Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 24x: Fires of Liberation

[Phoenix]

Continued Stuff

Iso: The border? Traveling by wyvern can be pretty fast. Are you sure he wouldn't have made it to Septimus by now? Or are you saying he would have just waited for you around the border? (Thanks to Vaorin and Zaftra's defensive borders, the space between Septimus and Halton is kind of small.)

[Mercakete]

"It takes time to look for a buyer. I'm just giving my best estamate. If he went to Septimus already, then it'd just be harder for us to find him, too. He might have decided to go home and wait for me there, but that's along the border, too. So it's just the best route to search, I think," Tas replied with a shrug, "If we don't find him along the way, I won't hold you all up. I'll just have to meet up with you again later or hope we run into him if I go along with you. I still don't know which would be the better idea if we don't find him this way."

[Balcerzak]

"I'm still not entirely thrilled about this, but I'll be tagging along I guess," Iris sighed, a bit disappointed in the betrayal from Lev and Stephanie when it had seemed like the idea had been on the verge of being shut down entirely. Now that the decision was made, however, Lt. Frederikov shifted into operations mode, and tried to lay out the most effective way to get this silly goal accomplished.

"There's roughly 50 miles of Halton-Septimus border, where you indicate the chance of rendezvous to be likely. We'll never cover the entire stretch and still make it to the summit in time, so what we need to ensure is that when we've gone up till the deadline we have reached a point close enough for Stephanie to make the final warp to Vaorin, and then Tas will have to cover whatever was left and catch up later. We definitely don't have the numbers for any grid-based SAR effort, so with that in mind, it would probably be best to take the direct route to wherever 'home' was, make an assessment, and then return to the border while heading in a straight line toward the destination. The path would then be approximately a triangle, with the long leg being the border proper."

Turning to Isotov she clarified once more, "You're sure you'll be fine riding on Kiev for extended periods, or do you anticipate needing rest stops or breaks?"

Edited October 8, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Kiev: The Short Straw

Iso: Uh, sure. If we're high up enough I think I'll have enough time to recover from any mistakes I might make.

Lev: I've got an idea. Why not have Stephanie ride with you? She thinks you're going to crash and she warps the both of you to a different wyvern. Kiev probably won't get hurt unless Iso steers him into a cliff or something ...

Irina: ...

Stephanie: I can do that ... but whoever we warp to would suddenly be heavy two people. Isn't that a bit much?

Lev: He'll be pissed but Krinkov can handle that many. I'm not traveling as heavy as I usually do. Thoughts?

Iso: ... as long as Stephanie doesn't freak out at a slight error or anything. Wyvern riding isn't smooth sailing from what I've experienced so far.

Stephanie: >_>

[Mercakete]

And so the flight plan was decided upon. Said flight plan was basicly that Tas would lead them to the site of the ranch he grew up on and from there they would fly to Vaorin's meeting. If by then they hadn't found the courier's father, then Tas would fly alone and catch up later. Though Namid hated every waddling step it took to get outside, once he was there and Tas was in the saddle, he was in the air, delighted at really being able to stretch his wings and move with decent agility again. The mountain wyvern stretched his long wings as far as they could as he flew around while the others launched themselves into the air and soon, Tas was guiding Namid to fly southward and the other wyverns were riding his upwash. Namid was as happy as could be. He was in the sky: his favorite terrain! And his human brother was on his back, enjoying the wind and open sky right along with him. They were even flying towards home. Whether that was actually the destination or not Namid didn't know but it was a good feeling all the same. He even trilled out a happy, mid-volume call to which he heard Tas' familliar laughter and voice.

"I knew you'd be happy to be flying again," Tas cheerfully comented to Namid. The mountain wyvern's reply was an airy, happy snort while the courier looked around at the landscape about them. The way the sun hit the snow made everything look like it was glowing and it sort of hurt to look at it, but it was beautiful, too. It was cold, though -- colder than he'd prepared himself for when he left the ranch -- and so he held close to Namid and pulled his jacket tightly around himself. His slight discomfort couldn't chill his excitement, though. He was finally going home. He was going to see his father again soon. He would even be able to introduce him to his new friends and the lieutenant. (I sort of wish Tristan had come along, too. Oh well. If he's at the meeting I'll be able to introduce them then.) Tas was on cloud nine and there was nothing that could dampen his spirit.

