heaven and hell

---

The sea this morning was fairly calm, the calmest it had been in almost a week straight of angry storms. The crew of the mighty flagship of the Gillepeddi clan, the HMS Retribution, were glad to have the morning's respite, and rested. Mad Rurail sat in the crow's nest and watched the sun come up, the harpie's golden eyes glinting in the warm glow of the morning. Mad Rurail did not slumber. Mad Rurail had not slept since long before she set first set talon on the mighty ship, and didn't intend to for some time long after the crew were dead and the ship decommissioned. She rested, her chin on the edge of the small platform, hanging upside down from the harpoon lodged in the solid wood of the mast. While she rested, she watched, and Mad Rurail's sharp golden eyes caught sight of a continent carved from dirty ice.

Mad Rurail roused the captain.



The shrieking had continued several minutes after he had thrown himself out of bed, not bothering to shift human, discovered that damn harpie screaming his face off right outside his door, deduced that they were not under attack, gone back inside the captain's cabin, shifted human, gotten dressed, ordered the rest of the crew roused, and updated the maps with the discovery of the glacier. It was only after he'd picked up her harpoon and hurled it at the crow's nest that she closed her fiendish lungs, dragged along by the chain attached to the harpoon from her ankle.

"You're certain this is completely uncharted waters?" He asked his navigator, rubbing his gloved fingers across the polychrome mask he would wear when they made berth.

The elf nodded. "Quite certain, sir. Our route could have been used for trade once, but I believe the merchant ships have abstained from such a course of action for reasons we are already all too familiar with."

"Excellent," Nathaniel replied. "Have Demeter bring the ship in," He told his first mate, the only human on the entire ship. "I don't want to discover this glacier has teeth by surprise."

"Aye, sir," She nodded, and vanished to make it so. As they drew closer to the glacier, the captain pressed the cold mask into his face, allowing it to lodge itself there. The glacier didn't look inhabited in the least, but in the off-chance there lived there something sentient, a mask was less barbaric than the broad swaths of scar tissue that covered over half his face. He felt the ship slow as the sails were taken in, then felt the odd jolt and steadily increasing momentum as the sea serpent hitched herself to the boat and guided it through the icy waters. The crew were a flurry of movement, the warm sun on their backs and the promise of land beneath their feet sparking renewed enthusiasm in their tired limbs. Within short order, they drew the ship in safely to shore and threw out the gangplank. Demeter slithered onboard, shifting down from the huge many-headed serpent back into a much more manageable naga. She looped her coils around the ship as the crew left it and sunned herself. The harpie stayed, as always, on the crow's nest, struggling to free her harpoon, but in no hurry to rush to land. Nathaniel found it almost a relief to leave her here, out of his hair, and it was good to have two such capable beasts to guard the ship.

The crew were armed, of course, some more heavily than others. Short cannons, pistols, rifles, and explosives lined the belts of many of his men, as well as the more trustworthy blades of their homelands. The biting wind tore at their clothes and faces, and the ground coming up from the ship was somewhat fickle. They grouped together again three hundred feet from where they made berth.

"Alright, then," Nathaniel boomed. "You know the rules. If this miserable little spit of ice is as homey as it looks--by which I mean, nothing lives here--then the naming of it is up to bets." The crew cheered. "If for some awful reason there are natives living here, they may or may not have some say in it."

"Awful charitable of you, sir," His first mate quipped.

He snorted. "I am a man," He replied, smiling grimly, "of incredible generosity."

A little ways off was a brownish black smidge in the ice and snow, perhaps a town or trading post of sorts. Not far off in the distance however, was an angry slash in the sky. Blizzard.

"Aw, hell," Nathaniel muttered. "We won't make it in time." He turned to his crew. "After me!" He boomed, gesturing them on and breaking into a run, but to no avail; in seconds the world was a flurry of white wind. Nathaniel stumbled against the battering forces and stayed on his two feet as long as he could. He lifted his leg to take a step and was thrown off balance back into the snow; he caught himself, barely, quickly shifting into the strange winged creature he truly was. The horns he had shaved just that morning began to grow back, curving around his head. He had shifted from one form to the other enough to know to wear enchanted clothing. They sank under his fur and covered where his scars showed through. He shouted the names of his crewmen, but the wind stole them from his mouth and whisked them away before they could be heard. Vaguely he could see another figure stumbling against the fury of the blizzard. It stumbled and fell, and Nathaniel ran forward to help the figure, revealed to be his tragically human first mate. He bit the nape of her jacket and slung her on his back, covering her with his wings to protect her as he stumbled onward, struggling to find the end of the storm.

