The Wild Series: Reign of Ashes (Main Page/Pridelands)

Wildwing wrote:Nykoru approved of where Ambyra was going with her Glare. Focusing on his two birds, he repeated what his sister had said word for word, getting the same responses she had. And then he continued with his own commands. "In just a moment, you will fall into a light sleep, and when you wake up, this Tavern will be empty. There will be no other birds in here except for you and your two bandmates. This Tavern will look completely normal. It will be an empty, clean Tavern. When you wake up, you will need to hurry to the nearest bird settlement, because you will be running late to a performance there. You will remember nothing of what happened in this Tavern."

The string player and the drummer stared into his eyes, seeming to believe every word that came out of his beak. Nykoru then smiled gently. "Sleep," he commanded soothingly. And the moment the word was over, the string-player and the drummer slid to the ground and lost consciousness.

Wildwing wrote:Nykoru looked down at his two birds for a moment longer before turning towards Syrune. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to her praise. "How do we know?" he asked after she shared that information.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka looked over at Kale, Moonpelt and then Raiya. She waited a moment after Moonpelt asked his adopted daughter the question to give her time to answer. Then she looked back down towards the towers and focused on the one that was her and Kale's target.

"...Go," she ordered before immediately spreading her wings and launching into the air. According to plan, she headed straight for the clouds above the tower that would act as the falcon's cover.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka entered the cloud cover and gained a little more altitude afterward, making sure she was hidden, before leveling out and gliding in the direction of her target. As she soared, she estimated the distance she was traveling and, when she reached the point where she believed she was directly over the tower, she tilted her body and circled around to wait for Kale. She searched for him through the clouds, and once he reached her, she would dive with him for the shade on the tower's top.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka, taking note of Kale's aim for the left shade, angled herself for the right one. She readied her talons and struck the shade right across the side of its neck. She left a large, mortal gash as she passed overhead, the force of her blow causing the shade to collapse on the balcony right before she landed. The Queen quickly glanced around for a door into the tower before looking over her shoulder to check on both the shade she had killed and Kale.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Kale exchanged a mutual look of concern, keeping his senses toned as he followed Rinka deeper down the spiral hall. At the end, through the flickering candles, Kale noticed over Rinka's shoulder the entrance to another room. Assuming it could be the main access to the tower, he decided to speak up.
"Careful at the next door. Probably lots of them..." Kale whispered.

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

Jaystep wrote:

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

"You be careful!" Raiya called, stopping to check which direction Moonpelt ran off in before dodging a screeching dive from one of the nearby falcons. She side-stepped and plucked it out of the air with her jaws clamped firmly around his neck. The wolf bit down hard and tossed the bird aside, lunging for another as she began making her way after Moonpelt. Does he even know what he's looking for?

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Kale exchanged a mutual look of concern, keeping his senses toned as he followed Rinka deeper down the spiral hall. At the end, through the flickering candles, Kale noticed over Rinka's shoulder the entrance to another room. Assuming it could be the main access to the tower, he decided to speak up.
"Careful at the next door. Probably lots of them..." Kale whispered.

Rinka, having spotted the entrance as well, turned her head towards Kale and nodded to show she had heard him. She slowed to a stop in front of the door. She pressed the side of her head against it for several heartbeats, listening for sounds on the other side. Then, with a glance back at Kale, she set one of her talons on the handle and slowly opened it just enough to quietly peak inside the room.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

"You be careful!" Raiya called, stopping to check which direction Moonpelt ran off in before dodging a screeching dive from one of the nearby falcons. She side-stepped and plucked it out of the air with her jaws clamped firmly around his neck. The wolf bit down hard and tossed the bird aside, lunging for another as she began making her way after Moonpelt. Does he even know what he's looking for?

The bird Raiya lunged for, a hawk shade, dodged the attack by spinning once to the side with a powerful flap, and countered by lunging forward himself to slash at her neck with his talons.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Kale exchanged a mutual look of concern, keeping his senses toned as he followed Rinka deeper down the spiral hall. At the end, through the flickering candles, Kale noticed over Rinka's shoulder the entrance to another room. Assuming it could be the main access to the tower, he decided to speak up.
"Careful at the next door. Probably lots of them..." Kale whispered.

