Return of the Emblem Chapter Five: The Retrieval

[Snowy_One]

"<Just once before.>" replied Robin, smiling with her dirty lips at Shadrak before wiping them off. Happy to be back on solid land she was more than willing to let the mans use of her language slide without comment just this once. "I do not know how I managed that without feeling so sick. It is great to be back on land though! <And don't worry about it. Though you are not Neviskotian, I suppose I would be willing to talk to you in private in it.>"

[Acacia Sgt]

''I suppose you're happy now?'' John said once he got next to Gil. The wyvern grunted, but still ready to depart at any second. ''Fine fine, let's get to it then.'' He continued before mounting the wyvern and took off.

[-Cynthia-]

The night hadn't been too comfortable, but it could have been worse. Nadya quickly got herself and Luca ready and got up on deck.

"So, how are finding these mercenaries? Sooner we find 'em, sooner we can get the Fallen, get back and get paid," Nadya said to the group forming around Raquel. And the sooner we can get away from Kigen...

Edited July 18, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Raquel

Too bad I have no idea how. Raquel thought in response to Gytha's remark. Well that bullet was dodged, but now things seemed to be heading the other way, and to the original problem. She wanted to go with them of course, even if all she could do was negotiate with the mercenaries or keep track of where they're headed on the map, but she still couldn't defend herself. Zel was incredibly quick to offer his assistance there though.

"W-well ... I guess that would solve the problem of me not being able to defend myself ..." she struggled to get out. But like Veronika pointed out. What about the piece of the emblem? I mean, I'm sure a fallen wouldn't know anything about it, but should we really be taking it? I'd feel more comfortable with it still on the ship to be honest.

Not Raquel

Gabbie's first stop after waking up was straight to the main deck, where she found the lump under the canvas and quickly unpinned the thing. She quickly hauled it off of her wyvern Ringo and then stood over him. He wasn't sleeping. He looked miserable. "Oh man ... you alroight? You look like someone kicked your dog, and then kicked you ... steel-toe ... uh anyway, it's almost toime for work so get up."

Work? When was the last time he'd eaten? This was getting ridiculous.

Meanwhile Amon came over to the gathering near Raquel and the captain as soon as he was ready. Breakfast would have to wait sadly. The mercenaries were in dire trouble if they were still alive. The last thing he wanted was to find them and realize that they could have saved them if they had just gotten there a little sooner.

When Gabbie came over she heard some of the conversation going on, but mainly Nadya's question. She knew she'd be involved, so she answered. "There's only one way we're makin' any decent toime'ere. Aerial search. Anyone with a flier'll do. Looks loike John's all ready to go." she commented when John took off. "Everyone else needs to just head straight for marked spot on the map and be ready to roide in swords swingin' as fast as possible."

A Desperate Plan

The mercenaries in the abandoned fortress had been spending their morning on high alert ... yet sorrow hung heavily in the air. Another sunrise in that same building that had seen the death of nearly half of them. Kai let out a heavy sigh after doing a lot of thinking. For him, this was it. He could feel himself losing strength every hour. It wouldn't be long before even he couldn't protect his men from the demons anymore. If they didn't think of something soon, this could very well be the last time they ever saw the light of day. He stood up which got everyone's attention. His struggle to stay balanced at first also got their attention. It was a sad sight to see their leader going four days with only a couple of hours of sleep. and no food for half that time.

<"Listen ... we're not going to last much longer. Once Katsu and I are down, the group's pretty much finished. We all know that ... and maybe the demons know it too, since they seem to hit us anytime either of us try to rest up. We have to get out of here."> he tried to explain to them without falling asleep standing.

<"We know, boss. Trouble is, how?"> the mercenary from the previous night asked, trying to be optimistic this time.

<"Defeating them probably isn't an option. Too many grunts between us and the leaders. The one controlling all of these demons is probably well guarded as well. What we need to do is keep them from attacking us while we're on the move.">

Katsu then stood up. <"I have an idea ... it's crazy ... but it just might work. We need some fire.">

<"What are you planning on lighting up, exactly?">

<"The whole goddamn forest ...">

<"What? I thought we already agreed not to do that because we would be stuck in here with the lot of them.">

