This was, admittedly, probably one of the more questionable jobs Fish had ever accepted and that's saying something. They weren't exactly a fighter nor were they the type to do something for the greater good. Arcuila ravaging the lands really didn't concern them, but the chance at collecting Arcuila feathers for science did. Being a mostly docile creature, not many people hunted for them because the risk of fighting them versus the struggle of finding a buyer wasn't worth it.

Luckily, a pair of them had gone bonkers so that would give Fish plenty to work with. Of course, this would not be a job they would do alone. Who to ask though? Del would likely not want to fight something so docile.....Cyran was busy....Fish was still working out how to communicate with Blue so this wasn't the place to test that.

Fish settled on Izzy, the only person with a screw just loose enough to think this idea is worth it. They perch on a rock beside the fellblood overlooking Dragon's Cradle. There was a lot of open space here, perfect hunting ground for giant birds. This would be interesting. 

"Fish is admittedly nervous about this one....Fish does not know enough about Arcuila to know how to subdue them."

Izzy bobs to an unseen beat, enthusiastic in stark contrast to Fish's apprehension. Her coiled whip swings from her hip in time with her steps. What a lovely day. The novelty of hunting creature she normally would never hunt, no one but the exceptionally foolish anyway. But, these were exceptional circumstances, and that meant that they were fools no longer! Ipso facto, exceptional people rose to meet the challenge of exceptional situations.

"Exceptional is a funny word," Izzy says, apropos of seemingly nothing. She looks down at Fish with a reassuring grin. "Aww Fiiiish. Don't worry, your ol' pal Izzy has you covered." A heartbeat's worth of a pause follows. "...I haven't got a clue, either, but! We'll figure it out. I have some new tricks up my sleeve." Izzy winks.

Plus, the idea of what sorts of things they could scavenge from the birds themselves interested her as well. Not to mention the accolades of helping the people here get rid of a new and persistent problem. They could try to relocate the birds, of course... if they would let them. And Izzy doubted that very much; they were already madder than a frog on a frying pan.

She moves aside part of her cloak to reveal a set of caltrops and a loop of wire next to the whip. "Got me some new gear~. Should be able to help. I've gotten pretty damn good at tracking things. From what I know about them, and it's not a lot, they tend to attract lightning. Soooo. They'll be up high, and close to where the storms are. We will have to bring 'em down to our level, ideally."

"Izzy is tall....tall things tend to be struck by lightning more. Fish is showing an ample amount of concern." They narrow their eyes up at Izzy as she mentions new tricks. That could mean so many different things coming from her.

There was an inherent trust with Izzy that Fish held with few others, but that came with the very important caveat that Izzy is a wild card. So new tricks could mean she has actually learned some new skills that will be a big help or she's found some random bullshit, has no idea how it works and just wants to see what will happen.

"Bringing them down to our level is not easy, Fish also has learned new skills....and Fish can test out Fish's new poison....Arcuila may not be gods, but Fish has to start somewhere." Fish's God Killer poison likely wasn't a secret to Izzy.

While Izzy was no alchemist, she was probably the first to introduce them to the concept. Fish likely also asked them to procure ingredients from time to time. If Fish did need to purchase illicit items, they prefered Izzy or Morrigan do it for them. Talking and haggling is a lot harder when you're the one buying the goods.

In any case, Fish will start hopping forward into the lightning fields. No sense in whinging about what's happening here, time to go bird hunting.

"Fish is correctly telegraphing their amount of concern," Izzy nods very sagely. "It'll be fiiiiine, they've definitely been field tested," the concepts, anyway, not by Izzy herself, "and who knows! I might not even need 'em. Won't know if it'll help until we try, yeah?" she gives Fish an assuring wink.

Her brows lift at the mention of a new poison. "Oh, no shit? Yeah, lets test that baby out, if it can bring down a god, maybe it can bring down a giant fuck-off bird. Worth a shot at any rate." she gives Fish an encouraging look as they set off down the path towards the lightning fields.

Lightning and thunder cracks overhead, nearer to Izzy than ought to be comfortable, but the fellblood grins broadly. This was a perfect scene, a fine setting for a extraordinary battle of nature vs mortal. She spots something out in the distance, as the wind picks up and Izzy feels her coat shift around her legs. "Hold up."[1] Izzy's voice speaks into Fish's mind, allowing them to stay quiet and hopefully prevent Fish from getting too close. She didn't think they were at the nest, yet, but there is something on the ground ahead.

