It is a peaceful scene at the encampment by the Lankywood Forest River. Due to a confined dry space caused by the river's tidal movements, the team has only enough room for three tents plus a fire in a long oblong-shaped space. This is not an issue as the team is used to sharing tents. Despite feeling exhausted after the last battle, Sunset volunteered to be the first guard so the rest of the team can sleep. Watching a few birds fly over the water, the dragon carefully sits down by the fire to think about recent events.
Sunset stares at the flames to focus her thoughts. “Ouch, my whole body aches.” She reminisces. “Those cats are very powerful. They are going to be difficult to defeat.” Taking a deep breath, the dragon closes her eyes and begins to meditate. As Sunset suspects another energy is orbiting her heart. Addressing the magic ball, she mockingly states “Looks like it’s going to be just you and me. But that’s ok I have all night.” The dragon starts to let the energy flow into her body, this instance feels like a burning sensation compared to the previous cat’s energy, but she patiently contains it.
The sound of a twig snapping abruptly brings Sunset out of her trance. Sunset turns around and sees Natalie sitting on a nearby stump throwing wood on the fire.
"Need help?" Inquires the mage while holding out her hand. “No offense but you look wiped out.”
The dragon tries to object by standing up but wobbles on her feet. Natalie was instantly beside her unsteady friend. The mage helps Sunset sit back down on the …cushion? The two girls looked confused until they saw Matt.
“Nat is right Sun-girl.” Replies the swordsman. “It’s almost time for the next shift so don’t worry cus we’ve got your back,” Matt smirks as he pushes another log towards the fire to sit on. “What? You said you liked those cushions back at the inn.”
Sunset opens her mouth but says nothing as she realizes her friends will not be satisfied until she gets some rest. The very tired orange dragon trudges inside her tent but is careful not to wake her tent mate Anne. Finally, Sunset surrenders to her need to get some sleep.
It is a pleasant early morning as Lance cooks some mixed potato hash for breakfast. Nolegs is sitting beside him supervising the preparation of some freshly caught fish. Matt has set up some boards as a make-shift table which the gunner has taken advantage of to set out some supplies. Laying back on some nice cushions, the gunner grins as he admires the serene setting. Lance would never admit it but sometimes Matt’s “borrowed” items came in handy.
Suddenly a scream breaks the serene morning atmosphere. Lance grabs his gun as he moves towards the commotion. Similarly, Nolegs turns around and jumps onto Lance’s shoulder.
Assorted noises continue to originate from a nearby tent. Suddenly a panicking Anna stumbles out of the tent. Anna is relieved to see her friend but before the archer can say anything, she slips. Lance tries to catch the falling girl, however, the ground is very slick so he ends up tumbling as well. The commotion awakens the rest of the team. Natalie and Matt emerge groggily from the other tent to witness two embarrassed humans and a surprised cat covered in river mud.
Natalie and Matt snicker as they help their friends out of the mud.
“Ah, it’s too early for this.” Moans Anna.
Nolegs ‘meows’ in agreement as he tries valiantly to clean the sticky mud off his fur.
“This is becoming a habit.” Chuckles Matt. “Anna, we need to talk about your unhealthy mud obsession.”
Anna opens her mouth to respond but lets out a surprised gasp instead. The archer stares at the movement from the structure on another side of the camp. The sun was high enough to cast a shadow over an imposing figure emerging from the tent.
A black-clawed arm materializes from the tent. It was a large red creature with black horns, fangs, and hooked wings that exited the shelter. Since the sun was directly behind the figure it has the appearance of a distressing black silhouette. The being made odd sounds while it reared its head backward.
Following the archer's gaze, the rest of the group turns around just in time to witness a huge shadow stretch across the camp. Natalie, who was the closest to the figure but still half asleep, erroneously decides to take a step back and trips over a tent rope. Due to the confined space and the fact the mage’s teammates were directly behind her, the entire group fell backward into the mud.