Rinka, having spotted the entrance as well, turned her head towards Kale and nodded to show she had heard him. She slowed to a stop in front of the door. She pressed the side of her head against it for several heartbeats, listening for sounds on the other side. Then, with a glance back at Kale, she set one of her talons on the handle and slowly opened it just enough to quietly peak inside the room.

From beneath the doorway, a dull yellow light began to seep through. It was brighter than a candle, but not quite sunlight- the telltale shimmer of a nearby Raven device. Kale picked up on the glow as soon as he spotted it, knowing they were nearby where they needed to be. He had no idea quite how close, until he followed closely behind Rinka, noticing through the crack in the door and the lack of sounds that the room was empty. Rinka noticed this too, Kale guessed, as she continued to push the door open to view what they were looking for.

The room was dimly lit, a candle or two scattered near the walls. Tapestries hung from the walls like banners, barely distinguishable from the dark obsidian stones they rested on. Kale wondered as to their purpose, having no idea shades would need to decorate a place like this. At the back wall, with a noticeable lack of guards rested a stone podium carved into the black stone, atop which rested a small splintered shard of golden metal. The shard was littered with half-runes, indicating it's incompleteness, and glowed with a pulsing yellow shimmer.

"...Where are all the guards?"

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

"You be careful!" Raiya called, stopping to check which direction Moonpelt ran off in before dodging a screeching dive from one of the nearby falcons. She side-stepped and plucked it out of the air with her jaws clamped firmly around his neck. The wolf bit down hard and tossed the bird aside, lunging for another as she began making her way after Moonpelt. Does he even know what he's looking for?

The bird Raiya lunged for, a hawk shade, dodged the attack by spinning once to the side with a powerful flap, and countered by lunging forward himself to slash at her neck with his talons.

"Hey!" Raiya barked, spinning on a dime and re-positioning herself to defend against the shade. The wolf side-stepped back and caught the hawk by one of his talons in her jaws, swinging him against a set of barrels across the room, which promptly shattered on contact. Unsure if the bird was finished, and seeing no other threats, Raiya paused for a moment to wait before she planned to bolt up the stairs. Oh please don't change forms...


(Oh please do  )

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

"You be careful!" Raiya called, stopping to check which direction Moonpelt ran off in before dodging a screeching dive from one of the nearby falcons. She side-stepped and plucked it out of the air with her jaws clamped firmly around his neck. The wolf bit down hard and tossed the bird aside, lunging for another as she began making her way after Moonpelt. Does he even know what he's looking for?

The bird Raiya lunged for, a hawk shade, dodged the attack by spinning once to the side with a powerful flap, and countered by lunging forward himself to slash at her neck with his talons.

"Hey!" Raiya barked, spinning on a dime and re-positioning herself to defend against the shade. The wolf side-stepped back and caught the hawk by one of his talons in her jaws, swinging him against a set of barrels across the room, which promptly shattered on contact. Unsure if the bird was finished, and seeing no other threats, Raiya paused for a moment to wait before she planned to bolt up the stairs. Oh please don't change forms...


(Oh please do  )

)

A few heartbeats passed, long enough to suspect the hawk had been finished, before the shattered remains of the barrels exploded into dark violet flames. The hawk, now in shade form, lunged up into the air, his fire rolling off of his shadowy wings as he glared down at the wolf with murderous intent. With an unnatural, twisted screech, the shade dove once more at Raiya, reaching out towards her with his black, wicked talons.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Kale exchanged a mutual look of concern, keeping his senses toned as he followed Rinka deeper down the spiral hall. At the end, through the flickering candles, Kale noticed over Rinka's shoulder the entrance to another room. Assuming it could be the main access to the tower, he decided to speak up.
"Careful at the next door. Probably lots of them..." Kale whispered.

Rinka, having spotted the entrance as well, turned her head towards Kale and nodded to show she had heard him. She slowed to a stop in front of the door. She pressed the side of her head against it for several heartbeats, listening for sounds on the other side. Then, with a glance back at Kale, she set one of her talons on the handle and slowly opened it just enough to quietly peak inside the room.