[Phoenix]

I Have No Idea Where We're Going

With the preparations complete, the wyvern riders met up on the roof of the palace. There were a lot more people out there than either of the Orlov siblings expected. Most were getting to work on repairing the extensive damage. Victor was also outside and Ivanko was nowhere in sight. The bull wyvern was flying around the palace in extremely large circles patrolling his new domain. It seemed the humans in Zaftra weren't the only ones with a new 'leader'. Victor had been at it for awhile now, bullying other wyverns, and being a typical belligerent plains bull.

The gigasi that had caused so much damage to the citadels weren't anywhere in sight. Only massive holes in various places were left behind. The only thing in the entire region not horribly marred was the palace itself and even it had a noticeably large hole in the western side from the gigas attack, as well as a climbing trail from another on the opposite side. The citadels were mostly in ruins, with only one of them completely destroyed. Iso looked out at all the destruction and sighed.

Iso: Remind me again why all of this had to be destroyed. It's a little weird kicking Zaftra's door in so hard when you know full well how to open it. Now it's like they're trying to fix the door ...

Lev: Nah. That was one of the problems with this place. All the resources under the royal family's control went into the preservation of the palace and the citadels. Each one of them was just a big economic waste meant to keep the royal family safe. There's no way in hell Ivanko's going to let them rebuild those things. I bet he'd even want to relocate the capital itself to someplace less isolated if it could be done. For now though I'm pretty sure he's going to just cut his losses and get the country back on its feet from Kalten palace.

Iso: ... I guess. Well, I'm ready. Let's get moving.

Stephanie followed Iso and got onto Kiev right behind him. Irina mounted Nikita, and Lev Krinkov. Once everyone was ready, they took off and headed up above the palace. Victor spotted them and came over for a closer look. He did a very loud and gusty fly by that nearly knocked Kiev off balance.

Iso: I guess that's as close to a 'goodbye' as we're getting from Victor ...

Lev: More like 'give me back my staffer' ...

Stephanie didn't wait around and quickly warped the entire group as far as she could. Victor had come around for another pass only to find that they were being engulfed by bright lights. They disappeared before he could get close again and he snarled before going back toward the palace.

-------

Why Did We Go Here?

When the bright lights disappeared, Stephanie looked around and found that they were all still airborne, yet no longer in the mountains, just dangerously high over the fields a short ways from the Halton Septimus border. Iso looked down and nearly got sick to his stomach.

Iso: What the hell ... you could fall from here and have time to write and proofread your will before you ever hit the ground!

Stephanie: I-Iso, we were in the mountains. Our height hasn't changed. I just warped us somewhat southeast.

Iso: Hey, guys! Can we get a little lower, please?! This is kind of ridiculous!

Lev: Don't worry about it, Iso. The wyverns won't like these anymore than you do. They'll start flying lower on their own soon enough. Not even Kiev's dumb enough to stay up this high when he might get tired.

Irina: Stop insulting my wyvern, Lev.

Stephanie then quietly rested her head against Iso's back trying to rest and not look down. Iso kept his eyes forward and Kiev flying straight.

[Mercakete]

Victor's pass displaced Namid a bit since the wind he was riding had been significantly disturbed. Hastily, the mountain wyvern began to descend to flee the bull's airspace. Before he could make any good headway, though, a light surrounded them and their surroundings had completely changed. (Whoa, why are we up so high?) Victor's pass had been surprising to the courier, too, but his training had kicked in for that. He didn't have to worry about the height, though, since Namid and the other wyverns were quickly remedying that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took quite some flying, but by noon, Tas excitedly turned in Namid's saddle to adress those with him. "We're here! We're flying over the grounds right now!" Below them was a rocky stretch of land with little plant life and, given the season, little to no patches of green. In fact, the terrain was largely brown in color and the sky above them was stretched open wide.

Their flight continued a little longer until the wyverns and humans reached what seemed to be a singed foundation for some sort of establishment. Only a couple, ruined, blackened logs remained erected at some of the corners of where the building used to be. Tas landed Namid in the front yard of where the establishment had been. The wind had long since swept away most of the ashes. The scenery was basicly a wild, open wasteland in autumn nearing winter. In the distance to the west there was more greenery and mountains could be seen while the east continued on into Halton. It was a forgotten, secluded patch of land no one cared about but those who had tended to the wyverns before the site was abandoned and laid to waste.

