The Shrouded Isle [Event|Kill Viable]

Illius Pollux, the Chairman of the Reim Historical Society, looked over a letter from one Captain Grimwald. His hand idly stroked his white beard as he read over the contents once more, humming to himself in thought. It appeared that this Captain was somehow connected to Azix Niraj, the founder of the Opportunity Initiative, who had recommended the Historical Society. The Captain was taking a voyage to an uncharted island far off the coast of Reim and was offering a spot in case there were items of cultural or historical significance.

The Chairman leaned back in his seat and drew a swig from a large jug of wine. A scholarly man, he knew the legend of the Shrouded Isle from his endless hours of research into old lore. Rumors say that any who enter never return, unable to leave the dense fog that surrounds the island. The stories about the Shrouded Isle were inconsistent, some said that it was where the famous pirate, Gunner, had buried his treasure, while others said it held the remains of an ancient city.

Illius had always thought the legend to be a myth, however if this Captain Grimwald knew how to find it, he was willing to take a chance. The idea of buried treasure was nice, but if it did hold an ancient city, that was what truly fascinated him. Perhaps, he could find the answer to his life's work, unlocking the secrets of ancient history. Obtaining that knowledge had driven him to scholarly pursuits since his youth.

He set his jug on the table and held his head as it spun, "Tyrus! *hic* Get a team together for a dig! Use the Opportunity Workers if you need any help."

A young scribe looked up from his writings, unphased by the outburst from the Chairman, the old man was often shouting out demands from behind a jug of wine. With a sigh, the scribe stood up to get the preparations started. "Where is the dig, sir?"

"We're *hic* going to Portsmouth!" Illius shouted as he took another swig of his jug, wondering if he should dare make the journey himself.

---

Captain Grimwald stood at the entrance of the port with his crew, looking over the applicants. He had sent his men throughout Reim over the last several days, whispering rumors of the legendary island to draw out adventurous souls. The rumors had led those very souls to Portsmouth where he would judge them, only wanting to take the strongest on his voyage.

He groaned when he saw a group of scribes and archaeologists followed by some able-bodied men, recognizing them as the Historical Society. Grimwald questioned why he had listened to Azix's suggestion that he extend an invitation to them. The scribes didn't look like they could fight, let alone survive on the open sea unaided. They were going into a potentially deadly situation and the magician expected him to babysit.

As he thought of several choice words he would like to say to Azix, none of them pleasant, Grimwald gestured to two of his men to lead the archaeological group to the ship. Meanwhile, he watched as a young boy, barely the age of ten approached with a small dagger. Grimwald bent down to look straight in the boy's eyes. "What do he have here, lad? You think you can tackle down a dragon or the fearsome heffalump with that?"

The boy bobbed his head and gave his best scary scowl, "Oi! Thas' right! I stab 'em right dead!"

Grimwald let out a booming laugh and slapped his knee. "Is that right?" He stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "Sorry, kid. I don't want to have to watch your back. Go on home."

The young boy stamped his foot, "No, I want to go! I'll show you what I can do." With a high-pitched shout, the boy charged forward with his dagger raised and stabbed at the pirate captain's leg.

Grimwald quickly moved to the side and kicked the boy's head hard enough to send him flying several meters away. When the boy started to cry, Grimwald turned to the next person waiting to be judged. "I told ya' no, kid. Go home before ya' get ya'self killed. Now, who is next? Show me why I should take you along and not the next person in line."

[OOC:Post as if you were the next person in line and Grimwald will address you each in turn. Magoi used in this round of posting will be refunded. There will be another post in 48 hours.]

Spirit watched as the captain handled the child in such a rough manner. This was to be his second voyage. His first was on a trade boat from Imuchakk to Reim, but now that voyage seemed so distant so far in the past. When the Captain came down the row and looked at Spirit he respond with I'm Spirtos Aerolos, a battle tested magician I have no need to promise to you that I will not be getting in your way I can show you.Spirit held his staff and up and casted rapidly Michael, Gabriel, and finally Light Angel. These were Spirits prized spells and in hopes of showing off his powers he casted them. Spirit stood there and trying his hardest to hide his exhaustion, he awaited the Captains choice on allowing for him to board.
OOC:
Magoi Levels:140/160

Spoiler:

Surprisingly so, the dragon emperor himself was waiting on line behind the wizard in from of him that was using light magi in order to impress the captain. El drago circled around the area occasionally, not necessarily  landing just yet. As for lagi, he was  wearing some hidden clothes as well, along with all of his gear. He has heard of some fascinating tales about this island, wouldn’t it be great if he could bring back a few things to the Reim empire while the rebuilding process was going about.  “There has to be something on this island that I can use. Maybe for my clan, or even  Reim itself. “Lagi told his father of his self-proclaimed mission, promising not to return empty handed.  Lagi always tried to be a man of his word.

When it was Lagi's turn, he smiled  and bulked up completely. Using bulk up speed and bulk up strength, he ran around at 20 m/ms and picked up a few crates, up the the limit he can carry with the strength that he had. Afterwards, he returned to the captain. "I'm fast, im strong, and i have dragon for a partner.'