Shifting carefully forward, she touches the ground with her fingers, pulling back sharply as something shocks her, as if it had been affected by static. She shakes out her hand and looks to Fish, pointing down at what she found on the ground itself.[2]

Blood. Fresh and faintly snapping with residual energy.

Looking around, she finds what it might of been. Ah. She points again at a nearby tree, where a shield rested on it's side against the trunk. Whoever owned it was with their quarry now, that she pretty much figured.

It also meant that they were probably being watched right now.

"Probably close by," she whispers to Fish, rising slowly as she starts to unwind the whip from around her hip. Carefully, she pulls out the caltrops at her side, tossing them a little ahead of her on the path. Scooping a handful of dirt, she tosses this on top of the wicked, sharp looking metal spikes, and looks at Fish. "I think we have a shot of bringing it down here. Don't step there, yeah?" She nods to the spot with the covered caltrops.[3]

---

[1] Message
[2] Genius Tracker: Ranger Prestige
[3] Novice Trapper - Caltrops : Ranger Prestige.

Fish rankles at the sudden message in their head. It was no secret Fish had a disdain for any sorts of things like that, but they understand the necessity for the current situation. They at least don't subject Izzy to the untold horror that is their "voice."

They stop and get behind the cover of a small enough outcropping of rocks that they could get into the shadows and meld into them a bit. Things were escalating quickly it seemed, they nod across the way to Izzy. They would have to be very careful with their next steps to be certain.

Fish keeps tight to the rocks peeling to the other side to get another look into the distance. They look to the clouds and the lightning arcing between them. The storm was intensifying.....and moving way too quickly.

The latest peel of thunder has a sharp cry hidden inside of it, a large luminescent bird turning to descend from the sky having caught new prey. Fish's eyes snap back to Izzy. "It's coming, hide, Fish will bring it down." They take out a bolt and a vial of their poison to begin coating it.

The aviankin loads up the bolt and aims, steadying themselves on the rocks. Air buffets around them gently[1] as they take in a breath then exhale slowly, pulling the trigger as the breath ends. The bolt flies out with seemingly little wind resistance, piercing right into the chest of the arcuila.

Another harsh cry echoes out as it suddenly freezes[2] entering into a free fall as it careens right towards them. If Fish did the math right it should hit the caltrops.

---

1. Art of the Gale Bow
2. Fish's God-Killer poison

As the storm approaches, Izzy slowly unclips the whip at her side, gripping the handle as the coil unravels. She shifts her feet apart a little, watching the storm encroach. At Fish's signal, she dips behind the rocks to wait, out of sight. She doesn't like it, one bit, that Fish is out in the open, but she knows that they can handle themself. And besides; she has their back.

The Arcuila is faster and more brilliant than Izzy anticipated. As its descent is marked by a peal of thunder, Izzy watches Fish... suddenly surge with a power, sending the poisoned bolt directly into the elemental bird.

It crashes down onto the caltrops Izzy had dropped, the poison that Fish had developed swiftly taking effect. Izzy stays well back, not wanting to risk an electric shock if she could prevent it, and whoops a cheer, looking at Fish. "That was great! You were amaz-- shit, DUCK,"

The second of the nesting pair swoops in from the side, enraged at the state of its mate writhing on the ground and keen to kill these interlopers. Izzy snaps the whip at it, the coil wrapping around its neck and wing as it starts to tighten. The bird thrashes, about to crash down-- and then ts wings angle and violently pitches upward, carrying Izzy with it.

"WHOA," she's yanked into the air, the Arcuila angrily trying to thrash its unwelcome passenger free and breathe at the same time. Izzy clings for dear life, bounced around in the air above the rocky terrain below, the dangerous threads of lightning scattering very close to her head and neck. "FIIISH SHOOT IT SHOOT IT SHOOT IT"

---

[1] Hangman's Coil

Well, that was not ideal. Fish did not expect the mate of the arcuila to respond so swiftly, but here they were. There was still a plan, Fish would just have to act faster. The one on the ground is injured already and won't be able to move for another minute, they can deal with that later.

