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Grey Bergman: Grey leaned against Shadow outside their tent watching the clouds roll by as her Night Fury slept soundly. She left the feast not long after Hemlock left and was just about ready to get some sleep after the day she had. She would have to interrogate the weapons smugglers tomorrow when they’re not so hungover. She didn’t have the head to deal with that tonight.
Bree Ostberg: Bree had just woken from her nap. She was lying in the lower branches of an oak for the past while, having disappeared early from the feast in fear of the King yelling at her. It was his fault he had the same name as a fish after all, and what more could a drunken viking do with information like that? She laughed to herself. Maybe he wouldn’t be so mad, but if he found out it would be at her loss.
It was then that Bree heard a low rumble, almost like a cat’s purr, from a few tents away. She gracefully climbed down from the tree, and made her way over carefully, just in case.
She saw the familiar girl leaning against her dragon, and decided to leave them alone, but not before accidentally knocking into another tent due to her drowsiness.
Grey Bergman: Grey jumped at the sound of a crash unknowingly startling Shadow out of her slumber. The two of them stood up and saw a tent fallen and someone trying to get up. It was so dark that Grey couldn’t see who it was.
"Who’s there?" She said as she readied her sword.
Bree Ostberg: After untangling herself from the tent and setting it back to its rightful place, Bree faced the other girl. Bree stepped out of the shadows and feeling awkward about the situation, sub-consciously rubbed just behind her ear.
"Sorry, I did not want to disturb you."
Grey Bergman: "Oh, Bree!" she said smiling. "That’s okay! I just didn’t hear you guys coming. What’s up?"
Greg Ericson: "Well beyond the sky not much. How about yourself?"
Bree Ostberg: Wait… ‘you guys?’… Bree looked to her left, only to notice a stranger walk up towards them. She took a step back, uncomfortable by the unknown man, and lowered he stance. It was very dragon-like, but no one could blame her. It was habit. “Who is this?”
Grey Bergman: She stops and looks between Bree and Greg realizing that these two had never met before. She smacked her forehead. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Grey said. “Bree, this is Greg. He helped us on our mission to find the smugglers. Greg, this is Bree. She was the one who led us back to the fortress.”
Greg Ericson: "Pleasure to meet you Bree, as Grey said my name is Greg, and this," He pointed to a nearby blue Monstrous Nightmare, "is Barry Manilow! So what’s been going on since I last saw you?" Greg turned his attention to Grey.
Akira Skye: Skye stumbled into the camp listening in on their details, but keeping in mind to act like he had no real purpose in being there. Even if he needed to learn as much as possible. His yellow eyes and blood-red hair made him look like a threat and crazy; it helped his case a great deal. “Yes… Yes… Feed on that mortals! Ahahahahahahaha!” Sounding crazier and crazier by the second he walked upon the three in the camp. But he seemed perfectly normal around them. “Yes, I do think I need to know what happened over the last few months. Please tell me.” ((The whole mortals feeding thing is away from PEOPLE.))
Grey Bergman: Grey, Bree, and Greg jumped at the sound of the stranger approaching. Grey furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. Who was this? One of the rebels? Someone new? She had never seen him before. She was jolted back into reality when she suddenly heard her Night Fury, Shadow growling at the stranger.
"Shadow, no," she said placing her hands on her snout to calm her. "It’s okay. He might be a friend." She turned back to the stranger. "I’m sorry, sir. I don’t believe we’ve met. Are you one of the rebels?"
Akira Skye: Skye looked at Grey and smiled like an innocent child. “I’m no rebel, but I’m no type of enforcement either. That makes me a neutral party with nothing to gain. Am I wrong? But yes, yes, I do need to know what happened over these last few months or years. Please, I must know!” He looked at Shadow and let his crazy looks do the rest of his work for him. “I suggest you tell me. We wouldn’t want an accident happening now would we?”