Lagi's Outfit

Spoiler:

290/350

Ability used

Spoiler:

195/1000

abilities being trained

Spoiler:

Ayero couldn’t stop a frown from tinging her lips as the boy went flying, her maternal instincts jumping when the child started to cry. But she did not move aside from turning her head slightly to observe the spectacle, knowing that the kid would have likely suffered a worse fate had he been allowed to go along on the journey. The Fanalis woman refocused on Grimwald as he addressed the rest of them in line, insisting that they display their skills to him. Ayero watched with mild interest as a large blonde man conjured several angel-like apparitions, raising a brow at the spells. She expected someone of his size and stature to be a melee fighter like herself, but he seemed to be apt in magic. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she didn’t have time to ruminate on those thoughts as it became her turn.

Wasting no time, the warrioress unsheathed her blade and began moving towards Grimwald’s right. Suddenly dropping her body, the Fanalis woman rolls to the left in a Swift Roll, springing upwards and lashing out with her blade as she rises. Her Protect and Sever was aimed for the man’s forearm, her eyes cold and focused as if she were on the battlefield facing a Kou officer.

While Ayero was being tested, Tomato circled above the area, not content to sit nearby as she watched. She wasn’t quite sure what Ayero was doing with all of these strange looking people, but she followed regardless. The bird looks down, something suddenly ensnaring her senses. Descending downwards, Tomato lands atop the head of a shrouded man, chirping happily as she makes herself comfortable. She had somehow recognized Lagi even though Ayero had not, remembering the kind man from the coliseum who had fed her delicious seeds while they watched Ayero’s match against Decimus. Tomato had grown into her adult form since then and was much larger though she retained her similar coloring.

[Stamina: 240/290]

Spoiler:

Merrze was intrigued by the idea of a mysterious island and had decided to come, since she thought that it would be a fun thing to do and would be a good idea to tag along and see what adventure might happen while there. She was riding on Fluffy as she walked in the port seeing some familiar faces while she was here, she saw Aye a person she had fought with before and her apprentice Aen, there was also a strange man that she didn't know. Of course it made since that she saw people she didn't know, after all many people probably wanted to come at the idea of treasure and other possible rewards.

As she saw the captain knocked away the boy, she understood why he did it but she didn't condone it nonetheless, and was surprised at what Aye had did to show her strength, she decided she was going to get his attention by making a little mess. She walked back far enough to get away from people and made sure no one would get in the crossfire, she had Fluffy far of to the side as she used Fist of The Giant breaking of chunks of the ground she hit leaving cracks in it also. then walked up to Grimwald, on the side opposite of Aye so as not to hit her, and used Dragon Slice stopping the blade right at his chest. Sure she might have been copying Aye but nonetheless she probably showed her strength.

Stamina:140/200

Outfit:

Moves Used:

Stamina: 150/160

Abilities Used:

Grimwald watched as a large Imuchakk man stepped forward, introducing himself as Spiritos Aerolos. The Imuchakk magician quickly conjured three light magic constructs in the form of men with wings. Grimwald was not a magician himself, so he turned to one of his crew who was a magician. When the pirate magician gave a nod, Grimwald turned back to Spiritos, "Welcome aboard. Gather your gear and Jarod here will lead you to the ship."

A dark-skinned man with golden hair and green eyes gestured for Spiritos to follow, leading him to Grimwald's ship, Ceres' Roar. While Jarod and Spiritos walked off, Grimwald turned to the next person in line. The man wore an outfit that resembled that of an assassin, taking care to hide his face beneath a mask. When the man noticed Grimwald looking at him, he quickly sped off to carry a few large crates and brought them to the Captain.

Grimwald let out a booming laugh, looking up to note the dragon flying in the sky. "I have plenty of crew that are strong and fast, but none that have a dragon. I'll put you in charge of unloading and loading everyone's gear since you seem so enthusiastic to carry things." He gestured one of his crew to lead the disguised El Nagi to his ship and turned to the next person in line.

The next adventurer was a Fanalis woman with the typical crimson hair and eyes of her race. Grimwald placed his hands on his hips as the Fanalis woman approached his right side. She performed a quick roll to his left side and aimed a slash at the Captain's arm. From the cold look in her eyes, Grimwald knew she was a deadly warrior and that she wasn't going to pull her blows. In a quick motion, Grimwald unsheathed his sword and parried her attack away, a split second before it would have removed his arm. He didn't become the Pirate Queen's second-in-command by learning how to bark out orders. He was a skilled swordsman himself and had fought by her side in countless battles.

Grimwald gave the silent Fanalis woman a grin, "Ah, a fiery lass. You'll get along quite well with the crew. Welcome aboard." Jarod had arrived back after dropping off Spiritos during Ayero's display and was the one to lead her to the ship.

Another Fanalis woman approached after Ayero, a silent figure wearing a similar outfit to Lagi. This Fanalis woman first stomped her foot, cracking the ground beneath it before walking up to Grimwald and slashing her blade at his chest. Grimwald watched her carefully with an unreadable expression on his face, not even flinching when the sword stopped at his chest. He could tell by the look in Merrze's eyes that she was not on the same level as Ayero, nor did she have the same drive to prove herself. Ayero had approached the test with a swordsman respect, expecting Grimwald to be able to hold his own. Merrze, on the other hand, had pulled her punch.

While that fact didn't sit well with Grimwald, the Captain gestured for one of his crew to lead her to the ship. "Welcome aboard."