It was a tad windy, so Namid hunkered down as Tas nimbly dismounted and walked towards the few, standing beams with a helpless, sorry smile on his face. Stopping short, he somewhat bashfully turned to face the others and appologized, half-joking, "I'm sorry for the shoddy accomodations. The bandits really did a good job marauding the place."

Namid looked around a bit mournfully. This was where he'd hatched and grown up alongside Tas, hearing the stories of the partners who worked together. This had been where many a wyvern started his or her life in the enormous flock. It smelled somewhat similar as before, but it was so different when it was empty in the grounds and where the bouildings were. When he was last here, it was night, but it was also bright with fire. No one had come back, had they? No one except for Tas and him anyway.

[Phoenix]

Ruins

As Iso stepped off of Kiev to get a closer look at the ruins, Irina looked around in all directions wondering if the fire had anything to do with the state of everything else in the area.

Iso: (... wow. I sure wish Morgan could see this. I didn't even cause a twentieth of this kind of damage to that inn.)

Lev: Were you and your father the only survivors, Tas? (We've got time but the border's still a pretty big area to search. There' always the chance we'll miss them too. At least it's not too cloudy so that won't get in the way much ... unless things change soon.)

[Mercakete]

"Well, kind of," Tas began to explain, "We were the only ones of the ranchers who stayed and escaped. A lot of us began leaving after we learned that the bandits found the ranch and were planning to attack us and steal our wyverns. We took every precaution we could: we released the ones who could fly, guiding them away where they could live in their own flocks in the wild. Many of the eggs and hatchlings were flown away with the ranchers who didn't plan on coming back. A few fledgelings were saved, too, but they're so hard to transport that a lot of them were left behind. That's why some of us stayed: we hoped we could just outlast the threat, so we kept taking care of the remaining wyverns. Well, one night my father woke me up and told me we had to fly away immediately. He told me to get suited up, grab as many supplies as possible and to hurry to Namid and Riggs as soon as I could. It was really hot and smokey so it was obvious we were under attack. I did what my father said and when I got to him, he was holding as many hatchlings and eggs as he could hold. We split the load, he told me to try to sell the eggs and hatching in Septimus and that he would be going to Halton and we just flew away."

The courier took a moment to look back on where his home used to stand. "I think the wyverns we left behind won't have as good of futures as they could have had if we'd been the ones to find them homes since we always make sure their new families will take good care of them...but I doubt the bandits would have killed or harmed them any more than the fire did. They probably tried to save them from the fire if only to make as big a proffit as possible. We had a good mix of plains and mountain wyverns here after all. It's too bad they had to get rid of the ranch, though. It's where Namid and I grew up, after all."

He was actually almost beaming as he turned to face his friends again and excitedly asked, "Do you want me to show you around? I know exactly where everything used to be."

[Phoenix]

Siblings

Iso just stood there a little dumbfounded. The place was in ruins and Tas didn't seem as bothered by it as he thought he would be. Irina felt the same but was more glad than anything else that she wouldn't have to be consoling him now that they were at the ranch. She'd been mentally preparing herself to help him with any bad memories that came up, but now it seemed like she wouldn't have to.

Irina: Stephanie needs to rest for awhile anyway from the looks of things, so yeah, let's have a look around.

Iso: (I guess he's just happy to be meeting up with his father again soon. That IS something better to focus on, I guess.)

[Mercakete]

