Through the Shattered Planes: A MonsterPony CYOA #9:

“A… a harder trial?” You pant “Ehm… Can I get some rest for now?”
“Of course.” Earthbloom nods “Do you need help with your wounds?”
You consider the offer for a moment, but the idea of being nursed by your former opponent feels a little weird after all. And time will heal all in the end.

“We will take care of ourselves.” You decide, trying to sound composed despite the state of Froth and Fangs “Just… can we hope for some food when we return to the camp? Your cooking is really good…”
“Sure!” The chief rises on her hooves “I’ll tell Vimstruck you liked her grill magic. She’s gonna love a compliment from outside the tribe!”

Once Earthbloom has walked away, you begin to tend to your cuts. First, you start to examine Fangs. After some time splashing water on her face, your sister emerges from her coma.
“Urg…” Her eyes come into focus, and she seems to recognize you. “We… we took quite the beating, didn’t we?”
“What are you talking about?” You show a cheeky smile “We went through that trial like a breeze!”
Fangs chuckles lightly in response, but winces immediately after. Probably because of those rock spikes still buried in your skin. About a dozen minutes later, all the spikes lie in front of you, and you cleaned the cuts with water to make sure your flesh mends without trouble. Another then minutes, and your wounds are practically history. You feel the muscles straining a little, but this too should disappear in a matter of minutes.
Also, you’re feeling voracious right now.

Only Froth’s eyes remain non-functional. The bleeding stopped, but your sister’s eyes can’t see a thing yet. You’ve never hurt your eyes this bad before, but your sister seems confident that it should heal overnight.
Or at least she pretends so…

You come back to the amazon camp under the evening sun, looking as fit as a fiddle, and only a close inspection on Froth’s eyes would reveal her current infirmity.

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>>30697380
Everyone is sitting together for the evening meal when you arrive, and Tori waves at you. It takes you a great deal of willpower to have your rumbling belly immediately ignore the smell of roasted meat, but there’s something you want to do right now.

Indeed, the reaper will leave as soon as his work is done if he’s anything like Inky, the one you met in the Unearthed Woods at the beginning of your journey. He taught you the basics about souls at the time, but now you have some more questions on the matter. And it looks like you arrive just in time, as an emaciated pegasus just comes out from the tent of the chief as you get close.

“Wait a second!” You call toward him. “There’s some things I’d like to ask you.”
The pony stops, and looks up at you in silence. He looks a lot like Inky, but you think his cutie mark is different.
The description from the page about these guys comes back to your mind, and you wonder how true it is.

>What do?

>>30697390
Hey stranger, what's your name?
Are you willing to spend some of your time answer a few questions? And do you know a reaper who goes by Inky?

I read somewhere on a paper that said readers are a hivemind. If its true then how did your parents do the deed? The eight legged monster? The horizontal kongo? The race horse?

Noe onto something more serious....
What is your personal opinion on The Colony, and do you know the general opinion of the place for Dealers? Because we're trying to find people to end The Colony before they end us. Also do you know anything healing magic? My sister recently had an injury that hasn't healed yet. If you don't then do you know anyone within this plane that could?


Note: get helmet with protective visors or face plates, especially around the eyes.

>>30697390
We spoke to an "Inky" before, do you know em?

>>30697390
Notices little reaper snoot OwO What's This?
Boop.

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>>30697390
I'm not too worried about Froth eyes so long as they heal before the next trial.

What is the cutiemark? Kind of looks like a face with the CM being the eye, the tail as the nose, and part of the leg as a mouth.

>>30697390
Is there a way to go to your plane?

>>30697390
Where do hydras come from?

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>>30697482
>>30697480
>>30697502
>>30697908
>>30697910
>>30697954
The first thing you do when you approach the reaper is to plant a firm push on his nose with your tail. This foolish pony hid his snootle under a mask, making it infinitely more desirable for you to boop. Just like the other reaper you met, your move doesn’t seem to bother him at all.

“Hey there!” You cheerfully greet him after ruthlessly invading his personal space. “Sorry for keeping you here, but I just wanted to ask you a few things. Do you happen to know someone who goes by Inky among reapers?”
“Yes.” The pony in front of you answers “I reckon you gave him the same kind of greeting. My name is Bleak Pit. No need to introduce yourself, I also know who you are.”
“Looks like news travel fast… Bleak Pit, right? So, are the rumours about your kin being a hivemind true?”
“I suppose that’s one way to describe our connection.” The pony shrugs.

“Isn’t that really weird, then? I mean, you must know a lot of disturbing things, like the memories of…” Your cheeks redden “How your parents made you, and how they-“
“Fangs…” Froth cuts you “Forget the armour, and ask the amazons for a dildo. This is getting embarrassing…”
“I do not have parents” Bleak Pit answer your inappropriate question despite your furious blush “And I have no idea how I came into existence.”
Well, that’s disappointing. But also intriguing…

“So…” Froth cocks an eyebrow “Why do you, you know, clean souls and things…? Did someone taught you to do so?”
“I do not know.” Pit answers, still with his deadpan tone “I just know this is our mission. To make sure the decaying souls wouldn’t spread corruption into this universe.”

>>30698277
That raises a lot of questions. But you feel like asking the wrong one may result in vague answers, so you decide to change the subject until you’re decided on an approach. For a second you thought he could help you figure out where do you come from, but since he doesn’t know about himself, he probably won’t tell you anything new.

“Bleak pit, do you know about what’s going on in the Colony?” You ask instead. He nods in response. “What do you think about it? We’re planning on getting rid of these outsiders before they get rid of us all.”
“Yes, the actions of the Colony are worrying, but they have not gone past a point which would warrant for us to take action.” The reaper answers.

“Huh-hu… and do you happen to know anything about healing magic? My sister could use some-“
“I wouldn’t heal you even if I could.” Pit coldly cuts you “Just like I wouldn’t hurt you. I shall not interfere with the livings beyond words.”

