Ryio instinctively brought her cloak tighter around her as Kolo's gaze dropped to her arm. Myundane, it's slang for people who can't use magic 'round here. Ryio nodded, the word's cognate was simple enough to figure out. When Ryio heard the news that her only realistic way up to the treetops was away, her eager eyes lost their fire, and she groaned. Of course it's not that simple. She thought, smiling at the irony.

"I don't think that solves your now problem, though." Kolo said. Ryio shook her head, "No, it doesn't. You said she'd be back in a few days. I can wait that long, but I'll be almost useless for work if I do. Do you know another way for me to get up? Or an alternative way to work- or even where this 'Lannissa' may be? I'll take anything. Though-" Ryio reached into her travelsack and laid her two remaining coins on the counter. "Please take this."

@tex

"Dannisus," he said, nodding at Paric's request. He wasn't interested in dulling his senses. Paric could finish off his supply of alcohol if he wanted. It probably served more purpose with the Eldi anyways. "I collect and identify artifacts. It's a big part of my research, research on... Artifacts" He eventually brought his mumbling to a full stop and turned back towards the forest. Dannisus' tail whipped straight down. He rose his hand up and began to pick at the fur clumping loosely around his neck. He heard something. He'd experienced an unusually long pause in activity along Feral Cove outside of the two escapees interrupting his travels. But for something to make waves now made this already inconvenient experience even more troublesome. "I would love to get acquainted, believe me, I would, but, ehm, you see, there's something rather dangerous surfacing nearby. Perhaps we could speak more while on the move?" His right ear spun towards the east, along with the entirety of his head. It sounded big, and smelled rancid. Without further delay, he began to move toward the jungle, assuming that Ayer and Paric were quick enough to assume the worst. "Rhetorical!" the Myti hissed while pushing through bushes and leaves.



Ellorei ceased the whirling winds with a gentle shift of her upper body until both Hyo and Daelin were visible once again. Noru moved over to Daelin and pulled him away from the Myti, who seemed perfectly content with her defeat. There were still ways to go about this without the leverage of a hostage. The priority was to conceal her group's intent, first and foremost.

"He's fine," Noru confirmed with one hand on the man's head, "Psychic magic. He'll wake up shortly. What should we do with this one?" Hyo hissed at Noru, covering his face with the spray of her saliva.

"You will let me go, or you will not see your ally," She threatened, "If I do not return to Sasha, Beret-girl will return to the earth as a corpse."



Kolo chuckled to herself and swiped the money eagerly from the tabletop. "I know exactly where Lannissa's headed. Kilala's Tomb on the Feral Cost. Her brother's been heading to that place for the past month, every week, like clockwork." She slowly rose another bobbet from underneath the counter, one that was slightly fresher than the last, and motioned towards it. "A lucky Myti can make it there in less than a day. But with the monsters prowlin' around, dere's an elemendt o' dandger. Godda avoid 'em. Makes straidt trabel diffi-i-hooo" Another sneeze resounded. The spew from Kolo's nose barely missed the newest offering she'd placed before Ryio. While wiping her nose, she nodded. "Lani's strong. She'll probably fight her away there, like always. The only way to keep up with her would be by mount." Kolo sucked her snot back hard and reached above her stall to pull down a 'closed' sign. "Bobbet's are stale anyways, and It's late. If you want to follow after Lani, you'd need an escort, and something fast that won't toss you off its back in a hurry." She continued to gather things from behind the counter one after another. When her head popped back up, the Myti hesitated for a few moments, and then looked at Ryio with a reluctant desire to aid her.

"Do you like lizards?" She asked, abruptly.

Flin nodded at Noru. "That's a relief.." He responded to him, glad to hear that his companion was okay. Flin glared at the Myti as she started threatening them. Sasha had to be their leader's name. He got a nasty smirk on his face. "You're hardly in any position to be making threats." He hissed. His eyes flared up furiously for a moment, wider than he'd ever bothered to open them in the past. He leaned against a tree nearby after a short moment of silence, and his usual lazy look appeared on his face.

"Do you even have any kind of proof that you've captured her?" He questioned, crossing his arms. He didn't believe this woman for a second. Of course, if it was true, he couldn't act carelessly towards her. Marilyn's life might be on the line here. "And what did you think you'd ever be able to achieve by attacking all 4 of us by yourself?" He mocked, waiting for the Myti's response.

-- 9:51pm
- Mentions: @Mataus

"Dannisus", so this was their name.