Grimwald then turned the dwindling crowd, watching as another assassin-dressed figure approached. The assassin slid back his hood to reveal yet another Fanalis, something that didn't surprise the Captain too much. After all, they were in Reim, home of the Fanalis Corp. Grimwald watched as the Fanalis man stomped his foot, causing a fissure in the ground. Merrze had performed a similar feat and the Captain knew that it was an easy one for Fanalis. He was dissapointed that the Fanalis man thought that display was sufficient to join the voyage, but Bahir had a look in his eye that was expected in one experienced with killing.

Grimwald gave a curt nod to Bahir, "Welcome aboard, I'll meet you on the ship." One of the crew members led Bahir to Ceres' Roar, while Grimwald finished testing the last few adventurers present.

---

While the others from the Historical Society loaded their gear in the hold, Tyrus stood above decks. His attention was split between watching the ship's crew ready the ship to leave port and reading the notes from Illius. The old man had wanted to come himself, however his arthritis had started to act up preventing him from going. Instead, Illius had left a detailed set of instructions for Tyrus, several pages of them in fact. It would have been infuriating for someone who didn't know Illius, taking it as a sign that the old man didn't trust them, however Tyrus could see that this trip was important to him.

With a sigh, Tyrus finished reading the instructions for the fifth time and slipped them into his robes. He looked up to notice a procession of adventurers boarding the ship, taking a moment to study each one. Tyrus was surprised to see a few dressed like assassins, wondering if they had dressed as such to hide their identity or because it was their profession.

A few minutes later, Tyrus spotted Grimwald and the rest of his crew coming on board the ship. Grimwald walked around, instructing his crew to show the adventurers where to put their belongings in the hold and to show them where they would be bunking below decks. Tyrus had already found his cot in the large ship, setting a bag on top of the straw mattress to show it was taken. The Ceres' Roar was a bigger ship than he was used to, even the crew was more organized and disciplined than the normal crew. A bit unexpected for pirates, though Tyrus assumed that was due to Grimwald's leadership more than anything.

Once everyone was settled in, Grimwald called them above decks to talk before the ship left port. "Alright, gather around now. We have some ground rules before we leave. If you break them, you'll be thrown overboard and left to fend for yourself on the high sea. One, leave my crew alone and let them work. If they harass you, let me know and I'll deal with them. Two, meals will be served when the sun rises and when it sets. A small snack will be given at high noon. Three, you are extra hands on my ship for this journey, so I expect you to listen to my officers. If they ask for help, you better help them or you'll be sent overboard. Got it?" He turned to each in turn, with a look that said he had no problem letting people drown.

"Alright then. You each will be given a share of the spoils, however, since I am leading the expedition and my crew is transporting you there, we get the larger share. I'm not an unfair man, though, I will let you all take what you can carry. We'll deal with splitting up the loot on the trip back. If I catch anyone trying to steal stuff beforehand, I'll cut your hands off myself." After making sure they understood, Grimwald gestured to his Lieutenant, Jarod, to raise the anchor and cast off.

The ship left Portsmouth and turned towards its destination of the Shrouded Isle.

OOC: Magoi levels are refreshed for everyone. The trip will take about a week. Have conversations among each other. The NPCs that have been named are all available to have conversations. The next Solomon's Proxy post may be a bit longer than 48 hours to sync with the Magnostadt group. Feel free to reply to each other in between the next Solomon's Proxy post if you have conversations.

Lagi would  nod is head after listening to the instructions, el drago would land lightly on the upper dec where there was an open space. “Tired yet?” Lagi would say as looked over to el drago with his hidden attire. “ Not necessarily, this is the first time I had a chance to ride on a boat myself, I’m always used to flying everywhere. I’ll consider this as a vacation until you ask me to carry our share of the jewels. “ Lagi waved his finger at  el drago while he walked towards the others. “Sleep tight, there are more precious things than gold, that’s the biggest worth we are searching for.


By the way lagi, that bird...." Lagi turns around and looks up, he then picks up the bird and holds it in his arm. "This beautiful creature right here?  I have n idea what species it is, but its fascinating. i think i know her from somewhere....." Lagi started to pet the bird with his special beast handling skills with affection. If there was one species lagi adored without question, it was birds. " You belong to ....... who?

OOC: approach lagi if you like, scroll up for his outfit.

386/1000

Ayero stepped back in line and gave Grimwald a firm nod while sheathing her sword. She had expected the pirate captain to be able to deflect her blow and recognized the power behind his blade. The woman gave another nod to Jarod and began following him onto the ship, though her head turned to catch the ensuing displays of the other two Fanalis. That’s…Bahir? And the other looks familiar… Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought, not expecting to see any familiar faces on this trip.

---

Once they had settled in, Grimwald gathered the adventurers in order to lay down the rules. They seemed fair to the Fanalis woman, and she didn’t mind working as a deckhand. The manual labor would make the trip go by faster than just sitting around, and perhaps she might learn a thing or two. Ayero was surprised thus far with how well organized and behaved the pirates appeared. Though her own experiences among pirates were limited, they were often unruly and uncouth.

After being dismissed, Ayero’s attention was caught by a familiar chirping. Turning, the Fanalis woman raised a brow upon seeing Tomato chittering happily with the masked man who was standing in line earlier. She was about to scold the bird and apologize when El Drago descended, landing on the ship’s deck. Quirking an amused brow, Ayero walked over to Lagi with her hands on her hips. ”I hope she isn’t giving you much trouble, but she usually only lands on people she knows. So…” The Fanalis shifts her gaze to the dragon then back onto Lagi. ”What brings you here?” While the exchange goes on, Tomato tweets happily as she leans into Lagi’s petting.