“Alright.” You cringe “Is there a way to come to your plane?”
“Yes.” Bleak Pit answers.
And… that’s it. That’s all he answers.

“Er…” Froth speaks up “I suppose that means you won’t tell us how we can go there?”
“Yes.” The reaper repeats.

>What do?

>>30698283
Well we are back on square one.
So we ether go to limbo and try our luck going to the plane, or we find an adventure who know how to go there.
Right now we go and get some food.

>>30698524
Unfortunately, you don’t think you’ll get any more useful answers from this pony.
“Alright, thanks for answering our questions.” You say, and then slither away. Your belly has already waited for way too long.

“Faze-san!” Tori wave cheerfully as you come next to her “Froth-san, Fangs-san! Omedeto! Earthbloom told everyone you passed the trial. That’s super kakkoi of you! How are you feeling now?”
“Eh… hungry.” you state, unable to take of your eyes from the soon-to-be-yours plate of grilled meat and tubers. “The chief went medieval on us! And regenerating takes a lot of energy… But what about you? How was your day?”

“I trained with the amazons!” Your friend happily declares “It was a little hard to spare together since our schools are very different, but Thunder-san said I should consider training in mastering the winds. She says ponies will wings are really proficient with that magic, and told me how one amazon chief of another tribe mastered the power of the wind had become really tsuyoi!”
“Sounds really cool!” Froth replies, while you’re getting ready to dig in your plate. “I’m sure you could get as Tsojai as this chief in no time!”
“Sonotori! I’m glad you understand, Froth-san!” Your friend shifts on her butt in excitement “Kimetanda, I’m gonna go find that amazon first thing tomorrow, and ask her to train me! This is exactly what I expected when I left home! Matte dekimasen!”

You realise that means your friend is probably gonna be away from you for the upcoming days, and there’s nothing to do about it since that what Tori left her home plane for in the first place. Your thoughts are interrupted when Earthbloom comes near you.

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>>30698875
“My, your healing abilities are really astounding.” The chief says as her eyes examine your body. “This is a powerful boon you have here.”
“Yeah… I don’t think I even realised that until recently. When I was home, I didn’t really bother with powerful preys…”

“Anyway, I wanted to tell you.” Earthbloom continues “I sent the message to the other clans. The meeting is in three days at sunset. In the meantime, I advise you to gather information and to prepare yourself to convince the other chiefs.”
“Mfffromafffon?” Froth asks, while gluttonously chewing on a bone.
“It’s up to you to you about how you want to convince them” The chief explains “But practical information will probably be discussed starting from there on. What kind of enemies should we expect at The Colony? How many of them are they? And so on. I’m not asking you to already have a complete plan of attack, but it would be best if you could sound like you know precisely what you’re getting us into.”

>What do?

See you tommorrow

>>30698896
OUR REFERENCES TO THE COLONY:
>the cupcake chief
outsiders constantly kidnapping them, though the chief is too kind for his own good.

>the keeper of the winter calm
very informativr. shes the reason we're gathering forces

>the keeper and cohorts of the silent cathedral
some form of divinitation and heard about the destruction of our plane.

>the bee queen who currently resides in the silent cathedral
a witness

>Wishbone in the Wild Stepps
has connection with outsiders he trades with.

>the undead of the Unearthed Woods
familiar with outsiders, and most likely the ones who attempt to attack the farm.

>the tengu home plane
the heroes come and go to tell their tale. a few of those might include the colony.


WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TGE COLONY'S POWER:
>employing outsiders to raid
>enough to kill a keeper
>diverse
>enough to defeat several elementals and other stuff i cant remember
>fortified portal entrances
>hold possible 1-3 planes as strongholds
>they have knowledge on soul power
>ability to employ army from various outsider races

>>30698896
We need to do some research of each tribe, so we know what they want to know.

>>30698896
Can you teach us how to do earth, wind, and fire stuff?

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>>30701496
>>30700536
>>30700031
*GULP*

“So, what would each clan want to know in particular?” You ask after getting your mouthful of food down your gullet.
“Mmmh…” Earthbloom ponders “I don’t think anypony is gonna ask you something really special. They’ll mostly judge whether this campaign is worthy of their attention from the result of your trial already. Maybe try to find an up-to-date map of the Colony? That’s all I can think of. But each of our tribes aren’t much different from each other. We live in small groups because we believe it’s heathier for everyone to take an important part in the community, but our people and traditions are the same.”

“Hum, I think I understand.” You nod.

You try to remember everything you know about the Colony already. Their mischiefs, but also their feats of strength. The Warden supposedly obliterated a group of 50 giants in a matter of seconds, and that was only the beginning of his uprising, a little more than a year ago. Now there’s also a bunch of outsiders who obey him. That’s rather scary…

About your sources, there’s only Wishbone you can find nearby. Hoping to find other outsiders is this plane would be quite random, but going back to the Winter Calm is still an option.
You also desperately need to get stronger. And fast! You’ve got no idea what kind of trial the other amazon chiefs will throw at you…

“There’s something else I need to ask you, Earthbloom.” You say “Can you teach us to command earth, wind of fire like you do?”
“This is a long path, hydra.” Earthbloom answers. “The usual ways to master such power involves years of training and great insight on the world if you don’t have any special affinity.”

>>30703873
“The usual way?” Froth perks up.
“Hum… There’s one other method.” Earthblooms nods “But it’s dangerous, and implies to intentionally subject yourself to powerful and wild magic. A single mishap, and instead of gaining control of the winds, your body may end up turning into thin air itself. I really wouldn’t like seeing you meet such a… disappointing end, but if you really think you must, I can explain. What do you say?”

>What do?

>>30703879
Can you tell us more about this wild magic?

>>30703873
Can each of us learn a different one? How can we tell if we have an affinity?