Another vial of poison is taken out^[1] and coated on some of the bolts. This will be a bit harder for the bird and Izzy will have to perform some miracle pulled from her ass to make it out unscathed, but this is the plan Fish has.

With a newly redesigned crossbow, they take aim once more and hold down the trigger. It fires off 5 quick shots without neededing to reload^[2,3] that pepper the side of the Arcuila. A few go wide as it banks away, but enough hit that the lightning bird starts to dive as well having fallen unconcious.

It careens towards the craggy ground below carrying Izzy with it. Fish can do nothing for her at this point but watch and hope. The aviankin follows the trail of blood from the bird to at least be nearby when it hits the dirt.

---

<sup>1. Scorpion's Venom
2. Quick Draw
3. Volley Shot</sup>

Fish did exactly as Izzy had asked and shot the bird. Unfortunately, this meant that she was in free fall.

With her coil unwinding from the bird, she has to think very quickly in order to get herself to the ground in realtive safety, but she has a limited range and can only do so much from the ground. Desperate, she reaches into the bag at her hip[1] and pulls from it, throwing whatever the object is beneath her in the hopes it will somehow save her from being dashed on the rocks.

It seemed that whatever forces that still existed in this world, whether it be lady luck, universal karma, or maybe some cackling gremlin observing this from on high, they certainly had a sense of humour. The object, an icy goats horn, shatters on the ground below, and from it erupts a large ice elemental in the shape of a bipedal goat. As it bellows its freedom to the heavens, arms held out in triumph, Izzy falls straight into their outstretched arms, caught from falling at the last possible second. She throws up her own hands in the air, having once again faced zero consequences for her shenanigans. "I'M A GENIUS."

Or the luckiest so-and-so in Charon, but who was counting.

The giant icy-goat man sets his new passenger down and starts to lope forward. Izzy brushes herself off and grins at Fish. "Amazing work, as always! Now, would you like to do the honours?" she gestures to the big creature behind her, offering for Fish to give it direction if they so chose. Those birds, while incapacitated for the moment, wouldn't be so for long.

---

[1] Jolly Bag of Tricks

xIH9F4dT

Fish is thankful Izzy is not dead, though the goat creature was unexpected. Fish was curious if Izzy had ever experienced consquences ever in her life.....though thinking about it Fish really never has either. Fish also isn't nearly as reckless as Izzy, though the pair often is responsible for getting the other out of a jam any time they work together.



They look between the Arcuila a moment, most times it would be a simple putting down of the witnesses, but Fish feels a strange compulsion to attempt to help the birds. They are lightning birds, Fish is learning to harness lightning and is also a bird. Camaraderie.



It is in this inspection Fish notices something, a bright red wound. They see the veins around it fossilizing and stiffening. It's poisoned? "Hold it down!"



Fish pulled out their alchemist's bag and quickly started to work to make some sort of antidote. It was a long-shot, but if Fish was able to create some doses quickly they may be able to avoid a full on fight. Neither of them could likely last long in a serious fight with either of them, but this could solve that problem entirely. Fish just needed time.

Izzy blinks as she watches Fish, but doesn't at all question it. If anything, the grin that is a constant fixture on her features looks a bit more genuine as they make the call. She looks up at the giant goat man. "You heard 'im, fella, hold down that there bird!"

The goat demon creature most definitely did not hear Fish say anything, as they had signed it, but they do not argue. Orders are followed, and with giant icy hands, the large goat man comes over to hold down the Arculia while Fish works. Izzy stands guard, watching over them and the other bird that remained unconcious for the moment, only more recently downed. She wants to watch what Fish is doing, deeply interested, of course. Instead of her usual chatter, she remains quiet; Fish needed to focus, and worked best when not disturbed. This was something Izzy knew all together too well.

While her focus is between... all the birds (three at the moment!) Izzy does not spot, a ways off, a shadow slip between the rocks, watching the progress of the pair who were apparently helping the birds.

"Are they, ah, saveable?" Izzy asks eventually, brows lifting in curiosity as she watches Fish's hands work.

Fish quickly worked to make two doses of an antidote, but not knowing the exact poison made it difficult to know exactly what to do. A generalized antidote was never as effective, but it was certainly better than nothing. Ingredients are flung together, mixed up, mashed up, and whatever else needs to be done to work this into a useable solution.