Of course, the whole situation with his bird was quite alarming. “I think I remember now, you was at the coliseum match with me when Ayero was fighting decimus the immortal!” Lagi would say with a happy smile on his face as he continued cuddle the beast. “ You got so big, hats a good sign of breeding. If you owner taking good care of you? I’m sure that owner is Ayero so I guess so. But with the fanalis diet, I don’t think that’s a proper diet for you, don’t you agree?” Lagi held up he bird and continued to talk to it, but he gave up eventually.

“Ehh, you don’t know what I’m talking about. “ Suddenly Lagi closed his eyes and decided to focus a bit on the sounds that was going on throughout the area. There were plenty of people talking about a numerous amount of things, as well as a particular amount of movement. “ Jesus, his could be a party boat for all I know.” Lagi would mumble to himself as he noticed that Ayero was coming towards him. She went ahead and asked the million dollar question, why was King Lagi here? ” Oh? You didn’t expect me to have only one woman in my life, did you? Lagi would say as he nuzzles tomato playfully.” You raised this one quite well, we were just talking about her diet, I hope you have been using the seeds at the animal stalls.”

After that, Lagi gone over his real reason. “Well, the same reason why you are here. Adventure, promises of glory, jewels, the works. I’m bringing whatever I find on that island back to reim. Well… I’ll be honest..depends on what it is. What about you ?”

687/1000

Merrze was glad she had gotten on the ship, she was hoping that the island would be exciting enough to make her feel ecstatic. The ship was very nice in her opinion but she didn't care to focus on such things, she was more interested into what was going to happen when they reached the island. She assumed there would be dangerous situations and other exciting things on the island, she was a little sketchy about bringing Fluffy along at first but the spiked canine just slept somewhere on the vessel. Hopefully he would behave for now and not try to play with any strangers.

The fanalis looked around to see a few people that she knew but the person she was interested in talking to was Bahir. She had fought with him in the war but didn't get to talk to him much. She walked over to him hoping to have a conversation with him even though he seemed like a loner or at least someone who didn't liked to be bothered. Nonetheless she wanted to strike up conversation with him since she didn't want to bother Ayero who already was in a conversation, hopefully he would be fun to talk to though.

"Hey Bahir, I don't know if you remember me since we didn't talk much, I just came over here to chat if you felt like it, you know just some friendly conversation to pass the time."

Ayero wore a slightly amused expression as she watched Tomato happily receive Lagi’s affection while the King gushed over the bird. Though Tomato was larger and more fearsome looking than when she was a baby, she was still friendly and loving, especially towards those she knew. The Fanalis woman watched as the beast master gushed over the young hawk before he addressed her. Ayero whistled for the bird, and Tomato looked up immediately from Lagi and flew over to her companion, landing on Ayero’s outstretched arm.

”Seeds? I suppose she eats those from time to time. But Tomato’s a bird of prey, especially as an adult. She seemed to prefer seeds and nuts when she was younger, but now she tends to hunt on her own.” Ayero smiled proudly at the bird on her arm as Tomato began preening herself. ”These birds aren’t uncommon in the mountains. I remember seeing them where I grew up. My brothers used to try and throw rocks at them, but they were always too quick.” The Fanalis reaches to scratch Tomato’s head gently with her free hand while contemplating Lagi’s question for a brief moment.

”I’m here for the treasure and the adventure. The only ships I’ve been on were transport vessels, so I’ve got some seafaring experience. I figured it couldn’t hurt to get some more. Besides, it’s nice to get away from the city for a bit. Even if it means we’ll be fighting vicious monsters, don’t you agree?” The warrior’s eyes sparked at the thought of a challenge.

“That’s true; you should always give them the pleasure of hunting for their own meals every now and again. But sometimes an animal’s favorite food isn’t always what’s best for them.  At least make sure she takes  a bit of her vitamins. “ Lagi would then realize how much he got into he conversation and smiled. “Sorry, you know how much I like animals. Talking about Avian species makes  me a bit more passionate at times.  You remember when I used to venture around with Zygus right? He’s a dad now, taking care and supervising the flock of  Metallic birds. Every time I remember that, It made me think that everyone around me has either grown up or moved on with their lives. I would say that I changed too, slowly but surely.”

Lagi would then use his advanced vision ability to look ahead at the dock, as well as look ahead  in front the ship.  He noticed that Merrze was talking with  some hooded guy from far away. “ I guess the heart of an adventurer is share among the few, I just spotted Merrze, and another hooded Figure. Kind of looks like Bahir.  You know that me and Bahir had a talk a while back right, he works for me now. It kind of feels nice to have people side with me of their own free will, makes me motivated to do even better since I’m surrounded by people who have so many high expectations of me. People like you ayero.” After giving Ayero a charming smile with his eyes,  Lagi turned off his binocular like vision and took in a deep breath.   “Speaking of last meetings, about that kiss…..”

This was a sensitive part for Lagi, he didn’t want to offend her or anything so he picked his words carefully. “Perhaps I was a bit forward,  but it’s safe to say that I was caught in the moment and did it without your consent. So…. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.