"Okay! Right now we're in the front yard and out behind you -- that huge stretch of rocky land -- is where the adult wyverns were kept. I spent a lot of time there. When it's sunny, the ground absorbs the heat, so the wyverns really liked laying around out there. It looks like a few of the nests are still more-or-less intact too. And over here" Tas hurried a little further towards the ruins "this is where the front door used to be to where we ranchers lived." The enthusiastic courier continued into where his home had once been, explaining as he led his friends, "There was a short hallway here that led here to the front room. Then there were two longer hallways. One went this way, to the right, the other went to the left, though the left one was longer. To the right led to the barn. Thast's where we kept the partner wyverns. It also connected to the room up ahead: the dining room and behind the dining room was the kitchen. When Namid started getting bigger, the other ranchers started complaining more about him eating at the table at dinner, so I'd eat in the barn with the wyverns as often as the older ranchers would let me. Down this way" he quickly walked down where the left hallway once was "is where some of the ranchers slept. There was a room on either side of this hallway all the way until the end where it connected to" he ran the stretch of imaginary hallway until he met its invisable end "the nursery, where we kept the eggs and young hatchlings. This" he turned so he was facing what would be the door to the right of the hall's back wall (which had a door of its own leading to the nursery) "was my room. If you went through the nursery there was a door here. And then if you went out here, you'd be outside again. And over here was a smaller barn where we kept the older hatchlings and next to that, over here, is where we kept the fledglings. This was just a fenced-off section, though, since they don't need to be kept indoors anymore. We kept the older hatchlings in their own barn just because otherwise we'd have to be making sure they didn't get thmselves killed with their curious mischief. They still sometimes managed to break loose, but it was never more than a few at once." Tas continued, hurrying off behind where the main building had once stood. "This was where we kept the livestock: behind the kitchen. And over that way was another building used just for rancher lodging. And... Hm. Looks like the bandits filled in the well that used to be right here. And here was the vegetable garden and right next to it was the herb garden. The barn was also where the extra leather and buckles were so we could maintain our riding tack."

At this point, Tas' enthusiasm was leaving and he was becoming more contentedly calm. He wandered over to a place behind the nursery and stopped, looking down at the ground below. "This is the graveyard. My mother and grandfather are burried here along with ranchers and wyverns who died here." He looked up into the distance. "It stretches out a long ways" then back to the ground in front of him "but this is where my father would take me -- this exact spot." In spite of his explanation, Tas didn't seem very sad. He was being respectful of the dead, however. Smiling over to the friends that had followed him throughout the tour, the courier asked, "So, what do you think?"

[Phoenix]

Tourists

Irina: I ... wish I could have seen it before all of this happened.

She smiled a little gloomily as she spoke, the mix of emotions beginning to level out a bit.

Iso: Reminds me of that cathedral I b-... never mind. It sounds like it was a nice place.

Lev: How many bandits hit these place? You probably could have saved it with some hired help.

Iso: (Not everyone's going to run to mercenaries for help, especially not expensive ones like Ivanko's mercenaries.)

[Mercakete]

"I don't know. I was asleep until my father told me to get ready to fly away. I was just trying to escape with Niket and the eggs when Namid and I got in the air," Tas replied to Lev, "And actually, not many of the ranchers could fight very well. I was one of the few to decided to try a weapon. I never got very good at it, but it wouldn't have mattered if I had. Bandits are used to fighting and we were peaceful for the mostpart."

Then, Tas took a quick look around and continued, "Well, I don't see my father around here. He might be somewhere nearby, though. I'm going to take a look around with Namid. Even if I don't see him, Namid might be able to smell him and Riggs. Anyone want to come with me?"

[Phoenix]

Zaftrans

Lev crossed his arms and thought about Tas' reply pretty deeply.

Lev: (Mostly peaceful, huh? And apparently the bandits were known about in advance? Ugh, they were just asking to get attacked ...)

Irina: I'll come with. Iso, you should stay here since you're not quite used to flying yet, and we'll be scouting, not just traveling in a straight line. (Plus, if we both go, then Iris will want to come along, and we'll probably end up with our whole group searching ...) Hmm, maybe Lev too. I'm not sure Iris would be enough to look after Iso and Stephanie on her own.

Lev: I doubt we're going to get attacked, but be careful anyway.

Irina: Okay.

[Mercakete]

"Alright. We'll be back soon enough," Tas replied as they began walking back over to where they'd left the wyverns, Iris and Stephanie. Once there, the scouting plan was explained to the two members of the group who hadn't yet been informed: Irina and Tas would fly around the area to scout for signs of Tas' father while Isotov, Levski, Stephanie and Iris stayed behind to rest and wait.

[Balcerzak]

Leaven Kalten had been a minor excitement, with a near incident involving that wild untamed beast of Ivanko's. As far as gigantic lizards went, it was no surprise that Lt. Frederikov was much fonder of old Orteiga than this Victor, and she somehow doubted the new one would grow on her with time. Still, the priestess had cut short any chance of actual problems, rather than mere threats about sharing his airspace, with a timely warp, so for the foreseeable future Iris would not have to worry about that at all, it seemed. Her spell was a simple horizontal translation only, with no vertical displacement, so their new relative altitude was considerable. Drake was already on top of things, but she guided him along on a smooth downward pattern until the group stabilized into a coherent formation.

