RP:How To Train Your Carcharodontosaurus, Part 5

Newly reinforced with some stone armor and brimming with determination, Kreekitaka and Pilar set off to finish this capture once and for all! There's also discussion of what exactly they're going to do after they acquire the creature.

The RP!

Kreekitaka, his armor thicker and harder than ever, rode atop one of his underlings' scorpions, fearless, and expecting that when he arrived back at the scene of the fight, that everything would be as he expected. Vindicator had been left with the carcharodontosaurus and was likely keeping watch over it, the ropes around the dinosaur continuing to be held firmly--or at least, that's how Kree would have wanted it. As it was, they'd had to leave in a bit of a hurry, and time for instructions hadn't been given. When they arrived, they discovered that Vindicator was eating whatever was left of the catoblepas, the only evidence that their captured creature had ever been there being footprints and the smashed tree where the fight between titans had taken place. Kree called for a halt and dismounted, then climbed atop his scorpion and kicked him, bringing his foot down heavily on the mount's head. Vindicator backed away from the carrion obediently and Kree grabbed the reins with one claw, turning the scorpion towards the trail of footprints leading away. "I suspecTAH! our quarry isn'TAH! far, an' may in facTAH! be syeeping. Yarge meoh afTAH!er a yong fighTAH! mos' yikeyee has iTAH! exhausTAH!eDAH!."

Pilar followed along behind Kreekitaka, her raptor pack trailing her like ducklings after their mother (oh yeah, those things are still around). She winced at the rough treatment of Vindicator. She was ever soft-hearted. Her eyes followed the trail of footprints and she nodded. "Yes... But... Mr. Kreekitaka..." She looked at the uyeer. "When you catch this creature... what will you do with it?"

Kreekitaka tilted his head a little and twitched his facial crushers. What was he going to do with it? Wasn't it obvious? What did she think he was going to do with it? "TAH!ake iTAH! wiHHHTH me, of course. I'm going TAH!oo train iTAH! TAH!oo carry me, an' if I can besTAH! iTAH!, Io geTAH! more--imagine, Piyar, couriers astriDAH! greaTAH! creatures such as HHHTHaTAH! Or," and here came the conquering warlord in him, more than the entrepreneur, "imagine warriors charging inTAH!oo baTAH!oh, wiHHHTH yances an' armoreDAH! DAH!inosaurs beyow HHHTHem. Can any sTAH!anDAH! before such a cavohry charge?" Such a thought might indeed be terrifying, especially if every one of those warriors was a crab as tenacious as Kree...

"I mean, where do you plan to keep it? House it, feed it, care for it? Or... them, rather, if you get more." Pilar placed her hand on one of the raptors. It seemed to coo under her attention. "Can you really keep it happy and healthy?"

Kreekitaka already had his plan in place. "YarkeTAH! has many yarge creatures in a space known as HHHTHe 'zoo'. HHHTHe animohs HHHTHere are fed an' houseDAH!, an' I can keep iTAH! HHHTHere whioh I construcTAH! a more fiTAH!ing home for iTAH!. HHHTHe pyains beTAH!ween Keyay an' Guayon are perfecTAH!--HHHTHere is even waTAH!er nearby, I can have rivers DAH!ug an' a yake fyooDAH!eDAH!so as TAH!oo creaTAH! a home for many of my peepo." It was, in his mind, the perfect plan.

"But moving such creatures out of their natural home could create problems, could disturb the natural balance of their new home. Unless you can keep them contained... but then, will you have enough room for them? And who will care for them when they're sick? Who will feed them?"

"If I cannoTAH! keep HHHTHem conTAH!aineDAH!, I cyearyee am noTAH! fiTAH! TAH!oo be training HHHTHem." That much seemed obvious to Kreekitaka, and he seemed to almost take personal offense to it, puffing himself up a little and flaring his paddles. "I have beasTAH!masTAH!ers among my peepo, an' I have seen many yarge creatures in HHHTHe souHHHTH--an wiDAH! open pyains, as I saiDAH!. I can simpyee fence off as much area as I require." He didn't seem to feel this was rocket science--maybe she was worried about him? "DAH!oo you fear for me, Piyar? DAH!oo you suspecTAH! my injuries have yefTAH! me ouTAH! of my minDAH!.?"

