MLPFEMTORPG -- Now what?

File: good god why.jpg-large.jpg (44KB, 640x526px) Image search: [Google]

44KB, 640x526px

>>29759907
Post sheets

>>29759926
https://pastebin.com/RaZG8KLM

>>29759926

https://pastebin.com/rPqQPCnc

File: diosmios.png (166KB, 1280x717px) Image search: [Google]

166KB, 1280x717px

>>29759926
>that image
but why though
https://pastebin.com/p1dtY3qj

>>29759926
https://pastebin.com/R0AXr1UU

>>29759926
https://pastebin.com/YJFusUgn

>>29759926
https://pastebin.com/6dTx6i08

Pryce 3/5 (9/5)
Flaming 3/3 (8/7)
Amy 4/5 (7/5)
Flow 3/2 (11/5)
Observer 4/6 (7/6)
Shei 5/2 (8/5)

Last time on HQ...

https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/29717427/#29719277

Having been up since dawn and running around, exploring and fighting all the way past midnight, the party is now exhausted. Flaming, Amy, Shei and Flow barely escaped from the rampaging Metatron, but not before he activated some kind of time-halting ability through the use of what looked like a holy relic, a lotus flower bearing divine energy. Despite having an opportunity to smash Amy and Shei into bloody shreds, Metatron's fury wavered, and he let them go, but not before stealing their endurance by removing strings of golden characters from within them, which Vizsla later referred to as "Data."

Pryce and Observer boarded the ship, with the unconscious Kid Calque in tow, after Vortigern and _____ murdered the real, older Calque by the order of Buiwong and Vizsla, for betraying Mudi to the angels. Reasoning that the others would meet back up at the Windhill after escaping the Birdcage, Observer flew them there, much to the consternation of Neither-Nor and Sugar.


(1/2)

>>29759964
"There is no question that all the lords shall be present. If one of us stays behind, he shall undoubtedly claim and carve up our territories for himself. If only one of us goes, he shall have first pick of all the treasure of Tartarus. Neither option is appealing, so it's a guarantee that all or none of us shall go, but none of us has any reason to stay, at least until we find out more about these particles that the angels have brought here."

>>29759935
"Well, you'll have to talk with Amy about that," Busta says to Pryce. "Speaking of which, the last I'd heard she and a few others went to the Birdcage. I hope they're alright."

>>29759939
>>29759959
>>29759962
"Saucy as ever," Vizsla laughs to Amy. "But perhaps a symptom of weary, hungry children. Very well, Flaming, if it keeps you out of harms' way, I shall hazard a chance to look for your angel friend. I may as well make up for not rushing into battle, as your suicidal companions did," she says, pointing at Rus and Renee.

Rus grunts, with Flow's jacket around her like a blanket. Rus gives Flaming a noogie, which makes Renee slap her wrist. The two still shiver, both from the cold, but also from the adrenaline of the close encounter with Metatron.

(2/3)

>>29759984
>>29759935
They seem unconvinced, until Blessings steps forward. "They won't set foot on the ship with us around. I've already been here, and while it's a scummy place the fear of their lords keeps the riff-raff in check."

"Don't care. I'm gonna sit at the controls and get ready to fly away if a demon even looks at this ship weird," Neither says.

"I have another solution," River says. "Those who wish to disembark may do so. Pryce, you direct Neither to park the ship in the Cozy Vimana. Since I've been there, I'll be able to take the others back there with the Dark Corridor and meet you there. That way, the rest of our guests don't have to hang out with dem--"

"There are demons everywhere in this city-state, I don't see how that's much better," Neither says.

"It's the best you're going to get!" River says.

"Not if we just fly off elsewhere," Sugar retorts, catching River off guard.

>>29760044

Amy flops over onto the ground and groans as she fails to do push-ups. She looks at Rus from the ground, her head upside down.

"Rustry, you're strong, right? How do YOU do it?"

>>29760044
As Flaming lies in Renee's grip, she looks back up at the icy witch and offers a thin smile, "It'd be the only thing stopping me from looking for her myself... ugh!" She winces as Rus leans over to give her a noogie, Flaming wrestling in her grasp trying to shake her hand away, "HAhaha, e-except for the pain, I mean! Ow, Rus, q-quit it!" When Renee slaps away her wrist, she looks over at her second surrogate sister and smiles, "Yeah, they're crazy alright. But they're a special Climbing Fire kind of crazy."

As she looks at them shivering, Flaming winces, reminded of the cold herself even against her coat. "Renee? If it's safe to move me I don't mind you treating me in one of those stinky demon halls if it's warmer for you. I mean, I-I'm fine either way, I don't get cold but, you know. for you."

>>29760064
>>29760044
As Amy makes another hilarious fail at pushing herself up for training, Flaming whispers, "Staaaaaampeeeeediiiiiing. Just try it: run around charge into stuff! Break everything that doesn't get out of the way and you're sure to get stronger."

>>29760044
"Then Bequeath me a sigil for the Lords of Vitral. When the time comes you will recognize my call by my offering. A cornucopia and a silver of Vipaka's metal flesh." Shei-Sher beseeches the Demon Lords.

>>29760092

"When you put it that way, it sounds like stuff I used to do all the time," Amy laughs, though the implications are disturbing.

>>29760044
While Flow shuts his eyes to recover, he pulls out the Inheritance to bring out Trapper while he sleeps.
>>"Pissing blimey, ow the 'ell are we gonna fight 'gainst a fookin angel like that?"
>"Well, perhaps we might just have to use blunt force."
Vice crawls out from underneath Flaming, his rear legs having been severed from the rest of him.

>>29760053
"That would not be possible." Observer says to sugar. "Nobody on this ship has the intelligence to pilot it, not without proper lessons from me. I designed the ship's controls to my liking, nobody thus far seems to know how to properly fly it like I could. Perhaps a few of you have watched enough to fly it to Cozy Vimana with my permission... But you will not make it further without crashing, I can promise you that." She details out to everyone present, mostly to Sugar.

She then turns to Neither. "You will go to the barracks and remain there, I have an assistant in mind who will be the next co-pilot and I prefer to keep possible thieves away from my work." She says before looking to Wireframe. "Wireframe, come here. I'm going to teach you how to use voidling technology." She says, moving to stand next to the pilot's seat.