Something dark flashed overhead, then came back around to land, skidding to a halt near Nathaniel. With its wings closed tightly to its body the creature stepped near, shouting words in a foreign hissing language. The goggled eyes peered at him, and when he didn't respond a feminine voice asked loudly, "How many are there?!" Under the hood and scarf it was impossible to know exactly what she was, but her thick lynx body made it known that she was very at home among this wickedly cold weather.

"Fifteen," Nathaniel roared back, feeling his first mate move about on his back. Good. She was still conscious. "Four metas, the rest are humanoid," He told her, meaning that four of them were metahuman, and were most likely less recognizable as humanoid than he was at this point.

The female nodded and gracefully balanced herself on three legs while she opened a leather pack strapped to her side. Withdrawing a long black cord, she raised it up, wrapping a premade loop around his neck. "Stay here." She ordered and a split second later she was gone with the rest of the rope. Within a few moments she was back again. "I couldn't find three of them! Frore has taken them! Follow me." With that said she trudged forward, breaking a path while looking back occasionally.

Nathaniel swore and followed her, biting down on the rope to make sure it didn't choke him as they walked. It was an eternity spent in this world of white anger, with nothing but the rope and the blurry figure of the winged lynx.

More dark shapes started to appear, houses and other buildings. She led them to the largest one, lit by a lamp in the gray of the blizzard and knocked on the door. A man, hobbled by crutches answered. "By the gods, Glasica!" The mysterious female didn't say a word but looked at Nathan, and the people trailing behind him.

"I- I'm sorry please come in!" The man, the local doctor looked him over and pointed to a building next door, "You're too large to be in here, if you go to the stable, I'll send a nurse over." Ushering some of the sailors inside, "Is that a woman on your back?" The one named Glasica had vanished sometime during the conversation.

His first mate slid off him, straightening and brushing herself off. "All accounted for?" She asked Nathaniel.

"Three missing," He muttered. "Take a headcount. This is a human settlement; you'd better take captain for now."

"Yes sir," She nodded, glancing once at the doctor before lifting her voice, calling in the crew by name.

Nathaniel grimaced and turned to usher his people in. Only once his first mate had followed everyone inside did he go to the stables. This would be difficult without his human form, but not impossible. It would just take a little more subterfuge, that's all. He entered the stables, grateful at least that his mask had held on through the blizzard.

Laying down in one of the empty stalls was a sphinx, licking her paws clean of snow and ice. A small pile of articles were beside her, consisting of the familiar hood and goggles and other stuff. The sphinx's white and brown pelt was already melted and a little damp, as was her impressive wings which were currently laying open to air dry. Her yellow, glinting gold bird of prey eyes rose to meet his, not showing any hesitance or shyness.

"Good morning," He greeted her. "I owe you an incredible debt. You lead my crew through to safety and for that you have my thanks." He inclined his head. "My name is Nathaniel Gillepeddi. I am captain of the HMS Retribution. We are an exploratory ship commissioned by the Balladian Crown to seek out and chart unknown shores."

"I am Glasica," The sphinx bowed her head slightly and smiled, "I have never seen the likes of one of you before, for a second I thought you were a sphinx! Though... we don't have any the color that you are." The words of the ship or the crown fell on deaf lynx ears, "You will find no welcome here, I'm afraid," Glasica said softer, her pretty smile gone, "Out here are the human settlements of Frore, they take no kindness to other species." She finished licking her paw before standing, shaking the last of the snow from herself. "Even I," Glasica put a dainty paw to her chest, "am not welcome. The only thing they think I am useful for is bringing in stragglers and killing Hogobohgins."

Nathaniel's eyebrows shot up. "They shun you?" He asked incredulously. "They do themselves greivous harm," he rumbled angrily. "Your governor must have become quite lax in his duties for such a travesty as a sphinx fitted for as menial and thoughtless a task as guard duty," He spat.

She gave him a look as to say, where have you been? Shaking her head, "Governor? Frore has no reigning person, it's too wild, too harsh. Inland there is someone... looking after the people there, but not out here. We that survive, survive." Glasica shrugged, as much as a sphinx can shrug and rustled her tail feathers. "It was how my brothers and I grew up. Humans just don't trust other species. Feral griffons, minotaurs, and sphinxes alike roam this land." She sighed softly and sat her rump down in the straw, her tail flicking at the thought of her being anything higher then she was.