Grey Bergman: Grey felt chills run up her spine and quickly stepped in between Shadow and the stranger. “Alright, look, buddy,” she said, “we don’t want any trouble here. Just tell me who you are first, and then I can tell you whatever you want to know.”
Akira Skye: Skye kept his madman grin to a full maximum as he explained himself. “Don’t you know? I’m that innocent that was killed… I know someone found my body and did nothing… I made a contract with a demon and he let me live as this… Now I wander the world searching to eradicate all forces of evil! But my name is Skye. And I know you don’t want trouble. That’s why you’ll answer me… Is it not?” He started to laugh insanely as his eyes widened and he looked up to the heavens.
Grey Bergman: "No, I’m sorry," she said as she backed up an inch with Shadow. She didn’t know what to do other than to just do what he asked. "I didn’t know that. But it’s nice to meet you, Skye." She took a deep breath. "Okay, a few months ago, people were being imprisoned in a dungeon known as the Grounded Dungeon. Long story short, the person in charge became a tyrant and the prisoners broke out and rebelled. Ever since then we’ve been fighting the Warden until she finally turned back to normal."
Akira Skye: Skye slowly began to calm down and look back at Grey. “Yes, yes, I see… And was this warden ever taken down from her postition of power? I fear that if she’s not dealt with soon things may have to cycle over… And it wouldn’t be fun for either side if I were to show up…” He smiled demonically and looked at them again. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Grey Bergman: “No! No, there’s no need,” she said quickly holding up her hands. “You need to understand that the Warden was an entity a spirit of some sort that was sent to Hel when the person she possessed broke from her influence. She’s gone now.”
Akira Skye: Skye looked at Grey and grinned again. “And yet here I am! I’m not this warden, but I am indeed a dead living person! For all the sins I committed I should be condemned to Hel! But here I am standing in front of you! How is this possible? Because the dead are never dead. Even if they cross over… Keep that in mind child.” And with that same innocent smile he walked off again.
Grey Bergman: Grey stared at Skye. “Look I don’t know!” She shouted. “Hey where are you going?! Come back!”
Akira Skye: Skye went rushing back with his spear drawn. “I suggest that you dont’ come following after me little girl! Aha… Ahaha… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” And with that insane laughter Skye walked off once more…
Grey Bergman: She stopped dead in her tracks as she watched Skye leave her. Who was that stranger? She had to tell someone about this! There’s no way that that conversation was anything normal. But who?
Akira Skye: Skye merely continued to walk with an insane cantor about him. He knew what he did, and how he survived, but he knew that it would be difficult to kill him as well. It made him smile in insanity.
Grey Bergman: Grey breathed heavily as she watched Skye disappear from her line of vision. She wasn’t sure what to make of this. Should this conversation be any kind of concern to anybody? Who would want to know? If this Skye guy was looking for the Warden, then his search would definitely be in vain. The Warden was gone for good. King Haddock and Vox said so themselves. So there shouldn’t be anything to worry about right?
Bree Ostberg: Bree had been hiding around the corner of one of the nearby tents, listening to the conversation between Grey and the stranger. Quietly, she made her way back around, and stood in front of her friend, still keeping lookout for the guy.
"Have you seen him before?"
Grey Bergman: Grey jumped at the sound of Bree’s voice. She had honestly forgotten that she was still there the whole time she was talking to this Skye-guy. So, she looked right at her friend silently thanking all the gods for one familiar friendly face after that ordeal.
"No, I haven’t," she replied. "I thought he was someone new, but he said he wasn’t even one of the rebels."
Bree Ostberg: "He isn’t? I have not noticed any newcomers who stick around the camp, so Skye must be telling the truth."
Bree turned away and looked in the direction of where the man ran off to. Silently she started to run in that direction, but not before making a gesture towards Grey, beckoning for her to follow.
Grey Bergman: Grey stared at Bree in confusion and fear remembering Skye’s last words to her.