After some hours travelling they reached Tas's former residence. Iris hadn't really known what to expect, having only been given the barest bones background, but she had to admit the place was more desolate than she'd have imagined. As the situation began to become clear, she was actually feeling rather sorry for the rancher. Then his behaviour took a turn for the strange; rather than being upset, solemn, or mournful, the boy had taken an upbeat and cheery disposition, and he proceeded to "show off" the layout of the ranch. Starting to think that he might be a bit... touched, she simply kept her lips pressed closely tight, and said nothing.

When he asked for volunteers to go scout a bit of the surrounding countryside with him and Irina volunteered, however, it was time to step up and interject.

"Wait just one second here," Iris objected, as it seemed like they were just going to take off. She couldn't allow the two of them to just leave by themselves... unattended. "Tas, no offense but you don't look like much of a fighter yourself." Turning to Irina she continued, "Your Highness, I'd feel much better with two groups of three, than a group of two and a group of four. I know you haven't seen my abilities yourself, but I am capable. However, if you would prefer Lev to guard Stephanie and Isotov, then I would have to accompany you. Me or Lev: it's your choice."

[Phoenix]

Decisions

Iris didn't seem like she was willing to negotiate here, so Irina glanced between her and Lev, not really sure who she would have along immediately. Lev commented himself before she could really decide.

Lev: Iris could go with. If we're going to be so practical about a split, we might as well make an attempt at balancing it out. If I go that makes a group of three wyvern riders and a group of three magicians. Cute, but not all that balanced.

Irina: Well ... okay, then. Is everyone else alright with that?

Iso nodded, and Stephanie glanced over having finally started to pay attention to the actual conversation.

Stephanie: Whatever you think is best.

[Mercakete]

Tas agreed that he wasn't much of a fighter and Iris was right: even though it was a scouting mission, it would be safer to have another person along. Lev nominated Iris as the third for balancing purposes. No one had any qualms with the suggestion, and so the three were soon airborne, flying in a wide, eastward curve.

As they were flying, all was well with Namid. The wind was easy to ride, Tas was in his saddle and they were gliding around the edge of their territory. Life was good in this moment. It could have been better -- their home could be filled with wyverns and their humans and there could be pleanty of goats to feast upon and the great wyvern Riggs, his father, could be flyight right beside him with his rider, Terance. And Terance and Tas would talk and laugh as Riggs would set the example for Namid... Then life would be perfect. For a moment, Namid could actually smell it. ... Wait. He really could smell it! That was Riggs! Namid knew that scent anywhere! And Terance was there, too! There was some horrible scent, too, but that didn't matter. Letting loose a trumpet of jubilation, Namid sped towards the scent so quickly that Tas was nearly knocked from the saddle and had to cling to it to avoid flying off of Namid's back. (He must've smelled them! We're close!)

As they neared, Namid began to slow. The large, dark green mountain wyvern with darker green stripes going down his back was unmistakable, laying on the ground with wings stretched wide where he lay in full tack. In his saddle was a man hunched over with large birds flocked around the pair. Namid roared to frighten them off as he landed so that he and Tas could see more clearly, seeing as the others hadn't yet caught up. Now Namid understood what the horried stench was that had been mingled with Riggs and Terance's scents.

The top of the rider's head was singed black where it hadn't been attacked by the scavenging birds. His face was down and had not yet been disturbed. Held protectively in his arms were two eggs, their shells split and the infant wyverns inside of them were still curled up but lifeless. The two plains wyvern hatchlings were limp next to them. His muscles were stiff, still shielding the wyverns as he could and the adult wyvern upon which he sat had likewise been partially eaten.

Tas slid off of Namid's back, steadily walking towards the corpses in shock and stopped right near them. To him, it was clear what had happened to cause their damage: Riggs had fallen from the sky after a lightning bolt coursed through him after having struck the rider's head. It would also explain the split shells and dead hatchlings and the expressions frozen on their faces. Terance, Riggs and the infant wyverns they were trying to save were killed suddenly. Riggs' face held pain. Terance seemed worried. The hatchlings were afraid. And the entire scene was so unreal to Tas that all he could do was stare. Namid waddled over beside Tas and turned his tail around him to form a semicircle. This was the origin of that terrible scent of death.