Pilar nodded along as he went into more detail. She flinched when he puffed up. "Well... maybe a little? I just, I want to be sure... I've seen animals kept in bad conditions before, by people who thought they knew what they were doing... But it sounds like you have everything under control. I'm sorry for doubting you."

Kreekitaka nodded and returned his attention to the trail. They were getting closer, he could feel it. "I accepTAH! your apoyogy. I mus' say, I fin' your concern for HHHTHese creatures appropriaTAH! of a very gooDAH! trainer, an'," he glanced over his shoulder at the pack of raptors, "you seem TAH!oo have a knack wiHHHTH animohs. WoulDAH! you yike a position as careTAH!aker? Having one who is famiyiar wiHHHTH yanDAH! TAH!oo assisTAH! me is mos' vayuabo." Caretaker of his dinosaur ranch? Could be a very lucrative position. "ATAH! HHHTHe very yeasTAH!, consiDAH!er being my aDAH!visor when iTAH! come TAH!oo HHHTHings yike HHHTHis."

Pilar blinked. "Me? Really?" She was surprised by the offer, though her face splitting into a bright smile showed she wasn't unhappy with it. "I... I'd love to! Oh, but... I already care for the animals in the Eyrie, and work at the Frostmaw stables... Emielle can fly me where I need to go, but, I don't know if I could be there every day... I... I'll need to think about it."

Kreekitaka hrmmed and twitched his facial crushers, considering. She already had connections with the Eyrie--which had reptilian flyers... now that was a thought. Maybe, if he could get his claws on one of those creatures as well, he could start making half-breeds... "RegarDAH!yess. I mus' have you aTAH! yeasTAH! trayDAH! noTAH!s wiHHHTH my own trainers, even if you are TAH!oo busy. If you can bring a... whaTAH! are HHHTHey nameDAH! again... wyvern? TAH!oo DAH!emonstraTAH! wiHHHTH, I suspecTAH! we can boHHHTH benefiTAH!."

"I'd be happy to help," Pilar said. She would probably have to find a wyvern that did not yet have a partner, but that wouldn't be a big issue. The raptors continued following behind them, only for their heads to snap up at a sudden sound. It sounded like... snoring?

At the sound of snoring, Kreekitaka held up a claw and clicked it firmly shut, a gesture for silence. The sound was off to the side, and to shove three scorpions through the small gap in the brush would be a very noisy process. Instead, he then waved for Pilar to come forward with him as he dismounted and stalked slowly through the underbrush, revealing the giant carcharodontosaurus snoozing easily. The rope was still around it, though it seemed there were parts that were coming loose. Murmuring to Pilar in as low a voice as he could manage, Kree said, “Grab HHHTHe ropes an’ unTAH!ie mos’ of HHHTHem wiHHHTH me. We yeave HHHTHe knoTAH!s aroun’ iTAH!s shohDAH!ers, an’ bring ouTAH! HHHTHe yeaDAH!ing en’s for HHHTHe scorpions. HHHTHen we see how heavy a syeeper iTAH! is.” The task might be easier said than done, as the dinosaur was laying on top of at least one of those knots.

Pilar nodded, and silently crept forward. She went to the rope near the dinosaur's mouth and started to untie it. The creature suddenly yawned, and Pilar got a good view of its many, many sharp teeth. She gulped nervously, then continued her work. She quickly moved down to its belly and grabbed one of the ropes. The dinosaur suddenly rolled over, taking Pilar with it. The vampire was thankfully not squished beneath the beast, but rather perched precariously atop it.