Nathaniel tilted his head, examining her shoulders. "I see," He rumbled thoughtfully, the visible half of his face darkening in thought. "You are of your own, then," He said, mostly to himself. He turned and paced, thrusting out his wings to shake loose the wet clods of snow that clung to the fiery red feathers. His tail thrashed behind him like a snake ensnared. "And the minotaurs, how civilized can they be on this sad excuse of a land?"

"Some... are nice. Of those few they work in metal shops. A few years ago I met a pure white one by the name of Kareth. He was a gentleman in every respect. As well I have met a civilized griffin by the name of Illianna. It just depends on where you go." Glasica turned her head, "It's the Hogobohgins you need to be careful of. Eversince the last shift in the glacier they have been running around in packs. Lethal packs. I lost my brothers to them a few years ago." She frowned but refused to talk more about it but then suddenly smiled, and her face brightened, "But surely you are an accomplished warrior well prepared for those beasts!"

"It is likely I have survived worse," Nathaniel admitted. He turned again, to face her. "Are they of any value? Their hides, their teeth, some element in the blood, perhaps?"

She snorted, "Besides breeding habits? They hump like bunnies I'll put it that way... other then their thick and armored skin... maybe their teeth. Last time someone tried to skin one their knife broke. Only place to kill them at is their neck." Glasica thought a moment before adding, "Their claws are very long and sharp. Probably a use for them." The sphinx returned her gaze to him, "It isn't very easy to kill them. But they aren't hard to find... or, they'll find you."

He listened intently and nodded slowly. "I'm sure there's a use for them," He said, again, mostly to himself, and trailed off in thought. "The humans survive off sustenance farming, I trust," He said.

Glasica was starting to feel a little odd being asked all these questions but didn't have time to answer as a nurse came inside, took one look at both of them and braced herself against the wall, obviously holding back a scream. "Hmph," Glasica sighed, "If you need me I live in the Molundun forest." With that said she stood and stretched, wiggling her hindquarters in the air at the woman, partly for humor's sake and another for Nathan to check out and sauntered off after grabbing her things, disappearing into the blizzard by means of a loose board in the barn.

With only one of them there, the nurse calmed down, if only a little. She had a blanket under one arm, and a canteen in the other.

"I require no medical care," Nathaniel attested. "Leave those at the door. Go and attend to my shipmates," he ordered her, in no mood to be humoring a terrified human.

Dropping them, she did what she was told and slipped out as quickly as she could.

Nathaniel sighed and shifted as he walked, with the sort of grace and poise that comes from years of experience. He dried off the cold, wet snow and spent some time generating heat, pacing the stable floor and doing small exercises to get his blood flowing. Once he was warm enough, he performed a small magick on his enchanted clothes, drawing the icy water out where it had soaked through. This he left as a small mound of snow in a corner where it could easily be swept out. Wrapping himself in the blanket, he returned to the cabin and arranged lodging for his crew. When the storm died, they would search for their dead.

He meditated on the fact that these people already saw them as demons. At least they had no need for diplomacy here, but was this little spit of ice really worth the effort and resources needed to conquer it? He spoke with the natives, but none of them would say a word. He would have to speak again with Glasica.

The main doctor from before entered the stable a few hours later, not showing any fear towards him, but more wary of him was more like it. "I take it you spoke to Glasica?" He asked, shaking some snow off his crutch.

Nathaniel nodded. "Lovely girl," He commented. "If a little too kind for her own good. How fare my companions?" He asked. Fully dressed and in human form, he hoped the doctor would relax more than if he were Shedu.

"Quite a few are suffering from frostbite and shock. They should be able to move around in a day or so, but I wouldn't push it." The doctor looked over at him, "You weren't prepared for this weather, were you? Just what have you come here for?"

"We are the crew of the HMS Retribution, an exploratory vessel," Nathaniel replied. "We serve the mapmakers, if you will. We happened upon you by sheer chance."

"Glasica as well came upon you by sheer chance, though, I have a feeling she knew someone was going to get caught out in it. She always knows." The doctor sighed briefly before picking up a crutch and preparing to leave. "Glasica often retreats quickly, she makes the other villagers nervous, even in her other form... however if you wish to speak with her again, continue travelling north along the edge of the glacier. You'll hit Molundun forest within the half hour. Just beware of the Hogobohgins." The doctor left, limping back to the miniature hospital.