<"Indeed we will. This plan is to improve our chances of surviving, not completing the mission. Forget about the payment. Our best option is to draw as much outside attention to this area as we can. We need to find a way to set this entire forest ablaze and live through the flames. It could help us that we're inside this fortress. It's not entirely mad of wood. All we need to worry about is keeping ourselves from burning to death, or not having enough air to breathe. If we fix those problems, and find away to torch this entire place, we should be able to chase them right out of here. If we're lucky, we may even find an escape route, but we shouldn't count on it.">

<"I'm pissed off enough at them to actually try that, but what about the fire? We don't have anything to burn. Everything's wet, including the forest. Our fire mages are dead too. Best we could probably do is use little dove over there to start a fire for us, but I doubt she could get a big enough fire going.">

<"I can perhaps give us an ignition area. I'm not a fire mage, but wind magic is plenty good for drying things. Dry ignition area is all we need to get things cooking. The dampness of the area will slow the burning so it will take a very long time for the whole thing to burn, but I guess that can't be helped. I'll leave getting the demon girl to help us up to yo."> a mercenary said.

<"Well, that's one thing. None of this matters though if we can't find a way to survive the throughout the fire.">

<"If we start the fire around this area, it will spread on outward. The fires here will die down before the fire completely goes out, and the smoke should keep the demons from flying in to look for us for awhile. The fire will spread out like a ring protecting us from their attacks, and within a couple of days, someone will be here to investigate.">

<"... I sure hope this doesn't backfire and get us killed ..."> Kai commented with a grimace.

These humans were going crazy, the little winged girl thought. They were going to try and burn down the entire forest, and use her to do it? Absolutely not. She had no intention of helping them against her sisters. She needed to think of a plan herself or they might torture her to draw out her powers.

A Different Plan

<"Wait-wait-wait! Let's not do something this nuts. I've got an idea that's less likely to come back to kill us."> Atsuko said standing up as well. She quickly pointed with an angry look on her face toward the fallen captive. <"We need to use her, yes, but there's an easier way to do it. The reason they haven't killed us yet is because we hold her life in our hands. We need to try moving out one more time.">

<"Are you nuts?! Remember what happened to Yui?! She was looking after the little dove with you and the white devil sniped her! The only reason she didn't swoop in and grab that little demon then is because Kai got in the way! At least if we bunker down in here and burn the place we might have a chance!"> a merc interjected rather loudly.

<"We weren't ready for them to ambush us like that last time. Look. I'll keep a blade to her throat. I only need someone to keep me covered, and that should protect the entire group. If they think they can't get to us without losing her, then it should buy us enough time to get to a fortress.">

<"Atsuko, nearest fortress is at the border. Over ten miles away. Are you sure you can stay alert for that long? Over ten miles, moving at a snail's pace through the muck?">

<"I can, and I will. You and Katsu are doing your part, so let me do mine. I'll keep them off of us, Kai and Katsu can keep the fallen at bay, and the rest of you cover me from any ranged attacks. Does everyone understand?">

None of them were really in the mood to reject the idea. It was safer than trying to set the forest on fire, and probably a hell of a lot easier. They would have to worry about what the authorities would think, but the demons stalking them would be the bigger issue, they felt. It was settled then. They would leave the fortress with the men they had left, and use their captive as a type of shield for as long as they could. The only things that could likely spoil this plan were the fallen realizing that they wouldn't actually kill their captive, or they realized that she would die anyway once they reached the fortress long before they ever got there. If either happened, they would all have to fight to the death.

Again? Seriously, again? She had felt a blade to her throat so many times it was starting to feel natural, thought Siv, who was lying helplessly in a corner. There was no way it was going to end like this. If they managed to reach humans serving in the Imperial army, then they would kill her. That was what the mercenaries had feared from the beginning, but saving themselves was their first priority now. They couldn't reach the human strongholds, they just couldn't. It would be the end of her.

[Zsword]

Zelatus

Zel nodded. "What else is troubling you M'lady, You sound so distant." He inquired, he really felt sad to see his idea wasn't perfect, it had worked before in the Church, but why wasn't it working now? There was some third element he was missing... but what would that be?

Shadrak

"<That is good, I'm gladdened to be permitted to talk to you in your native tongue.>" He said with a slight bow, this statement was true, it always felt good to talk to someone in their own tongue. "<I remember my first time on a ship, twas not fun, much like how you told it to me just now, though I've since then been on a ship many times. I have been able to change to suit it.>" He explained to her with a smile, glancing around the forest that was... all too familiar to him.

