''I...I dunno...'' Tiara said, still shuddering in fear. ''It's gonna take me a while to shake off this feeling...ah...'' Tiara whimpered, curling up like a ball on the bed and covering her face with her paws.

"Hey, hey! Stop that nonsense young lady!" Amber said gently, holding the dog back up and wrapping her arms around her again.

"You have nothing to be afraid of any more," Amber said, gently rocking her back and forth.

Tacitē nodded in agreement as she waddled along with the group. The ferret snapped a photo of Virgil to mark the start of her adventure, "The first picture of the day. Lets fill up an album!" She handed both her notebook and the fresh photo to her companion with a jovial smile

"Is everyone ready to go?" Dianna asked the group
-------------
(OOC: Val, I believe Khun is awaiting a response from Alyse)

Alyse ran her paws along her body. "Dear, what part of 'breeding farm' did you miss? My pups are quite valued. You can't just barge in and claim mateship. I am allowed to stay with Levi *because* he's a cat, got it?"
---

Virgil feigned pouting. "Aw, ye stol' mah soule!" he said as he looked at the picture.
The tourists replied to Dianna with a cheer.

"Oh, well, I, uh, I, uh, didn't think, uh, you meant yourself, as being part of it," Khun said, a little nervous now and blushing, "So, uh, er. Do your owners have you take part in? Or cause you want to?"

her smile did leave few room to fantasy. "Dear, I get to meet the most handsome boys and always different. Would you think I don't enjoy it?"

"I, er, no no," Khun said, blushing badly now, "I'm just used to a more, uh, er, traditional relationship. But, you do what you like to do I guess."

Alyse turned to Levi. "Like putty in my paws. I like that you're so cool about this, kit."

"Honestly, it's better than having a girlfriend who lies about it," Levi said. "As long as you come back to me, it's cool."

That made Khun feel a little better. It technically wasn't sleeping around. It was more like a job.

"So, do you keep in touch with or try to keep in touch with your offspring?" Khun asked.

"Sometimes, they send me postcards, but...well, I encourage them to sever the ties with me. They are destined to new families after all. It's rare that someone is sent back here."

Khun thought about that for a moment. She was right. Still though, Khun himself couldn't just make life and just let it go like that. But, he shrugged, they were dogs. So if she wanted to be a breeder that was up to her.

"So, if I may ask, is Reginald one of yours that you decided to keep for some reason?" He asked her. Khun could feel the ocean breeze a bit better by now.

Alyse nodded. "He was...different. Since he was a pup he had taken to the life of this island, more than anyone else. I was sure that if he had been taken away, his little heart would have broken in two. It was the first and only time I asked my owner to keep one of my litter."

ooc: I am to assume they are at the beach by now yes?

ic:

Khun nodded.

"That's understandable. So, when did you first meet Levi?" Khun asked. His mind wandering back to the present.

"Oh, he just dropped by one night. He was so cute, I just couldn't resist him, that I must concede."
---
The helicopter flew high above the forest, easily challenging the winds, while the ocean in the distance had assumed the color of glass.
"Ain't that some view, Captain?" Gilestra asked his guest.

"Just dropped by one night?" Khun asked Levi.

"Ah can stand in de sea fer years an' Ah won't move." The captain said "But dis... flyin' makes me stomach ta roll like an unsecured barrel in a ship durin' a storm!."

The rabbit shaman offered the ocelot a paper bag. "You can use this, Sir."

This was news to Levi. he remained silent for a bit

"Wait, you're his... okay, that's a little strange that this is the first I'm hearing of this. whatever, yeah. I met Reg first and he brought me along with him to wake her up. She hit my tail with a frying pan. Best story of meeting I've ever had."

"Sorry, but we...are not great in communication. Ours is a sort of closed enclave, we like to keep things for ourselves. I didn't feel the urge to tell you, that's all."

"It's fine, just surprising is all," Levi said. "Though it does remind me that I don't actually know how old Reg is or how-I'm going stop this thought now."

"Ah feel bad, but not that bad!" the ocelot replied "I'll get bettuh once Ah step on Solid ground!"

Khun now felt a little bad for prying into something he maybe shouldn't have.

"Uh, s-sorry," Khun said, "You guys are the first cat and dog relationship that I've met and I know of. I was just curious as to how Reginald came to be."