1000/1000
Ability trained

Spoiler:

320/350

Spirit walked with the man as the Captain had accepted him unto the boat. The man who was leading him on the boat was named Jarod an intresting name. Spirit waited for the Captain to accept all of the other possible travellers. As the other travellers boarded Spirit spotted out some rather familiar faces. He saw Merrze, and Ayero two Fanalis he had dealt with before. Spirit listened as the man Captain Grimwald spoke, his rules were harsh but necessary to have a successful voyage. As the mans speech ended Spirit walked up to Jarod, and said [color:803d=ffff00]"So are you nervous about the journey?

Grimwald glared at the dragon as it settled down on the stern castle (upper rear deck). He rubbed his temples as he let out a sigh, 'I had just said not to get in my crews way!' Grumbling, Grimwald decided there were more important things to worry about as long as the dragon didn't eat any of the crew. He understood that the beast probably didn't have the stamina to fly the duration of the voyage. He ignored the beast and turned back to a pirate who was giving him an inventory of the ship's stores.

On the other side of the ship, Tyrus' eyes had lit up at the sight of the legendary beast. Rushing over to El Drago's side, the intermediate archaeologist began walking around the dragon, stammering in spurts of gibberish as he held out a cloth ruler, measuring parts of the creature's limbs. "Magnificent! What an extraordinary creature! Powerful limbs and look at the structuring of the joints here!"

Tyrus was startled when El Drago spoke and his jaw dropped to hear that the dragon considered this a vacation. Suddenly, he burst out with rapid-fire questions. "You can talk? Oh my! How old are you? What history do you know? What kind of culture does your species have? Do you have a type of government among your kind? Do you have any amazing powers?"

While Tyrus caused a commotion, Jarod was approached by the gargantuan light magician from before. The lieutenant listened to the magician's question and smirked, "Ya' bet Ceres' arse I'm nervous, but tha's the fun of it. Slaying beasts and getting loot wouldn't be worth it if it wasn't dangerous." Jarod slapped the magician on the back or what he hoped was the man's back. It was a little bit too squishy for a back and he quickly pulled his hand back. "What about you," he asked with a nervous chuckle.


For the better part of a week the Ceres' Roar had traveled east until a wall of dense fog could be seen in the distance towards the south. Grimwald barked out orders for the ship to get closer and stop at a pre-determined point. He called for the anchor to be dropped and a moment later the rattle of chains could be heard as the heavy metallic weight fell to the ocean floor. Some time passed before the ship jolted to a stop, which didn't phase the experienced pirates who continued to work, pulling ropes to secure the sails. Grimwald called out to the adventurers, "Alright, folks. Now, we wait. The Pirate Queen will be joining us soon, with some more treasure seekers."

A few hours later, a shout from the crow's nest alerted the ship to the presence of the Madam's Storm. It traveled in an arc to allow it to pull up parallel with Grimwald's ship. When Trixie's ship was anchored and came to a halt, the crew placed a long board that stretched across the water to make a walkway between the two ships.

After the bridge was erected, Madam Trixie and Abel walked across to meet with Grimwald, gesturing for their group of adventurers to follow. The Pirate Queen and her second-in-command whispered amongst each other before she turned to both groups of adventurers. "Tonight we shall gorge ourselves on meat and mead for tomorrow we venture into the unknown. Relax and enjoy yourselves, for now."

Barrels of ale and wine were brought above deck for everyone to enjoy while one of the crew carefully cooked some meat with heat magic. It wasn't the best meal, but it was as fancy a feast as one would expect a week from port. The sun soon dipped beneath the horizon and the drunken pirates began singing bawdy tunes. Some of them danced among themselves, a few tried to dance with the female adventurers aboard the ship, however they backed off if their attempts were rejected.

While everyone was in a festive mood, Vladmir found Adrastos and tried to catch his eye, giving a subtle gesture for the silver-haired man to follow him. If the magician did, Vladmir would lead him to a quiet corner belowdecks of one of the ships. He was soon joined by Vincent who stood back, quietly watching for anyone eavesdropping, but more focused on what Adrastos would say. "We didn't get much time to talk before, but what do you think of the world? Do you believe in the guiding hand of fate?"

Suddenly, a scream pierced the night air, followed by loud guttural roars from within the fog. The crew paused in their singing to listen, passing anxious looks between each other. The roars died out after a few minutes, but it had a somewhat sobering effect for the pirates, a reminder that danger lurked on the 'morrow.

OOC: Feel free to talk among yourselves or with the NPCs, they will reply in the next post. Unless circumstances change, the next Solomon's Proxy post, we will enter the island.

“ssss…shor- ahh huh? What the…… human?” El drago raised an eye as he looked toward Lagi. “Did I fall asleep again? “ El drago would say in his head as he contemplated if he should socialize with the man for waking him up from his small power nap.” History, plenty of history to be exact, around the time where the first of dragon kind made contact with the human race, thousands of years ago. There is a government of some sort, the dragon lords, creatures of legend that each represent an element. I am apart of such a council myself. Though, the trivia can wait till later. Those beasts on that island, you must be cautious of them if such a rumor turns out to be true.” While lagi was flirting, El dragon was anticipating their arrival.

Ayero wore an amused smile as Lagi spoke about his love of birds, idly running her hand along Tomato’s head and back while the red hawk preened herself. ”Is he, now? I’m sure Zygus hasn’t forgotten you, Lagi.” The Fanalis woman vaguely recalled his metallic bird partner, though until now she hadn’t wondered what had happened to him. It must had been hard for Lagi and Zygus to part, but the young King appeared content his new draconian beast.