"I suggest that you don’t come following after me, little girl!"
That clearly was a threat, but still…the idea of that madman wandering around the camp interested in the Warden after threatening to hurt her own dragon… They had to see what he was about. Maybe once they found out more info on him, they could go to Haddock or somebody who could help. She then turned to her Night Fury.
"Stay here, girl," she said as she petted her snout. The Night Fury crooned sadly and nuzzled her cheek. "Don’t worry. I have Bree with me. We’ll be alright. I didn’t like how he threatened to hurt you and I don’t want him to try anything if he sees that he was followed. Okay?"
Shadow crooned in reply and licked Grey’s cheek. Grey petted her head one last time before turning to Bree and following her.
Bree Ostberg: Only when they reached the top of a hill did they see the man. He wasn’t far ahead of the two, but he was running, and fast at that. Bree grabbed Grey by the wrist and ran after him, towing her along. But suddenly he stopped. Hoping it wasn’t because he had noticed them, Bree crouched down behind a crate, hoping that Grey would do the same. None the less, Bree was silently hoping they would have a chance to speak with him, but she wasn’t going to be the one to initiate conversation.
Grey Bergman: Grey was about to follow Bree’s lead and duck behind the crate, but she saw him standing there. They might as well try to talk to him and learn more about him. Besides, from what she saw, he looked…run down…somehow. Maybe he needed some help. There was only one way to find out.
"Come on, Bree," she said as she began to walk forward.
Akira Skye: Skye turned around and laughed madly. “DoN’t ThInK tHaT yOu CaN hIdE fRoM mE! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR FATE LITTLE CHILD! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!” He ran towards them at full speed and was at them in no time at all. “Even if you bring someone it won’t help you! Ahahahahahaha!”
Bree Ostberg: She barely had enough time to stop Grey before she realized what the man was doing. Bree quickly ducked out of the way, and jumped onto him from behind. She grabbed firmly onto his shoulders and rocked back and forth, hoping to take him off guard and knock him to the ground before he could cause any harm.
Grey Bergman: "BREE!" Grey shouted as she readied her sword watching in horror as the feral dragon lady attacked the stranger. She watched waiting for an opportunity to attack Skye, but how could she do that without hurting Bree?
Akira Skye: Skye simply threw the attacker off and pointed his spear at the both of them. “I wArNeD yOu! I tOlD yOu NoT tO fOlLoW mE! yOu WiLl PaY!” He smiled like a madman and Lunged at the two of them launching sending pure energy at them as well. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PREPARE TO DIE!”
Bree Ostberg: Bree was thrown onto the ground with such force that she had nearly been winded. She propped herself up on her elbow, when she noticed a bright light emitting from his hands. Quickly, she got up and ran towards Grey, tackling her as his words rang all around them.
Prepare to die…
Grey Bergman: Unfortunately, Grey didn’t get the chance to see if Bree was okay. She was too far away and that energy blast was getting closer and closer. But suddenly, she felt herself being pushed to the ground narrowly missing the energy blast. When they landed, she looked up only to see that it was Bree who pushed her, right on top of her.
"Oh, Thor, thanks a million, Bree," she said panting heavily.
Akira Skye: Skye craned his head around to look at the two of them. “YOU WON’T ESCAPE!” He laughed so crazily that it made even the area around him die in utter fear. He then lunged at them and continued his laugh as he summoned more of the spirit’s energy he launched more orbs at the two of them. The hope seems low for Grey and Bree…
Grey Bergman: Grey quickly pushed Bree off her and grabbed by the wrist pulling toward a few crates as the energy balls fired! They ducked behind the crates as Skye continued to fire.
"There’s no way I can get to him with my sword," she said to Bree. "I’ll be fried before I can even get to him, and Shadow’s back at the tent."
Bree Ostberg: It took Bree a second to figure out what actually happened. She surprised that nobody else had heard the whole fight, before remembering that a group had just recently left the camp.