They shared names, this was the first and probably the most important step in establishing a good relationship.

Ayer grinned at the progression between the two parties, even if the result wasn't exactly what he hoped for. A promise or contract of some sort to legitimize the agreement would've been proper, but then again they were stuck in the middle of nowhere and in enemy territory. All he had to do was accept to trust this shifty, seemingly impatient stranger. They claimed to be a researcher on magical artifacts, like him. So he felt himself trust them a little already out of relative understanding of mutual profession. He wanted to know more about their own field of research, as 'research' was quite a broad statement.

His smile broadened once more and he opened his mouth. But before he could get any words out, his attention was caught elsewhere.

This Dannisus began to act weird, picking at their hair and waving their tail. Ayer noticed the sudden arc of their ear, staring cock-eyed at the anatomical difference between him and them. Then at their words of warning, he immediately shook himself of the observant wondering and began coiling up the tubes hanging down his left thigh.

With a huff, he motioned to Paric with a free hand and started after Dannisus in a jostling fashion, trying to keep from tripping on the roots sprouting out from the sand as they neared the edge of the woods.

Back to running aimlessly again, for the party of two.

"Rhetorical? Which part? The wish to deepen our newfound partnership, or the part about the encroaching danger?" Ayer muttered aloud.

...

Ryio began slowly absorbing the information Kolo was giving her. Then, suddenly, she put more food on the counter. Ryio quickly grabbed it and tucked it away into the bag at her side. Though, as Kolo kept speaking, Ryio could only think of ways she could get to Kilala's tomb. Based on what the Myti had told her, the trip was fairly dangerous- especially so for a human.

Perhaps I could steal- well, no, that wouldn't do. I could find an alternate job, perhaps, and eventually save up enough for a horse? Perhaps I could find a drinking hall and gamble for enough money? I guess I could try winning tavern brawls... or try and guard a caravan? Perhaps there are caravans off to Kilala's tomb, after all, that Lannissa is going ther-

"Do you like lizards?" She asked, abruptly.

Ryio looked up from her shoes, noticing the "closed" sign and the look in Kolo's eyes. A smile spread across Ryio's face for the first time in days.

"Yes, I do."

@tex

Paric watched Dannisus as the Myti entered an alerted state. Paric himself didn't hear anything and couldn't smell anything over the smell of alcohol, which his nose refused to let go of. The good news was that Dannisus would let him keep the small flask. It was the best thing to happen to him in so far in their mess of a night. "Or maybe not," he muttered, "it was good to have escaped the friendly shark and the Nillium guards."

Ayer's brief beckon and the Myti's urgency to get moving convinced the drunk to get going. "One more for the road," he muttered as he popped the cap on the flask. He took a mouthful and swallowed, letting out a happy sigh. Then he set off behind his friend and the strange Myti. I wonder if all Myti act like him. I'll have to pay some attention once we get Leias.

Of course, Paric figured the rhetorical bit was about moving and speaking, but one could never know. The Myti could have been referring to any of the questions that had been asked already. Paric didn't put it past him. "So what creatures roam these parts? Any giant centipedes? That would be BAD." He said loudly, so that the Myti could hear him. "Or spiders. Giant spiders would also be terrifying. I'd have to start lighting things on fire."

@RyuShura

It was time to get serious? This Blake fellow was clearly out of his mind. Rem dropped one hand, leaving only a single one as the focus of the wind channeling. Letting it hang a moment as he focused, he brought it up slowly from his side before dropping the other and ultimately the magic he was spelling. The wind died down and he finished his other action, whipping his arm up like he were ferociously lifting a dumbbell. The ground tremored and a line of spikes jutted from its surface, starting at the druid and growing larger and more deadly as they got closer to Blake. He was intent on impaling him now.

"What?" Dannisus spat backwards, only paying half his attention to the comments behind him, "No, not that I'm aware. Insects and arachnids can't survive for long in the jungle. Not above ground, anyways." While he spoke, he drew his blade and began to cut a path through the thick undergrowth. For such a small man, he swung his disproportionately sized long sword around as if it were no bigger than a machete. "Most of the creatures native to these jungles are reptilian, or Plantae. Veril are common, but they aren't dangerous. Perfectly tamable, actually." The path ahead became wider as they moved. Dannisus withdrew his sword once they came into a large clearing that was overflowing with colorful flowers. "These things are harmless as well, as long as you don't eat them." He slowed his steps, waiting for Ayer and Paric to reach his side. "Step around them."