"Empty threats." Flint couldn't help mumbling offhandedly to himself. He looked back over towards Dimitar who was still fighting the good fight.
"It's like having Yoda for a Dad. Cept he's not green, short, or speech impaired. Wonder if he could teach me how to do that... It'd make it so much easier to stea-errrr... fight. Fight stuff." He quickly glanced at Martin before resuming his watch on the battle.

"Let us go then!" Tacitē scribed and held up her sign, padding along with the group

Alyse turned to take a look at her pup trying to trad Adelheid toward the water. He was yapping something about the sharks not going to eat the apparently nervous shepherd.
---
"I guess that you feel fine enough to take a look at our destination, then!" Gilestra pointed toward the majestic resort.

"Alright, everyone follow me," Drake said as he lead the group to the bottom of the stairs.
once they got there, Dianna said "Welcome to the walkway to the clouds on the mountain of thunder."

If possible, it was even more impressive seen from that point of view: the steps weren't tall, in fact they were so low that even a pet such as Tacite could easily walk them,
But they were *large*: a crowd could walk them. And at the right sight, at regular intervals of 10 steps, there lay the remains of statues. Animal statues, enormous if the feets standing and the paws closed in a fist laying against the feets were an indication.
"Imagine what must have looked like, back in the days," Virgil whispered, awed, to Tacite

Anubis stood close to the steps ahead of the group. He looked back at them seeing the many awed looks. Then continued on up the steps slowly still ahead of the group.

Khun put a paw on her shoulder.

"If I have made you uncomfortable or seemed to prying, then I do deeply apologize," Khun said, "Had I known it'd upset you I would not have asked so much."

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"Should we call somebody?" Luke asked Amber.

"I'm not sure, Tiara honey?" Amber said to her.