>>30703935
>>30703950
“Affinities?” You perk up “Could it be I have some affinities I do not know of?”
“Err… I don’t think so.” The chief shakes her head “When I talk about affinities, it’s something rather obvious I have in mind. Like how pegasus can control weather and winds, or how unicorns can learn how to use spells faster. As for myself, I do not have any special affinity with earth and had to spend a long time meditating and training to get where I stand today” She turns toward Tori “But I’m confident you could learn about controlling the winds with great ease…”
“Sonotori!” You friend beams with excitement “I’m gonna work hard and get stronger! I hope you’re all ready to meet a way more tsuyoi Tori next time you see me!”

You smile. The perspective of your friend getting new abilities does seem like good news. Actually, now that you don’t have your fire breath anymore, you feel like you’d be completely outshined by your friend should she master these new powers… And that makes you feel a little bad. Pride forms a lump in your throat, calling for you to follow the example of your friend, and to get stronger yourself.

“Earthbloom, I’d like to hear about this wild magic you told me about more in detail.”
The amazon looks at you in silence for a second, and you see a little twitch at the end of her trademark smirk.

“If that’s what you wish for, I’ll tell you.” She starts. “There’s another plane, beyond the Twilight Cove and the Silent Cathedral where magic runs wild.”
“Wait, could you be talking about the wizard’s cube?” Fangs asks.
“Yes, that’s the name. Do you know about the danger which lurk there?”
“We heard about mind-flayers, and that they were really dangerous creatures.” Froth answers.
“Indeed, they’re quite the enemies, but there’s other natives in this plane which are quite surprising. What I’m talking about is Chaos Spawns."

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>>30704551
"These ponies are elementals of pure unbridled magic. They’re impulsive, lunatic and often irrational, and the whirlwind of power inside them often overflows in chaotic bursts of random spells. And these may do about anything on the target it hits, from granting permanent invisibility, to sprouting functional wings made of straw, aging 10 years in a second, or pure and simple annihilation…”

“You can’t mean…” Fangs frown “your method is about getting hit and hoping you somewhat get a boon and not a curse from these spawns?!”
“Not… exactly. I do talk about using the uncanny nature of Chaos Spawn to alter yourself into something more powerful. But of course, I wouldn’t even have mentioned something so unrealistic if that was all. One other particularities of Chaos Spawns, is their way to adapt if they come in contact with other magic. For example, let’s say one of the spawns were to eat the feather of a pegasus. Well, it would instantly turn into a wind version of itself, narrowing the range of its possibilities to wind magical effects for a time.”

“And that way we can get the type of abilities we want?” Froth asks.
“Uhm.” Earthbloom nods “And there’s something else. While Chaos spawns do not control the nature of their most powerful magical outbursts, their mood influences their effects, and a gleeful chaos spawn is very likely to bestow beneficial effect.”
“So, you’re telling us…” Fangs ponders aloud “We have to meet one of these demented spawns, make them happy, then have them ingest a bit of the magic we want to acquire, while hoping the next burst of chaos magic doesn’t happen before we’re ready?”
“That’s a good summary, yes” Earthbloom shrugs “That’s why I personally do not recommend such a hazardous method.”

>What do?

>>30704564
Well....shit. What do the girls think? Think we also have a shot at convincing a few chaos spawns to help us against the Colony? We could probably say something like The Colony hates nice things or their Keeper kicks puppies.

>>30704564
We are essentially planning to declare war on an entire plane, we need to be willing to take risks, and even if we don't try to gain power, befriending one of these creatures could prove useful.

>>30704612
Actually that puppy bit mighty be true. A creature as malevolent as that would most likely derive joy and pleasure from tormenting something so innocent and cute....Then again we're no different as occasionally we eat things that some may consider cute, but hey. At least we only do it for survival.

>>30704564
Seems like a game of probability.
>a gleeful chaos spawn is very likely to bestow beneficial effect.
We're more than likely to get something beneficial if we get a happy chaos spawn, but the chance of a mishap is still possible.

Say the odds are 75% for something good and 25% bad. Should we take a single hit, or multiple hits?

Assuming we go find a spawn, if we get hit more than once, will we become a chaos spawn?

>>30704564
>>30704622
Do we really want to travel from all the way here, back out through several planes to find a nice enough spawn, then come back? We only have three days and I think it took us around a day's or more travel to get here. That means it'll take twice as much time for a back and forth trip. Maybe we can visit a chaos spawn later, but not now.

If only we could fly. That would save us a lot of time.

>>30704683
Who said we were going to do it right away? We need to prepare for the meeting before anything else.

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>>30704712
>>30704683
>>30704652
>>30704622
>>30704612
“Alright, let’s say I manage to get everything the right way, and have a happy chaos spawn ready to burst, what are the chances of something good happening?” You ask, trying to precise your plan of action. “Like, 75% for something good and 25% for something bad?”

“Oh, we’re doing it mathematically?” Earthbloom chuckles “Alright, I’d say, with all the right conditions, the chance of something positive AND meaningful to happen might be around… one in five?”
“WHAT?! Only 20%?!” You exclaim.
“Indeed.” Earthbloom shrugs “But the chances of something irremediably bad happening would be almost null as long as you could keep the Spawn happy. The truth is, while only the more dramatic changes are remembered, most of the time the after-effects of a Chaos Spawn burst are rather trivial. Having one of your eye change colour, inexplicably weight half-a-pound less or getting a sixth sense to detect kittens nearby… That’s what happen most of the time when someone is struck with chaos magic.”

“Hum… alright.” You ponder “Then, is it possible to get struck multiple times? Even with powerful effects? Or would we end up transforming in Chaos Spawns ourselves?”
“You’re right to think it would be dangerous.” The amazon answers. “While you wouldn’t turn into one of them, your sanity would quickly be put at risk if you abuse such powers. While a healthy mind can stomach one powerful blast of primordial magic, several deep changes in your being may quickly turn you even crazier than a spawn or cause memory losses. I definitely would not want to get more than one meaningful boon that way in a short time.