Moonlight poured through a large gap in the canopy above them. A miniature forest of tulips and lilies were gathered in little bunches with small paths snaking between them. Moonlight bathed each petal and refracted back towards the leaves overhead as focused beams, but there was no moisture in the air. Their grouping was unnatural. The way they glistened in lieu of the light even more so. But stepping within a foot of each bunch revealed something that would stir unease in almost any man. Eyes peered out from where each flower's pollen would have rested, and the flowers bent towards Dannisus' feet curiously to keep track of his approach. "Latch Beds. They suck moisture out of the air, like sponges, nasty little sponges, but give back to the plant life around them. Much like these harmless little critters, the Jungle itself is heavily populated with Plantae, plant-like beast, not all of whom are, well, harmless, or easy to detect." His nose went stiff and Dannisus' head darted towards the edge of the clearing's canopy. "Not with the naked eye, that is." With a great deal of grace in his steps, the Myti quickly made his way between the Latch beds, and towards the other end of the clearing. "The beach is more chaotic, though. Thankfully, our forest prevents most sea-fairing monsters from going inland. Some of the larger Plantae make short work of those unintelligible monsters, regardless of their size."



Flin was right. This little bitch could have spouted any number of lies to protect her tail. Noru knew it too. But something about her threat was frightening to think about. "Flin," he said quietly while leaving Daelin to rest against a nearby hillside, "This reeks." Hyo peered at Noru and smiled.

"Do what you will. I will not grant you Hyumans any more courtesy."

"You didn't need to grant us that courtesy in the first place. It's as Flin says, why would you attack all four of us at once?" Hyo's smile vanished and she growled from the pit of her throat. Noru straightened his stance confidently. "You could have escaped easily with your magic."

"Speak all you want," She hissed.

"I will, thank you," Noru retorted, "Your actions don't make a lick of sense. Even if we did not have a Druid with us, your chances of success would be minimal. But you knew we numbered four. You could smell our magic." He turned to Daelin briefly. "Even worse, you could have killed him easily in your position, but you chose not to. If you already had a hostage, what good would keeping him alive do you?"

Hyo's nose twitched.

"Were you planning to get caught all along?"

"Speak all you want," Hyo hissed once again, more viciously.

"I can't make heads or tails of it," Noru grunted, "But with the right psychic influence, perhaps we'll have a solution to this-"

A click sounded in Hyo's jaw and she smiled wide to reveal that one of her canines had been snapped off. A rich foam began to gather around her mouth, prompting convulsions and gurgling from the bottom of her throat. Noru's eyes widened, and he moved quickly to the woman's side as her body went limp to keep her steady.

"Shit!" the medic hissed. This Myti was perfectly willing to kill herself rather than facing the work of Arcadia's Psychic Mages.



Kolo lead her latest customer through the grounded streams of men and women, carefully making a path towards Leias' inner community. A few poorly hewn huts lined the edges of the treeline, far outside of where the Nation's marketplace was set up. Many of the poorer Myti would seek refuge down here, but it was strange to see them living as normal people in huts and houses that looked better suited to humans and Eldi. Kolo's hut in particular was a little smaller than the neighboring structures, but a large pen with finely-crafted fencing made up just as much square footage as her home's interior. Inside of it, there was a single stall and a pile of rotten meat. "Don't worry," she assured Kyio, "He doesn't bite." Rather than bringing the stranger inside her home, Kolo placed her pack by the door and hobbled towards her pen's entrance gate. The latch snapped open easily, but made a rather loud thwacking noise in the process. Almost like clockwork, a rapid thumping resounded from inside of the nearby pen. "Come, come."

Kolo lead Kyio towards the large gate that sealed off the interior, and bent down carefully to undo another latch near its base. Immediately afterwards, the gate was pushed upwards by a large purple snout covered in rough scales and several white horns that lined the center of the creature's face all the way up to the top of its head. Kolo was knocked over and pinned down by her pet, a lively Veril with a large body frame than usual. It dug one of its two four-pronged claws into the ground, and held the other firmly against Kolo's chest while it rubbed its face against hers without restraint like an excited pup. Even its tail wagged in a similar fashion to some kind of domesticated dog, despite the fact that it looked like a fearsome two-legged raptor bird.

"This is Kiki," Kolo wheezed while trying to keep Kiki from collapsing her lungs, "Get off!!!"