Ayero’s gaze follows Lagi’s as he turns toward the front of the ship, squinting her own eyes as he points out the partially covered forms of Merrze and Bahir. So that’s Merrze…? I thought her face seemed familiar. And Bahir, too. I didn’t expect to see so many people that I know here. When Lagi mentioned that he had hired Bahir to work for him, the halfling raised a brow in genuine surprise before turning her attention back towards the other beast tamer. ”No, I didn’t know that…” Ayero shook her head, a thoughtful look sparking in her eyes.

As the conversation turned a bit more serious, Ayero’s expression thinned into her usual stoic look. She didn’t expect Lagi to bring up the circumstances of their last meeting, and she regretted being too tangled in her thoughts to respond properly at the time.

”You were forward. Very forward.” The Fanalis-human placed her hands on her hips and fixed the dark haired young man with a sharp stare. ”If you touch me again without my consent, I will not hesitate to knock your head clean from your shoulders.” Not wanting to ruin her good mood, Ayero forcibly releases some of the tension from her posture. ”In any case, apology accepted. I trust we’re both excited for this adventure, huh?” As a show of good faith, Ayero gave Lagi a friendly slap on the back—and though the woman was often careful with her enhanced strength, her hand came down a bit heavily on the human male. Not enough to cause any lasting damage, but Lagi would certainly be able to feel it.

Shortly thereafter, one of the scholars bustled up to them, or more specifically to El Drago. The young man began gushing over the dragon excitedly and Ayero took a few steps back in order to give them more room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jarod give a slap to the abnormally large blond man’s behind and suppressed a snort of laughter.

---

Nearly a week passed and Ayero did her best in working as a ship hand, trying to build good terms with the crew but also doing her best to work away boredom and keep herself occupied. Her normally standoffish behavior faded a bit as she began to warm up to the pirates, impressed with their order and diligence in their work. In her spare time she would sharpen and clean her weapons in preparation for the fight ahead and converse with her fellow adventurers. While she didn’t expect to see so many people she knew, the Fanalis woman was unexpectedly glad to see some familiar faces, especially after the war. Kabu participated as well, slinking off on occasion whenever he sensed a rodent nearby.

At last the ship would drop anchor with Grimwald announcing that they’d be meeting The Pirate Queen shortly. A tingle of excitement danced through Ayero’s spine as a second ship pulled up alongside the Ceres’ Roar. She could tell from the way the men spoke of her that Madam Trixie was held in very high regard and was anticipating seeing The Pirate Queen herself. Shortly after the second ship dropped anchor, a board was placed between the two ships to serve as a walkway. The Fanalis woman watched silently as a small group made their way onto the Ceres’ Roar, a fierce looking blonde woman at the head of them.

At the sight of her, Ayero recalled Diego’s partner who bore the same name and remembered how the younger Fanalis spoke excitedly of the pirate legend. Azix’s mention of The Pirate Queen also came to mind, noting how she was the one to teach him swordsmanship. The mage seemed to have a hefty amount of respect for Madam Trixie, and Ayero supposed that she trusted his judgement.

So…this is Madam Trxie. Even as she spoke in hushed tones with Grimwald, Ayero could feel the commanding presence emanating from her. To be able to conduct such an organized group of pirates…she must really be an excellent leader. Her men seem to have the utmost respect for her. Ayero peered around to see the reactions of others, noting how orderly the crew seemed before her eyes landed on the pirate commander once more. She’s…really pretty. And she looks so strong. I’d love to fight her someday. A familiar spark shone in her eyes whenever faced with a challenge, but the Fanalis woman doused her thoughts quickly by shifting her attention to the other newcomers.

Ayero was surprised to see yet another familiar face among them, her eyes landing on tan skin and dark purple hair first. Ariella is here too? Maybe she got tired of being in Magnostandt. I don’t blame her, she never seemed to speak of it fondly…I hope Vin is doing alright. Ayero was unable to keep her thoughts from traveling to her younger brother as she subconsciously connected him to Ari. She imagined that the child was safe with Adius, but her worry was reflexive. Thankfully it began to pass over as she moved her dark brown gaze to the other adventurers that had arrived with Madam Trixie.

Among them were people she did not recognize. Two women caught her attention, one with dark hair and another with blonde locks. Then young dark-haired woman looked to be close in age to herself, and upon further inspection Ayero noted that her eyes had an almost feline like quality to them. The other girl seemed a bit haggard, likely having a bit of trouble getting her sea legs. A third female magician appeared with a long silver tress, but—wait, that was no woman! As the group moved closer Ayero was able to make out their facial features better, realizing that this person was likely male due to their build despite their more delicate facial features.

When the two black-robed men came into sight, a frown creased Ayero’s face. Something about them seemed off, but she couldn’t place it. Ignoring her gut feeling for the moment, her ears perked when Trixie announced that there would be a feast. The thought of meat and drink was tantalizing, and the Fanalis woman could feel her mouth begin to water.

As the crew set to work preparing the meal, Ayero would approach Ariella if she was not already occupied. ”I didn’t expect to see you here, Ari. Got the itch for adventure?” Her tone was friendly and her eyes searched the magician’s face, hoping that things had been going well for her.