“Alright…” You nod to yourself “What do you think, girls?”
“It seems dangerous” Fangs answers “But it’s doesn’t sound much weirder than getting powers from souls. I say we should give it a try.”

>>30704992
“Yep!” Froth nods “But first, we should find some sort of concentrated magical awesomeness to transform the Spawn. If we only get one shot, we better make it count!”

“Then we’re probably going to go search for these Chaos Spawns after meeting the other chiefs.” You declare “I’m still not sure yet I want to get stuck by their magic, but they sound like they could make for powerful allies against The Colony.”
“That might sound cruel from me…” The amazon says worriedly “but I’d say long-lasting friendships with Chaos Spawns are a bad idea. First because they’ll never stop sending random magic around them, and second because their tortured mind may one day lash against you. I meant it in the straightest sense when I said they’re lunatic and irrational.”

>What do?

see you tomorrow

>>30705002
I hope Pleeny give us more heads. Another younger sister yay!

>>30705039
I'll assume you'll make a list of possible effects and roll a die to determine what might happen?

On the chance we die, can we come back as a new race or the same? Or could the MC come back with the same memories?

>>30705002
Well that sound like we should be friend, but not have them with us all the time.

>>30706535

>>30704992
We can go talk to Wishbone and see if he'd be willing to talk, or hopefully find a treasure golem.

Say, have they ever tamed a Dromaius before? I'm sure if that were possible that would have quite some symbolic value.

>>30705002
>About your sources, there’s only Wishbone you can find nearby
But it's been mentioned that on occasion he will trade with other outsider or people to travel here. Maybe we can go his way and chill'ax
....I wonder how long he has to live. Can't be long now.
Do you anons think we can convince him to let us eat his soul so he may, 'live on in us?' Or he just might ask the Amazon's. I'm only asking if he's currently to weak and to old to move.

>For example, let’s say one of the spawns were to eat the feather of a pegasus. Well, it would instantly turn into a wind version of itself, narrowing the range of its possibilities to wind magical effects for a time
Anyone have any suggestions for possible awesome stuff that's hazardous to consume to give to a chaos spawn? Maybe a dragon scale, or some super enchanted thing, or an uber Crystal. Maybe have one eat the skull we have?
Do we still have bits of that broken gem from the flesh golem? That would be a useful attribute to have if we get lucky. Or for convince sake a piece of mindflayer if we get lucky.
Oh a unicorns horn to cast magic!

>>30709801
We could feed the chaos, spawn.......part of a keeper, some of that water from the Silent Cathedral Plane, a robot, a sword (wonder what would happen), tengu feather for weeb effect, a soul (what the fuck would even happen? I think the soul would become tortured from the chaos spawns nature), a pony, another snake.

>>30705249
>>30707487
>>30709801
>>30710954
“Do you have an idea about what I could use to feed a Spawn? Maybe a unicorn’s horn to cast my own spells…” An idea pops in your mind “Oo! What about this?” You show the skull you have to the amazon.

Earthbloom lazily tilts her head at the sight of item, and stares at it for a moment.
“An interesting choice.” She comments “But a risky one. There’s raw malevolence in that skull. Sure, you could get a powerful boon from it, but a Chaos Spawn fed with this will probably become a lot less cooperative.”

“Hum, so it works that way too… Damn. I still want to try having a solid friendship with one of these weird ponies, even if I’m not often with them. In that case…” You ponder “What else could I use?”
“Maybe we could find a treasure golem!” Fangs exclaims. “I’m sure they’d have more magical trinkets to choose from! Oh, I wonder what a bag of holding would do to a spawn?”
“You won’t find them around here I’m afraid.” Earthbloom comments “Since we do not keep riches around and that the size of this planes lowers the chance of finding outsiders at random, they pretty much gave up on doing business here.”

“Ah, shoot…” You wince “Anyway, I’ve been thinking. What if I managed to tame one of this giant emu birds? That would be absolutely un heard of, right? Surely that would show everyone we mean business!”
“Try if you wish.” The chief shrugs “But the dromaius has only taught lessons about misplaced pride to those who confronted it. Feel free to burn that lesson in your flesh if that’s how you learn.”

“Grm…” You pout at the lack of trust from the chief. You passed her trial, she should know you can surprise her! “I’ think we’ll be going to bed soon. Tomorrow we’ll go get some information about the Colony, starting with Wishbone. Is that old timer still healthy by the way?”

>>30711589
“I reckon he still has a dozen more years for himself if he can keep his hide safe.” Earthbloom answers. “From the little I heard from him, he had a tumultuous life, and he mostly spent it running away from his problems. But now he seems quite close to get some rest. And even though he’s far from anything heroic, he probably deserves a little peace for himself.”
The chief sounds like she respects the dog a little, and you doubt she’d be happy if you did something bad to him.

“You can sleep with us, in the communal tent if you want.” Earthbloom continues “But before you go to bed, there’s something I must discuss with you.”

“Hum? What is it?” You perk up.
“Surely you remember asking me for protection, right?” The smile of the chief widens ever so slightly as she sees your eyes twinkles as the promise of reward. “Well, I think I’ve narrowed it down to three charms which could interest you. Hear me up, and then tell me which one you prefer.”
“First, I can enchant a stone with a powerful magnetic field.” Earthbloom explains “That would mean all arrows and swords will bend out of your way, and you could pin a pony in armour to the ground by simply standing over him. However, that also means you’d have to give up on everything metallic you own yourself.”
You feel Fangs shifting uncomfortably next to you. The idea of getting rid of her sword and plate seems to bother her. You think you can understand why.

“Second, I can enchant it to make a spell protection charm. Any magic thrown at you would be absorbed by the stone… until a certain limit. The charm will heat as it absorbs and dissipates magic, and eventually melt if you undergo too much magical attacks. If you get the chance, just throw it away before that happens so you can pick it up later again.”