[Snowy_One]

"<Don't get comfy. I don't mind it right now just because I'm happy I'm back on solid land. I don't know how you handle it, being on a ship for so long. All the rocking and everything, your feet not being on stable and solid earth. It is like tumbling downhill, except no where near as fun and makes me sick.>" As she finished, Robin then tried to take a small step towards Shadrak. Yet as her foot lifted off the ground and came down again upon the soft earth, something went wrong. The foot came down at a angle, causing Robin to suddenly pitch to the side. Her other foot came around quickly as the odd foot rebalanced itself, aided by Robin's arms suddenly flying out to the side to provide a sense of balance, stabilizing herself.

[Phoenix]

Ship

"Oh, don't worry about it, Zel. I just wasn't exactly sure what to do about a couple of things." she said hoping he would figure out what she meant on his own. It wasn't that she didn't trust the crew of the Al-lyrae--her cousin was one of them after all, it was just something they didn't need to concern themselves with, and were probably better off not knowing about.

[Zsword]

Zelatus

Zel raised his his hand took a breath as if he was bout to speak, but cut himself short as a couple gears snapped into place in his brain, only waggling his finger with a nod. "Indeed, I can understand your concern." he said plainly... she had a big burden to bear, and he needed to keep that in mind... stupid, forgetting something so important.

Once on the deck proper Sliep guided himself over to Zel gently nudging him. Zel chuckled and grabbed the horse an apple, who ate it out of his hand instantly. When that was Zel whistled a couple times and pointed down the ramp. Sliep seemed to almost nod and proceeded to dis-embark, grazing on the grass not far from Shadrak and Robin as he waited for his master and the others.

Shadrak

Shadrak jumped to catch Robin when she started to fall, "Careful!" but only had to stop himself when she actually managed to catch herself, blushing at the thought of what his finishing the action could of implied. "<Well, I've spent about a month on a ship at sea, I learned how to change to the new environment.>" He told her with a fake cough, "<Are you OK?>" he asked, half reaching for his healing staff... he didn't really know the girl, no, but she was nice enough, and really, the only way to make friends was to be nice to people, or so it seemed.

[Snowy_One]

"<Yes. I'm fine.>" said Robin, her eyes looking to the healing staff of the man. Had he been almost ready to try and heal her wounds, even though she lacked any? No. Even if he had, she would have been obligated to say 'no'. "<Sense of balance is all out of whack. Almost like the-Horse coming.>" she said as she pointed to the animal coming down the ramp. Being careful to mind her step she moved out of the way of the animal.

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya

"Oh, so we should start movin' before you fliers find those mercenaries huh? Let's get up and at 'em then, if we arrive after those mercenaries are already dead this is gonna be a whole lot worse," she said, mounting Luca and heading down the ramp.

Edited July 19, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Preparations And Other Things

Raquel was still uncertain at first, but it seemed like most everyone was now under the impression that she was tagging along. Zel had addressed one of the problems she had with going, so that just left the emblem issue. The fallen didn't know about it necessarily, but she didn't know a lot about the fallen and didn't want to take any chances. Her first idea--the one she put into action--was to hand the emblem over to someone who would be staying behind. That would be ... Connor.

She approached the young inventor having already taken off the bag she kept the emblem in. She wasn't sure if Chip was in there with the emblem or not but given the weight, he probably was. "Um, Connor? Can I ask you for a favor?" she began before switching to a much quieter voice. "I don't want to take the emblem along since who knows what those fallen might be capable of. It's in this bag. Could you look after it until I get back?"

Meanwhile, Amon tried to get a feel for the terrain in the post-rainy weather. The moment his foot came down from the ramp and hit the wet grass and mud, he froze with an unamused look on his face. "... welp, I'm in trouble." The Rexian knew he wouldn't be able to get any good footing in a place like this and was at a terrible disadvantage. He'd have to work twice as hard just to pull off his normal maneuvers it seemed. It was also certain that he was going to be covered in just as much dirt and grime as blood this time around if things became violent. "One of these days, I'm going to pick a city and stay there, never leaving for any reason whatsoever. I really hate the wilderness."

Near the ramp but still on board the Al-Lyrae, Gabbie saddled up and prepared to take off. John had the head start this time but Gabbie might end up with the same luck as before, having picked the right direction to look in. The mercenaries should have been southwest of the border, so any searches shouldn't be detouring too greatly from that general direction. She took her own map of the area and gave it a quick once over before taking off and heading southwest.