Blake waited only a few seconds longer before deciding upon it. When the wind died down, he dashed forwards immediately without taking Rem's followup into account. It was too late to notice such a quick and devastating attack to simply side-step it. In a moment of desperation, the man's eyes and skin flashed yellow with veins of unnatural divine energy, and he flung himself right over the last massive spike that rose to skewer him, flying through the air like an ungraceful bird with his hammer ready to sink straight into Rem's chest from above.

Flin's eyes widened as the Myti's body began to spazz out and her mouth was covered with foam. "Crazy ass Myti people.." He mumbled to himself, and moved forwards immediately. He grabbed the Myti's dagger, and put it into his belt with a swift motion before helping Noru to hold her steady. The weapon might prove useful in the future. And leaving it lying around near the dying Myti was probably not the best idea. "I'll keep her still! It's up to you, Noru." He stated.

He turned to Ellorei and nodded. "Thanks for the help. Hopefully this'll work out." He said, turning towards Noru again. "She might have been ordered to sacrifise herself, to buy more time for her companions to find Marilyn.." He muttered.

The guards immediately darted out of the cafe in a rush to find and capture the elderly old shit, making a ruckus as they pushed Nina aside and topped a chair in their retreat. They shrugged off Gybol's offer as if they didn't even hear him, disappearing in a manner of seconds around the corner. Whether or not they would return to take him up on his offer was up in the air. They seemed awfully eager to apprehend Richard. Nina grunted and rolled her eyes as she approached the counter.

"Faint me?" She wheezed, "Sounds like magic or something to me." She looked up at the roof of his cafe silently for a moment. She wondered how it would stop her from fainting, but was too dim and distracted to connect the dots in her head. "I would be annoyed on any other day. Right now I'm too busy being creeped out though. As soon as I described the guy, Victor called in two more guards and rushed me back over here in a hurry. They seem awfully fussy about it, but wouldn't tell me nuthin'." She made her way past the counter and adjusted her hair. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have some more sass ready for you though, boss-man. Looks like we're sitting pretty now that the wrinkled death is gone."

Paric followed the path so easily cut by the Myti. The Myti obviously had trained with a long sword before, as Dannisus seemed to be completely unaware of the weapon's weight. If it came to close combat and his fire was not effective, Paric knew who he would get behind. However, the Dannisus seemed pretty relaxed, and there were not any giant centipedes or spiders, so he was feeling quite good about their journey.

Even though Paric was nodding his head, the Myti's words about the local fauna went through one ear and out the other. Ayer would be listening, and that would work for both of them. Despite that, he did appreciate the Myti's effort in alerting them of their surroundings. It was a decent sign that the Myti wasn't trying to kill them. It also didn't mean that the Myti cared for Ayer and Paric. The plants were amazing, though. Something Paric had not seen in a long time. He couldn't remember which ones Dannisus said they shouldn't eat or were dangerous, so Paric just avoided touching anything if he could help it.

Paric followed the Myti's path slowly and carefully. In a better state of being he could have made is way through here with some agility, but for now it was slow going if he wanted to avoid touching anything. "Leias anything like this?" He asked after he saw the Myti's head darted somewhere.

The counter was brazen and aggressive. Blake flew right over the spikes meant to kill him, expending magical energy to keep in the fight. The brigand leader's uncanny burst of energy put Rem in a poor position to escape. Rem took a step back, not realizing until it was too late that there was no time to get out of the way. He threw his left arm up, hurdling a cyclone of wind around him to shield himself. Blake's hammer bit into the whirlwind, almost getting brushed to the side from the circular motion. It wasn't quite enough to keep the marauder back, however. The wind slapped into him as he entered and disrupted it. Blake's hammer smacked into Rem's arm with a sick, wet slap, stopping just short of his goal but landing a hit nonetheless.

Rem cried out in surprise and stumbled back, holding his broken arm. It was purple all across his forearm and bent at a grotesque angle. That surprise was turned to anger in place of any other emotion. The druid let out what could only be described as a growl, bearing his teeth and fierce eyes. He flung his good arm up, casting dust from the ground into Blake's face and moving back. His calm demeanor was shattered. "Captain, take your allies and find my companion!" Rem shouted out to the caravan survivors. He shifted his hand, gesturing more of the dust from around into the air and keeping the cover up as he moved again to keep Blake from striking him based only on his voice. "If you don't, you will die!"