>>29760044
>"Maaaybe you should not hang out here, just for the best of the others. They shouldn't be on edge after a long day."
Kid Pryce suggestions to Busta, seeing how everypony else is reacting to being in the demon area.


>>29760053
"I would prefer to not sleep in demon central, but are you sure you'll be alright here River? Like either said, this is the worst time to be around demons."

Pryce thinks after Sugar's retort.
"...There is the spot we parked in near that outpost. You should be able to get the others there River, but it is a bit far to fly."

>>29760107
Flaming snorts, "Yeah but you gotta do it with the right kind of gusto. You have to see yourself forging your path ahead: there's only you, your destination, and the long winding road between you. Block out all distractions, because getting out of the way is their job, not yours."

>>29760150

Amy stares at Flaming with a thoughtful expression.

"What's a distraction?" she asks in an honest tone.

>>29760064
Rus raises a hand to begin, but when she looks at her fingers, she sees them trembling. She puts her hand down. "You'll have to ask me when I'm actually feeling strong."

>>29760092
>>29760181
>>29760109
"Yes, I can't fathom why Vizsla has brought us to this dreadful icy labyrinth, if for no other reason than to show it off to us," Renee whispers.

"Well, I know a place we can go that won't have ice or demons. It'll be a great place to rest, and we'll have plenty of food there, too," Little Journey says. "Can I take you there?"

"Why that sounds far better than either of our current options!" Renee says. "I say we go."

"Fantastic!" Journey says, looking to you for input.

>>29760109
"Which one of you is the smart one," Renee seethes to the secondary goos, yanking them aside so Flow can't hear. "Because I'm thinking it's the one that's NOT offering 'brute force' as a solution to an angel's rampage!"

>>29760122
"Uhh... sorry, what?" Wireframe asks. "I really think that kinda stuff's beyond my grasp."

"Not beyond mine," Neither says with a smug grin. "Need a copilot?"

"Fine, when you put it like that..." Wireframe says, pulling you by the arm to the control room.

>>29760130
Busta frowns but nods, disembarking the ship.

"Well admittedly, I'd not like to be out in public with these escortees unless we have the ship with us, since I lack the emblem that guarantees safe travel in Vitral-- that skull you got from the colosseum. If we can't stay aboard the ship, then I can't take them, unfortunately," she says with a glare at Observer. "If the ship will not move, then I shall stay aboard and guard the infirm."

>>29760105
"An attempted summoning of demon lords with the corpse of an angel," Imaal repeats, amused. With a wave of a claw and the stink of magitech oil, a clump of chitin appears before you, a small replica of Imaal's spiked throne, which he sat in in the Splatterrock arena. "This shall suffice for your purposes, horned one."

>>29760181
Flaming glares at Amy from her prone position as she's treated for injuries, the wince on her face unsure if it's coming from the pain or the surprise.

"What's a... you really don't know?" Flaming asks. She taps her hoof, "It's like a... um... when you're trying to pay attention to something, but something else makes you want to look at it instead, I guess."

>>29760191
As Little Journey puts forth the offer, she gives the spider-worshiping calf a wary eye, unsure how she feels about him especially after their last conversation. She gives another shiver and, looking up at Renee probably feeling it worse, she looks at Little Journey and sighs.

"Alright, sure. Thanks, I guess..." she says a little rudely to the helpful calf, trying to pick herself up off the ground to walk herself as her legs wobble. "Urgh. L-lead the way, Journey."

>>29760205

Amy scratches her head in contemplation. "That sounds like always to me," she thinks out loud.

Then, she looks away when Little Journey talks. She flips over back onto her hooves and bounces up to Little Journey.

>>29760191

"Who are you?" Amy asks, lightly poking Little Journey in the side as if she's some mysterious substance.

>>29760219
Flaming lowers her eyes at Amy, "Yeah, I would say you're a MASTER of distraction, Amy... hey Amy, do you remember what we were just talking about?" Flaming asks, curious if she'd already forgotten.

>>29760191
Shei-Sher takes the miniature throne in his hooves and bows before Imaal. "Thank you Lord Imaal. Now if I may, could I borrow a scrying orb. I do not know my way back home. And I have much work to do."

Shei-Sher puts the throne away in his bag and takes from it two pieces of Vipaka's metal, again rewrapping them around his horns to prepare for probing Miracle's Core.
>Alchemy+2 [1d10+3]

>>29760191
Trapper points to Vice.
>>"E's the genius with the plan, eh. Y'can't tell by the bleedin accent yet?"
>"It's just an idea. Have you ever observed how a colony of ants can overpower a beetle? Surely it isn't by how strong the ants are, but how numerous they are. And what do we have on hand that's not only numerous, but will happily swarm against an angel?"

He turns to Journey.
>"Just what kind of place are you taking us, if I may inquire. I have no say, Flow does."

>>29760224

Amy puts her hoof to her chin in thought. "Pushups?" she asks, cocking her head.

>>29760191
Observer speaks up after entering the control room with Wireframe. "I apologize if my request seems too sudden and overwhelming to you, but I do not want to give control of my ship to somebody I do not trust." Observer says, levitating over some paper and pen to write simplified notes down for Wireframe.

She continues to speak as she writes down notes. "My time here studying other beings has given me a new sense between the words of 'trust' and 'caution'. I should be 'cautious' about everyone and anyone around me, I cannot predict everything as I am not omniscient nor do I fully understand mortals in this world. However, I should 'trust' the ones I have had time to study further... Such as my choice to become Buiwong's friend, I have chosen you to share my knowledge."

>Engineering: Make the notes not sound complicated
[1d10+2]

"Wireframe, no voidling of my kind shares knowledge that has value to them with any other being. Buiwong is the only other one that has earned that from me."

>>29760191
Kid Pryce pulls away from the window as it gets later, hopping up onto one of the beds next to Pryce's.

"I do have the one half we had when we first split up, but I'm not sure if it could be much of a protection if they go crazy at night. At least on the ship we can stay out of reach and we can all remain safe."