That was when it began to sink in. (He's...dead...?) For the first time in his life, Tas felt weaker as he gazed upon his father. (He...was sruck down by thunder magic...?) Tas' throat tightened. (This.... This is impossible... How could he not have escaped? Riggs' wings are longer than Namid's... He... He could have outflown any bandit persuit! ... Unless...he was flying more slowly for a reason...) It was getting harder to see. Tas' vision was blurring. (He...was trying to match my speed, wasn't he? He was trying to help both of us escape. But...) Breathing normally was becoming difficult. (It doesn't matter what happened. This... This is the result: the man I looked up to and respected more than anyone else in the world... Four innocent, infant wyverns... My father's loyal partner... They're all...)

The youngest rancher couldn't remain on his feet any longer. He fell to his knees and hung his head, gripping the ground and sobbing in deep anguish as Namid lifted his head and bellowed mournfully straight up into the air. The area resounded with his far-reaching, sorrowful call.

[Phoenix]

Irina

When Namid took off ahead of Nikita and Drake, Irina called out as loudly as she could.

Irina: Hey wait!

It was no use, however; they were already too far away for her to do anything but give chase.

Irina: Iris, let's try to catch up with him! Maybe Namid's got a scent or something! (We haven't gotten all that far from the ranch so maybe he was on his way back? Tas and Namid are descending though ... I'm worried.)

Irina's fears were confirmed long before she ever landed. The signs Tas saw were too easily recognizable to Irina and she shut her eyes not wanting to see anymore. This wasn't what they came out here to find, but it was all they were going to get, it seemed. Tas' father was dead ...

Irina landed and dismounted from Nikita. Nikita then backed away from where she landed wanting to put some distance between herself and the smells floating in the air. Irina had come to close as it was. Irina took her steps one at a time, and quite slowly as she approached Tas.

Irina: T- ... Tas ...?

OOC:

Edited October 12, 2011 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

Faintly, Tas heard his name. Namid bellowed another long, grief-filled howl into the sky. The courier attempted to regain his composure enough to say something coherant, but it was nearly impossible. He didn't want to look up. Even if he did, his vision was watery, so he wouldn't be able to see anything clearly. Tas took some deep breaths to try to calm his sobbing. Doing his best to hold himself together -- which was rather ineffective -- he looked over his shoulder to Irina, though it was too blurry to make much more than colors out and they all ran together. "I-- ... I'm sorry...y-you couldn't meet...each...other," it was impossible not to break even that simple sentense with pauses from trying to control his sobs but even that took so much energy. Again, Tas turned his face away and cried. It was too much too suddenly. The prospect that his father had died never even occurred to Tas while he'd been away. He had been certain that if he and Namid had escaped with their cargo, then Terance and Riggs would have with theirs, too. Again, Namid cried out to the heavens for he was mourning as well. It was just as terrible a tragedy to him as it was for Tas.

[Phoenix]

Irina

The kind of sadness she had been preparing for came, and it came when she least expected it. It hadn't crossed her mind that anything would have happened to Tas' father. It was sudden, even for her, but she quickly hugged Tas.

Irina: Tas, I'm ... so sorry. (Why did it have to turn out like this. I was really happy for him ...)

Irina was choking up herself, but was strong enough to hold it back. She kept her head down regardless though.

[Balcerzak]

Drake was a bit vexed when Namid shot off ahead at a sprint. While he could put the speed on with the best of them when necessary, there was no particular need for urgency at present, in his measured opinion. The only scents on the wind were of carrion, long-ripe, and it certainly wasn't going anywhere fast. Still, after a brief exchange of human noise between his rider and her companion he was urged to pick up the pace, and complied with no further complaint than an exasperated grunting.

Dismounting smoothly after landing, Lt. Frederikov watched Irina rush to the other rider's side. She followed steadily, taking in the surroundings to make sure it wasn't an ambush. Her mount would usually have given her warning if that were the case, he tended to be reliable, but it never hurt to confirm. Precautions out of the way, she focused on Tas. Poor chap was now actually going through a proper grief, and she came to assume that his actions from earlier were simply trying to put on a strong front, one which has now finally crumbled and broken down. If that was the case she almost had to admire him for trying. The boy's steed was also going through some sort of hysterics, and that was a little more worrisome. If it started to rampage, that would take serious measures to contain. For now though, it simply seemed to be a string of dirges and moans. Iris made her way up to Tas's side. Irina was attempting to comfort, but seemed on the verge of choking up herself.