Ryio cautiously tagged along through the crowd, biting idly at another one of the stale bobbets. Her stomach had stopped growling, but she still felt hopelessly empty. Eventually, after several minutes of sorting through crowds and rustling past one too many suspicious folk, the people on the street thinned out and the two came into a residential district- at least, that's how it looked. Lots of things in Leias couldn't be trusted for looks, though...

After a short time in the residential district, Kolo stopped at a small hovel with a large pen, and Ryio stood behind her, staring at the strange thing. It looked fairly sturdy, the craftsmanship was at least obviously better than Kolo's stand, and the house itself was cozy, but something about it was just off. Ryio noticed Kolo had started going inside the pen, and hurried to come in alongside her- though, just as she got close, the gate burst open, revealing some frightening-looking lizard-beast. Ryio took a step back to avoid being trampled, and knelt down to get eye level with the creature as it rubbed itself over Kolo.

"Hey there, Kiki." Ryio said to the beast, arching one eyebrow.

@tex

-- 9:54pm
- Mentions: @Mataus

As they proceeded through the native forest, following behind their disregardful guide, Ayer tried to keep up his usual attentiveness. But it was rather difficult with the thick underbrush obscuring and misguiding many of his ordinary senses. He found it difficult to focus and merely continued after the shadow that cut bits of light into the bristled darkness before them.

"I've heard stories of these forests being teeming with flora, but 'teeming' is quite a generous description... Perhaps overgrown would be more the correct term." Ayer said, shaking off a hooked branch as it was caught onto the pipes of his Ars.
"Foreign nature certainly doesn't agree with Men of technology..."

Though he was thoroughly annoyed at all the constant prickling and latching of his equipment and clothes, he was actually enjoying his time learning and experiencing the forests around him. Even if the native fauna did not accommodate for him. It was quite different from the other regions, such as Arcadia and the outlands surrounding the nation.

If not for their calm-natured guide explaining everything, he might been more anxious about every little tick.

His curiosity piqued not at the words, though they were interesting all on their own, but upon witnessing the colorful phenomena upon breaking through a gap in the brush. Nothing was quite like seeing something new for yourself, that mere descriptions can only do so much to stimulate wonder alone. Groupings of strange flowers were bloomed under a ray of moonlight from a divide in the wooden arms and leafy fingers above. They shone within the light, as if called and drawn by it.

The blonde man almost reached out to touch one, a blueish flower-head, until the Myti told them not to. His eyes went wide as a slew of eyes popped up and blinked at him. Ayer stepped back once, letting out a chuckle. He took quick mental notes of the general shape, the color, the place of origin, and current conditions for growth.

When Dannisus explained their moisture absorption, Ayer spoke out.
"Hm. What about Moonlight...? Does any plant have that nature? Sort of like Photosynthesis, but perhaps instead for the energy of the moon? Lunarsynthesis, perhaps? That would be truly remarkable..."

It took a moment for Ayer to realize that his party was leaving him behind, quickly picking up his Ars and moving along with a regretful glance back. Of all the things he wished he had, his old discovery notebook would've been wonderful.

Barely catching Paric's words, he called out to his assistant.
"In Leias, I heard they live without the need for walls. In the treetops of the jungle, to avoid danger. It is because of this close relationship with nature the Myti share, that their cities are known to supply and dictate most of the botanical trading market. Herbs, remedies, medicinal plants, reagents for potions, exlixirs, and ointments, and what have you. A majority of it comes from them."

...

whoops.

Za’Kul felt both a rush of adrenaline and then the terror of wonder. Safety, that was all he desired. Perhaps he would be seen as weak for it, but war was no way to live; the Lok’Sha had shown the world that when they had lost their own campaign against the other nations so many years ago--and they had lost it right in their home, right atop the mountain where their greatest achievement now stood in ruins. They could not bear another loss.

When Mai’Li and Kul’O came with the news, Za’Kul found his giddy killed. To his father he looked first, then to Ja’Kul; finally, he turned to Mai’Li and Kul’Lo.

“Wor do this?” how fickle a thing is optimism; clenched fists, Za’Kul stormed to where his battle axes were; he moved to grab them and then thought of the Wor he had just saved. Za’Kul had promised them things would be different with his tribe, that the Kul were nothing like the monger Wor… and now it came time to show them that the Kul were beasts of their word. He let his hands fall back to his sides.