>>29760240
Flaming nods her head, "Okay, so you aren't the worst at being distracted. But that's sort of what I mean: see how you stopped doing push-ups to go say hi to that," she leers at said child, "buffalo kid? That's getting distracted."

>>29760280

"Yeah..." Amy laughs. "I guess I AM pretty bad about that. Maybe THIS is why I can't train right."

>>29760238

Amy looks to Flow. "How do YOU keep yourself from getting distracted?"

>>29760293
Flow lifts his head up.
"Well, I usually think of what I'll be like after training. I keep a picture of that in my head to remind myself of why I'm training in the first place. That, and I focus on what I'm doing so I don't mess up the exercises. Or you can repeat a mantra, like what some monks do."

>>29760317

"How do you think about that many things at once!?" Amy asks, completely flabberghasted.

>>29760336
Flow shrugs, "It's really just a matter of discipline. Once you get used to it, you kinda just...do it."

>>29760219
Little Journey frowns in embarrassment, not noticing your prods. "She completely missed my introduction..." Then raises his head. "I'm Little Journey! Nice to meet you."

>>29760238
"It's a small personal cabin, warded from demons with some old occultist runes that do a good job of keeping demons from noticing and entering without our permission. No traps for folks like us though," LJ explains.

>>29760234
You secure the materials around your horns, but get a slight headache as you do, likely a symptom of overexposure to the angelic material.

Imaal twitches a finger, and a servant brings you a small scrying orb. "It's not a big deal if you break this one, these are the cheap kind."

>>29760246
"That means you trust me, right?" Wireframe asks, wearing a look of pleasant surprise. She seems unnerved by Buiwong's mention and the glowing terms in which you describe him/her, but doesn't bring it up.

As you write down the notes, she stares at them blankly, expression sinking into one of despair and confusion. "I... wh-what? I'm a changeling, not a voidling! I absorb love, not... whatever this is."

>>29760275
"You're staying too then?" River says, taking her spear. "Good choice. Make yourselves comfortable."

She pulls a chair off to the side and sits, frowning, things still clearly on her mind.

>>29760238
"That analogy holds no water," Renee says gravely. "I've never felt such an overbearing distinction in power between us and that creature, even from the small moment I was in it. Even if the demons swarmed against him, I'm afraid-- no, I'm certain that we would not even be like ants. We would be chaff, blown away in utter mockery of any inklings we had of defying him."

(1/2)

>>29760356

"Discipline", Amy frowns. "Years in the woods, and I'm still barely better at it. Maybe I should try some mantra. I get meditating."

>>29760224
>>29760238
>>29760219
"Right!" LJ turns and holds out his hoof to the icy air. A black portal forms before him, which Flow and Flaming recognize as the dark corridor power, gifted to each of Buiwong's former lieutenants. Only now, it's mutated. The portal is lined with concentric rings of words, and white lines, composed of small runes, run parallel across the corridor's "walls."

Vizsla snorts. "Hmph. Hardly as cozy as a nice snowy field. Go if you like. I shall chance a return to that Birdcage by Flaming's request, and scoop up what may remain of Mirror Image."

>for those who choose to enter; Rus and Renee both go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1LIsrFdEuU

The corridor leads to a warm and spacious cabin, like one a hunter might keep. It's decorated and lit well, composed equal parts of wood and stone, with a high ceiling. The walls are decorated with stone figurines of many figures, mostly cult-looking types and knights, and you see a lot of dragons and changelings. There are also portraits on the walls. Among them, Flow notices a painting of Gabriele and Evil's Punishment standing together, victorious on a battlefield, surrounded by bodies.

A few cat-sized spiders mill about, cleaning here and there. Among the spiders, there is a full-on pony drider. The upper half of a blue-coated mare sticks out of the body of a spider, like a centaur. She has a short black mane and large glasses and a modest teal poncho covering her upper body. She's dusting and hasn't noticed you.

>>29760369
"Thank you once again. I appreciate you're continued hospitality."

Shei-Sher sits down interfacing with the scrying orb telepathically, scanning Vitral for Volkama's airship.
>Astral Projection
[1d10+1]

While he does he passively probes Miracle's core for more information
>Appraise
[1d10+1]

>>29760369

"Nice to meet you, LJ!" Amy says, suddenly changing her tone from confused curiosity to enthusiastic friendship. She grabs him and puts him in a vice-like hug.

Then, she lets him go and gasps excitedly. "We're going to your place!? Slumber party!? Why are we still here! Let's go!"

She grabs LJ's hoof and starts running in a random direction before stopping suddenly. "Wait... where are we going?"

>>29760376

Then, he opens the portal. "Oh..." she says with a giggle.

As she observes her new surroundings in the cabin, her tail wags excitedly. Then, her gaze stops at the picture of Gabby and Punish. She stares at it silently for a moment.

"Yep," she says, with a sudden conclusive node. "That's definitely the pony that I fought before."

>>29760376
Flaming looks on at the dark corridor with unease, but more so due to the unfamiliar symbols that now surround it. She hobbles along side Renee towards its exit as she turns and gives another bow to Vizsla. "Thank you again, Vizsla. If she's as tough as i'm hoping, she'll be there."

She enters the dark portal, feeling the need to shut her eyes as they re-enter into the warm and spacious cabin. She looks around the oddly comfortable home, shaking her body of loose snow (not too hard though) as she sprays it around the floor and looks at its many figurines. "W-woah..... is this stuff all yours?" She asks Journey, in particular drawn to the dragon figurines. "Wow." She takes a glance towards Gabby and Evil's portrait, intrigued by the battle but unsure who either is, though she feels she's seen them before (the data pillars back in Everfree).

She freezes up entirely at the sign of the various spiders milling about, looking at them with a mixture of disgust and anger before she noticed the bizarre spider-pony in the same room, leering at her with confusion as she grabs at Renee's hoof. "Uhhhh... I-I'll just settle in over here where it's warm. And spider free..." she says as she makes to recover.
>early departure for shima this evening

>>29760370
"...do you even know what a mantra is?"

>>29760369
Vice clicks his tongue.
>"Surely, we wouldn't just have pure numbers on our side, no doubt some powerful demons might be swayed to assist, but whatever."
He taps on Flow's shoulder, and the three goos all follow LJ through the portal.
"Hmph. Haven't seen one of these in a while," Flow remarks as they pass through the portal.