Gotta try to keep things detached... but tactful here. Breathing in deeply, she pulled off the glove from her right hand, and rested it on the young man's shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. He may not want to have to deal with what she was about to suggest, but they were on a schedule after all. She did recall the graveyard, from the "tour" but...

"How do you feel about cremation?" she asked, as gently as possible.

Edited October 12, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Mercakete]

Irina's hug was welcome. Tas needed the comfort; it was good to know that he wasn't alone, even though his father couldn't be the one to wrap his arms around him and tell him that everything would be alright. (That's what he would do.) Tas placed his hand on Irina's and squeezed it: a gesture of thanks as well as another step in his struggle to regain some measure of composure.

Cremation. The question came from Iris. Her hand -- ungloved -- rested on his shoulder. (Right... They have somewhere to be and we do have fire available to us. ... Is this what you would have wanted, Father?) He lifted his eyes to look at Terance's face again. His throat constricted. (This will be the last time I see you... How can I...? I don't know how to live by myself. There's so much you never taught me... What do I do now? Why did they have to take you from me? I'm not ready! I wish you were still here... What can I do? You...you're not even in there anymore. It's...pointless trying to cling to you anymore, isn't it?)

"What else can I do?" Tas choaked out, "He shouldn't be separated from Riggs. They're partners. And Riggs was the best flyer. They'll be happy in the sky, I'd bet." The last couple words squeaked out before he cleared his throat and took a shuddering breath. Though he was on the verge of crying again, Tas shakily stood up, looking on at Riggs, Terance and the hatchlings they'd tried to save. "...Could we move them to the ranch before we burn them? I think my family would like to see them off." He was referring to the graveyard. "I have extra straps of leather. I could make a harness attachment for Rigs so we can connect them to our wyverns' tack."

[Balcerzak]

Lt. Frederikov opened her mouth to protest, hauling the corpse all the way back would defeat much of the purpose after all. But she closed it again before saying a word, pursing her lips in thought. This was a hard time, and she may already be pushing her limits. There was no reason she couldn't compromise here. They would still be saved the daunting task of digging a massive grave for the beast, in what looked to be harsh and unforgiving soil. If he already had the equipment, and was dead-set on the idea, it would be more trouble than it was worth to argue. And she had no need to overly sour his opinion of her.

"...Very well, I suppose. A sling harness between two wyverns ought to distribute the weight well enough, and leave the third freedom of movement in case of emergency. I know this isn't the end you would have hoped for. I'll... get the straps and start setting things up. You could probably do with a little more time." Iris tried to flash a reassuring smile, but she wasn't sure it came out right. She barely knew him, and any further comfort she tried to give would be as like as not to backfire. Irina would have a better shot it seemed, so she'd have to leave it up to the princess, or Tas himself, to get him through this.

Removing her hand from the young rider's shoulder, she slid it back into her glove. She spent a few moments in contemplation, trying to figure out which pair would be best suited to carry the load. As much as she didn't like the idea of having Irina shackled up and unable to easily flee, using the two plains wyverns did seem to be the most logical choice. They were similar in build and composition, and not currently in a state of distress. It looks like the situation couldn't be helped.

[Phoenix]

Preparations

All the way back to the ranch, first? This was sounding like a big airlifting job ... and what about the bodies? Moving Riggs would be simple enough but could they really just tack him to the wyverns and hope the others stayed on without falling? Combining these thoughts with the idea of actually having to handle the dead made Irina grimace. She might have had to face the same thing in Kalten if not for circumstances. It felt wrong to her, but she was ready and willing to help out however needed. It seemed like all she could really do at this point.

Ranch Loiterers

Iso: So how long until they get back do you think?

Lev: Maybe nightfall. They won't be able to search well at night, so they'll have to come back by then. I seriously doubt we're going to find him in this area though ... unless he died or something.

Stephanie: Levski, don't say such things!

Lev: ... it wouldn't surprise me either way. They should have had some kind of security around here.

Iso: (It's things like this that remind me that demons aren't the only monsters out there. There are human beings who aren't much different.)