he turned around. A Fanalis boy stood in front of a rather large tiger with a spider on its back. Something about the tiger seemed familiar, but he was unable to place where he would have seen it. The Fanalis boy asked if Ilirran was Lexi's friend and the Imuchakk couldn't keep the surprise from his face as it was explained they had met at the gypsy camp.

Recognition passed over Ilirran's features, "I'm afraid I don't recall the chickens, but I do remember your magnificent beast." He remembered that he had acted quite foolish from how much he had to drink. "I apologize for how I acted then, I was quite inebriated at the time."

Ilirran pointed to a seat nearby, "Sit. How is Lexi? I'm afraid I haven't seen her since I accidentally punched her." He smiled at the tiger as she sniffed him, reaching out a hand for her to sniff before petting her. "What are their names?"

Diego smiled at the apology, the leopard-headed man had certainly started quite a brawl with Ayero. He took a seat while Trixie sniffed the large man's hand, trying to remember the last time he had seen Lexi. "That night, actually. I wonder how she is...if she managed to escape the chaos." He let out a sigh, after watching people vanish in front of him, it was hard to have hope. The damage from the strange child had wreaked havoc across parts of the city. Diego still did not know if Ella and her mother were alright. He had been by the Butcher's shop, but it had been destroyed. 'What a cruel fate,' Diego thought to himself. Black Rukh fluttered over Diego as the thought passed, earning a frown from Bernice.

The suffocating feeling gave his pets pause, Trixie moved to Diego's side and placed a paw on his lap while Zanzibar leaped onto Ilirran's head. Zanzibar's furry white mandibles wriggled as he examined Ilirran's face. Trixie licked Diego's cheek with a grunt and Diego's expression softened. He reminded himself he still had his pets and an even bigger reason to hate Jagang if the people he cared for had died. Still, he hoped that they had been safe.

Realizing Ilirran had asked their names, "The cuddly fella on your head is Zanzibar and this is Madam Trixie."

Ilirran didn't see the black Rukh fluttering over Diego, but he recognized the feeling. Noticing the festival was a topic that depressed the boy, "I'm sure she made it out safe. We can try to find her at a later time but first we should have a spar." Fighting was a good distraction and he still had an itch to fight.

When the spider landed on his head, Ilirran laughed and stroked its fur. It was surprisingly soft and Zanzibar seemed to enjoy it. "A pleasure to meet you, Zanzibar. You too, Madam Trixie. My name is Ilirran Iskam of the Imuchakk nation."

Standing up, Ilirran thanked Bernice for the help she had provided and promised to come back. He gestured for Diego to follow him. "We should spar outside the city, where the guards won't bother us."

Once they were outside the city in a secluded area, Ilirran stopped and began to stretch his limbs. Zanzibar had wrapped his legs around Ilirran for the ride over which the Imuchakk didn't mind. Once Diego was ready, Ilirran gripped the handle of his Unicorn Horn Greatsword that hung on his back. Taking a deep breath, the Imuchakk slid into a stance, lowering his center of gravity before motioning to Diego to begin.

Diego hesitated before agreeing to the spar, he still remembered the gypsy camp and how hard Lexi had been hit. The leopard-headed man seemed much calmer now and Diego decided he could use the distraction. Plus, it had been a while since he had trained with everything that had happened. He clicked at Zanzibar, a signal for the spider to hop on Trixie's back, but the spider was content on Ilirran's head. With a chuckle he let the spider cling to Ilirran's back, seeing that the large man didn't mind.

He was mildly surprised to learn that Ilirran was an Imuchakk, yet it made sense with the man's excessive height. The only other Imuchakk that Diego had met was his friend Yakuroro and Ilirran clearly didn't share the same hair color. Diego was curious to know why Ilirran had a leopard head, but held his tongue, not wanting to point it out, especially after Ilirran's reaction to Ayero's comments on his appearance.