By the time Fish completes the doses the birds have started to move again which is not ideal. First to the unrestrained one. Fish hops over, dodging under a flailing wing to get to the wound, pouring one dose over the wound. It screeches out and stumbles backwards as it tries to get on its feet. The arcuila thrashes wildly as it gets back and takes to the sky again.

Buffeted, but uninjured, Fish makes their way to the second one. The story is much the same as the dose is applied and the creature rears back in pain and thrashes away before it escapes the clutches of the goat man. Both arcuila seem keen to leave though rather than fight the two on the ground which...all things considered was good news.

"Fish thinks it worked....neither of Fish's poisons are deadly, just paralytics....Fish thinks they must have been fighting a cockatrice or two...they can make a poison that can petrify something. Fish isn't sure if the antidote was a success.....if not we can leave, they won't live much longer."

Izzy watches the two birds take off, whistling low at the impressive sight of the Arcuila's take to the sky to get away from that which had been prey. She turns to Fish and her new giant goat monster friend. "Well, it's not for sure a solved problem, but it's solved enough. What's say we--"

"You FOOLS!" A voice abruptly shouts. A man behind the rocks a ways back storms out, throwing his bag on the ground and drawing a sword. He looked furious. "You let them go!? I set that trap AGES ago, and you idiots stumbled into it and were supposed to get picked off and now--"

As the man rails and talks, the giant goat man gives his head a shake, as if coming out of a stupor. He turns toward the yelling sounds from the short fleshling and grunts. He starts to lumber forward, and the poor man realizes much too late.

"If you two don't give me everything you have right now, I'll-- uh. Hey. Hey, call off your beast!"

"... Iii don't think I can. Sorry mac."

"WHAT! NO," He lets out a scream as he is picked up by the goat man, who waves a hand at nothing to open for himself a portal. He lumbers through without looking back, and it closes, cutting off the terrified scream of the man who was just dragged to the gods knew where.

".....well. Probably better we don't question that. You want dibs on the pack?" She gestures to the bag that was dropped by the man who had just been... carried off.

For all of the things that Izzy and Fish have gotten into together that strange series of events might be up their in the weirdest things. That includes that time in Zeinav with the royal, the camel, and 14 pounds of pomegranetes. Don't ask.

They just quietly watch the goat man disappear into a portal with their unblinking stare before hopping towards the pack. Fish plops down to take a seat and start rifling through it. A silver letter opener, a decent enough amount of solars, several letters, and some empty vials.

The pair can surmise from the letters and vials that the birds are apparently very valuable in the black market, especially their blood. Fish looks over the letter before handing it up to Izzy.

"What is an aphrodisiac?" It seems the blood was a vital ingredient in those concotions. Seems like it could be an easy business to get into if they've now made friends with to Arcuila....maybe....Fish wasn't sure how negotiable they were even if they were both fellow birds.

They continue to look through the pack for anything interesting, but it just seems to be more boring personal affects of a very boring man.

Izzy watches the unfortunate end of whoever that guy was for a couple of solemn moments before she puts it immediately out of her mind, watching Fish dig around in the pack. All in all, it had been a good, productive day where no one died (except that one guy, probably) and they got paid. And, the birds got to live. To Izzy that was as good as a day could get, probably.

At Fish's question, Izzy squints at the letter and makes a high pitched humming sound, trying to find the best way to explain that. Eventually, she flaps a hand, "Pppssshhht, just laaame stuff, you know. It's some sorta alchemical thingy that makes grown-ups do kissy face at eachother. Boriiiing. Might sell for a good price, though, y'got any extras in there?" Izzy beckons them over so they can look together at the vials. "Probably fine to just chuck 'em or use 'em for something else though. We don't want anyone asking questions about whatshisname," she gestures vaguely in the direction of the portal.

"Well, Fish, you're the best as always. Whatsay we head into town and find something to treat ourselves to, yeah?" She lowers her upper body just a bit in order to invite Fish up to perch on her shoulder so they can head back to civilization.

Fish shrugs and shoves everything into their endless bag, popping back up to their feet. They hand the silver letter opener to Izzy, her reward from the bag since it didn't seem to have much else. They also hand her the note, having already memorized it to write down later. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to follow up on this crime ring if either of them got bored.



The kenku picks up a few of the feathers from the ground as well before scrambling up onto Izzy's shoulder. Time for the bird and the lizard to find a new place to cause chaos.