From beneath the doorway, a dull yellow light began to seep through. It was brighter than a candle, but not quite sunlight- the telltale shimmer of a nearby Raven device. Kale picked up on the glow as soon as he spotted it, knowing they were nearby where they needed to be. He had no idea quite how close, until he followed closely behind Rinka, noticing through the crack in the door and the lack of sounds that the room was empty. Rinka noticed this too, Kale guessed, as she continued to push the door open to view what they were looking for.

The room was dimly lit, a candle or two scattered near the walls. Tapestries hung from the walls like banners, barely distinguishable from the dark obsidian stones they rested on. Kale wondered as to their purpose, having no idea shades would need to decorate a place like this. At the back wall, with a noticeable lack of guards rested a stone podium carved into the black stone, atop which rested a small splintered shard of golden metal. The shard was littered with half-runes, indicating it's incompleteness, and glowed with a pulsing yellow shimmer.

"...Where are all the guards?"

Rinka took a moment to examine the room. She felt relieved only for a moment when her gaze landed on the shard on top of the black stone podium. Then, remembering the suspicious emptiness of the room even before Kale vocalized this concern, she frowned in worry. She remained silent for a moment, try to spot living forms in the darker corners of the room.

"...This could be a trap," she finally muttered to Kale. That was the most reasonable thing she could think of. Then again, they'd only been here for a short time. They'd swiftly killed all the shades they'd come across, right? So the shades wouldn't have had time to put a trap together. They shouldn't even know she and Kale were here. But, even so...
Rinka looked to Kale. She had two options; go in alone or keep Kale with her. She weighed both options in her mind, giving it great thought, before nodding slightly after making her decision.
"Wait here," she ordered, "Watch after me, but stay aware of your surroundings. I'm going in." With that said, the queen turned back to the room, pushed the door open a little more and slipped inside.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt let out a surprised yelp. "CAREFUL! Remember what we've talked about!!" The white wolf gulped and ducked as shade was flung over his head and smashed into the wall behind him reducing the hawk to a bloody pile of feathers. Moonpelt looked at his adopted daughter and paused for a moment. "Okay, you fight and I'll go look for the thing!" and Moonpelt trotted up the stairs to the stone tower as fast as he could, careful to scan every inch that he could see for whatever he was suppose to find.

"You be careful!" Raiya called, stopping to check which direction Moonpelt ran off in before dodging a screeching dive from one of the nearby falcons. She side-stepped and plucked it out of the air with her jaws clamped firmly around his neck. The wolf bit down hard and tossed the bird aside, lunging for another as she began making her way after Moonpelt. Does he even know what he's looking for?

The bird Raiya lunged for, a hawk shade, dodged the attack by spinning once to the side with a powerful flap, and countered by lunging forward himself to slash at her neck with his talons.

"Hey!" Raiya barked, spinning on a dime and re-positioning herself to defend against the shade. The wolf side-stepped back and caught the hawk by one of his talons in her jaws, swinging him against a set of barrels across the room, which promptly shattered on contact. Unsure if the bird was finished, and seeing no other threats, Raiya paused for a moment to wait before she planned to bolt up the stairs. Oh please don't change forms...


(Oh please do  )

)

A few heartbeats passed, long enough to suspect the hawk had been finished, before the shattered remains of the barrels exploded into dark violet flames. The hawk, now in shade form, lunged up into the air, his fire rolling off of his shadowy wings as he glared down at the wolf with murderous intent. With an unnatural, twisted screech, the shade dove once more at Raiya, reaching out towards her with his black, wicked talons.

Raiya's heart sank at the sight, and she rolled her eyes briefly. Great.
The wolf dove to one side, letting the shade miss but this time not retaliating right away. She waited a heartbeat until she heard its talons scratch against the black stone before turning and snapping at the shade, pulling back at the last moment in wariness of its emitting flames. We should have brought more silver! Moonpelt has the tusks-- I hope!