Kreekitaka also crept forward, as silently as he could--which, admittedly, wasn't very, but it was quiet enough. His tentacles were put to good use, deftly maneuvering the ropes and unknotting them in the places Pilar wasn't. Which meant he had to very quickly backpedal out of that situation when the dinosaur started rolling. He didn't feel he'd be crushed, but his tanks might have been. He tilted his head a little up at Pilar, making sure she was alright, then hurried around to the side now-exposed to check for knots--aha, there was one. He undid it as quickly as he could. It looked like they were finished, so he took the lead and started moving as quietly as he could out of the clearing, gesturing for Pilar to grab the other end and follow.

Pilar finished undoing the knot and jumped to the ground. She grabbed the other lead and brought it to the scorpions.

Kreekitaka took his lead and tied it to Vindicator's harness, then pointed to another scorpion for Pilar to do the same. Once that was in place, there was only one move to make. "Drag iTAH!" he exclaimed, clattering out an order for both scorpions to move into Full Reverse. As he'd said--it was time to find out how heavy a sleeper this dinosaur was. The might of both scorpions combined was enough to slowly start pulling the creature along with them. To Pilar, Kree relayed his plan from here: "Once iTAH! awakes, HHHTHe scorpions spreaDAH! ouTAH!, forcing iTAH! DAH!own. HHHTHen I cyimb onboarDAH! an' you," he gestured both to her and his underlings, "use HHHTHe scorpions TAH!oo mainTAH!ain controh whioh I conTAH!inue TAH!eaching iTAH! why iTAH! mus' carry me."

"Okay," Pilar said. The dinosaur groaned in its sleep, then it was dragged into a fallen tree branch, which poked its eye painfully. It shrieked and reared up, opening its un-poked eye. These thigns again?! It roared and struggled against the ropes. The scorpions were jerked off their feet, one of them barreling into Pilar. She grunted as she hit the ground, with a scorpion on her back. She pushed the creature off with some effort (those things were heavy, even for a vampire!) and got up, the scorpion regaining its footing soon after.

Kreekitaka's paddles rattled up and down his back and he thumped his chest--laughter? At a time like this? Yes, laughter, because this was truly a beast worthy to be ridden to war! The uyeer checked his jawblade as he hauled it out--it hadn't hit anything in a while, it was entirely empty of charge. Taking a few steps backward to get clear, he started wheeling his arm in a circle, slamming the ground with the flat side of the weapon. Pilar, being one who dabbles in magic, might feel the enchantment in the weapon flare up--it was building some kind of charge with every impact. "Keep cyear!" the king called to her. She did not want to be near him when he set this thing off.

Pilar did not need to be told twice. She backed away from Kreekitaka, trying to keep the scorpion under control at the same time. That jawblade was a nasty piece of work, even without the enchantment. With it... She wasn't sure she wanted to know what it could do.

The dinosaur roared and tried to simply drag itself away from its captors, but at that moment Kreekitaka decided he'd charged the weapon up enough, swung it once, aimed the flat side forward, and pressed the blue button with a tentacle. One part of it, he expected. There was a loud CRUMPF noise which echoed outward like rolling thunder and a barely-visible pulse of pure kinetic energy which flew through the air at high speed, smashed into the dinosaur, and sent it reeling, staggering backward--it actually fell over to one side. The part he didn't expect was the recoil. See, before, when he'd used this function of the weapon, he'd been partially a giant scorpion, so the fact that he could brace his body with more limbs and far more weight had allowed him to just tank the backblast. Now, however, he hadn't been braced properly, and fell over backwards himself, tumbling head-over-legs and landing in a bemused heap. "...huh," was all he said as he slowly climbed back to his feet along with the dinosaur. "...I can work wiHHHTH HHHTHis." Fortunately, the crab was a little quicker getting back up than the dinosaur, especially with the scorpions holding it down, and so he charged forward, dragging the weapon along the ground to build up charge again, just in case. He made the final approach right as it got its feet back underneath itself, grabbed hold of a rope, and hauled himself back up on top of it. "Ha HA!" he crowed, triumphantly.