There weren’t many other people still here.
She took Grey by the shoulders, and turned her towards herself so they were face-to-face. “You, stay here and shout things. Keep his attention towards you.” And with that, Bree ran full speed towards a rock on the other side of the path, a few metres closer to their foe.
Akira Skye: Skye continued his onslaught of spirit’s energy, and they had plenty to spare with him. “I told you it’s useless! Accept your fate already and die!” He continued to unleash his energy until he deemed it enough and jumped back a few feet. He then stopped his attacks all together. “H-huh…? W-where am I…? AH! HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Make it stop make it stop! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!” He stood there holding his hands over his head screaming all the time.
Grey Bergman: Grey jumped and peered over the crate. “Wait, Bree, don’t do anything yet,” she said. “Look.”
Bree Ostberg: Cautiously, Bree peered out from the rock, and too a step out. Is this intentional? she thought. She pushed aside any thoughts keeping her from approaching the man, but just in case, she picked up a spear from outside one of the tents, and brandished it as a weapon. Now the tables have turned. Bree stands above him this time, and holds the spear against his chest, not quite forcefully enough to draw blood.
Her voice quivered. “Whatever you are trying to do, it had better not involve fooling me, boy.”
Akira Skye: Skye looked up in panic and shook his head violently. “Please… M-make it stop… Make stop! Please I beg of you! MAKE IT STOP!” It seemed that there was some force in his mind working its way to his soul trying to taint it.
Grey Bergman: Grey glared at the quivering man in front of Bree as she stepped closer with her sword ready to run him through if needed. This man threatened her dragon, her best friend and almost tried to kill her and her newest friend. he wasn’t going to get away with this. But at the same time as she stood with Bree, she couldn’t help but wonder.
"You think he’s trying to trick us…?" she asked Bree.
Bree Ostberg:"I would not say I’m positive, though let’s not make haste to let our guard down."
It was almost sad, the way he lied there curled up, screaming to himself. Bree didn’t know how to deal with regular people, let alone this. She relaxed her arms a little, but refused to let her gaze slip from the man.
Akira Skye: Skye sat up with tears streaming from his face in heavy sobs. “I don’t want this… I don’t! PLEASE DON’T! Please no! I don’t want this! I don’t want it!” Skye’s face contorted into that mad grin as he spoke. “YoU fOoL! yOu CaNnOt HoPe FoR yOuR bOdY tO yOu! AHAHAHAHAhAHA! KILL ALL EVIL! DESTROY WARDEN…! YES! YES!”
Grey Bergman: "Wait, Bree!" she said holding a hand in front of her to stop her from moving any further. "What are you talking about Skye? The Warden is gone…"
Bree Ostberg: Bree took a step back and let the crazed man talk, for maybe, just maybe, it would give them some answers.
Akira Skye: Skye just sat there laughing the entire time. “You fools! The warden isn’t gone! NO! SHE LIVES HERE AND SHE RESDIDES IN THE MIND OF ANOTHER! HUNT HIM DOWN AND KILL HIM THE WARDEN WILLS URELY DISAPPEAR!” He then shook his head violently. “Please…! No! Don’t kill anyone! I never asked for this! I thought I could fight it! Please… HELP ME!”
Grey Bergman: Grey stared in complete shock and confusion. This guy had to be lying! This had to be a trick! The Warden couldn’t possibly be back! Tree was back to normal, but still if Vox was brought back, then it could be possible that… Wait, Skye just mentioned that someone ELSE was possessed, so did that mean that Tree was still in the clear? Was he possessed right now?
She bent down and grabbed him by the shoulders forcing him to look at her. “Skye, who is the Warden possessing? Is it you? Is the Warden inside you?”