"Good morning," Nathaniel dismissed him. He watched him go, thinking about what he said. Making up his mind, the captain released the human form and struck out in the direction given. The snow was slightly ice covered and slick from the recent blizzard, but once again the sun had taken over the sky. It actually wasn't hard to find the place both the man and the sphinx had mentioned. With Glasica's trail to follow, he had even managed a shortcut, or at least, it appeared that way considering he stared at the large ice spires that consisted of Molundun within twenty minutes.

"I s'pose we didn't really need you along after all," He told his navigator, a drake-creature lost in layers of clothing. He made a hissing noise and glared at his captain, who turned to his other companion. "Anything of interest, Miss O'Connor?" He asked the half-elf naturalist.

"Some loose soil here and there, but so far nothing that would support plantlife," The short redhead replied, shifting the huge bag over her shoulder. "The only reliable food source would be obtained through copious fishing. To be honest, sir, I'm amazed those people are able to live here at all without dying of vitamin deficiencies at the least."

"And what of this?" Nathaniel glanced at the ice forest.

"Ah! Yes, sir, this appears to be a very healthy crop of stalagmites," She said, adjusting her goggles. "Really quite remarkable, finding them this far from caves. I'm not sure what formed them."

"Hm," Nathaniel grunted. "Keep your weapons ready, friends. I don't like how the wind is carrying." His body tensed and his fur fluffed, making him appear more like a large horse. They proceeded into the ice forest thing.

Curiously Glasica's trail stopped at this point, but continued on instead of a quadruped however it appeared as though a biped had come through here. Long dead grey bodies were scattered about, the foul stench kept from spreading due to the ice and their corpses were covered by scratches, often with their spines ripped up at their necks. With the biting wind attacking their faces, Glasica would most likely not realize they were there until it was too late.

One of the ice spears held a flash of flesh color, the tracks leading up to it.

"Cassandra?" Nathan said simply, asking her to identify the species, if not explain the phenomenon.

"Ahh..." She knelt down by one of the dead and pulled back the body to examine it further. "I may have seen something similar. If not for the irregular plating and high facial structure, I would say it was a hobodogobolan, found in the South-East of Kitar." She turned its head to and fro. "Permission to take a sample, sir?"

"Make it quick," Nathaniel replied, and stood guard while the naturalist drew the corpse's thick blood through a syringe into a vial and used what looked like very large pliars to pull out a tooth and to disconnect one of its fingers. She sawed between the plates and joints with a knife found at her belt and stored the dismembered finger along with the blood and tooth. "Northern variant of hobodogis ectum," She murmured to herself as she stood.

"And what of the footprints, doctor?" Nathaniel asked.

She adjusted her goggles again, fiddling with the lenses. "They change from quadrupedal to bipedal, sir," She shouted through the wind.

"Yes, I can see that," He replied irritably. "What does it mean?"

She thought a moment. "Well, sir," She speculated, grimacing against the weather. "This glacier appears to be a closed ecosystem, although I'll be damned if I know how it survives. If we can find a hobodogobolan variant here, it's possible that this Glasica is a member of a variant of the sphinx species as well, and able to shift like you do, sir," She concluded.

"I'll take your word for it," Nathaniel replied, and continued to walk. He lead them in a single-file line through the ice forest, the largest of the group, hoping in this weather that a more sphinx-like silouhette would be less likely to be attacked by a wary Glasica.

One of the ice spears held a flash of flesh color, the tracks leading up to it. As they came around the hollow ice spire, Glasica took form, with her back to them. She was in human form, naked with feathers covering her spine all the way down to her tail. Currently, she was folding a blanket and didn't realize they were there. Upon closer look a few scars marred her pale skin from a few years ago when the first main Hogobohgin attacks began and the wings that were normally much larger were tiny and petite, folded against her back. With a soft gasp she glanced over her shoulder at Nathaniel, blushing and in a flurry of feathers turned back into her familiar sphinx form. "You... geez wow you startled me. I was really deep in thought I guess," She refused to meet anyone's gaze but smiled, happy to have company.

"Good morning," Nathaniel said with a smile in his voice. "We hadn't meant to intrude; we can return later if you like, if you are not currently prepared to entertain guests," He postulated with unneccessary formality, as was his wont. He found it rather amazing she would walk furless in this harsh climate. His two companions stepped out from behind him, as to be in plain sight.