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>>30711597
“Wait, what amount of magic are we talking about, here?” Froth cocks an eyebrow. “Because I don’t wanna have a rock melting on me after just a couple of blasts!”
“Hmm…” Earthbloom ponders “Given my abilities, I’d say it would take around twenty spells from regular unicorns to overload the stone in a minute. But only one or two blasts of a keeper will tear the charm apart. Which is already quite the feat if you ask me…”
Froth takes a few seconds to proceed the numbers, before giving the chief an approving nod.

“Finally, what I can do is to enchant a companion rock for you.”
“Ooh, this sounds silly!” Fangs exclaims. “What’s that?”
“A stone the size of my hoof which will orbit around you, and get in the way of any physical attack against you. Something too fast, too powerful, or simply simultaneous attacks will get past the companion rock, tough. Also watch out for war hammers. Companion rocks hate hammers...”

“So, what do you think?” Earthbloom asks as a conclusion “You can answer me tomorrow morning, but whatever you choose, I’ll have it ready in time for the meeting with the other chiefs.”

>What do?

>>30711606
I like the spell defense since we can regenerate physical wounds and it robs potential enemies of a lot of options. The magnet is also good since it'll nullify the guns they used to kill our keeper, but it'll also rob our sister of her weapon and limit what spoils we can collect.

>>30711606
Let go with the spell protection charm, physical weapon is not a problem if we can regenerate after a challenging battle.

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>>30711722
>>30711744
You’re not sure which one you prefer. The spell protection would make all encounters with regular outsiders a lot less dangerous since it would rob them of their quirky magical spells they may want to use.
But the magnetic field may protect you against the guns the dogs used against your keeper, and that’s really something nice to keep in mind. But it would force you to get rid of the sword, and you couldn’t pick up all the spoils after a battle.

…

“I vote for spell protection charm.” You declare “Girls?”
“Sounds fine to me.” Froth nods.
“Awww… I was gonna say companion rock.” Fangs winces “But I guess the charm is fine too…”

“Alright. I’ll have it ready in three days.” Earthbloom says.
“Thanks.” You bow slightly. “I’m going to bed, now. See you tomorrow.”

And then you tread to the communal tent to get a much-deserved rest. The amazons join shortly, and you spend the night in the comfort of each-other’s contact since there’s only an assortment of pelts on the floor for sleeping without any personal space.

The morning after, you’re tasked to deliver some food for Wishbone since you’ll be visiting him. The amazons do not need any metal today either, so you can go wherever you want once you’re done with that chore.
You also hear that Tori has already departed to find the amazons tribe where she hope to learn new skills.

A solid breakfast and two hours of slithering in the empty Steppe later, the makeshift hut of the dog comes into view. However, you notice an empty cart next to it.
There’s nopony you can see around.

>What do?

>>30712390
Hello Wishbone, I brought food from the Amazons.
Let try out our senses and see if there anyone else here before announcing that we are here.

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>>30712428
You scan the area, hoping to see the owner of the cart, but there you can see nothing around here.

“Hellow wishbone!” You call toward the hut after placing your skull on the ground “It’s me, the hydra. The amazons asked me to bring you your food today.”
“That’s right.” Froth adds “They don’t need any metal today either.”

A few seconds later, you see the head of the dog peeking from the inside of the hut. He looks a little ill-at-east at your sigh, but the bundle of provision you carry for seems convince him you’re telling the true.
“Erm… hello.” He greets you uncomfortably. “Thanks for your time. You can drop the stuff where you are. I’ll come pick it up.”

You’re something like a dozen meters away from the hut, and you can’t see what’s inside.

>What do?

See you tomorrow

hey

>>30712690
Do you have company? We really wanted a chance to ask you a few questions.

>>30712690
What's that thing to the right of his home?
How was he able to hear us with the bone skull? Pleeny you doof.

None sense. You're old so we'll bring it to you.
Say can you tell us about yourself? Someone as old as yourself must have some stories under your belt.
Oh, and can you tell you about the dog lands? I heard that they are dry.

>>30712690
I wonder if the stone can protect against the mindflayer mind attacks. Those are magical right?

>>30715153
>Pleeny you doof.
Read again

>>30712690
>A solid breakfast and two hours of slithering in the empty Steppe later, the makeshift hut of the dog comes into view. However, you notice an empty cart next to it.
>There’s nopony you can see around.
>You scan the area, hoping to see the owner of the cart, but there you can see nothing around here.
They must be inside his home. Let's say hello.

>>30717727
Bump

>>30712690
Smell the air. Can we smell someone else here other than Wishbone?

>>30697378
OP I can't find you on derpi, are you on DNP list?

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>>30714380
>>30715153
>>30716173
>>30717727
>>30719596
“Nonsense!” You smirk as you get closer, not forgetting your skull “I’ll save you the trouble.”

As you come near to the hut, other smells come to your nostrils. While the miner is almost indistinguishable from the smell of dirt, you’ve got no trouble to detect some other dogs were around at least very recently.

“Besides, there’s a couple of things I want to discuss with you.” You say. “Unless… do you have company right now? Is it their cart I see?”
“Ah, yes. Some of my contacts came to pick up metal.” Wishbone answers nervously “I didn’t mean to hide it, n-no, but your presence is… you know, making them nervous. They’re not used to deal with mon- *ahem* with natives. I’ll speak with you alright, but do you mind, err… stepping away for a few minutes?”
You hear some noise behind the old dog, inside the tent. And the unmistakable gleam of an unsheathed blade is caught in your eye.

>What do?

>>30720145
I'm not on derpi

>>30720924
I swear if these other dogs were in on the destruction of our plane I'll tear them limb from limb and devour their very souls....holy shit that's metal.
I suspect these contacts to be from the colony.
Has Froth's eyes healed yet?
Figures a few mutts are too afraid to talk to us face to face with their tails between their legs.

