Ether checked over Jakery's armor, fastening leather belts so the armor would not come off easily. He checked the back of his neck, making sure the slots were ready for their first day of use.
After he was done, he ordered Jakery to put on his helmet and softly twist it left. Two clicks rung out, notifying them both - the helmet was secure around his head.
Then he proceeded to put his own helmet on. It weighed down on his head, the weight of quality materials. While they mounted Gloria, Oria sat on her back already.
She chirped, catching Gloria's attention. Causing her to shake her head, trying to signal the other Storm Chaser she was not interest. But Oria continued chirping for the fun of it.
"Are you two finally ready to go?" Oria grinned.
Jakery fell right on her. He felt the weight of the armor press him against the beast's soft feathers. Oria gently tapped on the helmet, while struggling to breathe.
"Aaah! Odi - Odi Oriaaa!" Ether said in his Yonie voice. "Get up - up! Odi!"
Oria fought off Jakery's weight before sitting up on the Sky Beast. She dug her hands into the stormy-black feathers to secure herself. Jakery mimicked her.
Leaving Ether to guide Gloria to their destination. He sat right around her shoulders, making sure their mount had enough head room to move the wings around freely.
Everyone braced for take-off, that's when Gloria erupted into the skies. All four wings extended, ready to bolt through the world like a lightning strike.
-Etek Dur (Bad Blood) forest-
Gloria let out a low, beastly screech as it touched down on the barren ground in the middle of an opening. This opening seemed out of place, as if something else forced it to exist.
But they did not question why it was here, their minds were focused on getting the Stram pups then escape before anything bad happened.
Jakery was the first to hop off, he kept his hands on the daggers he had in his armor's pockets. Just in case anything was stalking them from behind the tree line.
Oria was next, she cheerfully stepped back into her home. Carelessly twirling around Gloria before coming to a stop beside Jakery.
"It has been so long since I've been here! You know, I once longed to escape my responsibilities by leaving Etek Dur. But you know, now I found some more by helping you guys!" Oria joked.
"Was that a bad thing?" Jakery questioned.
"Wait? No - no, I love being with you and Ether. Speaking of," she turned to face Gloria. "Are you coming down?"
Ether slid down Gloria's wing, just like Valentine had done in the past. He took a moment to steady himself before getting up.
"Daydreaming again? What you got now?" Oria was gentle in her voice.
"Yeah, it's nothing. Just thought of a little story I might share with both of you later, when we return. But for now, how do we start this hunt?" Ether asked.
Oria awkwardly chuckled, rubbing her forearm while she did it. "W - well you see... I think that's a good question! How do we start th- "
"Get the Feral to sniff whatever you're hunting," a third voice interrupted.
This voice triggered Ether's senses, he instantly pulled out Tellendor from its sheathe. Jakery did the same, they kept a keen eye from where the voice came from. And sure enough, three Variants emerged.
Cerus, Pearl, and of course, Talis. They stared each other down, three on three, it seemed like a fair match up. Even if it wasn't, Talis was still eager to return the favor for what Ether did to him.
"Oria, Jakery, get closer to Gloria. I will keep them back," Ether ordered.
And they did, albeit hesitantly. They wanted to be by his side, just in case things went south. Tensions flared between the groups, being broken by Talis' sudden actions.
He stepped out into the clearing, revealing his new armor to his long-time rival. It had an elegant gold following down the neck, halting to a white chest with the signature winged shield painted in gold on the right breast.
Everything was gold on this piece, except for the underlying armor along the arms and the knees. The pieces seemed almost divine, while keeping the unruly Light feel to them.
Talis pulled out a weapon to rival Tellendor, it was his own long-sword. He dashed closer to his rival, preparing to take him down with a swift strike to the skull.
In response, Ether violently kicked the advancing attacker. Throwing Talis off balance. He chuckled, unbothered by the attack.
Before erupting once again, this time he dodged the incoming attack from Ether. While he recovered, Talis struck the side of his knee with the weapon. Sending him to the ground.
Cerus saw an opportunity to assist, motivating him to lunge out against the defending Zesher. Only to be taken aback by the sudden slash across his raw face.
Oria growled. "Keep back before I consume you from the outside in. Zegus flesh is among my top favorites, after all."
Talis brought down a closed fist on Ether's head, dazing him in an instant. Right as he came down for another strike, Ether blocked it with his arm.
A sharp metallic ding rung out between the two, giving him the opportunity to strike Talis' gut. The blow landed, Tellendor felt heavy on his other hand as he drove it upwards.
Instead of piercing the armor, the weapon simply pushed Talis away. A testament to the strength of his armor.
Before the sudden fight could rage on, a strong sense of dread took over. Cerus returned to the careless Pearl's side, even she felt the dread. They all felt guilt for something.
Talis lost all motivation to continue fighting, forcing him to retreat as well. Despite how much they wanted to continue fighting, all three of them ran away. Back to their teams across the treacherous forest floor.
Just like that, all the dread went away. Leaving Ether to bake inside his armor under the sun, and Oria to worry for his injuries.
"Are you bleeding?" Oria asked between deep breaths.
Ether shook his head, calming her down enough to sniff out the sudden smell of Stram. She continued to sniff the air, turning all around her in search of where it was strongest.
"I think I found where the Stram are. Follow me."