Pilar winced at the blast as it sent the two combatants flying. "Mister Kreekitaka, are you alright?!" she called. Obviously yes, as he was soon back on his feet and hopping on the dinosaur. Speaking of, the dino growled and tried to shake the crab-man off, only to make itself dizzy. It lied down and grunted futilely. It seemed these little things packed a nasty punch, and fighting was more trouble than it was worth. It seemed to sigh in defeat, and Pilar approached it carefully. She touched its snout and it looked at her with (it seemed to her) sad eyes. "I... I think you've won, Mister Kreekitaka," she said.

Kreekitaka tilted his head and rippled his paddles lightly, rubbing the dinosaur's neck lightly with a claw. "I suspecTAH! I hiTAH! him harDAH!er HHHTHan I pyanneDAH!," he said, slowly. "He mighTAH! be sTAH!unneDAH! yike HHHTHis for a biTAH!--buTAH! yes, I suspecTAH! he won'TAH! chayenge me again for some TAH!ime. Io jus' have TAH!oo hunTAH! some more wiHHHTH him. Preferabyee someHHHTHing yess TAH!oxic HHHTHan whaTAH!ever HHHTHe oHHHTHer creature was." He rippled his paddles again and extended a claw to Pilar. "Many HHHTHanks, Piyar. You've heppeDAH! me perform a greaTAH! feaTAH! HHHTHis DAH!ay."

Pilar shook his claw. "You're welcome, Mister Kreekitaka..." Behind her, she heard movement. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her pack of velociraptors had returned and were staring at her. She sighed. "I have no idea what I'll do with them."

Now that was worth a hearty chuckle. Kreekitaka's paddles rippled up and down as he tapped his chest. "Go hunTAH!ing wiHHHTH HHHTHem. Show you are a capabo yeaDAH!er, an' when you neeDAH! HHHTHem, HHHTHeyo become greaTAH! assisTAH!ance. Foyow you inTAH!oo baTAH!oh. I suspecTAH! HHHTHeir cyaws are going TAH!oo serve you marveyousyee aTAH! some poinTAH!."

Pilar gave a lopsided smile. "I'm not much of a... battle person. I prefer a quiet life. But, I suppose I can check in on them once in a while..." She looked over the dinosaur again. "So... where are you going to keep her?"

Kreekitaka had that all figured out. "As soon as we reTAH!urn TAH!oo YarkeTAH!, Io have my men begin construction of a pyace in HHHTHe Miyous Pyains, where HHHTHere is much room TAH!oo move arounDAH! an' yarge creatures for prey. In HHHTHe meanTAH!ime, YarkeTAH! has a zoo where big animos are kepTAH! save an' careDAH! for--Io renTAH! a space from HHHTHem an' conTAH!inue training from HHHTHere." He patted the dinosaur's neck. "Hear me? We're going TAH!oo become frienDAH!s, you an' I." The carcharodontosaurus made an almost derisive, probably very skeptical snorting sound.

Pilar nodded. "That sounds good to me." She patted the dinosaur's snout again. "Do you need my help moving her?"

Kreekitaka shook his head. "I suspecTAH! we're going TAH!oo be moving again as soon as she coyecTAH!s her wiTAH!s. If you've some urgenTAH! neeDAH! TAH!oo be somewhere, you may be DAH!ismisseDAH! if you wish. I'm noTAH! going TAH!oo TAH!urn DAH!own your hepp, however--who knows whaTAH! oHHHTHer creatures yurk ouTAH! here? Maybe someHHHTHing wiHHHTH a gaze HHHTHaTAH! changes inTAH!oo... I DAH!on'TAH! know... cheese or someHHHTHing." ...Cheese medusa. Mecheesa? Cheesedusa? Really, Kree.

Pilar smiled. "I'd be glad to help." The dinosaur was up again a few minutes later, and they led her out of the woods and around the city. No way they'd take kindly to having a dinosaur tracked through while they were still cleaning up. Getting her over the mountain, however... THAT was the real challenge.

Kreekitaka had actually managed to get clearance to use a Craughmoyle trading tunnel for the purposes of crossing the mountain range, and so getting her back into the east was as simple as making sure she didn't murder any dwarves. Which was, admittedly, a bit challenging, but quite doable.