After a pleasant walk, chatting about inconsequential things, Ilirran led them out of the city to a secluded spot. As Ilirran prepared, Zanzibar felt the change in the man, recognizing that a fight was about to brew. With a "Squee~", the white spider leaped from the Imuchakk's back and skittered to Diego's side. Diego smiled down at his pet and motioned for Trixie to get ready. With his right hand, Diego pulled the bow from his back, grabbing an arrow in his free hand. He wasn't sure if it was fair to Ilirran to launch arrows while the Imuchakk dealt with Trixie, but he liked to be ready.

When Ilirran motioned to Diego to make the first move, the Fanalis boy clicked his tongue sharply three times. Trixie immediately leaped forward and to the side of Ilirran, circling around him to look for an opening, waiting for a command from Diego. When she maneuvered behind Ilirran, Diego gave a low whistle, the signal to start off easy unless Ilirran tried to overpower her. Trixie darted forward, aiming a Stunning Strike towards the back of Ilirran's left knee before attempting to snake around to the other side of him.


[150/160]

Spoiler:

Ilirran watched through his Inquisitor's Gaze as Diego slid the bow from his back and prepared an arrow. He noticed hesitation in the Fanalis' boys eyes at using the weapon and grinned. "I must ask that you do not hold back. It would be a slight on my honor if you didn't use all the tools at your disposal, even if this is a friendly spar." In truth, he wanted to see what the boy was capable of and wanted to see if he himself had grown from the experience with the black creature.

He held his stance as Madam Trixie circled around him, 'What speed she displays!' With only a brief moment to realize that Diego's clicking noises were commands, he started to turn to face Trixie before she pressed the attack. A crackling noise proceeded a mild scratch to the back of his knee and he almost laughed. He had expected more from a tiger that was only half his size, but that thought instantly changed when his leg went numb and buckled under his weight. Ilirran quickly shifted his weight to steady himself, but Trixie had already moved around him. He unsheathed his sword in a fluid motion, holding it level with his waist, the edges of the blade vertical and looked for the tiger.

Spotting her, he swung down with his Unicorn Horn Greatsword towards the middle of her back. He was hoping to clear some space, but ended up throwing himself off balance, giving the tiger an opening.

[253/500 C-Tier Strength]

Spoiler:

Ilirran's words erased Diego's concern and the Fanalis gave a small nod before nocking the arrow on his bow. He held the bow towards the ground while he waited to see how Ilirran would react to Trixie's first attack. Madam Trixie discharged her bio-electricity with a slash into Ilirran's left leg. Diego had hoped she would wait to use the bio-electricity until later, but he was glad to see she had held back with the slash. That single attack had nearly brought Ilirran to his knees, but the Imuchakk recovered quickly.

When Diego saw Ilirran unsheathe the massive sword from his back, he raised his bow and let loose an arrow towards the Imuchakk's shoulder from fifteen meters away. Trixie saw the the Greatsword come down towards her and she moved around the vertical strike, waiting for an opening. It arrived quickly after and she took advantage of it, using Mangle to bite Ilirran's wrist. Her teeth tore into the skin and cut the muscle.

Meanwhile, the arrow Diego had loosed missed its target, sailing past the Imuchakk. Diego ignored the urge to scold himself and nocked another arrow. He aimed this one towards the leg that Trixie had injured earlier. In the back of his mind, he felt bad to attack Ilirran from two fronts, but he understood the Imuchakk wanted to push himself.

[130/160]

Spoiler:

Ilirran turned his body towards Trixie during the stumble and brought his sword up just in time. The tiger's sharp fangs latched onto horn instead of skin from Ilirran's Parry. He redirected it away from him and landed on his back. Using the momentum of the fall, he rolled backwards and caught himself on his feet, primarily putting the weight on his non-numbed foot. Ilirran now stood about a meter away from the tiger, gripping his broadsword straight in front of him.

If this were a real fight, Ilirran wasn't sure he could best Diego and his pets. Alone, Diego wouldn't pose much of a problem, but Madam Trixie's speed and power were a threat. He hadn't even seen what Zanzibar was capable of yet either. Ilirran performed a horizontal Strike to Trixie's left side with his 180 centimeter long broadsword. The swift strike was meant for speed rather than damage and would only leave bruises.