"What manner o' stone is dis thing made of? Some sorta marble?" Shadowclaw asked at the sight of the resort.

~~~~~~



"Keep quiet and lay low!" Martin said, pushing Flint behind a fallen tree he just noticed behind Flint. A second later, he was behind the tree too.

Meanwhile, Dimtar and the creature Manneck'vos continued to exchange spheres.

["Foolish human!"] it said ["I can continue like that for months! I doubt you will be able to continue for another hour!"]

"Maybe. Maybe not!" The man said and formed another sphere, throwing it at the creature. This one dispersed itself in mid flight. "Behind you!" The man yelled and dodged another dark sphere heading for him. Once he landed, he began to charge a spell

["Hah! Like I'm gonna fall for that!"] Manneck'vos growled ["Your power is weakening, little human! You Ti- Agh!"] he was interrupted by a sphere of light that hit him from behind. He turned back, but the spirits were still chanting. ["Who did that?"] the creature growled

"Told ya!" Dimitar said and formed the energy he was charging in a hammer "Hey, Mandos! Catch!"

["Manneck'vos!"] The creature turned back towards the human. The moment it did so, it's eyes widened ["NO!"]

The moment the hammer hit the creature it exploded, forming enough chains (of energy) to bind the creature in place. Dimitar did not waste any time and picked up the scroll. The symbols within the scroll quickly changed to suit the situation

"Evil creature!" The man began chanting the new spell "Today your reign of destruction and misery will end! By the powers infused in this scroll I banish you from this world!" His next words echoed "Mune agraki Manneck'vos rejicio ejecto expello in aeternum!"

On the back of the scroll Dimitar was holding, just above the surface, a small black portal opened. It grew to the size of the man and from it a dozen tentacles made of dark energy poured out and wrapped around the creature-mantis Manneck'vos and started pulling it towards the portal. The screams of the creature were so terrifying, they almost made Dimitar to shiver. The however remained strong and focused. Once the creature was in, the portal closed. From Manneck'vos was left only a single ring - Dimitar's ring. He looked around - all of the spirits of his friends and family were there, unchanged, still chained.

"Was it all for nothing?" The brother of Martin's former dad asked "The cause of our curse is gone and yet we still stand. I can still feel the others as well!"

"We didn't finish the ritual properly, it seems." Martin's former dad said. "I am afraid we must accept our faith, friends!"

"No!" Martin said "There must be a way to release you!"

Dimitar's father's spirit - Ivan remained quiet until now. Once he heard his son's words, he stepped forward "There is a way, son, but it will endanger your life!"

"I just banished a... whatever that was that enslaved innocent spirits for who knows how long, father!" Dimitar replied "Once more time today won't be that much for me. What is it?"

"The first part is simple - break the ring." Ivan's spirit explained "For the second part, however, you'll have to focus. You'll have to be a beacon for thousands of souls, else they'll swarm this world. Succeed and thousands of spirits will be grateful."

"Very well!" Dimitar said "Let's begin!" the man picked up the ring from the ground and placed it on the remains of the altar.

There, he placed the ring on the flat, stone remains of the metallic bowl and placed the ring there. The man lifted his right hand and in it another hammer formed out of energy. Then he took a deep breath and stroke the ring with all of his might. The piece of cursed jewelery broke to pieces. From it's remains a smoke began to rise, soon turning into a mist, that engulfed the altar and the man, hiding him from view. Inside the mist, Dimitar stood still clasped his hands on his chest and closed his eyes. He focused on himself as a beacon in the night. Little did he knew that he really did began to glow. He began to hear voices, many voices that begged him to point them the way. He felt then as they were circling around him and up.

From outside the mist Martin and Flint saw Dimitar's glowing figure. The mist began to whirl around the human and soon it became a like a whirling spire of... figures... souls. The spire was at least hundred meters in hight, but it held for merely a minute before fading away. All that remained was Dimitar, who's glow faded as well and the spirits of his friends and father.

"We're free!" Martin's former dad said "We're finally free!"

Dimitar fell on his knees, breathing heavily.

Tiara got up, slowly pacing around the room for a while, trying to calm her nerves. ''I'll...I'll be fine guys...'' Tiara said, gripping her arms with her paws and wishing that E.R was here with her right now. ''Uh...hey....do you guys wanna...get some coffee wit...with me??'' Tiara asked them, still shaking a little.

"Basically, the frame is made with two substances not much diffused in your age: aluminium and stainless steel. The windows are crystal, of a special kind."
---
"Don't worry, Kuhn, it wasn't a secret after all."
---
"Hey, Adel, hey! Can you swim? It will be cool! They always hang around!"

The two cougars looked at each other.

"Coffee?" Amber asked Luke.

"Eh heh, a human stimulant," Luke said to her, "I've actually never had any so sure why not?"

"So long as it's harmless I guess so," Amber said.
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At least, from a glance, the figures looked like Monique's friends. But it became apparent that she had startled, or, rather tried to startle a trio of spirits lost in the cave. Monique bolted out of there as quickly as she could and up into the sky. Spying, with her view, a strange spiritual column rising up out of a section of the mountain. When it was dissipated, she flew there catiously to see what had been done.

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"All right, I just don't want to upset potential new friends that's all," Khun said. Then Khun felt the energies too. Only it was different for him. He turned to look in it's direction, feeling a headache, dizzy, and almost as if he had a migraine. The feeling of wet sea weed crept at his feet again for a moment. Then it was gone. He shrugged it off like usual and turned back to watch Reginald.

"Ah...ah...ah...Ah think we loste dem," Asimov said. "Please. Do. Not. Speak. To. Them. Ever. *again.""

Figuring the monster was gone for good, Flint left the safety of the tree and ran over to Dimitar. His tail was wagging.
"That was awesome! Like the when the Mentos volcano blew up in Wreck it Ralph, except..better!"
It took him a moment to realize how exausted Dimitar looked.
"Hey... are you okay?"

"Ah dun fancy meself as neither Smith, nor builder, long ears." Shadowclaw replied "Ta me 'tis stone, metal an glass... an Ah think ah can see some wooden parts as well."

"You got a good eye, Sir. Yes, that is wood, it's used for decoration. And there is our destination!" he pointed at the pad with a big 'H' painted in white on it.

Adel was still being pulled along, but he kept up with Reginald. He appeared nervous from behind, but he was actually laughing, albeit quietly! "No, no, I can not svim. I told you zis, little vun!" Adel barely caught pieces of the conversation between Khun, Alyse, and Levi, though that was mainly the usage of the word "puppies" and something about a frying pan. Adel immediately started to look for the sharks.