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka nodded and swiftly entered the open doorway, following the hallway as it curved and descended at a gentle slope. Hearing the sound of shuffling ahead, she raced forward and jumped into a shade talons first, slicing its throat before jumping off of it into the second shade behind it. She tried to slice its throat too, but it blocked her blow with its wing and retaliated with a slash of its own. She dodged the blow, sliding around to its backside. She flapped her wings and leapt on its upper back, reaching around and grabbing its beak in her talons before forcefully pulling its head back, leaving an opening for Kale to strike.

No sooner than the second shade's head was raised up, Kale immediately struck a hard jab with the sharp tip of his beak, crushing the bird's throat and causing him to quickly suffocate. Without pausing, sure of his victim's fate, Kale began to ease up and take in the surroundings. The hallway was very dim, only a few candles along the wall to indicate it's sloping path downward and highlight open doorways. He tilted his head to hear and began having the sinking impression that there were no more birds in this top half of the tower.

Feeling the aftershock of Kale's blow through the Shade's body, Rinka pushed off of it, sending it face first in the ground as she herself landed on both talons. She looked back the way they came to make sure nothing had somehow snuck up behind them before turning to look further down the hallway. She looked to Kale and frowned in worry, having thought there would be more Shades in this portion of the tower. She didn't know what to think of it. Staying alert, she hurried on past Kale, proceeding swiftly, yet cautiously down the hallway.

Kale exchanged a mutual look of concern, keeping his senses toned as he followed Rinka deeper down the spiral hall. At the end, through the flickering candles, Kale noticed over Rinka's shoulder the entrance to another room. Assuming it could be the main access to the tower, he decided to speak up.
"Careful at the next door. Probably lots of them..." Kale whispered.

Rinka, having spotted the entrance as well, turned her head towards Kale and nodded to show she had heard him. She slowed to a stop in front of the door. She pressed the side of her head against it for several heartbeats, listening for sounds on the other side. Then, with a glance back at Kale, she set one of her talons on the handle and slowly opened it just enough to quietly peak inside the room.

From beneath the doorway, a dull yellow light began to seep through. It was brighter than a candle, but not quite sunlight- the telltale shimmer of a nearby Raven device. Kale picked up on the glow as soon as he spotted it, knowing they were nearby where they needed to be. He had no idea quite how close, until he followed closely behind Rinka, noticing through the crack in the door and the lack of sounds that the room was empty. Rinka noticed this too, Kale guessed, as she continued to push the door open to view what they were looking for.

The room was dimly lit, a candle or two scattered near the walls. Tapestries hung from the walls like banners, barely distinguishable from the dark obsidian stones they rested on. Kale wondered as to their purpose, having no idea shades would need to decorate a place like this. At the back wall, with a noticeable lack of guards rested a stone podium carved into the black stone, atop which rested a small splintered shard of golden metal. The shard was littered with half-runes, indicating it's incompleteness, and glowed with a pulsing yellow shimmer.

"...Where are all the guards?"

Rinka took a moment to examine the room. She felt relieved only for a moment when her gaze landed on the shard on top of the black stone podium. Then, remembering the suspicious emptiness of the room even before Kale vocalized this concern, she frowned in worry. She remained silent for a moment, try to spot living forms in the darker corners of the room.

"...This could be a trap," she finally muttered to Kale. That was the most reasonable thing she could think of. Then again, they'd only been here for a short time. They'd swiftly killed all the shades they'd come across, right? So the shades wouldn't have had time to put a trap together. They shouldn't even know she and Kale were here. But, even so...
Rinka looked to Kale. She had two options; go in alone or keep Kale with her. She weighed both options in her mind, giving it great thought, before nodding slightly after making her decision.
"Wait here," she ordered, "Watch after me, but stay aware of your surroundings. I'm going in." With that said, the queen turned back to the room, pushed the door open a little more and slipped inside.

Kale turned his head back to face Rinka when she spoke again, blinking and tilting his head slightly in confusion. 
"I was about to tell you the same thing... But you're right, I'll wait then. We need that last piece first and foremost, I can handle myself out here. If it is a trap, at least get the Shard." The falcon whispered after her, observing for a moment before turning his back to the door and scanning the hallways.

Inside the dark room, nothing stirred and all was silent. The only movement came from the soft pulsing of the lights coming from the Raven piece.