Halfway through the strike, Ilirran released the grip with his left hand and moved into the attack. Getting close to Trixie, Ilirran used the momentum of the sword swing to throw a left hook towards her shoulder. His Imuchakk strength would inflict some serious damage if it were to hit.

[459/500 words]
[65/100 magoi]

Spoiler:

Trixie was taken by surprise when her fangs snapped onto Ilirran's broadsword. He maneuvered her face away from him and she released her grip on the sword. Without hesitation she started to pounce forward, hoping to swipe him with her claws but the Imuchakk warrior had planned for that. The Unicorn Broadsword connected with her side, jarring her for a moment. It was enough time for Ilirran to land the left hook into her front left shoulder, cracking the bone and sending her rolling back over paw several times. Kicking up sand as she rolled, she came to a stop five meters away.

From his position eight meters away, Diego watched as Ilirran deflected Trixie's attack with shock. Diego hadn't expected that Ilirran would have been able to move in such a way to parry it. The arrow he had sent earlier had easily missed the Imuchakk as he skillfully rolled backwards into a new position. Diego was about to click a command to pull back when Trixie acted on instinct.

Hearing the crack of bone, Diego's temper flared and he nocked five arrows into his bow for a Multi-Hit. The arrows were set loose at fifteen meters per second to each of Ilrran's limbs. They wouldn't deal much damage, but it would be enough to distract the Imuchakk. Diego dropped his bow in the sand and charged forward, leaping into the air once he was in range, aiming a flying kick to Ilirran's upper-body.

Upset to see his friend hurt, Zanzibar gathered up his courage and skittered towards Ilirran. With a angry 'Squee~', the white spider aimed his butt towards the Imuchakk and launched a Webbed-Net at his legs. The three meter diameter web would immobilize one limb for a time, hindering movement.

Trixie stunned for a few moments, slowly stood up and shook herself off. The leopard-headed Imuchakk had been stronger than she thought. With a loud growl, the tiger ran forward to attack Ilirran, but the pain of moving her front-left foot brought swept her to her paws. Moving, let alone running, was out of the question for her.

Spoiler:

Ilirran winced remembering his own strength as he stared at Trixie sprawled in the sand a few meters away. He assumed with her speed, that she would have dodged his attacks, but the tiger must have gotten tunnel-vision. That was a dangerous thing to have happen in a fight. 'Keen eyes and an awareness of your surroundings saves your life in a fight,' Ilirran thought to himself.

He was snapped from his thoughts when he felt five dull arrows provide glancing wounds to his upper-back, legs, and arms. 'Good job, Ilirran. You forgot about the boy.'

Ilirran's head jerked around, giving him whiplash, from Diego's kick colliding with his face as he turned around to see what the boy was doing. The Imuchakk saw stars as he wobbled on uneasy footing, performing a good interpretation of a drunk dance. Zanzibar's sticky web caught Ilirran's feet and knocked him to the ground. The Imuchakk fell with a crash, losing his sword in the process.

Recovering from the Fanalis kick, Ilirran noted the irony in his previous statement. Tunnel-vision of his own, had brought his own defeat. A lesson was to be learned here, never turn your back on a Fanalis after injuring something they hold dear, especially with rumors of their fiery tempers. He tried to stand back up, but Zanzibar's web had his leg pinned down.

[685/500]

Diego smiled as he felt the impact of his Ilirran's face and his foot. He managed to land on his feet and would have continued to send a flurry of attacks to the Imuchakk but he noticed Trixie collapse to the ground with a whimper. Diego was torn between anger at the Imuchakk and concern for Madam Trixie. The Fanalis boy decided on anger and proceeded to kick Ilirran in the arm.