>>30720924
Nonsense. We're not going to bite. (maybe. hold your horses Froth we may or may not get to eat them.)

>>30720924
We have no interest with getting in the way of whatever business you're doing. How long would you want us to wait?

>>30720924
>They’re not used to deal with mon- *ahem* with natives.
Oi. They wanna start shit? They avin a giggle? Say it to me face.
I'm kidding. if they're not used to dealing with natives it's a wonder they managed to get here.

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>>30721244
>>30721202
>>30721040
>>30720997
Now that Froth’s eyes are healed, she’s probably looking for trouble once again. Though, you’ll probably pass for now.

“Feh!” You chuckle “It’s kind of a miracle they can walk through the planes if they don’t know how to deal with natives.”
“I meant it more like they… eh… forget it.” The old dogs shake his head.

“But anyway, I don’t feel like going in the way of your business.” You state and tread away “You can tell your mutt friends we’re not going to bite.”
“Thanks.” The old dog bows slightly “Can you wait just the time for them to load their cart and leave. It rarely takes them more than a few minutes.”
“Mmmh… alright I guess…” You nod, and leave to dogs inside the tent some room.

Once you’ve taken some distance, you see a trio of dogs starting to load the cart with nuggets of mineral with the help of Wishbone. They’re all clad in complete suits of armour, with weapons ready to their sides. Neither Wishbone nor the three other dogs utter a word, but one of them stares at you while the others carry the broken pieces of mineral inside the cart.

>What do?

>>30721676
Looks like he wants to talk. Can you tell me about the dogs that were in the Keepers Forest plane?

>>30721676
>but one of them stares at you while the others carry the broken pieces of mineral inside the cart.
you want somethin?

>>30721676
Is his armor made of that ore? What's so special about it?

>>30721676
We should get our skull before one of them take it away.

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>>30721709
>>30721771
>>30721989
“You want something, little pup?” You mockingly address the one who’s got eyes only for you.
“Just making sure you don’t have any weird ideas.” The armoured dog stoically answers, his voice slightly distorted as the metal rings with his voice. “Wishbone told us you usually like to hit first and ask questions later.”

You see the old dog shiver even from where you are. It looks like Wishbone didn’t give his friends a flattering description of you when he brought up your case to his friends.

“Then maybe you want to talk.” You tell the armoured watcher “At least to pass time. Are these armours made of the ore you’re collecting?”
“Duh!” The dog shrugs “We wouldn’t come all this way for metal if it wasn’t good stuff!”

“Huh…” You cringe, trying to supress your two cents about the dog’s sarcasm. “Then, can you tell me about the dogs who attacked the Keeper’s Jungle?”

“What about them?” The dog in armour retorts, his voice becoming suddenly angrier. “They’re the same runts who forced us in this mess of an existence. And after what they told Dogmagus, I can’t wait for them to finally get out of the planes instead of still looking down on us every occasion they get!”
“Drop it, Tail Chase.” Another of the armoured dogs call for him “I know you admired the dog, but it’s his fault for expecting anything from the rebels. I mean, they pretty much warned him he’d be doing it for free. And that raid had way too much causalities for him to be a hero.”

Tail Chase scowl and grumble some ignominies inside his helmet, before returning to silence.

>What do?

See you tomorrow

>>30722640
So you hate them as well? Would you mind telling us a bit more about the dogs that destroyed our home?

>>30722640
We should get our skull before something take it away.
What is the causalities is at right know, I want to know how much bitches I have to kill till I get the keeper soul and artifact from my plane back?

>>30722762
what are you talking about.

>>30722864
What i'm trying to say is, how much bitches beside dogmagus do we have to kill to get the artifact and keeper soul back.

>>30722714
>>30722640
Don't mention the part where the dogs destroyed our plane. Refer to it as, "that one plane."
What's this about rebels? Sounds like something sucky.

>>30722762
wat
>>30722640
What did they tell dogmagus, by chance? And who are they?
>>30724937
Also this. Seems like there might be a fracture in the dogs ranks--that would make for a good starting point to our planning with the amazons.

>>30729793
Maybe we can take advantage of this infighting.

>>30729230 >>30729406 >>30729447 >>30729452
You watch her swim away for a second, wondering if she's actually planning on hunting a shark of all things.
Of course she is.
"Esteece?" You ask aloud just in case.
No answer. You sigh.
At least that worm hasn't appeared yet.
You look up at the sky. Hey, a cloud. That looks like a good enough distraction.
Twenty minutes later, sea swims under you as you prod the cloud to your roof, the shark nearing the surface sometimes. You notice that a fin has one of Sea's small spears on it, and as you watch it tries to charge onto Sea only for her to slide out of it's way in the last second, nailing a spear-- No, they are closer to stakes, on another fin.
You can't help cringing at that, the cloud puffing out under the sudden squeeze you give it.
The shark attempts to turn away, but Sea has the time to pass the rope you now realize was cut through the ring on the last stake and pull.
The other end held by a loop around your house, the sudden jerk when the shark reaches the limit of it's lenght rocks your house and breaks the rope-- But the result is that the shark is now completely missing a fin and has another heavily damaged one. Sea was swimming alongside it, and the third stake goes into one of it's gills.
The shark is trashing underwater, blood pouring off it's body and throwing bites everywhere. Sea swims a ways from it before shouting in exhilaration, "Far away! Can you cook shark!?"
You can't find it in yourself to answer that immediately, too focused on the shark's pain.
"Far away!?" She asks again.

