Fantasy Cursed Island

[Darkling0096]

Turac leaned down to cut Siege and Katsuo loose with his sharp beak, "Attend to your friends," he said before picking the corpse off of Roy and moving his brother to Nidia and Emilia so the injured parties could get treatment.

"What is going on?", Jalin shouted, still pinned to the tree by arrows in his shoulder and hands.

 

[Fangs9090]

Nidia was already seeing to Emilia with her healing magic, having gotten started once Turac was identified. She finished with her quickly before moving over to Roy.

Katsuo went to get Jalin unpinned from the tree. "Turac finished the battle for us." He didn't sound pleased.

 

[Darkling0096]

Jalin grit his teeth as the arrows were pulled out. "Who is Turac?"

"He's my brother," Siege said, rummaging through her bag for some cloth to use as an improvised bandage until Nidia could see to Jalin's injuries, "Here." The dragon turtle moved outside of the camp to perch atop the boulder that sheltered the camp, looking out into the woods.

"I see mom was right," Turac said after a moment, shaking his head a bit, "You do get into trouble at every opportunity."

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy groaned as he recovered from his shock with Nidia's help. "We ran short of money for an inn. And we didn't think bandits were be so much trouble..."

Katsuo shook his head. "Their cowardly tactics are irritatingly effective..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"What are you even doing here?", Siege asked, "What about your lake?"

"I froze it over," Turac leaned down to look each member of the group over, "Our mother was very afraid that you would get into trouble as soon as you left, but by the time I was able to catch up, you were already on a boat."

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy shook his head. "And pirate ship, at that. Though that didn't..." He trailed off before looking at Turac. "That was you that sank the merchant ship!"

 

[Darkling0096]

Turac dipped his head, "I had been trying to sneak aboard all morning, and kept getting shot at. They shot at my baby siblings, and..." Turac waved his claw, "That was that."

"Okay, but how are you here?", Siege demanded.

"Mom called in a favor," Turac leaned his head down to show a band of silver on one of his horns, "She had uncle Adran fashion a device akin to her collar for me to use, and polymorphed me into a bird so I could catch up." He settled back atop his boulder, "It would appear that was the correct call, I do not want to know what those bandits would have done had I not arrived."

 

[Fangs9090]

Emilia nodded. “Let’s not think about that.” She gave the hellhound a pat before dismissing her summons.

Roy spoke up. “Well, I’m glad to see you now.”

Nidia moved on to check on Jalin.

 

[Darkling0096]

"It is good to see you safe as well," Turac dipped his head in a nod.

Jalin wasn't bleeding, using his magic to keep his blood in his body, but the injuries were obvious, "I know what you are going to say," he said, "No, I was not going to blow this injury off."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Mm." Nidia didn't comment as she tended to his wounds.

Roy kept talking to Turac. "So, I take it you came by yourself. Shuffle didn't follow?"

 

[Darkling0096]

"Oh, I made sure Shuffle could not follow," Turac replied, "I convinced her we were going to play hide and seek, and sent her to go hide at the bottom of my lake before I froze it solid. You know how she is about adventures." He gave as much of a shrug as a dragon turtle could, "If she has managed to escape that, she is uncageable."

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy shook his head. "I'd believe it. Still, with how long it would take to even realize it, she wouldn't be able to track any of us down. At the same time, if every fight is going to be like the one we just had, I wouldn't mind her help..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"You have me," Turac replied, "And you have those tools I gave you."

"Turac, I don't know if you've noticed, but you're way too-"

"Siege, I would not have come this far if our mother had not planned for that." Turac reached his neck around so he could get at his horns with his claws and turned the ring. He glowed and changed shape, parts of his anatomy vanishing or changing position, until sitting atop the boulder was a severe-looking bear of a man.

"And I'd say mom's very good at making plans," the man finished.

 

[Fangs9090]

“Hm. Well, that helps.”

Nidia’s healing hands drifted away from what she was trying to heal as she looked over, very obviously distracted.

 

[Darkling0096]

Turac nodded, "Unlike mom's collar, my horn band retains my draconic abilities, so I am not weakened in my human form." He looked between the twins, "But why did you not use your tools?" He nodded to the pouch over Roy's shoulder, "Your eldritch bombs would have more than helped you in that battle, you wouldn't have had to risk shorting your heart." The to Siege's axe, "And why did you not make use of the armor or the axe?"

"I... have't figured out how to use them," Siege looked away.

"Learn."

"Nidia," Jalin turned his head as Nidia's magic drifted with her hands, "Nidia, you have missed."

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy rubbed the back of his head. “I...may have panicked a little. I’m used to just casting spells...”

Nidia looked at Jalin. “Huh? Oh, sorry.” She looked back to her work as she adjusted her hands to keep healing properly. She was at least glad no one could tell when she blushed.

 

[Darkling0096]

"Practice," Turac jumped down from his boulder, human form towering over Roy and Siege the same way Katsuo did, "I will not always be able to dragon ex machina."

"Thank you," Jalin sighed as the holes closed and healed over, "I was clumsy, it was stupid to assume they wouldn't use projectiles, it won't happen again."

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy nodded. “Right... We should probably do that tomorrow then. It’s not like we’ve actually got any leads on the other stones anyway.”

Nidia gave a nod. “Good to learn from our mistakes.”

 

[Darkling0096]

"What?" Turac blinked.

"You don't know where the other rocks are?", Siege looked just as surprised as Turac.

Jalin nodded ad fixed his shirt with Mending before he got up and fumbled around for his cane, "Is this ice going to melt?" Encased within the ice were the bodies of bandits, and the volume was chilling the camp.

 

[Fangs9090]

“Well.... Not specifically, no. The most I heard is that the royal family of this kingdom has an heirloom that’s a gem ‘as blue as the sea.’ The only thing that really stands out about it is that people consistently describe it by comparing it to water.”

 

[Darkling0096]

Siege facepalmed, "Roy... stuff like this is why I didn't want to come."

"Well, we may not know where the stones are," Jalin spoke up, before tapping one of the ice spikes with his cane, "Bandits carry resources we can use."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Look, it's not like these things have pamphlets advertising them." Roy shook his head. "Alright, let's get this thawed and then...you guys can see what you can find on them."

 

[Darkling0096]

Turac shook his head and sighed, "Mom was right." He tured his attention to the ice spikes, rolling his head on his shoulders before unleashing hot steam onto the spikes, slowly melting and vaporizing the ice spike by spike. He sat down after that to catch his breath, "Human bodies are weak."

The bandits didn't have much. Low quality weapons, poorly fitted armor, a few of them had gold coins, but the entire lot didn't make a very impressive pile. The group would definitely need a more stable source of income.

 

[Fangs9090]

Roy made sure to stay out of the looting party. He only managed the corpse on his back because the electric shock was a bigger concern. Katsuo shook his head as he saw the condition of the bandit's equipment. "This is just insulting..."

 

[Darkling0096]

"They used numbers,' Siege snarled, "Not ability."

"They hardly needed to be in top shape," Jalin said, kneeling next to a body and holding his hands over it to see if it was useable, and sighing. "Most of the muscle tissue has been frozen solid or shattered, and there's too much meat to revive a skeleton. These corpses are useless."