Trixie watched Diego's furious kicks and called to him, hoping to calm him down. Upon hearing his tiger, Diego fed some magoi into the bracelet on his wrist. The magical tool translated her throaty growls into feelings that he could interpret. Diego understood that she was trying to express that her error in battle had caused her injury and that it was a friendly spar. Recognizing he had overreacted, Diego took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Standing over Ilirran, Diego offered the Imuchakk a hand, "I'm sorry for getting upset. Can we call it good for today?"

Diego proved to have a fiery temper, kicking the Imuchakk in the arm while he was down. Ilirran let out a cry of pain as he felt his arm break from the force of the kick. He was spared from further attacks by Trixie's growling and he used those moments to clutch his arm. Thankfully it seemed the tiger was able to growl some sense into Diego and the boy visibly calmed down.

Ilirran accepted the help so he could sit up, careful not to strain his arm. "No need to apologize, Diego. We've all lost our cool a time or two. A part of life is experiencing previous actions we made being directed to us later. It's a sobering experience." Ilirran was referring to the way he had let the alcohol get to his head at the gypsy camp.

"I think we should call it a day as well." Ilirran looked down at his arm, "Maybe a week..."

Diego listened to Ilirran as the Imuchakk sat up with a sheepish look on his face. He hadn't meant to break Ilirran's arm, but realized that Ilirran now understood what Lexi had felt at the gypsy camp. Diego sat down and pulled the web off of Ilirran's leg, freeing him so they could go back into town. "Yeah, I don't think your arm or Trixie's leg will be healing anytime soon. I wonder how we can get Trixie back to town without causing her too much pain."

Normally a cautious creature, Zanzibar skittered up onto Ilirran's chest and rubbed his mandibles over the Imuchakk's face. The furry, white spider sensed that his new friend was in pain and he gave a cheerful "Squee~". While Trixie was suited for direct combat, Zanzibar was better used to support the team. Diego hadn't done much training with Zanzibar or studied Zanzibar's species enough to know the full potential of the spider. Their bond was not nearly as strong as Diego and Trixie's, so the next few moments would be a surprise to him.

Using a special organ that was a product of his species evolution, Zanzibar was able to produce a special fluid. The fluid had healing properties, able to gradually heal wounds over time. Depending on how much fluid was produced determined how severe a wound it would be able to heal. While it wasn't strong for immediate healing, it was certainly a great asset to Diego's team. Depending on who was injured, Diego or Trixie would be able to hold an enemy off long enough to receive Zanzibar's tender nursing.

With a "Squee~", Zanzibar latched his mouth around a portion of Ilirran's thick, wounded arm. Ignoring the Imuchakk, Zanzibar wrapped his legs around the Imuchakk's arms as he coaxed the healing fluid into his fangs. A tiny channel within his fangs would deliver the healing fluid directly into the bloodstream of an individual. Once Zanzibar's Healing Bite entered the bloodstream it would begin to work immediately. From the bloodstream, it could begin to heal tissue, muscle and bone.

Zanzibar let go once the full dose of his healing bite entered Ilirran's bloodstream and skittered back in case the Imuchakk decided to retaliate for the painful nursing. The fluid would find its way to Ilirran's bones and begin to slowly realign them in an effort to speed up the healing process. It would be a painful process and it wouldn't completely heal all the damage, but it would be enough that Ilirran would be able to use his arm again in time.

Diego stood back, eyes wide as he first watched Zanzibar wander up to Ilirran to check on him. It was weird to see the furry, white spider throw caution to the wind, but it was nice to see Zanzibar coming out of his comfort zone. Usually the spider stuck to Madam Trixie's back or close to Diego. When Zanzibar bit Ilirran, Diego tried to coax the spider away, but Zanzibar refused to move, instead clinging onto the arm. The Fanalis boy flashed an apologetic look to Ilirran and clicked his tongue at the spider, a command to back away.

[529/500 C-Tier ability training]

Spoiler:

Ilirran rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and chuckled, "I could probably manage to help her walk if she rest her good arm over my right shoulder." He started to stand up, but when Zanzibar skittered over top of him, he gave a feline smile to the spider. After a couple friendly scratches to the spiders head, Zanzibar bit Ilirran's arm. The large Imuchakk gave a yelp of pain, between the spider bite and it wrapping its legs around his arm, Ilirran's arm felt like it was on fire.