Natalie groans as she recovers from the fall. Realizing the shadow is moving closer, the mage tries to get to her feet. Slowly the red creature bends down and offers Natalie her claw.
“Oh!” exclaimed Matt after getting a better look at the figure. “Wow! Looks like you did it again Sun-girl.”
Sunset helps her friends out of the mud but also ends up getting dirty herself. Seeing everyone so muddy, the dragon says she will get some towels. “Hold on, everyone,” Sunset states after another long yawn, “I have an extra blanket that can be cut up as washcloths.”
“Wait!” pips up Nadine who had just come from her tent. “Please don’t waste your blankets. There is a better way to get clean.” The mage had her staff in her hand.
“Stop!” yelled Matt. But before anyone could react, the mage used an aquatic spell on the team. A large wave from the river suddenly splashes over the camp and drenches everything.
Several minutes later, since the campfire was extinguished, the team has changed into dry clothes after getting soaked and is enjoying a meal of cold dry foods from their pouches. Silence prevailed since no one wanted to say anything following the morning’s events. Sunset is studying her new black claws with apprehension but has decided not to say anything yet. Anna looks down and is trying not to look at Sunset. Nadine’s face is still red with embarrassment after her disastrous spell. The mage has a large bump on her head so Lance is applying a cold patch.
“All done. That ‘ill take down the swelling.” Says Lance.
“Thank you, Lance. Sorry everyone for the cold showers. I guess when things happen to my friends like what happened with Sunset, I try to overcompensate to cope.” Declares a tired-looking Natalie apologetically. “But Nolegs didn’t have to hit me with a frying pan.”
“Maybe he did! Not only did you get him wet, but also ruined his breakfast!” Matt laughs.
Moving a bit away from the camp, Sunset continues to quietly watch her friend’s playful jabs while trying not to think about the new changes to her body. Hearing the rustle of a hammer-space clasp, the dragon is surprised to see a large mirror being offered to her. Sunset is even more surprised to see the mirror’s owner.
“What? Ye likes to stay well-groomed.” Says Lance honestly. He holds up the mirror higher so his dragon friend can see herself better.
Despite her best efforts, Sunset gasps at her altered reflection. The dragon looks completely different and starts to tug on her large black horns in disbelief. Then looking at her new razor-sharp claws Sunset pokes at her crimson body and starts to shake as she is attempting to accept her new appearance. Noticing her distress, Lance throws his arm around Sunset.
Pointing to Sunset's heart Lance whispers sympathetically, “Hey, remember it’s what inside that counts.” Then he opens his shirt to reveal a large scar on his arm. “Truthfully, ye all have something but ‘member no matter what, real friends accept each for who they are on the inside. Even if they get spooked by a sleepy dragon and splashed with cold water.”
Tears fall from Sunset's eyes. “Thank you,” she replies gratefully “It was funny that my yawn scared the whole team.” The pair share a long hug before returning to the others. Sunset attempts to flap her heftier wings and unexpectedly fell on her face. “Ulf, well it looks like this form still has some surprises, but at least my new travel bags still fit.”
Back at camp, Matt is attempting to organize the team and pack up the camp. The rest of the team has gathered most of the equipment but most of it was still wet. Fortunately, the tents dry off quickly in the sun. “Come on everyone. The walk will do us some good. Let's get out of this... creepy jungle before anything else happens."
Anna complains, "Hey, what do you mean "creepy"? I like this jungle."
Natalie retorts, "That's because you were born between two jungles while we were born in the city."
“Just remember even if you are just waking up,” Says Matt gesturing to Sunset. “This is our extraordinary teammate Sun-girl whoooo …likes to bathe in lava! So changing colors is not that out of the ordinary for her.”
Anna huffs, "Ah! Fair enough. Anyway, it's time to leave for the next point. We have no business here anymore." Anna takes out the map while Nolegs jumps into her backpack pouch. "Oh, by the way, the lava cave that we just came into is just a part of this jungle." The others glare at her as she smiles sheepishly, she tries to say, "Well... the good thing is that we know the way, right?"