"Oh! No it is quite alright... I was just preparing to track down a nearby band of hogies," She took a step forward, looking at his claws, "Would you care to join me?" Glasica asked, looking up but froze, her smile dissapating. "Fire?" She sniffed, then brushed by Nathan to get outside, "Raelze is burning!" The sphinx nearly shrieked, anger in her voice, "Those stupid minotaurs have gone too far this time!" She bustled back into where she lived, donning her pack full of needed supplies and set her worried gaze at at Nathan, "We must fly. It would be a lot faster."

Nathaniel looked at his companions. "We'll be fine," Cassandra said. "We'll catch up to you on foot."

He nodded and launched himself into the air, red wings sparking like fire in the winter sun.

Glasica came up beside him easily, though apparently not as a strong flyer as he was, she used the wind to her advantage and flew much like a swallow. They could see the smoke from the air, though only thr barn was burning. Bodies lay everywhere in the snow, a long with a few minotaur bodies. The left over crew had been able to protect themselves and the doctor easily enough, but the rest of the village wasn't as fortunate.

Nathaniel folded his wings and dropped like a stone, spreading them again only a few feet from the ground and taking his momentum horizontal and ramming claws-first into a rampaging minotaur. It was very fortunate(for Nathaniel, not the minotaur), as it killed his forward force enough for him to land safely and rejoin his crew.

"Adeen!" He shouted, and his first mate joined him out of the shadows. "Report," He ordered.

"An ambush from the north, sir," She replied. "Twenty-four, armed with crossbows and axes. Mirror and Little Ajax were wounded, but not badly." She reloaded the huge hand cannon she was lugging around. "We kept the doctor with us--haven't got a count yet, sir, but it's unlikely any other villagers survived the initial attack. Including the one you rode in on, there should only be seven minotaurs left--we're cleaning them out now, sir."

"Finish up here and do a comprehensive sweep of the area for any wounded that may be still alive. I don't want to run the chance of leaving anyone behind in this mess," He said. "I'll take care of these fires."

"Yes sir," She said, and fled from view, charging her cannon as she bellowed orders to the rest of the crew.

Nathaniel shifted to his human form. The kind of magic he was fluent in needed hands to perform proficiently. He drew a thread of magic from the air and spun it between his fingers, rolling it up in a ball and letting the ball hover between his two palms, connecting it to the center of each. He focused on the fires raging in the thatched roof cottages as he drew his hands apart. The vacuum created in the ball of magic sucked the flames from their beds to fill the new found volume. The cottages closest to him were extinguished as the flames left them, and his face was hotly illuminated by the ball of fire in his hands.

"Illianna?" Whispered Glasica from the air as she barely noticed Nathan swooping down, but instead angled herself towards where she had noticed something happening.

Roughly two hundred yards from the village a scuffle still took place. She was out of breath from the run, though adrenaline still pushed her onward. Four had followed her from the wreckage they'd left behind. It was infuriating to know that the attack had even taken place, that the barn's flames had informed her of the attack.

The feral minotaurs surrounded her, one was dead now, hacked to pieces at her feet. He'd gotten confident and charged. The others circled, contemplated, but didn't do anything just yet. Crimson fell from the two swords she gripped in her hands, covered her arms and furs. She didn't dare attack yet, however, simply followed them with thoughtful silver eyes. She had to end the battle quickly, already she had lost a fair bit of blood from a gouged wound to the side- courtesy of the minotaur at her feet.

She braced herself as they charged from three sides and leapt. It was awkward, still, to feel the tingling in her spine as dark wings sprouted forth quickly. The swords danced in her grasp and another of the minotaurs was slain. That left two, her gaze sought them out, they were charging again, this time however... She grunted as her left hand was hit with the body of the first minotaur, the sword vanished into the snow.

The other wrapped its thick forearms around her legs and dragged her to the earth, throwing her heavily to the ground. Be damned... She thought, cursing inwardly as she rolled to the side to avoid a cloven foot. She used her momentum to roll to her knees, then, to her feet. She stood, contemplating again as they circled her. How was she going to get herself out of this situation?

Releasing a yowl of anger, a very furious sphinx landed defensively in front of her, hackles raised. It seemed her very fur stood on end, making her appear much larger then she was and more intimidating. Glasica hissed and braced herself before springing like lightening forward. The minotaur took a swing at her with his maul, but the weapon only hit air. As a hogobohgin hunter, the sphinx was well adapted to fighting much larger enemies then herself and had zipped around behind the half bull creature, clawing its back up and tearing out the spine at the neck, effectively killing it.