Ilirran would have tried to throw the spider off of him, but he felt something warm enter his veins. A few heartbeats later the bones in his arm felt like they were moving, sending pure agony through the nerves in his arm. It didn't matter that Zanzibar held on tightly, Ilirran wasn't focused on that and didn't even notice the spider skitter away. Ilirran clutched his arm with a grimace on his face. Ilirran would have to reconsider sparring with Diego and his pets again.

Zanzibar skittered close to Trixie, remembering she was injured as well. The supply of fluid that his healing gland produced was low, not enough time had passed for it to restore. The fact that it was Zanzibar's first time discharging the fluid was also a factor. Still, the furry, white spider wanted to heal Madam Trixie. Not only was she his favorite mount, but a member of the pack.

"Squee~" Angling his fangs, Zanzibar coaxed the last remaining healing fluid to build up and discharge a twelve-centimeter glob at Trixie's shoulder. The fluid soaked into Trixie's fur, into the pores where it would begin to act as a Minor Heal. The amount of damage that would be healed was mostly superficial wounds, bruises and the like, the effects minimal in comparison to Zanzibar's healing bite over a similar amount of time. While Zanzibar thought he was helping Trixie, her broken shoulder would barely be healed by the effort.

By now, Ilirran's broken arm would be realigned with one part of the bone growing back with the other, but a fracture still existed. It would be easier to move, though weight and pressure would still agitate it. Zanzibar's healing fluid had sped up the healing, but it would be just as painful.

Diego wondered if Ilirran's offer would work, it was true that the leopard-headed Imuchakk was tall enough to support some of her weight. He studied Zanzibar as it discharged a fluid in curiosity. "What are you doing Zanz?"

Trixie gave a thankful purr to Zanzibar, licking his furry head, which earned her a warble of joy from the spider. She stood up, minding her wounder leg, and limped up to Diego.

[282/250 D-Tier Ability]

Spoiler:

Through the pain, Ilirran noticed that the bones in his arm felt like they had been mended. He looked from the scabbed over spider bite to Zanzibar, who was currently ejecting a fluid onto Madam Trixie. The warm feeling in his arm must have been from that same fluid. 'I get bit and the tiger gets a discharge. I think I would have preferred the discharge.' Ilirran mused to himself.

Ilirran moved his arm and confirmed that while it still hurt, it wasn't as painful as a broken arm. The Imuchakk stood up and, noticing the confusion on Diego's face, rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Zanzibar seems to have the ability to heal injuries. You have some interesting pets Diego." After giving Diego a wink, Ilirran moved in front of Trixie, with his back towards her and gestured to place her unwounded paw on his shoulder.

Once the tiger complied, Ilirran would wait for her to adjust her weight before taking slow steps forward, seeing if she could walk. Supporting the weight of her upper-body, she would be able to walk with her hind legs as they went back into town. He would lead them to an inn he had been staying at where they would be able to rest for a time.

Once they were healed and rested, Ilirran would suggest that they continue to spar the rest of the week.

-exit-

Diego's eyes lit up like a light bulb at Ilirran's words. The spider was tending to the wounded after the fight, Diego looked at Zanzibar with renewed respect. With a nod to Ilirran, he walked over to Zanzibar and proceeded to give him the best Diego skritches he could give. Zanzibar warbled in pleasure at the affection and hugged Diego's leg. Zanzibar's refusal to move made Diego chuckle and he recovered his bow from the sand while Ilirran helped Trixie. It was awkward walking with Zanzibar clutched to his leg, but he managed. His pets were so spoiled they were both practically carried into town.

At the Inn, Diego dropped off his pets while he went out to grab them food. He returned with a variety of food and they ate their fill over conversation. When Zanzibar recovered enough fluid, he would bite Ilirran and Trixie until their wounds were healed. The next week was spent between periods of intense training and periods of resting while Zanzibar healed everyone.

-exit-