It’d been a long and busy season already, but Kisaik wasn't done being useful in Hopetoun, not by a long shot. For one, he knew he must soon grow a great tree to support Vega's planned structure. But before that feat, he needed to stretch his limbs a bit, and get some exercise. Just as much, he needed to help Phee acclimate to the warmer weather. While Vega’s clan had taken good care of his animals since he was asleep, the cat and eagle needed regular exercise and engagement, something that the clan was far too busy to deal with. And so, Kisaik took it on himself to give Phee a chance to spread his wings, and fly around the settlement, over around the docks.
After feeding his bird, with some sardines donated by the cook Selena, he caught word of some villainous skullgulls settling near Hopetoun. These diseased birds spread illness and filth in their wake, and generally were an entirely useless waste of space. At first, Kisaik was prompted to pity the creatures and wished to observe them and figure out if they truly deserved to be driven off, or if they might be redeemed.
So, Kisaik headed down to the inlet of Hopetoun where these birds were said to reside, intending to figure out these skullgulls. His glorious steed, the mighty Harpy Eagle Phee was wearing its shining plate barding, in case it needed to protect itself. Kisaik’s Will o’ Wit, the Toṣeọrun sword lay in a sheath that was strapped to the barding of his eagle Phee. He would be able to pull it out at a moment’s notice, but for now approached with open hands, no weapons, to the skullgulls that were congregating on the piers of Hopetoun’s Harbor.
”Hello Skullgull family, are you peaceful or are you villainous?” He asked politely to the creatures. Their rotted heads turned to him, curious at first, but then getting bold as they saw more of their kind dropping out of the sky to peer at this new creature in their midst. A few of them approached him, holding their wings far out to the side, and showing the rot and maggots that were eating away at their feathers and flesh. It was horrible! Kisaik almost had a mind to put them out of their misery, but the skullgulls didn’t appear to mind the maggots, so he would hold out for judgment.
That was until one of them began pecking at his armor, trying to get beneath the shell of enchanted cobalt. Then another ventured to peck at him, and another, and soon enough they were swarming him!
The tunawa was very frightened, but also strangely thrilled that he'd been called out to combat these villainous birds. He called upon the power of his fairy ring to give him courage, and thus his grip on the situation was galvanized, and he was ready to fight! The birds continued pecking away at his armor, pushing him this way and that, pecking at him, and then at his flowery hair. That was the last straw.
Kisaik wasn’t having this, so he drew his shadow shard from his shadow, and cut a portal into the air, pulling himself up into it. The egress was set several feet above them, and landed upon a sky-step which he hopped upon, and then formed another portal, this one pulling will o’ wit into it and through the egress as it met his hand.
Thus armed, Kisaik took his sword and began waving it threateningly at the villainous birds. Phee stood by, cautious, but Kisaik didn’t call for him yet, so he continued standing by.
But then, one of the birds, a larger one with a maggot crawling where its eye should be, dove forward, lunging for the tunawa in earnest. It squawked uproariously, until Kisaik leapt high over its head, and with a swipe of his blade, cut a rip into reality with a resounding SHING. Will o Wit led the way into the ingress, as he willed himself pulled into the snapshot portal. Then, with a large booming shot he was propelled out the egress, several meters away from the large skullgull. Kisaik used his Roaring challenge to them, calling them out from near and far across the gully. Thus gathering them, he shot across the air, aiming the edge of his Will of Wit for the neck of the largest of the skullgulls.
Easily, with the combined speed from the snapshot and the sharp edge of Will o Wit, he separated the skull gull's head from its body. He turned in midair, using another portal to pull himself around and repeating a cut against another skullgull, and another. Then he pulled himself up through that portal, and shot through again.
He furrowed his brow as he concentrated on forming the sky steps he'd need to navigate through the gaggle of skullgulls. Through the chaos of the moment, he managed several more strikes, and their own beaks fell upon him with such a vicious rancor that he thought they would tear apart his harness, and get to the gooey sappy innards of his body. But thankfully, his masterwork full armor held up, albeit with a few temporary scratches that would likely ding out over time.
He landed with his legs on the ground near another gathering of the skull gulls. This time, he swung Will o Wit low, cutting off their legs from the ankles. Two by two he dismembered the poor beasts, dispatching them quickly however once they fell to the ground.
They appeared to be cowering now, losing heart in the face of this tunawa's onslaught, when a larger skullgull than even the first appeared. It looked about four times the size of any of the others, at least! Kisaik met him with a threatening glower, trying to intimidate him into not fighting. Yet the skull gull was intent on retribution, it seemed, and perhaps even wanted to taste the sappy innards of the heroic tunawa.
It's huge, maggot strewn beak flashed forward with surprising speed and suddenness, and Kisaik wasn't ready for it. It grabbed him by his armored legs, and began swinging him in the air, tossing him this way and that. Will o Wit left his grip then, as he was unable to maintain a clear head in the face of such tossing and turning. As the large sword went flying off into the distance, Kisaik remembered shadow shiv, but didn't draw it yet. He needed to wait for the right moment...
Captain Graygull, as Kisaik had dubbed him in those few moments, threw Kisaik into the air, and then opened up his large beak to swallow him whole! Yet Kisaik didn't come down from the air where he'd thrown him. Instead, he used shadow shiv to slice another portal into the air, which pulled him in at the last moment. Kisaik formed the egress just a few inches from the bottom of Graygull's belly, and used shadowshiv to slice a cavity into his guts. The tunawa was showered with a hot mess of bird innards and maggots. But Graygull wasn't done. Not yet.
It buffeted Kisaik with its wings, running rampant all over the ground and essentially going for broke in this fight. Its beak flashed with yellow-red blood as it attempted to dig its beak into the Tunawa's very brain!
Kisaik reversed the egress, and ingress. Thereby pulling himself into the portal from which he'd emerged, and blinking out from above Graygull. With one last thrust of his shadow shard, he came down upon the brain box of the terrible bird, piercing his wretched skull.
Thus, Graygull was defeated. Soon after, the rest of the skull gulls retreated, fleeing the onslaught of this tiny knight that had put their flock to shame.
Kisaik was exhausted, and very weary. So he headed back toward Hopetoun, satisfied to have done some good for the settlement. He'd conquered a mighty foe that day, he knew, and his magic and trinkets were a bit part of that victory, for which he thanked the spirits that granted him those boons. From the Fairies of Jesine's court, to the mysterious forces of the Call.
His shadow stretched far behind him as he walked alone back toward the palisade walls of Hopetoun.