"Glasica." Was all she said, relief etched into her tone as she managed to remove the head of the last minotaur. The sword fell from her grasp as the corpse hit the ground and she turned to face the sphinx.

"The smoke?" She asked, wiping her bloody claws against the snow, "You saw? I fear the worst." Glasica quickly looked her friend up and down to be sure she was alright. "Illianna, turn to your real form, the wound will have lessened with the change." With that, she turned and bolted towards the village, not spending the effort to get back in the air.

"Mm..." Was Illianna's simple reply, she didn't much care for her other form, it seemed so constricting to her, and it was still odd to make the change. It had only been a few years since she'd found that she wasn't human. She closed her eyes and felt her body begin to tingle, to stretch and grow. Fur sprouted along her figure and finally she was moving swiftly beside the sphinx, her paws churning the snow beneath them. It was true, though, the wound had lost some of its severity.

The two ran the short distance fairly quick, Glasica glancing over at her partner, reminicing of the past. They came upon the village, bodies lying trampled in the bloodened snow, lifeless. Hanging her head, "...I failed them." It was her brother's dieing wish to protect this village, and she had failed them and the people she was watching over.

Nathaniel's crew was viciously efficient. The smoke that rose to the sky dissappated as the captain circled the town, concentrating the fires between his hands. He came across two of his crewmen cornering the last of the minotaurs, the body of one of his brothers spilling blood on the filthy ice. The catman held the minotaur's weapon, the huge axe unseemly in his slender hands, while the deep elf raised his own brutal weapon to end the beast.

"Hold," Nathaniel commanded, and the blade froze centimeters from lopping off the minotaur's head. Sharp blue and clever yellow eyes greeted the captain as he approached, the orb of flame now the size of a seer's crystal. "This is the last of them?"

"Yes sir," Breathed the deep elf, his voice like satin behind his bladed teeth.

He stared at the minotaur without expression, then lifted his chin. "Bring him forward."

The deep elf's inelegant blade whipped from the minotaur's throat to striking a welt across its back, the blunt metal throwing it skidding forward, its wounds causing it to fall at Nathaniel's feet.

"Take a step back," he advised his men.

"Sir," The catman spoke, his eyes narrowing warily. "It is of some worth undamaged."

The captain looked at the huge animal, its blood gurgling wetly in its lungs. Its eyes swam, pain and confusion evident on its ugly face. With one hand and a gouged shoulder, it struggled to right itself. Then he looked at his own hands, staring into the inferno that he had taken from the roofs of the dead settlement. He pulled back his middle and ring fingers and the flames roared forth with a vengeance, consuming the crippled animal and scorching the ground irreparably. The beast loosed a keening bellow as it was lost in the inferno, the flames licking hungrily at its flesh.

"It's worth more destroyed," He replied, his voice low and even. He dragged his eyes from the smouldering minotaur and walked past it to the catman and the deep elf. "Seek out the sphinx. I want to know that she is sound."

They nodded and set off at a run, sheathing their weapons. The catman left the axe near the burnt corpse as he departed. Nathaniel stood with his back to the scorched flesh crumpled on the ground and inclined his head with a frown. He could hear the voices of his crew shouting to each other over the wind, their feet crunching the fallen snow, but they seemed faint and far away. He took down his mask, revealing severe burn marks of his own, and massaged the old scars wearily. Staring at the snow, he lost himself to the smell of burnt flesh, and the memories that kept the sense company.

Shaking off the old images, he rubbed his face once more and replaced his mask, turning and walking to the center of town.

"This wasn't your fault, Glasica." Illianna stated firmly, "The minotaurs came out of nowhere... too quickly for any to react. It took only a few short minutes for them to do all this... By the time I even got here there wasn't much that could be done save slaying the minotaurs." She didn't know how else to say it to the sphinx, she had protected this obstinate village for years, and though she'd kept them alive they'd refused to accept her, they had been too ignorant of their own powerlessness and in the end had paid the ultimate price. It was the reason she'd left humanity in the first place, gone to live in her caves, but again that was back before she'd realized she wasn't human.

Glasica's frown deepened and she scratched at the snow again, traces of red still on her claws. "Blood for blood." She said softly, before realizing, "This means I am free from my burden." The sphinx shivered slightly, her wings trembling. It had been a long time since she could remember being free to do as she willed. The blood pact with her brothers had ended.