Flow brushes his mane back as they enter the small cabin, and he marvels at all the figures and portraits, stopping to stare at the one which displays Punishment and Gabriele.
Vice and Trapper both stop in their tracks when they see the drider.
>>"Oi oi, see that?"
>"Yes, I do. What's the problem? I didn't know Flow had a repressed fear of spiders or anything."
>>"No, ya knob'ead. Think she's a beaut or what?"
>"No need to be so crass, we haven't even introduced ourselves, you dull idiot!"
They continue to argue in hushed tones.

>>29760369
"Hmn... Perhaps this is a bit complicated..." She mumbles, before helping seat Wireframe down in front of the controls. "You may learn with a more hooves-on approach."

Observer then gives Wireframe the pen and paper to make her own notes, trying to go through the controls and how to make them function. She leaves out most minor details that Observer added on for herself, focusing on just how the ship works as far as flight and security functions.

>Engineering: Teaching Wireframe
[1d10+2]

Observer makes sure to move Wireframe's hooves to the controls with her own, just in case she may not know which way they go.

>>29760418

"Yes!" Amy objects to the accusation. "I meditated for like... 3 years!"

>>29760441
Flow eyes Amy suspiciously before turning back to the portrait.
>"Mind if I ask what mantra you use, Miss Amy?" Vice chimes in

>>29760369
"Not like I have much of a choice when I can't walk."
Pryce says as he lies in bed.
"You didn't have any troubles coming back to the ship after we flew to the Birdcage, did you?"
He asks as River guards up.


Kid Pryce sets down the lilythrone by the bedside, setting their frog inside it to let him rest and not be jostled around anymore.
>"So, can your legs do anything special?"
He asks River, looking at her metal appendages.

>>29760376
lore check [1d10+1]

>>29760467

"I said I understand mantras, I didn't say I USED one, silly," Amy says, patting Vice on the head. "When I meditated, I just concentrated on my breathing. I don't know if you've noticed, but that's what I do to calm myself down sometimes. I guess you could say I'm meditating when I do that..." Amy says as if she's questioning the idea that only just now came to her.

She looks to Flow, then back to the painting. "Do YOU know her?" Amy asks Flow.

>>29760395
The chaos in Vitral is widespread and distracting; you catch glimpses of hunters, fighters and even farms rising up against demons, demons trying to approach the curved, broken pillars of metal impaling the towns, only to turn into glass well before they can even touch the metal, and beings fleeing in all directions. At last you find the airship, parked precariously on the Windhill outside the demon lords' palace, surrounded by demons.

>>29760418
Renee pauses and runs her hooves through her mane with a sigh. "You're...! Mmrph. Perhaps you're right. But, just for a moment, I wish to push all this talk out of my mind."

>>29760415
>>29760418
>>29760409
"Oh, it's not all mine," LJ says. "We all share it, since our lord's blessings in this world are limited by his shackles. But, get comfortable, make yourselves at home, help yourself to anything you can find!"

The drider turns and notices you, not smiling but neither seeming unfriendly. "New guests? Sit anywhere, I'll get some drinks going."

Rus Tea collapses onto a plush couch, while Renee escorts Flaming to another room, where there are many rows of beds separated by curtains.

"I'm gonna go back and keep an eye out for the rest of your group," LJ says. "When I find them, I'll tell them where you went so you don't all get separated. If you need anything, just ask Mocha," he says, pointing to the drider pony.

>>29760425
Wireframe's confusion subsides a little as you walk her through the controls again. "Okay... this I understand, not so much the stuff with the letters. I should be good for now."

>>29760470
River sneers at KP's question, avoiding it.

To Pryce she says, "I took the dark corridor back to where the ship had been left within the Sepulcher Vimana, so it was not much trouble once we were able to stabilize Volkama."

(1/2)

>>29760395
As you probe the core, you become aware of a powerful encrypting energy, binding the information contained within. From what you've heard and read from occultist seminars and teachings, there are two ways of infiltrating an otherworldly being's secrets.

The first is to try to undo the shackles yourself through brute force, and while this may be easier, failure carries deeper risks, such as damage to the infiltrator's soul (or worse) and the potential destruction of the secrets therein. The second is to coerce it open by diving into the being's mind, or in this case, the core, via astral projection. Doing so is initially tougher, but has much more lenient consequences

>>29760409
You can feel that LJ is quite tough and sturdy despite his very thick and fluffy later of buffalo fur. He returns the hug, but much gentler than yours. He blushes a little too, being around Flaming's age,

>>29760491
>"Ah, fascinating! Flow doesn't use that technique, he tends to just clear his mind...in general. He doesn't have to breath, so he doesn't focus on his breathing, or rather, finds no use to."

Flow nods.
"Yeah. Pryce, Shei, and I knew both of them."

>>29760506
Trapper squints.
>>"Mocha...hmm."
>"Doesn't seem the friendly type, eh?"
>>"Don't mean that I don't 'ave a chance, buck-o."

Vice and Trapper both sit down next to some armor and talk about the spiders that roam about.
>>"They certainly are a helpful bunch, eh?"
>"Quite."

>"Erm, sorry to be a burden but, please mind Flow's coat, Miss Rus," Vice addresses the minotaur as she collapses on the couch.

>>29760512
Shei-Sher scrunches his face, amused that the airship coincidentally so close by.

Shei leaves the scrying orb where it is and then walks down the many stairs of the Demon Lord's palace. Making it outside and making a bee line for the Ship entrance, avoiding interaction with any of the crowding demons.

>>29760506
>"What? I thought they could, like this pony we met up in the birdcage who had this angel metal arm that could shoot angels out of it!"

"I'm glad to hear that. When I all that commotion and say the chaos going on down here, I was worried about you all. Is he doing alright?"

>>29760506
>>29760532

"Don't get hurt, LJ," Amy says as he leaves. "And, be back in time for the slumber party!"

"Who is Mocha?" she asks loudly, looking around.