“I will go to Low Jo. Bring message to Low Dahla, too--all Low tribe must meet. Cannot have war in Low Tunnels with Wor. Cannot have our home collapse.”

Ha'Kul took a deep breath. The dust he breathed felt even coarser than usual. "You go alone?" He asked. Ju'Kul moved next to the chieftain and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you go, You bring with you a group. Danger to individuals much higher than to the entire Tunnel system." Mia'Lai stood silently by his group, waiting patiently for further instruction. "If you approach Jo and Dahlah, worry not only for Wor's Treachery. All tribes to be on guard. Dark-skins responsible for fall of Wor, but not all tribes share sentiment for death of its people. Kul likely not alone in kindness, but are of very few."



Ayer was the talkative sort when it came to stuff like this, it seemed. Dannisus tried to tune most of it out. He wasn't a botanist, or anything of the sort. At best, his knowledge of the local plant life ranged from only barely learned, to exceptionally ignorant. That extended to whether or not he could differentiate on the unique processes of photosynthesis. Moonlight, sunlight, what difference did it even make? Plants did what plants were going to do. If he wanted to delve into alchemy, the Myti wouldn't have ventured this far away from Leias.

"Leias' trade only capitalizes on herbs that can't be grown outside of the jungle, namely, Fertintide, Fizzle Root, Aborocious Petals..." Dannisus began to trail off as they left the clearing. With no danger nearby, he picked up the pace ever so slightly. "The Nation is, it's uh, it's a little less dense. What I mean to say is that we, or rather, the Myti who live along the Leias Clearing, prefer open skies to the dense canopies you'll see across Meotey. We're not as at one with nature as everyone seems to think. The beasts of the land would attack us just the same if given the chance, I'm sure of it. We just know better than the rest of you!" Dannisus huffed with a great deal of pride at the nature of his people. He didn't fully understand the culture of practices of Leias himself, but he knew well enough that they weren't one with nature. It wasn't uncommon to think so outside of the dank forest, though. Myti may have been friendly and open to visitors, but they were not honest creatures.

As the trio made their way away from the clearing, the trees began to thin out. Mere minutes later, it became clear that they were headed in a near circle. Not much further ahead, only slightly obscured by the treeline, a conglomeration of pillars, cracked stone slabs, and sandy fabrics could be seen peering through the gaps in the jungle.

- 9:56pm
-- Mentions:@Mataus

He stared with fascination at the newfound information.
"Wow. If you aren't an expert, I can't wait to talk to someone with expertise with these forests. There is nothing more exciting than learning more of this mysterious world of ours..."

His eyes glared around in the darkness, until an itch closer below distract him. Making out the shape of strange shape hanging from his arm, his head push closer to get a better look. It almost looked like a curled snail. But an abrupt, furious fluttering caused the man to instinctively slap the creature away. The bulb-like bug buzzed right up to his face, a long proboscis nearly poking his eye out. The blacked shadow hissed at him before shooting past his ear.
"Oh!"

Ayer looked down at the rest of his body with intense scrutiny for any other foreign hitchhikers. His eyes narrowed, worrying if his skin would shift coloration.
His eyes now shone in alert, twitching back and forth. "Though I wonder if I can ever get used to the nuances of the wilds. Do your people have repellent spray, or do the creatures just ignore you all out of evolutionary instinct now? By the way, was that something I should be concerned about? Here, just take a look--"

But his movement up towards the Myti stopped as soon as he realized a very similar sight. The moonlight shone over a clearing of sand and rocks, not much different than the coast they set out from not so long earlier.

"Wait, is that the coast... Where did you take us?"
As he said this, his hands went to his side and his fingers gripped the handle of Wax Jury.

...

After a small tussle with the beast, Kolo managed to push Kiki off of he stomach with a strained heft using her legs. It backed away and stood in place. Kyio caught its attention immediately though. "She's a pretty feisty Veril, but perfectly capable of making the trip in under a day with the right, motivation," Kolo snorted. She arched her head backwards for a moment and gathered a copious amount of mucus in the back of he throat. Kiki's head lowered to the ground as her master hacked up a large glob of mucus between them. "Better," she hissed, "Damned sickness has been making it a pain in the rear to get anythin' done 'round here." She offer Kyio a friendly smile and walked over to Kiki's side. "Faster than a Venbu, and four times smarter. She'll carry us quite the ways. We could be there in no time at all, maybe even under an hour. But ridin' Veril ain't for the faint of heart."