"We should cremate the bodies." Illianna said softly, "It would be better that way... Keep Frore's scavengers from coming out here." She looked about, there still came movement from within the village, "For now... Why don't we worry about rounding up any survivors?"

"Some people are here Illie, some people... from another place. They don't know we have human forms." Glasica was a little distressed about this, now that she was actually thinking about it, "I have a feeling that things are going to change." Bounding forward, she caught a site of a flash of red, slowing to a trot. Nathanial would most likely want to meet the griffin.

"Greetings," called the catman, jogging forward. The deep elf at his side spoke up, as if finishing his companion's thought: "The captain is in the center of town, and would like very much to speak with you."

Nathaniel was speaking to his first officer, his back turned and his hands clasped behind his back.

Illianna hovered a bit shyly behind Glasica, these were definitely people, creatures from someplace else entirely. She was mildly curious of their nature though said nothing as they were speaking to Glasica. Her skin itched, she so badly wanted to revert to her humanoid form but knew that to do so before her wound was tended would bode ill for her.

Unlike sphinxes, when griffin's were wounded when looking human, they had to revert to their quadruped form. It was completely opposite when dealing with Glasica. "Nathaniel!" The sphinx called in a sing-song, however commanding voice, "My friend needs attending to!"

Nathaniel spun around at the sound of Glasica's voice, and quickly beckoned the doctor follow him. He limped after the captain and immediately came to Illianna's side. The captain assumed by the doctor's immediate treatment of her that the two had met previously. "Have you found any others?" He asked Glasica, his two crewmen sprinting off to join their mates in combing the village for survivors, or failing that, anything of value or use.

Glasica's gold eyes narrowed but lowered, "No. Friendly species are few and sparse on Frore's Glacier. This is my friend Illianna, Illianna, Nathaniel and his crew." She shifted her weight and looked to the village, "As for the village, I doubt any survived. Only on one other occasion have the minotaurs attacked, and luckily, me Illianna and Kareth had been there to stop it."

"We all run out of luck sometime," Nathaniel said, looking around him. He turned slightly and glanced at his crew, who were piling bodies in the town square. He turned back to the two. "I'm very sorry this had to happen. We intend to cremate the bodies and raze the village--you're native here, if there's any custom or tradition to follow, any gods to sacrifice to, now's the time to say so."

Nodding, the sphinx looked at Illianna for a moment before opening her pack, pulling out a white dress covered in shimmering beads and pale pastel colored streamers. Call it a prayer dress, a spirit appeaser, or just a pretty bit of clothe, Glasica turned humanoid and shimmied into it so quickly most probably hadn't seen the brief flash of nudity. She stepped through the snow daintily on her paws, stopping before the pile of bodies and sighed. "Ashes, to dust. Snow, to ice. Let your souls find their ways to the Aurora lights." Bending slightly, Glasica winced as she pulled out two feathers from her miniature wings, placing them with the bodies. The third and final rite, she bit into her fingers, a drop from each one, signifying the five years Glasica helped, and protected these people.

No tears were shed on her part, but the sphinx's gold gaze hardened and her brow furrowed. Turning from the dead, Glasica wrapped her arms around herself, not from the cold, but from the sudden loneliness that came upon her.

Illianna changed as soon as the wound was well tended, she took on her humanoid form, she still wore the shaggy wolf fur that she'd been wearing before her battle, blood coated the furs but she didn't care. She made her way over to Glasica and wrapped her slender arms about her friend, "You were wonderful. I am certain that their spirits will be able to rest now." She murmured, her tone soothing.

"Them with my brothers." She replied softly, smiling up at her friend before sucking on her fingers to relieve the sting. Glasica looked over at Nathaniel, pondering why he had been surprised when she had been humanoid earlier.

Nathaniel waited patiently, his hands clasped behind his back, as Glasica performed the last rights. He nodded to his first mate. The ship cleric set the corpses aflame with a holy fire called down from the heavens. As the fire raged, it carried the pungent smell of burning flesh skyward, away from those on the ground. The flames backlit the captain, shining through the thick red hair he had meticulously pulled back and tucked into his collar. Illianna, at least, was of a familiar breed to him. 

"We are in no condition to be defending this point should the minotaurs return. Many of my men are still ill from the blizzard and there is no value to this place worth risking their lives for." Behind them, he could see his naturalist riding in on the drakeling's back. "We are setting off."

"Let me help," Glasica offered, picking up the pack she usually wore from the snow, "I can carry someone on my sled." The villagers normally kept her sled in the back, in case they needed to use it.