>>29760538

"BOTH of them?" Amy asks, surprised. She stares at the painting. "I only me the pegasus once. And, she was trying to kill me," Amy laughs. "So, it wasn't the best first impression. Still, I'm sure I deserved it. I guess that makes her a good pony."

She stares at the painting in silence before she speaks up again with, "What were they like?"

>>29760506
"If you take good care of my ship, then I'll consider helping you find a food source. Unless you already have someone you have been siphoning from." Observer says, not recognizing that her words could be taken another way.

>>29760564
Flow takes a breath, which hitches in his throat.
"I won't lie, I didn't know them as well as the others. Gabriele was like a...a mother? A sibling? I dunno, something to Shei. And Punishment, well. Don't remember much about her either."
He thinks back to what happened inside of that angel, and he shakes his head.
"I don't think I /want/ to remember..."
He walks away to join his clones.

>>29760595

Amy watches Flow walk away and tears up a little bit. "I'm sorry..." she mutters so quietly, he probably can't hear it.

>>29760613
He turns around and gestures to Amy.
"Hey, c'mon. I'll show you some exercises. I think we've had enough negativity for one day, eh?"

>>29760559
"Mine were made with science that a demon named Orcus learned from a place in the Beyond-- the library of a god that had long since passed," River says to KP. "They offer no such crude shows of power."

"He's well enough to eat, but that may owe to his demonic nature. I'm not so knowledgeable of demon's bodies to treat them well, and yet he seems to be healing on his own."

>>29760568
"Are you kidding!?" Wireframe asks. "I've been starving! I hate trying to siphon the passive love off this ship, it's not as filling as leeching off someone directly."

>>29760564
"That would be me," the drider says, peering out from another room, presumably the cabin's kitchen by the smells of soup from within. "What do you want to eat?"

>>29760555
>>29760559
>>29760568
Shei boards the ship, and Observer and Pryce see that his horns appear to be made of metal now. As Shei gets on, he sees an unconscious Calque, as well as Neither-Nor and Sugar aboard the ship as well, although the latter two are sitting in a corner, whispering among themselves.

"Shei!" Blessings shouts. "What happened in the Birdcage? Please tell me Mudi and Vizsla got blown up."

>>29760564
>>29760538
Sensing the tension, Rus walks over and puts the coat back around Flow. "While we're all apologizing, I also wish to apologize to you. At the moment of crisis, it was Renee who plunged into battle first. I could hardly move, until Vizsla herself - a witch! - pushed me out after her. I admittedly know little of how ponies think of courage... but to a minotaur, I would be an utter failure. And so, I am sorry for that."

>>29760626
Flow hangs the coat on his shoulders and chuckles.
"No apology needed, I understand the feeling. That Metatron guy was no pushover, after all. And as for Renee, I think she might be a special case in bravery. Reminds me a bit of my mother, honestly."

>>29760619

Amy's face lightens up, and her tail starts wagging. "Yeah!" she says excitedly, bouncing to follow Flow.

>>29760626

"Fried chicken!" Amy says instinctively, and immediately in response to Mocha's question. Then, her eyes go wide like a child who just realized they had accidentally said a curse word. She looks around fearfully as if everyone is going to hate her.

"I-I mean... a-apples..." Amy says with a combination of apprehension and fear.

>>29760626

"It's funny," Amy giggles a little bit in response to Rus. "I was just apologizing for running in without being scared. You were the only one not being an idiot," Amy says, gving Rus a quick hug.

"So, please just keep being you," she says, looking up at her with a bright smile. "We need your smartness."

>>29760626
"They are able to take a beating, glads its working out for him. Even after what he did after we met him, I'd hate to lose anypony now."

"...What about you? You looked.. preoccupied, when you sat down."
Pryce asks after a pause.

>"So they're just legs? That's boring."
Kid responds in a huff to her response, followed with a quick glare from Pryce.

>>29760626
>>29760555
Kid Pryce looks over as Shei enters the ship.
>"Hey Shei, made it all the way down here. Did you fly or jump?"
He asks before noticing the metal horns, drawing his attention away with River's boring prosthetic. He hops off the bed to get a close look.
>"Whoooa, where'd you get those?"

>>29760626
"Then make sure nobody steals my ship." She says, before heading back to the room where everyone is.

>>29760626
>>29760555
Upon seeing Shei, Observer decides to greet him. "So you aren't dead, I was beginning to wonder if you would be able to find your way back." She asks, simply scanning the horns to check if they're encased or made of metal now.

>Analysis: Check dem horns.

>>29760680
>Meant to put in "says" not "ask"

>>29760668
Flow nods at Trapper, and Vice pats his back as he gets up.
"Alrighty Amy, what do you want to train first?"

>>29760702

"Everything!" Amy answers enthusiastically.

>>29760626
Shei-Sher smiles modestly to see Neither-Nor and sugar are safe.

"hehehe noo. They are not. I need to go to the bathroom I'll tell you of the events in a moment"

Shei-Sher goes to his favorite bathroom in the ship, locking the door and turning off the lights. Light renews as Shei lights some candles sitting among the sink, floor and shelves. Shei takes out a mat from where the towels are and places it before the toilet. On the toilet Shei places some lavender and jasmine incense, an amythest, a bowl of warm milk, and a statue of Sabuul, goddess of dreams.

He holds Miracle's core in his lap, stroking it fondly while meditating.
>I'm gonna make a gamble first.
Before Shei projects himself into the orb he applies his intellect at forcing it instead.
[1d10+1]

>>29760677
Shei looks quizzically at kid pryce, wondering why he addresses him like he knows him. "I was just next door. and they're angel metal. Only temporary.. Excuse me"

Shei says before leaving to the bathroom.

>>29760718
Flow scratches his head, and looks at Trapper, who shrugs.
"Alright, an everything training then...cripe, you don't use weapons often, do you?...You know, it's just occurring to me how difficult this might be."
>"And, considering how you don't have muscles, and Amy does..."
>>"Oh pissing blimey, will you just do some damn sword training already?"
"Er...okay, how's that sound, Amy?"

>>29760680
"Are you telling me you were unaware I was convening with the Lords? heh that's funny, that the ship would find its way here." He says rather sleepy looking "I need to go to the bathroom, excuse me."