Natalie whines, "Right... Oh, I hope we will not encounter another Godcat."
Anna waves her hand. "No worries …there are only two in the legend, not three. Come on, we have to go faster before the third crystal is stolen. Also, there is a different story…" Unaware rest of the ream was falling behind her, the archer continues to talk and gesture profligately about the folklores. Completely indifferent to her rambling tales, her feline passenger falls asleep. Discreetly, Nadine and Matt trail behind a few feet away, followed by Sunset and Lance. No one wanted to want to disturb the ranting archer.
The last two team members chuckle at Anna’s antics. Sunset feels a lot better after speaking to Lance and is enjoying watching the group’s antics.
Moving her clawed hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles, Sunset says softly “You’re right Lance, everyone has something. But we all have each other and our wonderful friendship.”
“True and truer.” Replies Lance with a grin.
An assortment of hazards and monsters challenge the team’s progress to the Goldenbridge Resort. Despite having to fight a lot of beasts, the team forges ahead to their destination due to their past experiences. After several hours of walking, they have finally reached the ocean. The day is quite warm so the team enjoys the cool breeze from the ocean. Everyone cheers at the sight of the beach. Upon finally reaching the sand, the group looks out at the beautiful blue water as well as the enchanting vista off in the distance.
Matt takes a deep breath of ocean air and sighs contently, "What a pleasant change of scenery."
"Wow, this is huge! I've never seen this much water before." Exclaims Anna as she looks at the ocean. “And the smell is so invigorating.” Then she turns around, “Hey, we've almost at the resort. I think I see it over there, along the beach."
"Glad we’re so close," Matt points at Natalie, who is lying on the ground due to her tiredness, "We got a mage down."
"Don't tease me like that," Natalie gets up and tries to catch her breath, “Plus our friend has not changed back yet."
Sunset rolls her eyes, "Not helping… Besides, I heard from Matt you have been awake for 2 days trying to figure out why that teleportation spell failed. Come on, we got priorities. There is another jewel to claim before we can relax at the resort."
"Right!" exclaimed Anna. The rest of the team nods and they rush to find the jewel.
Using her heightened agility, the archer jumps through several obstacles towards the shrine of the third jewel. The area of the sacred reliquary is part of a vast desert. The sand made walking difficult so Anne used the rocks to navigate. Near the water, there was a cool breeze however that comfort disappeared in this harsh new environment. Unfortunately, the jewel has already been stolen from its sanctuary. By the time the rest of the team arrived, Anna is franticly looking under rocks and in holes for the missing stone.
“Ahhh! Oh No! It’s too late! The last jewel is gonnne!” Anna is running hysterically in a circle. “We're doooomed!"
Matt tries to calm her down, "Relax Arrow-girl! Nothing happened here so far. The sky hasn't turned dark yet and stormy or anything like that"
Lance spots something moving in the distance. He immediately equips his scanner and sees a strange multi-legged creature. “Hey, look over there!” the gunner points. “At that weird moving dust cloud.” He quickly brings up the image enlargement feature.
“What is that?” asks Anna squinting into the distance.
Natalie quickly projects the image outwards in a larger window to better analyze it.
“Are those …cats? It is a big bunch of cats. It looks like they are carrying something …the jewels! Oh no! They have the jewels!” Remarks Anna excitedly.
“They are headed towards those distant ruins.” Adds Natalie.
Anna takes her bow and cries "Time to teach them a lesson!" The rest of the team takes out their weapons and charge after the cats.
A barrage of arrows rains on the felines from the resolute archer. As currently the nimblest team member, she has reached the cats first by jumping over several obstacles. However, the attack is dispelled as several of the cats have shields. The arrow deflects off the feline’s barrier, much to Anna's frustration. Riding on Anna’s back, Nolegs also attacks, however, one of the cats surprises him with a weighted net and he is immobilized.