It may be interesting to stick with these strangers for a while. Illianna thought to herself, her naturally curious and adventurous nature overwhelmed her normally calm and shy demeanor, "I can help as well," She spoke aloud, "Whatever needs done."

Nathaniel nodded. "Much obliged." He gestured. With their help, the operation was quickly finished, and before the holy fires purged the last embers of the dead village they were ready to set off. Back at the ship, Mad Rurail greeted them with a few frenzied hops, and Demeter quickly slid off-deck, wary of strangers.

To Glasica, Nathaniel said, "If nothing holds you here, you are welcome to join us," he shifted his gaze to Illianna, "You as well, if you so desire. There's always a need for quick blades and strong backs aboard a ship, and there's a good wage and tolerable food to be had by any sailor aboard my ship." Since he had lost men coming here, they wouldn't tax his food supplies any more than usual.

The sphinx shifted nervously, "I have no experience with ships, and the sea. But I can help with the doctor, and I have nimble fingers. Any clothing repairs, knots, and the like." Hopefully being a creature of the air she wouldn't have any problems with sea sickness.

A fresh start... "I have to say, the idea of journeying to the sea, away from Frore... It's an interesting prospect." Illianna replied with a curt nod, besides, if Glasica was going, she'd have every intention of doing so as well. "Like Glasica I've no experience with the sea, though I'm certain I can be of aid as necessary."

Glasica's thoughts were the same as Illianna's. Her deep amber eyes glanced over at the ship and its bulk, then at some of the strange people of the like she had never seen. Then they confidently remained on Nathaniel, moving over his red fur, straying slightly at his scars. She was a curious creature, but didn't say a word.

"Excellent," Nathaniel said. "We'll see to it you get situated, and apprenticed--don't worry, one picks up this kind of work fairly easily." He swept his arm to his ship, inviting them aboard. "Welcome aboard the HMS Retribution." He gave a twitch of his mouth that might be taken as a courteous smile and turned, leading the way on board the great vessel. His lieutenant stood at attention, tilting her head to him as he approached her, and clipped, "Sir."

"Push off," He ordered. "Find masters for these two, and secure lodging. We need as many hands as we can get. Is the doctor aboard?"

She nodded. "He's below, with the wounded."

"See that Glasica is there to aid, she attests to her experience."

"Sir," she complied. "And the other?"

"I trust your judgement," He bowed his head slightly. "Our heading is south-southeast until Master Elles has for us a route home."

Shuffling her wings nervously, Glasica came aboard and looked expectantly to the human, keeping her pack on her back. "Nathaniel, how long will this... voyage take?"

"Two months, if the winds are in our favor," Nathaniel replied, his expression obscured behind his partial mask. "I wouldn't depend on that, as Luck has yet to grace us in any good humour." He paused as the sound of his crew shouting to each other dominated the air. "If you'll excuse me, I have matters to tend to. Adeen," He addressed the human, who clicked her heels as her Captain moved in wide strides to the helm, likening to a circus master through his strange and exotic crew's twisting movements.

"MISTER CORSAW, MISS KAUR," The first mate sang out, her voice sharp and clear. In a moment, two of the crew appeared, one the catman they had met previously, the other a graceful woman with glittering eyes who, below the torso, belonged entirely to the chest and legs of some brilliantly coloured, long-legged eagle.

"Ma'am," They reported, their bodies tensed in a fluid motion asked to stand still.

"Thank you both for volunteering to accept these two into your tutelage," She said, what could have been misinterpreted as humor if one overlooked her expression. She addressed the gryphon for a moment. "Illianna, was it? You will, I'm sure, prove an excellent student under Madam Kaur." The kinnaris inclined her head respectfully to her superior and in greeting to Illianna. "Mister Corsaw, you will escort Miss Glasica to the kind doctor. When she is not with him, she will be apprenticing under your care, is that understood?"

The catman gave Glasica a brief inspection with his needled golden eyes and replied, "Yes, Ma'am."

The sphinxes tail lashed out briefly, uncomfortable by all these... new species. "If you do not mind..." Glasica started before stepping forward to the main mast, giving it a long sniff. With all the smells in one place, she was able to take in everything, which calmed her down greatly. All these people, she just wasn't used to it. Illianna went with the kinnaris while Glasica went with the catman down below.

Illianna ducked her head in a brief greeting. This was indeed to be an interesting experience. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She murmured, silver eyes gleaming in anticipation.

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heaven and hell