Akira Skye: Skye shook his head gently and let it droop down. “The Warden possesses another… I’ll never tell who though… I made a promise… I can’t tell you… Ahaha…. Ahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Bree Ostberg: This guy was starting to creep Bree out, and without thinking about what could happen next, she swing the wooden end of the spear shaft towards Skye’s head, hoping it would knock him unconscious.
When Grey turned to look at her, she just shrugged.
Grey Bergman: Grey just raised an eyebrow at Bree. “Really?” She sighed as she stood up. “Well, at least you got him to stop laughing.” She then stared at the unconscious man before her. “Get me some rope. We should tie him up while he’s like this.”
Bree Ostberg: Bree threw the spear onto the ground behind her and looked for some rope nearby. After nearly a minute of searching, neither of the girls had managed to find any, so Bree tore up some fabric from the outside of the tent, hoping that whoever lived there wouldn’t kill her for doing so.
"This will have to do, but where will we take him afterwards?" she said as she began to tie the first piece around his ankles.
Grey Bergman: Grey sighed as she ran a hand through her brown hair as the wheels began to turn in her head. Where could they take him? “Well, the only place I can think of right now is the prison. We should hold him there, and if what he says is true, and the Warden really isn’t gone, then we have to tell Haddock. He needs to know this.”
Bree Ostberg: Bree tried to lift him onto her shoulder, but to no avail. “Here, help me carry him, and once he is locked up, I will inform the King of his…. Condition and superstitions…”
Grey Bergman: "Right," she said as she picked up his legs while Bree picked up his arms. "I’ll go with you, just so we can vouche for each other because there is no way King Haddock is going to believe this."
Bree Ostberg: "Agreed."
The girls carried the unconscious Skye down to the prison, placing him in his very own cell, in fear that maybe he would hurt any of the other prisoners (being near him was enough to hurt your ears). They untied his feet, leaving his hands bound together by the cloth, and locked the door behind them. The King is not going to like this…
Grey Bergman: Grey and Bree left the prison after locking Skye up in the cell. She felt a little better knowing that this mysterious stranger was behind bars and away from everyone, especially Bree and Shadow. There were some pretty close calls tonight. Still…the fact that he said that the Warden was back…or rather never really left made her feel uneasy. Was what he said the truth? Or all lies? Hopefully, once they would tell Haddock this, they could figure something out. Maybe they could find out who the Warden is possessing this time.
Speaking of which, Grey looked up at the sky. It didn’t seem too late, so maybe Haddock was still awake giving them the perfect chance to break the news now instead of waiting.
"Let’s find Haddock now," she said to Bree. "This kind of news can’t really wait, especially when the Warden might be possessing someone else."
Bree Ostberg: Bree nodded in agreement before starting off in the direction of Haddock’s tent. Luckily, it only took them just over a minute to get there. Perks of having an easy-to-maneuver camp. Once they reached the tent, Bree quietly and delicately opened up the tent folds just enough to poke her head in.
"Excuse us, King, but we have some important information that must be taken care of."
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: Haddock glanced up, clearly irritated at the sudden barge-in, but not quite irritated enough to vocalize it. “Yes?” he simply asked instead.
Grey Bergman: Grey felt bad for barging in on him when he probably had a lot on his plate right now, but this was important! Very important! He had to know!
Bree Ostberg: "I apologize for us barging in like this sir," she said, "but this is very important. Bree and I just had…a….strange encounter with someone in the camp not too long ago."
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Bree took another step into the tent, now standing beside Grey, with her hands behind her back. “We had just been speaking to one another outside when a strange man came up to us, threatening to hurt Grey’s dragon.” She took a breath, not quite sure how to explain the encounter, but continuing anyways.
"The man’s name is Skye. He’s currently in one of the prisoner cells but won’t be able to speak quite yet, thanks to yours truly. I would not call him terribly sane, but for one moment, I believed something inside him was."
She took another step, glancing at Grey, and then moved her gaze back to the King’s. “After quite the fight, he revealed to us something that you should know, if you do not already. The warden is back and has possessed another.”