>>29760662
"Yes, well she may differ in opinion, especially one who was once entrenched so deeply into the Unionist faith. She still wrestles with the idea of turning her sword on an agent of the gods... Oh, by the way, I'd like to join in on your whateveritis you're showing Amy."

>>29760668
>>29760702
Rus's eyebrows shoot upward at Amy's demand for chicken. But her hug dissipates those suspicions. "Mmm! I shall put my personalness into each fight we get into-- of which I assume we shall see a lot soon."

"Which brings me to 'that' topic. The realm of Tartarus. I can hardly fathom what lies within, but the mere fact that so many groups - Ecclesia, the feral demons, the witches, these demon lords - will be tied to whatever happens when we pry into its depths, gives me pause. What do you think is going to happen when we go inside?"

>>29760680
"Roger," Wireframe says. You identify that Shei's horns have been temporarily alchemized with pieces of angelic metal, but the effect is not quite comparable to River's cybernetic legs, due to the lack of something called a Pact.

>>29760677
"The thought of demonkind lingering forever on Earth - our plane, our home - has troubled me every day. They outnumber us at an incomprehensible rate, regardless of how many we or others may kill. With mortalkind's population plummeting, I'm left to wonder: What will come of us? Is coexistence with demons possible, do you think? Would it even be desirable?"

>>29760742
The encryptions around the orb do not budge, flooding your vision briefly with strings of golden characters you do not recognize.

>>29760757

"Sword training...?" Amy repeats it apprehensively. "I mean... I've never used like... any weapon before. I usually use magic or my teeth. Do I hold it in my mouth? I guess it could get my neck and mouth stronger..."

>>29760759

Amy lets out a long sigh at Rus's question. "I don't know anymore. I don't want to open it until I'm sure I'm strong enough to handle it all. I want everything to work out right. So, I need to get A LOT stronger."

She sighs again. "It would be nice if there were some sort of big magic thingy that could just make me super strong. Then, I could just force everyone to be my friend, and we'd all stop fighting."

>>29760759
Vice and Trapper both look at each other when Rus volunteers to join in on the training.
"Well, I most certainly hope she grows out of it...I'm still surprised she hasn't seen their true colors yet," Flow winces.
"Well, lots of demons, I assume. And not just the puny ones either, I'm certain we'll see our fair share of big-shot demons eventually...which means we oughta be prepared, eh?"

>>29760785
"Okay, so sword training is out...what about your hooves, you fight with those?"
Flow takes a simple stance and gives Trapper a right hook.
[1d10+3]

>>29760742
>"How'd you get next door then?"
As Shei runs to the bathroom, Kid follows, standing outside the door.
>"Hey! You can't just say they're angel metal and then run off! You gotta find out what they do, I think angel metal comes with cool stuff that other metal doesn't!"
He shouts through the door, not leaving.

>>29760759
Pryce is silent, looking a bit down at the heavy statement.
"I don't know how this will turn out, but I know us mortals will get through this. I doubt we'l be able to coexist, but there's places they haven't reached. Zha is still clean, and two demon cities have been wiped out now, there's still hope this will get better."
He says to help ease her thoughts, and his own as well.

>>29760789

"I've punched things before," Amy says with a strange sort of pride. "You wanna go?"

>>29760759
Shei-Sher is disappointed, right now he lacks the energy for something so emotionally taxing. But he isn't left with many options.
>Astral Projection
[1d10+1] into the orb we go

>>29760800
As Trapper hits the ground due to Flow's punch, he shakes his hoof.
"Well, I suppose we should save sparring for after our training. But you have an advantage over me, cause of your teeth. Like biting, and then throwing some punches to the gut while you're latched on, stuff like that. There's no such thing as being dirty when you're in a real fight."

>>29760790
A nerve twitches along Shei-Sher's temple. He does his very best to ignore the little pryce.

>>29760807

"I think you meant 'PLAYING dirty'," Amy points out. "'Beaing dirty' means... something else entirely," she laughs awkwardly.

>>29760843
Flow rolls his eyes while Trapper loses the blue in his cheeks.
"No, not that dirty. This is fighting dirty."
Flow kicks Trapper in the crotch as he's on the floor, to which Trapper has a few choice curses as he wriggles on the ground.
>>"You fookin arsehole! I'll fookin kick yer arse, ya pissing..."
Vice smacks him upside the head.
>"Not in front of the ladies, Trapper."

>>29760810
>"Ok I'll let you be, I can wait."
Kid says to the response of silence.

...

>"Were you in that fight up there? I heard there was an angel battle going on. Wait! Is that were you got those horns?!"
He says excitedly after a few seconds, though it felt like minutes to him.

File: example 2.jpg (506KB, 800x1066px) Image search: [Google]

506KB, 800x1066px

>>29760785
"Can one who has been forced into friendship truly be called a friend?" Rus asks, growing visibly angry. "It smacks of what happened in Accorsia... believers and nonbelievers alike abducted by angels. Mmph. But speaking of big magic thingies, I know well that Ecclesia seeks and hoards holy relics, but to ask for them may prove troublesome... Ah! That reminds me, I will have to write to them soon and report on our journey. You, Zjetya and Flaming will have to do the same."

>>29760789
"I agree most certainly," Rus says. "It'd take an army to halt whatever waits beyond those doors. That seal was in place for a reason, as much to keep things in as keep things out. The Choir will hate me for it, but Zjetya and I really ought to petition Ecclesia for help... but who knows what they may attempt on the witches if they hear of Mudi's plan."

>>29760790
"But Zha is overflowing with refugees, and Ecclesia has been trying to subvert it from within, not to mention the lords from neighboring kingdoms, whose lands have been lost, and may try to usurp Novelus' royal family for their own gain. Mortals can't stop betraying each other, even with demons at the door, so how can we expect a guarantee of our own survival now?"

(1/2)

>>29760758
Observer simply shrugs and continues with her business.

>>29760759
Observer then approaches Blessings. "I have taught Wireframe how to pilot the ship. Now if I am unable to be a pilot, she can get everyone to safety. Shall we go now?" She asks.