>>30725545 (you)
>Right, so she is…
“Sorry, you are little late already. I can still let you in, but you know. I cannot offer that much.”
>As I move out of door hinge, she comes in. Her heels click on the floor with every step.
>Sure it is a shame she haven’t come in time. Surely, she is nicer than those I slept today with.
>They are beautiful and all, but this one – she is attractive as crazy.
>Surely, she should bring a lot of money to pimp.
>Anyway, she came to the kitchen with me, on some distance. I put gun back on the shelf.
“Want some coffee?”
>”Oh, thanks. It is nice of you. Can I sit down?”
“For sure. Get comfortable.”
>Submissive one, eh? Just my type. I really like how she plays her role.
>As coffee gets ready, I grab it and sit down too next to her.
“I’m sorry, but all people here are sleeping, and I’m not in the mood…”
>”It is okay, I can come later.”
”That is fine, I would like to return you for trouble coming any way.”
>Well, it better be long than not.
“Okay, show me what you got.”
>As I said it, she looked at me from below her forehead, grabbed out some notes out the handbag and searched something in them.
>The fuck?
>”So, you are the Anon? You own… Trixie, right?”
>The fuck is she doing?
“Well, yeah.”
>”My private informers passed me information that she owns the company, which contacted with Islindish-”
”Who are you?”
>She looked at me with humble smirk on her face.
>”I thought you remember me. Stella Malkina, Octopus Press. You agreed yesterday to answer some questions.”

>>30729806
Second.

Someone delete the raid posts.

I shall return tomorrow

I really hope we end up fighting them. I want their souls.

>>30736039
Considering they haven't attacked yet, I doubt we will.

Time to kick some ass!

>>30737215

>>30729793
>>30724937
>>30722762
>>30722714
With the tip of your tail you feel the magic skull in your bag. It’s safely tucked away.

“So you hate the dogs who destroyed that one plane too?” You ask Tail Chase again, making sure not to say this was your home “And they’re rebels? Sounds like something… sucky.”

“It’s a long story.” The dog starts. Luckily, he seems ready to vent about it for a long time. “A long and hard tale that everyone has trouble swallowing. I guess the starting point was …there was a war in our world. Not a conflict between countries, but something that looked like it could reasonably be the end of times. It all started when some wizard created a device he called the God-Machine. I don’t remember his name before it all started, but after what came next, him, and all his atrocities, became known as The Calamity. I don’t know nearly enough about magic to explain it properly, but with his device, that maniac obtained the power to bent the very essence of magic to his will, and went mad with power. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed armies of eldritch beasts and undead into our world, endlessly summoning them form thin air and throwing the world in chaos in less than a week. It was the start of a war which lasted for almost a decade...”

>>30740653
“These were bleak times, and everyone still alive went through depths of despair we didn’t know existed. Given how impossibly powerful The Calamity seemed, some people started thinking it was just toying with the world and tormenting the living for his sole entertainment, and that there was no hope. But still, one day, a group of heroes managed to defeat him. We don’t know how they did it as they didn’t come back to tell the tale, but the lair of the demented wizard just imploded that day, leaving behind the portal to the shattered planes.”

“The war ended, but the world was still on the verge of crumbling, and when the greater threat vanished, some old quarrels came back to the surface, and unrest grew all around the place. I’ll spare you the details, but eventually the head of our kind rolled on the cold ground under cheers of a bloodthirsty crowd, and anyone who didn’t support the rebels was then sent in exile…”

You hear the armour of the dog creak as his fists clench in resentment.
“Stop it. You’re hurting yourself, Tail Chase.” One of the other armoured dog calls annoyedly.
“Tail Chase…” Tar from calming down, his companion sounds even angrier as he growls “I’m sick of that ridiculous name! I was someone important before! And anyone calling Lord Wild Hunt Tail Chase would have spent a day in the stocks!”
“Look at Wishbone!” Tail Chase points at the old, dirty dog “He was one of the most respectable traders of the kingdom. A respectable dog who could smell a Grand Cru hidden under a mountain of piquette and bring it to the table of the king. And now he’s here breaking rocks for the few coins we can get him!”

>>30740661
Tails Chase lets out an unarticulated growl after that, but then he seems to calm down a little.
“But the sweet irony in that is that the rebels at now stuck in a corner.” He continues.” Our kingdom lies in a desert. In the past, we traded the rich minerals of our soils against food and thrived that way, but with the wave of unrest from the war, the other powers aren’t keen on dealing with a country who brought down its rulers. I even suspect some of them are just waiting for the rebels to starve to death so they can just take the mines for themselves…”

“That’s where Dogmagus came into play.” Tail Chase continues his tale “Even though he had been exiled by the rebels, he still couldn’t withstand the idea of our home land withering away. That’s why he contacted them, and offered them a plan. To use the God Artefact from the keeper’s Jungle to transform the desert we call home into fertile lands.”

“I believe you know what happens next. The expeditionary force from the rebels managed to get that thing back to The Colony, but most of them were undertrained and famished runts, so they suffered great losses.”

“That son of a bitch rebel captain…” Tail Chase starts to sound infuriated again “He made it sound like the casualties were all Dogmagus’ fault for not planning enough! And then all his brainless grunts just bleated in unison to torment the wizard! The nerve of these rebels… If it wasn’t for Dogmagus, none of them would have even survived in the first place!”

“It appears these rebels are even more despicable than I thought.” You comment, after letting Tail Chase a few seconds to calm down after his story “Say, can you tell me how many rebels are left from the expedition?”

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>>30740668
The dog, however, remains silent at first. He tilts his head slightly as he looks at you, suddenly a lot calmer.
“I wasn’t born yesterday, hydra.” He eventually states “And I can only imagine two reasons why you would ask such a thing. And you do not sound like you’re a friend of dogs.”

“What of it?” You shrug, remaining composed. “You just went all this way to explain how much you hated these rebels. Is that a problem with you?”
Tail Chase chuckles in response.
“Yeah, that’s true. Seeing some rebels being torn apart by a giant three-headed snake would definitely put a smile on my face. But truthfully, I just want them away from me, and it’s on its way to happen on its own. I didn’t survive this long by getting myself into pointless fights.” You see the dog smirk under his helmet. “Instead, I learned the importance of resources, and that nothing should be given away for free. You want information? Pay for it! And I’ll guarantee the quality.”