---

That night Ayero gladly drowned herself in ale, becoming much more open and approachable as she drank. She even began to join in with the bawdy singing, stumbling and laughing her way through the lyrics. It felt good to let go and indulge in meat and drink, especially on the eve of a grand adventure. When one of the men asked her to dance, the Fanalis woman laughed and accepted, swinging her hips along with the mug of mead she insisted on keeping with her. Unfortunately she was not all that coordinated with the alcohol flowing through her system and ended up stepping on her partner’s toes several times.

As Ayero sat back down and slurred something about weak men, a sudden scream along with a slew of monstrous roars sounded from the fog. The noises caused a hush to fall over the ship and Ayero frowned, upset that the good mood had been ruined. The scary sounds caused her heart to skip a beat and she was glad when they died out into the night. I guess… m’be careful t’morrow.

When the Madame’s Storm docked with the Ceres’ Roar, Ari followed Trixie over to the other ship, in no way troubled by the time on the sea. She had taken boats enough places that it was nearly second nature to her now to account for the slight dip and sway of the boats. Trixie’s sailors were more skilled in their craft than some she had met and she admired how smoothly they were able to bring the two floating ships together. When she stepped aboard the Ceres’ Roar, her eyes brightened immediately upon seeing Ayero. Rushing over to the woman, she flung her arms around the red haired woman.

“Ayero! Not adventure so much as possible magical history to study. Adius suggested it. Don’t worry, Vin is on a totally different boat, headed straight for Reim, with Adius in tow. We didn’t want to try having him on a trip where there was likely to be danger. They will be staying with my father, Adamus, until we arrive back in Reim, I am hoping this won’t take forever. I am eager to see Azix again.”

---

Ari watched the shenanigans on the deck, her Journey Book in her lap. As most people celebrated and drank, she sipped at the ale, nibbled at the meat, and updated her lover on her activities.

Azix,

I have met your fabled Pirate Queen at last. She seems quite fond of you and your eye patch. We are on an adventure to hopefully find something of magical importance on some island. With any luck, I will return soon and with a greater arsenal that I had when I left. Adius and Ayero’s brother should be arriving soon to stay with my father, they can update you on the specifics of my Kodor fight.

I miss you, love.

Ari~

Tucking the Journey Book away into her robe and securing it by tying it in place, Ari decided to keep to the edges of the crowd and simply observe. When a terrifying screech cut across the night air, she shivered and pulled her cloak closer, as though to ward off the danger. Tomorrow would be most interesting.

Lagi would give off a bit of a nervous laughter when Ayero placed her hands on his back. “A little more power and you would have dislocated my spine or something. “ After rubbing his head, Lagi looked very puzzled that some strange guy talking to his dragon. “ The hell? I didn’t know you had friends Draconis….” Draconis sucked his teeth at Lagi’s remark. “Miss Shiba should have punched you; I know you’ll heal from it pretty quickly. Lagi waved his hand off as if he was brushing off Draconis’s comment as the dragon rolled its eyes. “Well, in any case, I won’t do it without your permission again, promise. “The young dragon emperor gave a playful wink to Ayero as the night went on, but Lagi would occasionally touch his shoulder every now and again.

---

A week later, Lagi would use his abilities in order to carry a few things around the ship. El drago helped as well, speeding up the work substantially. It was their way of pulling their weight around, Lagi was pretty much of a simple guy when it came to things like this. There was an announcement of the pirate queen and Lagi folded his arms. “ Ehhhh? Pirate queen, have you heard of her Draconis?” Draconis actually nodded when Lagi inquired about her. “I always gossip with human information among the dragons as trivial conversations. How she became the queen of the pirates is something you should find out for yourself.”

This only made Lagi a bit more curious, but he wasn’t trying to break his cover and promote any warrants for special treatment because of who he was. Though, after the pirate queen announced they were going to have a party, Lagi was pretty excited. El Drago took flight to give the party goers more room as lagi took the helm with some heat magicians. “ You should add some spices with the meat, I got this. Watch me…” As lagi helped cook the food to make the meat even more enjoyable for the adventurers, the screech made el drago swing by and look around. “ Trouble?” Lagi would say, but El drago couldn’t say. “I don’t know…. The roars died out, but the feeling remained. However, Lagi wasn’t going to let this discourage him. “ The life of an adventurer ay fellas?! There are woman aboard, don’t let your spines give away so easily! So let’s drink and enjoy the food!

Lagi tried to lighten the spirits up as El drago circled the ship for protection, looking aware of things. However, he did spot Ariella and wanted to comment on her. “ Miss Negri...Miss Shiba…… I hope you two are well…” El dago would say briefly as he gave a small nod and continued to guard the boat.

Lagi's presence was known if there were people noticing that the food was gradually tasting better. He was doing his own service quietly.

Noir stepped on the deck of another grand ship, following the Pirate Queen along with her fellow adventurers. She looked at her surrounding to found many people there, two of them were a Fanalis female, another was a fanalis male, one was a gigantic blonde male and another one is a normal human male…but wait, Noir eyes widened as she saw a mystical creature behind the man and she couldn’t believe her own eyes. That’s a dragon! Noir held herself not to go near the dragon since it was rather a rude approach even though she really wanted to know more about the creature that she only saw on the book. She smiled a little, finally enjoying the trip as she found something new.
 