>>29760803
Shei's mind dissolves under a feeling of warm water. As his consciousness blurs, he feels himself drifting through a void, as crisscrossing rings of unknown symbols drift around him, and he slips through them languidly, until his face and mane begin to dry-- then he realizes he has a mane, and his hooves are ponies' hooves, the kind of a mariposan stallion.

https://youtu.be/aobpWHTWdT4

His body is stout and fetlocks unshorn. He wears casual, yet colorful robes, the kind of an off-duty knight. He's in an armory overlooking a training yard, on a chilly spring morning, with a sea breeze in the distance. Knights-in-training surround him, donning training gear, while occasionally sliding admiring glances his way. He hears Neighsco being spoken, and although Shei knows little of this language, he somehow understands it perfectly.

>pic in the previous post is meant for you as a visual example

>>29760859
>>29760843
Mocha returns from the kitchen, bearing a tray stacked with various beers and a pitcher containing cool, fresh water, and a tray of slightly burnt, fire-roasted chicken and apples. "They got a little burnt. I'm not used to cooking, and our usual chef's asleep already, so I'd appreciate if you could keep it down, just a little bit."

Rus patiently waits her turn, examining Amy and Flow's martial prowess.

>>29760900
>>29760872
"Where are we to go now?" Blessings asks. "We require ample shelter for our new guests, and the demons are going to be highly anxious after the angels' attack-- not to mention, many areas of Vitral may be extremely hostile now, from whatever fell from that angel that was in the Birdcage."

As she speaks, a young buffalo steps onto the ship, whom Observer recognizes as Little Journey, whom she saw in Mudi's cartoon world. He's about Flaming's age, but slightly larger with a blueish, thick coat of fluffy fur.

"Wow, I got here at the perfect time! Praise our lord. Actually, I know a perfect place we could go!" he says. "The rest of your crewmates are already there, recuperating after everything we've gone through today. Can I take you there?"

"Um... who are you again?" River asks.

"Oh! Miss River Spring! How good to see you again! I'm Little Journey, but you probably won't recognize me, so don't sweat it."

River starts to appear nervous and unsure of the buffalo.

>>29760901
Shei-Sher responds by waving hello to the onlooking trainees. He carries on and meanders to a knight. "Salutations!" He says with a hearty glow "praytell, any sign of Chorazin this morning."

>>29760884

"Do you not consider US friends?" Amy responds to Rus, her heart broken and puppy-dog eyes, watering.

But, she is immediately distracted from her own depression as she is told she has to write a letter. "IIIIIIII barely know how to read," she says awkwardly. "I hate to ask, but could you write it for me?" she says with a big 'please' smile.

>>29760901

Amy immediately grabs and apple and wolfs it down (pun intended). Then, she smells the chicken, and her mouth begins to water. Her teeth grow sharp, and her muzzle becomes a bit more doglike along her facial tattoos. She glances around quickly as if she's about to commit some crime, and grabs the piece of chicken and takes a bite out of it.

She lets out a satisfied moan as she swallows it. A little too satisfied. She savors each bite, slowly eating the chicken.

>>29760859

"Lesh shave the fitin' fer afer foo," Amy says with her mouth full.

>>29760884
Flow shrugs.
"I'm just in it for the violence."

>>29760901
Trapper takes the time to get a good look at Mocha while she brings the food.

>>29760937
Flow sighs.
"Fine. I was going to show you some more advanced techniques..."
He throws Trapper on the floor.

>>29760937

Amy swallows. "You could always show me using Trapper," Amy says with a grin.

>>29760921
"Convenient. You're quite the useful one, Little Journey, it is a good thing we did not completely go our Separate Ways.

>>29760967
>>29760955

Silly mistake.

>>29760967
"Alright!"
WHile Trapper is distracted by Mocha, Flow grabs him and slams him on the ground.
"Now...grappling is my favorite technique in fighting! You can do so many things!"

>>29760884
"We just have to hope."
Pryce mutters flatly.
"Hopefully they'll realize they need to work together, or at the very least see they aren't enemies and leave each other alone, before things get too bad."
Pryce is silent a moment before he shuffles to sit up with a pained groan.
"When we went to Vadahara, efore Buiwong's attack, we met a group of ponies living there. The place was beyond ruin, poison and decay everywhere, but this group was still living through it. It may not have been thriving or easy, but they held out because it was their home. They lived isolated, without anypony but themselves in a land that did nearly everything to end them. If they could do that up there for who knows how long... then I still have hope we'll get through this."


>>29760921
Pryce looks over at the newcomer who boarded their ship.
"We can't leave the ship here when something else keeps getting on every other minute. Who are you?"
Pryce says defensively at Little Journey.
"We're not going anywhere, especially not with some stranger from a demon city."

>>29760999

Amy watches with fascination as she chews on the chicken. "I mean... what can you really do," she says as she swallows. "You're just holding him.... That's it."

>>29761022
Flow pins Trapper's arm behind his back.
"Well...I can keep him from moving!"
Trapper struggles to move

>>29760935
The trainees snicker, some swapping crude remarks but nothing that you haven't heard before in here... somehow. "She's waiting you in the training yard, Sir," the knight says, "And she's half a mind to wipe out the rest of the latest batch of apprentices! They're all too studious, not enough muscle, even the mares, to General Chorazin's consternation. Will you go speak some sense into her?"

>>29760937
"Of course you are my friends, because I joined you willingly. No threat or force was applied to me. But can someone who was never given that freedom be a friend?" She then laughs at your admission. "I could write your letter, but they'd know it was me who wrote it! I'm known for flowery prose among the Ecclesians."

>>29760955
"And I admire that drive, sir Flow. If only I could steal it," Rus says. As Amy starts to eat, she stands. "I have no appetite, but I've a technique I wish to try, given that I rely too much on my bag of infinite weapons."

She gets into a low stance with her palms open. "The three of you, come at me!" [1d10+2]

>>29760955
Mocha's upper half is modest, but cute in a bookish way, and her spidery lower half is curvaceous, but still just that-- a spider's body. She glances sidelong at Trapper, evidently appraising him and the other goos as well.

>>29761001
River looks weary. "They were alive yes, but were they happy?"