Checkmate

The kigenese mercenaries mustered up the last of their strength for their final attempt to escape the fallen. Their plan; Atsuko would use the captive as a hostage and shield, protecting her allies from an all out attack. Kai and Katsu would keep the elite fallen at bay as best they could. Everyone else would guard Atsuko with their lives. If she went down, the enemy would have all the opening they needed to kill off most of them. There wouldn't be much room for recovery after that, and it was likely only Kai and Katsu would survive such an outcome.

They left the fortress with caution, moving with every last mercenary guarding a specific direction, with Kai at the head of the group, Katsu guarding the rear, and Atsuko in the center with a combat knife to Siv's throat, pressed so tightly that she had already drawn a small amount of blood. Sleep deprivation was taking its toll on their bodies, but they couldn't afford to make anymore mistakes.

Two hours. It took them two hours to reach the forest edge walking at such a slow pace. That's when the severity of the situation hit them and nearly crushed their morale. They suspected the enemy was all around them, and as the trees began to disappear, the enemies were revealed. Dozens upon dozens of demons, hellhounds, hellcats, harpies. They were hopelessly surrounded. The further away from the forest they would tread, the more demons would follow them out.

<"A-Ats-sukooo."> a frightened mercenary struggled to get out.

<"Be strong."> she said back trying to stay composed for the sake of the group. Something she hadn't anticipated happened. The demons had them surrounded, so they could influence the direction they traveled in with subtle movements. At their pace, they could end up anywhere and be worn down long before reaching an armed force. Dammit, we should have moved faster, but then they could have gotten to me and this would all be for nothing. I have to think of a way out of this or we're finished.

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

Connor had been working on a shield inside the wagon. Ugh, this is still about half iron, not really the best for combat. If the whole thing isn't of a consistent material, the different densities will throw the balance of the shield arm off. Just need to transmute the whole shield... Then Raquel showed up, asking him to hold onto the emblem.

"Uh, sure I guess. Be careful out there," he said, taking the bag. So this is the thing Uncle was speaking to them about...and that the priestess said was a fake. Wonder if there's some sort of test we could do on it to find out for certain. Sure enough, as Connor took the bag the capuchin monkey popped out, causing Connor to give him a small glare.

"I'm trying to work, I don't really need you jumping on my head right now," he said to Chip, taking a banana out of his pack and handing it to the monkey, hoping to keep him distracted for at least a little while.

Nadya

Nadya laughed a little at Amon's grumbling. "Traveling through mud's not much like a city street or a desert, eh Amon? Try traveling through the more solid areas if you can, the wetter the muck is the more it'll slow you down. Or you could just get a horse, they're good at figuring out this sort of thing," she said, giving Luca an affectionate smack on the rump.

[Zsword]

Zelatus

Zel watched Raquel talk to a friend, and decided to leave her alone, she needed to think. He clapped his hands and called. "Alright, we've spent enough time just sitting around, we got some people to save!" He called out, jogging off the ship with a wave as he ran up to Sliep. "Are you okay my fine steed?" he asked. the horse burred, and Zel mounted with a smile.

Shadrak

Shadrak looked at Zel and shaked his head. "<Sorry, instantly thought you were hurt and needed help, >" he said with a slight chuckle. "<well, I hope you feel well enough... we're mobilizing soon.>" He didn't like this... he knew what the Fallen where close... that omninous feeling...

Someone new...

Krystalain shook her head, there was some intensity coming. She turned and peaked her head over the hill she was hiding behind... and quickly set it back down. "oh my oh my oh my..." She mutterred to herself... before doing the only sensible thing when a pile of abominations were heading your way... she fled, straight out of the forest. With a small jump she took to the air, flying low and fast as she did. "needhelpneedhelpneedhelp"

[Acacia Sgt]

Up in the air, John first looked around. The area ahead was covered in forest, though not in it's entirety. 'Alright, this isn't going to be easy. They may be between the trees or something.' He thought.

'But first, where to...? Traveling with a Fallen means they'd avoid contact in general, so they'd avoid eastern Kigen, and considering the patrols they'd avoid any fortress or being in the open, hence using these woods. Directly west from the river would be out of the question then, so I guess that leaves mostly south and southwest.' ''Alright Gil, let's move on.'' He ordered before flying away from the shore.