Sunset, who is still having problems adjusting to her new wings, ops to teleport to the location. She soon discovers although her new form is not as agile as before, it is a lot tougher. The red dragon finds she is also a lot stronger so teleports right over the cat’s shield defense. A single swing of her tail shatters that protection and breaks the cat’s formation.
The dragon is going to breathe fire at them but one of the foes summons a Trojan horse. It slams directly into Sunset at top speed, making her spin backward. An explosive barrel launches out of the Trojan horse at the unbalanced dragon. However, a well-placed cannon shot fired by Lance destroys the barrel before it can hit Sunset. The cat controlling the Trojan horse hisses at the arriving team and launches the rest of the barrels into the sand. Explosions beneath the ground create a blinding sand cloud. When the dust sets, the cats are gone.
Anna stomps her feet in frustration, "Damn it. Lucky for those cats I'm exhausted." The archer runs over Nolegs to free him from the net. Anna takes a deep breath and continues to lecture the other team members who were having difficulty navigating through the shifting sand. "Anyway, we might have missed our last chance to get the jewels back. Now they are going to summon Godcat."
"You know, the Godcat is already summoned." Sunset retorts. She looks up to the sky-piercing ruin with uncertainty. Until she can fly properly in her heavier crimson form, Sunset knows the cats will just shoot her down again. "We can't run faster than those cats. Those tall ruins look difficult to reach without a good strategy."
Anna says in an angry tone, "So what will we do? Stay here and see the world die?"
Sunset calmly answers, "No, but we are all quite tired. I believe we need to take a rest." She looks around and notes the rest of the team nodding in agreement.
"Good idea (yawn), my legs are shaking from jumping on all those rocks and wading through that blasted hot sand." Gripes Natalie. Both the mage and the swordsman have sat down on a large rock to remove the gravel from their shoes.
“Since our tents are still a wee damaged the resort is the closest shelter available.” Added Lance. Natalie blushes at his comment.
The team leaves the ruins at a much slower pace. Soon the group is back on the beach, enjoying a much cooler spot under a shade tree. Natalie catches a quick nap. While Matt and Lance have taken out their water bottles, Anna is examining her red skin. Looking at her black claws, Sunset is regretting not getting another hat and cloak disguise.
After a rest, Matt leads the way to a very inviting garden area at the edge of the Goldenbridge complex. The region has a wide variety of trees much to the delight of the forest-dwelling archer. “Well, this is something.” Says Matt looking at the well-maintained flower beds.
“Um, there may be a small issue.” Whispers Anna to Matt. The archer looks embarrassed and is fidgeting with her bow so as not to scratch her sunburn. “Okay, I didn’t bring a lot of money. How was I to know we would end up in an ultra-luxury resort? This place probably cost several fortunes.”
“That’s ok, I hardly have any money either.” Replied Matt casually. “Actually, don’t think any of us have a lot since that shopping spree…” The swordsman takes out his money pouch and looks around at the others. All of them look guiltily down at the ground.
Anna is surprised, "How can you be too calm? We need to find a place to sleep tonight."
Matt puts his pouch away with a smile. “This is not a problem, some of the time we find a treasure or that other thing happens.”
Just then a new voice speaks from a corner archway. “Well, well, well, look what we have here, Sabrina.” A woman and a man start to walk toward the team.
“…And that other thing has happened again.” Says Matt to Anna with a smirk.
“Well I’ll be,” says Lance. “It’s Captain Eldaro!”
“Ha-ha. We keep running into each other.” Says Eldaro. “And it’s former Captain as I’m now retired.”
“Oh, so it is retired now? Are you sure it’s not semi-retired or part-time?” Chimes in the dignified-looking woman standing behind Eldaro. “It is good to see all of you again.”
“You know they are?” gasped Anne.
“Yes I do,” Sabrina replied. “It has been almost ten years but one still does not forget the living legends who saved us from that world-destroying demon.”