>>29761001
>>29760983
LJ seems intimidated by Pryce. "Well, you don't have to come, but Flaming, Amy, Flow and a few others are already there, I can give you my word. I'm a hunter, like the rest of you folks, and like Flaming, I'm from Clan Climbing-Fire. C'mon, you're gonna miss all the food! And sleep! You like that, right? Observer, can you vouch for me please?" he asks.

>>29761043

"Sooooooo..." Amy says with food falling out of her mouth. "It's not really that you can do a lot with it, it's that the other guy can do less."

>>29761048
"You do not have to listen to Pryce, I would appreciate your assistance in finding our companions."

>>29761048

"Are you SURE you had a choice in being my friend," Amy says with a grin. "I mean, I met you and I decided you would be my friend. Then, you were. It's easy to force someone to be your friend. It's so easy that they don't even realize they were forced!"

>>29761048
"Aye, sticking me with the job nopony wants to do. If you ask me Chorazin has the wrong guards in mind." Shei-Sher finds himself saying without even having to think it "rest at ease." He says as he finds his way to Chorazin.

>>29761048
"That's hard to say, but they were determined. And they joined us when we went to get the ember from the corrupted royals. ...They may just have just been happy they lived another day, I guess that's the least one can do in this time."

Pryce eyes the buffalo warily.
"I don't trust you. It's too convenient now, and we shouldn't be moving our injured anyways."

>>29761048
Flow shrugs, and all three goos charge at Rus.
F: Tackle: [1d10+2]
V: [1d10]
T: [1d10]
Trapper quickly avoids Mocha's gaze as she scans the three goos.

>>29761049
"Well...yeah. Make it so they can't move, and they ahve to surrender."

>>29761048
>forgot
"General Chorazin!" Shei greets in high spirits "You've been expecting me I wager. Then you already know what I've come to talk about?"

>>29761097

A devious grin spreads across her face. "I like it. That's my style."

>>29761070
"But of course-- had I found you too annoying, I'd have shoved you off the ship mid-flight! A minotaur can be forced to do nothing, only very strongly encouraged."

>>29761092
You amble down to the training yard you've been to so many times before, and are refreshed by the salt of the sea's breeze. The island of Lanziaros has been under Mariposan control for ten years now and although the knights use it for vacationing, Chorazin has been adamant on converting it into a brutal training ground.

As you head to the center of the yard, you see Chorazin - a pink-coated pony with a wavy mane of alternating red and white stripes. Like all mariposan mares she is quite tall. She raises her saber, and rows of magic knives launch at a batch of trainees, zapping them on impact should they fail to dodge or block them using the training yard's obstacles. The batch of trainees fails to evade the onslaught and end up scorched, complaining that the general is unfair. When you greet her, she turns and gives you her usual pale glare.

"Good, you're here," she says. "Go stand over there, and demonstrate to these new recruits how to really duck and weave in a live combat scenario while I shoot at you."

>>29761097
"If you think I'm cute, just say so," Mocha says, upfront.

(1/2)

>>29761095
>>29761065
"It is pretty convenient, but that's because I was sent here by our lord. He doesn't want you all getting separated or worn out. You've been up since dawn, I heard? We've got beds aplenty. Maybe you could come by for a drink at least? Well, I'll just leave the portal here, and anyone is free to come and check it out, I won't force you."

LJ opens a dark portal, lined with concentric rings of words, and white lines, composed of small runes, run parallel across the corridor's "walls." He enters, giving one last look back at you, and then departs.

The others look around warily, before Wireframe gets up and shakily heads to the portal. She ties one of her strings around a piece of furniture. "Here, I'll go in, and based on what I know of portals, if he tries to close it on me, this wire will keep it open."

>>29761097
>>29761070
Rus manages to grab Vice and uses him as a shield, parrying away Flow and Trapper's attacks, before setting Vice back down. "Sorry, little gooling, but you were the best choice. Mmm. I still need work perfecting this before I can impart it to another..."

>>29761160
Observer decides to head inside the portal with Wireframe.

>>29761160
Pryce says nothing more to the buffalo as he speaks again and then leaves. He looks down into the portal, eyes trailing the circling words with apprehension.

He settles back into his bed to give his back a rest.
"I'll trust my life to a ship that come move away from a threat instead of some unknown portal."
He mutters, exhaustion starting to grow more on him after LJ's mention of it.

>>29761158

"But, I AM annoying," Amy laughs.

>>29761177

Then, as she finishes the last of her chicken, she jumps onto Rus's back and tries to bring her down. [1d10] "If a minotaur can't be forced to do anything, then I'm sure you won't go down!"

>considering I have no grapple, I'm sure the DC will be high

>>29761177
Vice groans as he's let down, while Flow claps.
"Well done. Parrying an attack like that with another body certainly has its uses."
Flow grabs his claymore.
"Want to try your chances with some higher stakes?"

>>29761158
Trapper looses the color in his cheeks once more as he turns away.
>>"U-uh, I don't!"

>>29761208
"Not enough to topple a minotaur's annoyance threshold!" she laughs. But, as you cling to her back, she stays steady, until she rolls onto the floor, acting as though you got her for real.

>>29761213
"Whoa! Easy there, we'd best be cautious not to break anything in this cabin now, we don't even know to whom it belongs!" Rus says.

"Oh. That's a shame," Mocha says. Despite her nonchalance, there's an inkling of hurt in her voice.

>>29761187
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1LIsrFdEuU

The corridor leads to a warm and spacious cabin, like one a hunter might keep. It's decorated and lit well, composed equal parts of wood and stone, with a high ceiling. The walls are decorated with stone figurines of many figures, mostly cult-looking types and knights, and you see a lot of dragons and changelings. There are also portraits on the walls.

A few cat-sized spiders mill about, cleaning here and there. Among the spiders, there is a full-on pony drider. The upper half of a blue-coated mare sticks out of the body of a spider, like a centaur. She has a short black mane and large glasses and a modest teal poncho covering her upper body.

You also see Rus Tea, Amy and Flow and his goos by some couches and chairs.

>>29761213
>>29761208
You both notice another portal open, and this time, Observer and Wireframe enter.

>>29761197
"Such paranoia's likely for the best," River admits, slightly disappointed. Your frog hops off his lilypad and lands on your shoulder, then settles down and shuts his eyes.

>Paused