[Snowy_One]

With a roll of her eyes, Robin turned her back to Shadrak. "Just because I am hurt does not mean I can not cope with it. I am a hunter. I can not use magic, so I have had to put up with pains before. I do not always need some one to help me when I fall." she said in common. Then, in Neviskotian, "<But thanks for caring.>" she added. She didn't know what to do. The man had offended her with the offer of help and, now that her relief from being on earth again was slowly starting to wear off, she was a bit more willing to snap back. Yet Shadrak didn't deserve this. He was only trying to help her out. Not to treat her as helpless.

She then sighed and drew her skinning knife, turning around to face him. "<I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. Here.>" she offered him the knife. "<Take it. I want it back tonight if possible, but think about it when you can.>"

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"Okay thanks, Connor." Raquel said before leaving the bag, emblem, and possessive monkey with him. When Chip popped out, he expected to see someone else. Where'd Raquel go? Why'd Connor have his other bed? He knew it all along! Connor was going to steal the shiny thing! He had to be stopped-Banana. Hunger took precedence. Eat now, ravage later. Given the size of the banana, this would take awhile but the thief didn't seem to be going anywhere.

Well now that she was ready ... no she wasn't just yet. She didn't want to ruin her cloak, so she quickly came back to the wagon to swap the expensive one out for a regular old one. She giggled seeing Chip so easily sated, though it reminded her that she herself hadn't eaten yet, and as soon as she realized it, her stomach rebelled. Oh be quiet, you. I'll eat something later, sheesh.

Amon

Getting a horse? That didn't work out so well the last time. "Yeah, it's nothing like it. Not that desert terrain is easy to get through, but I didn't run the risk of changing from a red coat to a brown one." he said, complaining about the mud. As he took another step testing the ground again, Luca took a step too, and nickered happily. This wasn't good terrain so he might get to watch a few of the humans flail. Why did their kind walk on only two legs anyway? They were just asking for trouble doing it that way. Nadya needed her front legs for things like "rightfully claiming items of interest", but none of the others seemed to do that.

[Acacia Sgt]

After a while of flying, John had Gil began to descend a bit in altitude. 'I guess it should still be further ahead.' He thought. 'Unless I was really wrong thinking they would be coming from here?' He wondered, but then shook his head. 'Well, I'm not the only flier here so I just have to make sure I'm on the right track or not.' He kept flying in the direction he was going.

Some more flying later. 'I guess I didn't thought much just how much far they would be from us, regardless of direction. Maybe we should stop and rest...' He considered, until he finally spotted something moving near the ground. 'Hm? Could it be one of them?' ''Go down Gil, looks like we found them.'' He said, and began to descend further.

[Zsword]

Zelatus

Zelatus whirled Sliep around, turning to the ship as he bellowed. "ALL RIGHT FOLKS! LETS GO! WE ARE WORKING ON A DEADLINE HERE!!" Brandishing his spear with a twirl. As he understood it, people were dieing, and all these jacks were doing was standing around talking to each, their was some urgency that needed to be called out dammit.

Shadrak

"<No tha-...>" he said, about to push the knife away when he rememberred who she was... and where she was from, so instead of pushing it away he grabbed it firmly. "<Apolagy accepted.>" He said politely as he slipped inside his robe, giving her a slight bow. "<If we both survive, I'll give it back as soon as possable.>" He told her with a smile. He kinda liked her, she was kinda stuck-up, but nice enough, he didn't want to offend her, that was for sure.

OH SHI-

Krystal saw a shadow on the plains in front of her, and turned up to see who, or what, it was. But the motion, combined with her low flight caused her foot to catch the ground. She cried out she fell forward and tumbled across the ground, ending on her front with a moan, picking herself up off the ground slowly, shaking her head to clear the dizzy she had discoverred herself in.

[Acacia Sgt]

Apparently his presence went unnoticed in time since he just startled whoever it was. John quickly dismounted and ran over. ''Hey, are you alright?!'' He shouted as he approached, and this is when he noticed.

'Huh? Wings?' He stopped running. 'Wait, she's an avian!?' At this he was about to enter into panic, but then noticed quickly: 'Wait... there's no tail.' He almost sighed. 'Not a Fallen then. Well, at least means I can discard the worst possible outcome.... for now, anyway.'

[Snowy_One]

"<Not 'if we survive'. We will both survive.>" replied Robin as Shadrak bowed. Then, she returned the favor in kind. Slowly she bent at the waist, her head coming down lower and lower, until it suddenly hit Shadrak's! BONK! "<OW!>" Robin stumbled back, clutching her brow. Faint stains of pink lined her cheeks. "<Don't die!>" she said, gritting her teeth in pain as she turned around to get ready to follow the unknown spear-wielding man.