Madame Trixie announced that tonight would be a feast, something that again, Noir had never been in. She decided to help the crew in the kitchen, planning to make some new recipe that was really delicious and energizing for the adventurers. When she arrived at the kitchen with a few herbs that she brought, she saw the black haired man from earlier already in there and he was already cooking something. Noir felt that she shouldn’t disturb the man, but since she was already there, she offered her help to the man. “Do you mind if I help? I brought some herbs that would make a delicious herbs crusted meat.” She paused for a second and hesitantly continued, “That… if you don’t mind me cooking…”
 

---

 
Later that night, Noir went out from the kitchen and headed to the feast. One of the crew tried to dance with Noir which she gladly accepted even though her face remained emotionless, but she still let out a beautiful dance she learned before. Noir was bought by a dancing crew from Heliohapt in her past and it was a very enjoyable one since she could let out all of her emotion by dancing. They taught her to dance on the stage, but too bad they had to sell Noir again to someone else since they were running out of money.
 
Noir even get to drank her first ale that night after dancing along with the crews, they offered her one and she hesitated to try it before, but one of the Fanalis woman who was drunk said that it was good and it would make her happy so Noir gulped and encouraged herself to try. The black haired girl ended up finishing the entire ale from the big mug and it made her let out a wild personality that was unknown before, she laughed happily and cheerfully dancing along with the crews while gulping down another glass of ale even though her face was already red like a tomato.
 
The black haired girl became dizzy since it was her first time trying to drink alcohol; she slowly walked to the nearest corner and sat down on the wooden floor. At that point, she could barely keep her eyes open. She becoming more dizzy and sleepy, each blink would darken her sight until she fell into a deep slumber. Suddenly, a loud disturbing sound woke her up; she jumped herself and wondering where the loud scream came from, the sound was quickly followed by loud guttural roars that appears from nowhere and made the singing crew paused just to listen to the sound. Noir was still sleepy and dizzy and that time, so she quickly closed her eyes again and went to a deep slumber before letting out a chuckle which stated her interest to what will happen next.

A slow smirk curled across the Fanalis woman’s face at Lagi’s comments about her nearly dislocating his spine and promising not to touch her again without consent. Ayero gave an amused look toward El Drago at the dragon’s own comment. ”Good. Try not to die once we get to the island, supposedly no one comes back from it. It would be a shame if Reim had to go through the process of choosing another King, hm?”

---

A surprised look crossed Ayero’s face when Ari threw her arms around her neck, but the halfling quickly settled and wrapped her arms around the other woman’s torso. She gave Ari a light squeeze before letting her go, eager to hear any news of her brother. Though she was a bit saddened by the thought of not seeing him, she didn’t exactly expect Ari to bring the child aboard a pirate ship. It would be far too dangerous and Ayero would be forced to spend her time worrying over him. Hearing that he was with Adius headed for Reim soothed her nerves a bit.

”I’m glad to hear it, Ari. I’m hoping to return to Reim quickly as well, back to our boys.” A chuckle slipped from her lips. ”You look well. I’m glad to see you again.”

---

Ayero watched with inebriated fascination as the dark haired young woman from Magnostadt danced with some of the crew, far more sure-footed than the Fanalis herself. It was evident that she was a trained dancer. When one of the men offered her a drink and she seemed hesitant, Ayero chimed in.

”Oi, give it a go! It’s good for you, makes you live longer.” The drunk woman encouraged her to drink, cheering along with some of the men as she downed the ale. The brew seemed to hit the inexperienced young drinker quickly and she was soon cheerfully laughing and dancing with the rest of them.

After a while Ayero noticed that the female mage had wandered off into a corner. The Fanalis woman frowned and stumbled after her, slowly kneeling down beside the intoxicated girl. As drunk as she was, Ayero still recognized the signs of someone who had drank too much. ”Here, drink some of this…” Ayero clumsily retrieved a small water skin that had been secured around her waist and held it up to the girl to drink. ”It’ll help in the mornin’.”

--------------------------
WC: 607

Zadi got off the docking boat and looked around seeing many old and new persons. Most, if not all, participated in the Reim war. One person in particular that made Zadi's heart skip a beat in surprise was Lagi and his dragon! Zadi saw the dragon once before, but with Lagi's presence, it was confirmed that the dragon was Zygus' replacement...or perhaps adult form! All the same, it was rather neat to see Lagi having come so far in his animal taming. A large metallic bird was something grand, but a dragon was a totally different league! All the same, Zadi knew that it would be best to act as if he didn't personally knew Lagi anymore than a regular person who had only ever heard of his accomplishments. Zadi tugged at his pink kimono, making sure to keep his valuables concealed. To Zadi's knowledge, Lagi did not know what any of her things looked like and Zadi wished to keep it that way in case they encountered each other again and Zadi was no longer using his current face.

All the same, adventure and piracy were in the air as partying began in the night! Zadi made sure to having his fair share of drinks to look a little more sociable while stalking the black robed men. Nothing seemed suspicious about the two men from what Zadi had see other than sneaking away whenever Abel showed up. They didn't shy away from others though, from what Zadi could catch a glimpse of. She didn't completely eye them 24/7, but what felt like enough. Zadi didn't want to make things obvious after all. When the men went below deck of one of the docked ships, he could no longer keep an eye on them. It was a real shame, but at least Zadi could rest his stalking and keep drinking in hopes of looking sociable some more. The drunk Fanalis looked like fun to watch as she slurred up some sort of language.