Sunset tried to stand behind the others to be less noticeable by Eldaro but this did not deter the Captain. Eldaro looked a little confused as he looks the red dragon up and down. However, he suddenly gets a look of recognition on his face and walked back smiling to the woman’s side.
Sabrina looks amused by Eldaro but turns to speak to the team again. Her voice changes to a stern tone as she continues. “Strange rumors have been circulating lately and now this. It is no coincidence that the living legends are once again united. Something tells me you are not here on vacation.”
“No your Majesty, our team is here on some very important business.” Says Matt.
“In that case, we had all better go inside to discuss things.” Said the Queen motioning to Anna’s sunburn. Everyone walks inside the resort's main area. However, Queen Sabrina leads the group to a smaller but still luxurious structure on the grounds. Several guards salute her as she enters a protected area. “This is my private quarters so should be the best place for a secure conversation.” She adds.
Elaborate carvings and clay sculptures of cats lined the inside of the building. Sunset felt a little self-conscious walking on the luxurious carpet and looking at the expensive furniture. The inside reminded the dragon of her old home in Equestria. Sunset following the Queen reminded the dragon of her time in Cantorlot castle when she would follow Princess Celestia during ceremonial events. Despite her best efforts to focus, Sunset began to daydream. She dreamed she was back at Celestia’s side watching her raise the sun and lower the moon. Celestia looked lovingly at her and was about to speak…
Sunset’s happy daydream suddenly ended when Sabrina pulls on a bell and several attendants quickly materialize. The queen gives them some instructions before they bow and escort the group to a pair of large doors carved with 2 cats, one on either side. Two of the attendants pull open the doors to reveal a private room.
Once inside the room, the other attendants return with trays of food and drink. Eldaro motions for the team to have some refreshments first. There is a large round glided table in the center of the room.
"There are even cat decorations in this room. Cats seem to be very popular here. Just look at all those clay sculptures." Natalie says to Matt.
"Well, many cultures used to worship cats. This town has kept that tradition." Explains Eldaro
“That explains all of the clay statues.” Says Lance.
Matt looks around the room and remarks “Anna you have been awfully quiet.” The swordsman does a double-take when he spots the archer.
Poor Anna’s eyes are glazed over and her mouth is flapping like a freshly caught fish. As the archer is in no condition to do anything, so Sunset is pushing her from behind. The dragon steers her friend to the chair at the center table, then picks up Nolegs from Anna’s back pouch so he can also pick out some snacks.
Sabrina, Eldaro, and the rest of the team sit around the table. The attendants bow again as they exit the room and close the doors.
A small moan comes from a green-haired girl that has been sitting quietly till then. Anna’s eyes started to blink as she processed everything going on. Suddenly the archer stood up and stared at the Queen in terror. “Ah!” cried the panicking girl. “The Queen! You’re the Queen. You’re Queen Sabrina! Ah …and I did not bow! Please do not put me in the dungeon, your Majesty.”
“Do not despair, all is well.” Replied the Queen. “However this group and now you are allowed to call me just Sabrina.”
“Ooh, I’m sorry Qu- Sabrina ma’am.” Stuttered Anna. “Sorry for yelling too.” Nolegs pushes a drink towards the archer that she graciously accepts.
“Let’s start the meeting with some good news. This room has soundproof walls and doors so we can speak (or yell) freely in here. No one can even slip a paper under the door to distract us.” Says Eldaro.
Sabrina starts "Since you said earlier your team is not here for leisure, I can only assume the worst. Is there another potential disaster that can destroy the world?"
“Well... yes. But it's a bit of a long story.” Says Matt in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “It all started when I met Anna here. So Anna if you wouldn’t mind starting us all off with everything that’s happened.”
Anna answers nervously, "You’re Majesty, I mean ma’am. This all started when the sacred green jewel of trust was taken from Greenwood forest." Anna starts to tell about a legend of Godcat and how the Team first battled Amelia.
Natalie told the story of the second stolen jewel of peace from Whitefall town. Also about the fight with the second Godcat Diana. The queen was astonished but asked the team to continue their story.