[Mercakete]

It looked like people on the ground -- or rather, the ship with a few waiting on land -- were getting ready to head out while a couple of the wyvern riders had already flown off. "Hmm. I wonder if we're supposed to be looking for those mercenaries from the sky," Norbert murmurred to himself. Then he remembered the last time he tried to go off with a few of the party members and Raquel had caught him. She made a big deal out of sticking together. She did also mention that they were on a tight schedual, though, and threatened to leave him behind if he decided to go pick on bandits. Like heck I'd leave my maces behind... he mentally grumbled, deciding to descend back onto the ship and directly to Raquel to get a clearer idea of what was going on.

"Hey, Pin-- ... Raquel. I noticed a couple wyverns heading out. Figured I'd ask what I'm supposed to be doing," he asked as he pulled Rizen up beside the merchant. It was strange, since it was like Bert was both trying to be rude and trying to be polite at the same time. He just couldn't decide how he was supposed to be treating the merchant who was holding his maces hostage.

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

Gytha was getting worried. Just wandering around was getting her nowhere. No one looked like Maw would trust them enough to hold still for the treatment. She was a smart cat who knew what was best for her, but she did have severe trust issues and would likely only allow the treatment from someone...Gytha didn't know who the cat would trust in such a dire situation but her gut did give Raquel the ok. Maybe the merchant would be unable to help the cat, though... It was looking more and more like Gytha would have to miss the mission. Unless I can find'er. This'll be a challenge... And so the mariner whent bellow deck to look for the silver tabby again.

[Phoenix]

Raqy

It was a good thing, Bert came down to get his information when he did, since Zel was in the process of rushing the others into action and she would need to mount up soon. "Oh, great timing." she began, sounding a bit reserved but obviously not in a bad mood toward the pegasus knight. "John and Gabbie did already leave, yeah. We're having them search along the mercenaries' route by air to save time. Once we find them, we're going to head over and ... make contact I guess."

[Zsword]

A winged Folly

Krystal cried out and curled into a ball on the ground. "Make your murder quick and painless fallen scum..." she called out with a whimper. Her clothes and hair was rather messy and dirty, though at seemed at some point to have had a simple elegancy. One of her wings was bent at an angle that... well, it didn't look natural. When her demise didn't come she looked up and realised it was a human... "oh.... um..." she blushed, before her eyes snapped open and she shook herself out of the daze she was in. "Their's a bunch of fallen and monsters in the forest over there! They're chasing a bunch of armed people, you need to get help!" she said, jumping up and shaking John by the shoulders, her grip unnaturally icy.

[Mercakete]

"Ah, I get it. Alright, so, I guess I'll be staying with the main group since those other two are already scouting it out. I'll stay in the air, though, so they can find us more easily. If you want to tell me anything, you'll have to have someone fly up to get me, though," Norbert replied, now understanding the situation and what he should be doing. Before taking off again, though, he mentioned to Raquel, "This should be easy if we don't let ourselves get worked up about it. It's aleays easier to think clearly when you're relaxed. Worry just causes headaches and silly mistakes."

It was offhanded and said more as though he was talking to himself, but he didn't move Rizen until he'd finished speaking. In the next moment, he was riding away after his next target: Ranyin. "Hey, Ranyin! Do you want to go for a flight?"

[Rothene]

Ranyin had spent the night sleeping uncomfortably on the ship. He was not too used to the gentle rocking motion of the ship, or any ship in that regard. He did not suffer from seasickness, but neither was he used to a sleeping surface that was solid yet unstable. He found beds in Ursium bad enough for being high above the ground as it gave him the illusion he was floating in the sky and waiting to fall at any moment, but sleeping on a ship was akin to sleeping on a cloud, giving the illusion of being ready to roll off at any moment. Hence his body had instinctively woken him up everytime the ship shifted.

Slightly cranky, Ranyin woke up as soon as he heard signs of activity and spent the time grumbling to himself while watching everyone else do their own things. As he contemplated whether to stay behind and attempt to draw the other side of the river, Bert flew to him and said the magic words that immediately dispelled all his displeasure and replace it with joy and laughter.

"Flight?! Sure!" exclaimed Ranyin loudly, "so I get on Riz now?"