“Make me an offer, hydra.”
He concludes, extending an armoured paw in your direction. The three other dogs are done loading the cart, and watch the scene with attention. Wishbone is the only one of the three who looks apprehensive about this scene.

>What do?

>>30740675
Offer the gem and pearls.

>>30740675
These guys are exiles or something right?

>And you do not sound like you’re a friend of dogs
Most dogs we came across haven't been the kindest or the most respectful, but we may make some exceptions amongst your kind in the future.

>“Make me an offer, hydra.”
Trading to know the numbers of the remaining Rebels? Pass. Unless you know how to get us through The Colony or bypass it entirely, knowing the number of these remaining rebels would we a waste. And it's probably nothing we can't handle.
Why, I thought we could just have a nice conversation don't you know? Or perhaps a favor for a favor?

We be sneks so that me we have silver tongues, hiss hiss.

>>30740675
I can hold off on killing some rebels for later. You know anything worth while?
And just how durable is that armor? Mind if we test it out by hitting you? We've been thinking of getting some for ourselves. I'm not talking about killing you three of course. unless you provoke us then we'd gladly do so
Got any Planes Sheet on you three?

>>30740748
Make sure we barter?

What do we even want to ask from them?

Ask about other Planes?

Ask if they ever killed a kill a mind flayer? (very much considering killing them if they ask us to pay and they say no)

Ask about the Legendary Tundra?

Ask about their allegiances (that shouldn't cost anything in my opinion)?

Ask if they have any maps on them? (if they don't then we could casually use their info trading thing against them)

Having potentially dead rebels sound like a good enough trade to me.


Hey anons. What if we go back to the plane where we broke the gem to that flesh golem and fed it to the Chaos spawn? what do you guys think?

>>30740675
The part of his story about the God-Machine being the portal to the shattered planes troubles me. Also the fate of those heroes might be something worth looking into.

>>30740912
>>30740862
>>30740807
>>30740766
>>30740748
The story about how the portal to the planes appears troubles you a little for some reason, but you shove that feeling aside for now.

“An offer just to know how many rebels are left?” You chuckle. You’re gonna wait until you’re sure they have some solid information before offering your riches “You’ve got to be kidding! Don’t you know anything else to make it worthwhile?”
“Something worthwhile?” Tail Chase turns toward his companions for a second and they exchange a quick nod before he continues. “Well, I can’t devise a plan for you, but I can tell you about what kind of obstacles lies between you and the rebels. If you didn’t know already, monsters are not allowed at The Colony.”

“I did know that.” You nod. “But couldn’t we make it a favour for a favour? If you get me to the rebels I can guarantee a sweet representation for you…”
“Nah-ah.” The god shakes his head. “I told you already. I’ll drink in your name for each rebel you kill, but I wouldn’t be a part of your plan even for a thousand gold. Eternal damnation sounds really bad to my ears.”
“Come on.” Fangs insists “Wouldn’t just giving us information put you at risk with the Warden anyway?”
“That’s true.” He acknowledges “But this is probably the last trip back to The Colony we’re doing to sell this ore. we’ve been thinking of going to Fort Ruby with Wishbone lately. I guess I can tell you. According to the rumours, The Warden want to force all adventurers to sign a blood pact to physically force them to respect the laws of The Colony, but also to fight and subdue anyone who doesn’t comply to these rules, basically making all adventurers his militia.”

“So even though you’ve been living at The Colony for a long time, you’re not gonna side with that, correct?” Fangs asks.

>>30741504
“That’s right.” Tail Chase nods “I’m on the side which lets me survive for the longest. And crossing the dozen planes to Fort Ruby sounds safer and safer than to remain at The Colony with each passing day.”
“That’s a lot of planes…” You comment. “Does that mean you have planar guide pages to sell?
“They’re not for sale. Unless you’ve got ink and parchment to make a copy. That’ll occupy Wishbone while he waits for us.”

“Alright. I’m also interested in this metal you’re extracting.” You ask next “Can I try hitting you to see how resilient it actually is?”
“How about NO?” Tail Chase growls back “I’ll tell you. This metal is as hard as steel, which means heavy hitters like you seem to be can probably break through if you get a clean hit. What sell it for me is that earthbone is considerably lighter than most metals, and I barely feel it on my back.”

“Alright, alright, no need to get angry…” You try to sound appeasing. “Do you mind if we talk about something else?”
“Why not?” The dog in armour shrugs “We have some time to spare.”
“Do you have any experience fighting mind flayers from the Wizard’s cube, by any chance?”
“Nah.” Tail Chase shakes his head “None of us understands much about magic, so even though the rewards were very good for quests in the Wizard’s cube, we didn’t want to put our lives in the ward of someone who isn’t a friend. We stayed out of this plane.”

“Also, did you ever visit the Legendary Tundra?” You then ask “We may try to earn some coins there in the future.”

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>>30741512
“An adventuring hydra? Ha!” The dog laughs “That’s a funny one… But the minodorfs would probably buy it as long as you agree to kill some Jotuns. Anyway, we delivered some ore here. The minodorfs appreciate good metal and paid good money for our stocks. Luckily, earthbone isn’t shiny enough for dragons to care about but we did have to ward off some Vanes at the time.”

“And what about other planes you’ve visited?”
“You’re gonna have to be more specific.” Tail Chase chuckles “We roamed the planes for quite some time before getting it this steadier business. Or do I have to tell you the Sky Archipelago is a dead end to us?”

>What do?

see you tomorrow

>>30741518
Been to the sky one already.
If the rumors of the warden making you sign a blood pack, why not sell the ore at fort ruby?

>>30741518
From what I've read these minodorfs are pretty greedy themselves. That, or our information is biased.