Sunset told Sabrina and Eldaro about the third jewel of light that was recently stolen by a group of cats. The dragon shows regret that the cats could not be stopped in time.
“Don’t be sorry now about those rogue felines, your safety is more important. It’s the Godcats named Amelia and Diana that need to be stopped Sunset Shimmer.” Says Sabrina.
“Your right …what?” cries the surprised dragon.
“Got you! Come on. After all the time we spent together you didn’t think that I could not see your mannerisms or recognize the sound of your voice.” Says Sabrina as she walks over to a nearby cabinet to pull out a wooden staff. “So why did you change your appearance? After all, we are friends and will accept you in any form.”
“About that.” Asked Endaro. “Why did you change again? You were an orange dragon before, not a red one.”
Sunset sighs, “It’s because of the Godcats. When I fought them I somehow absorbed some of their power. Please don’t ask how, I’m not sure myself except somehow I am now booby-trapped. When some creature tries to take my magic, the trap activates and steals theirs.”
“But last time, when we fought a Godcat, the only thing that happened is your wings changed to fire for about half an hour.” Questions Matt.
“What can say except the Godcats Amelia and Diana are 2 different well… cats.” Retorts Sunset. "I am trying my best to control this new power. Geez, I hate this form because it is so edgy." The dragon flops down on a nearby oversized sofa with her face in her claws.
A blue blur zips across the table and lands on Sunset's shoulder. The dragon is surprised to see it is Nolegs, rubbing his head against her. A warm feeling spreads across Sunset's other arm. It is Anna hugging her friend. Quickly the others follow suit and the dragon is surrounded by a wonderful string of embraces from everyone.
“Maybe we all should have said this before instead of beating around the bush… but well no excuses.” Announces Natalie. “Sunset our wonderful friend, we all honor and respect you no matter what shape or form you take.”
“We love you Sunset!” Shouts the team plus Sabrina and Eldaro. On cue, everyone redoubles their efforts on the dragon cuddle pile.
Tears fell from the once overly proud dragon’s eyes. “Oh thank you! Thank you, everyone. I was so absorbed in what I had lost that I almost overlooked what I had gained.” Soon everyone was crying and hugging one another in a much-needed emotional release.
After a short time, there was an unwelcome knock on the door.
Sabrina groans. “Oh, that’s right I requested any new information about the strange lights in the abandoned mountain citadel to be relayed to me without delay.” Reluctantly, the queen gets up from the couch and holds up the wooden staff. “Sunset, things sure were simpler when all we worried about was that small-town project.” The dragon nodded in agreement. Anna listens to the conversation with confusion.
“Hold on, Sab. Before you open that door you may want to look in that mirror first.” Called out Sunset.
By now some of the team members had stood up to stretch. There were several gasps when they looked at their reflections. Clothing was wrinkled, hair was messy and everyone had puffy red eyes.
Sunset stood up and worked over to the Queen. “Sorry, but we can’t let you answer the door looking upset and disheveled. It would start some unsavory gossip.”
“You’re right, Sun. I keep forgetting you lived in another castle so understand politics and rumors,” says Sabrina. “But I cannot wait too long or it may start other gossips.”
“Wait a minute, I have an idea.” Said Sunset turning to the mage. “Nad, did you bring your staff?”
“Yes.” Replied the mage removing the item from storage.
“Great!” countered Sunset as she takes out a spell book from her hammerspace. “Anna while we find the spell can you please get all the water together in one container?”
Nadine looks over Sunset's shoulder at the proposed spell and gasps in surprise.
“This spell? Are you sure? But… I botched it up so badly…” says the mage sadly.
“Nad, please listen to me. You were tired and distracted when you tried that water spell before. But now you have had a nap plus I will be helping you this time.” Declares Sunset assuredly.
Natalie nods nervously as Anna comes over with the water. After the archer places the container by the two mages, they prepare to reflect each other. The rest of the group watches apprehensively as the water levitates from the bowl in one large bubble before shooting out in a circle.
A few seconds later the spell is complete. Everyone gasps in delight at their reflections. The previous mud residue has been washed away, the wrinkles are gone from their clothing and everybody feels refreshed!
A soft feeling brushes against Natalie’s shoulder. It’s Nolegs! The cat ‘meows’ joyfully as he nuzzles the triumphant mage’s shoulder. Natalie is overjoyed to see her friend’s fur now bright and clean. The two share a hug as they reconcile.
Sabrina practically skips in delight as she goes to open the door.
After the meeting and the ‘after’ meeting Eldaro suggests the team rest overnight at the resort before they travel to the Godcat’s fortress. Everyone agrees that would be best and happily follows the attendants to their rooms, courtesy of the Queen. As they are walking, Sunset mentions to Anna that she had seen her confused look earlier and would tell the archer about how that staff helped them bond as friends.
Eldaro returns to the Queen after arranging some rooms for the team. He finds Sabrina sitting down looking at the new report with a concerned look on her face. Sabrina motions Eldaro over and shows him the updated information.
“Our legendary heroes are correct about the Godcats being on top of the high mountain ruins,” Sabrina states with an outbreath. “This report confirms a marked increase in activity at the location. The problem is not that we don’t know where the enemy is…”
“But how do we help the team and our troops get to that location.” Adds Eldaro.
Sabrina turns her head around, "Luckily there is a solution. The sky fortress could most likely scale that height. Surprised, Eldaro turns his head towards the Queen, “Eh?” He replied. “I thought that project was canceled.”
"Oh, don't stare at me like that. The sky fortress was developed for this type of situation. We have our dragon friend to thank with help on this project, otherwise, it may not have been possible.”
Eldaro rubs his chin, “How long will it take for the ship to arrive here?"
"Two days at max speed." Sabrina claps her hand, "Anyway, welcome back, captain."
"Just this time for this latest crisis, Sabrina... But don't expect that I will come back to your army. Replies the once again Captain Eldaro.
Later that evening, Sabrina is enjoying a peaceful walk on the beach. A short distance from the resort, she sees Eldaro sitting on a blanket watching the waves and drinking wine. She walks up to the Captain and asks if she could join him. Eldaro was happy to see Sabrina finally have a chance to relax away from public scrutiny.
"Looks like someone else enjoys watching the moon rise." Says Eldaro offering her a glass, "Ah... So good. A peaceful night with some good wine is always a good one."
"Thank you, it is nice to relax even for a little while. Those few months I could interact with other people were some of the happiest in recent memory. Also, there is some good news for you," Sabrina sits next to Eldaro, "The flying fortress will come here in one day because... Your old student Silver is testing the fortress."
"Wow really?" Eldaro puts down the cup, "Is that bird not doing anything wrong?"
"No." Sabrina shakes her head, "but starting an expense prototype fortress without my permission? She got into some big trouble. But I wanted you to know about the ship as soon as possible. I understand you are worried about that team. They are determined to go on this dangerous mission before we can get back some proper backup."
“I was surprised when you contacted me after that long tirade about retirement a few years ago. You requested I meet you as quickly as possible at the resort near the ancient shine to peace.” She continued. “It was quite a story, even for you, Eldaro. Increasingly aggressive monsters, missing jewels, and another world crisis are all caused by a pair of overpowered felines. But it must have been important if you used 15 of your best mages to teleport you here.”
Eldaro smirks, "Well, I will help you in this mission one more time. But please promise me that you won't try to persuade me again because I do want to retire permanently this time."
Sabrina nods, "I see. But currently, no one in my army has your leadership skill or farsightedness. The demon cases seven years ago prove that." Sabrina pats the old man's shoulder, "A talent like you have to go retire is a big loss for us, but that is your choice. We can't force you."
Eldaro nods and closes his eyes. He and Sabrina enjoy relaxing.