MLPFEMTORPG -- We in there

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>>30791596
Post sheets

>>30791610
https://pastebin.com/RaZG8KLM

>>30791610
https://pastebin.com/R0AXr1UU

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>>30791610
https://pastebin.com/p1dtY3qj

>>30791610

https://pastebin.com/2rYMqBF9

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>>30791610
https://pastebin.com/YJFusUgn

>>30791610
https://pastebin.com/6dTx6i08

>Shei 5/4
>Flow 11/3
>Observer 2/5
>All else at full H/W

https://arch.b4k.co/mlp/thread/30742814/#30744307

Last time on HQ...

Pryce and Flaming assisted with treating Volkama and River by washing the dust and feathers off of their bodies. But, the latter two were still in the slow process of transforming, meaning that their insides needed to be purged of that which they inhaled.

Shei and Amy found a whole lot more Shades inside of Mudi's cartoon world than there were the first time around. After borrowing some clothing, they astral projected back into the snowy world in order to return to the Birdcage and look for Vizsla.

Flow and Observer were unable to return to the Windhill due to unexpected interference in the power of the dark corridor. Instead, Observer and Yes Mare returned to their hideout to rest and recover after the relic-hunt. Flow went with Vortigern to retrieve their carriage and rumblers. Meanwhile, Malicey, her hunters and her other friend bid their farewells and departed.

>>30791717
"In a sense. Do you have a prayer in need of answer?" the dragon asks, curling up on a large cushion in the fashion of a cat.
"Who is this lord of yours? And are you really practicing a religion? It seems so... uh... what's the word?" Yes Mare asks.

>>30791618
Malicey pouts, but the hunters give you brotherly smiles and hoof-bumps before you depart. You have a feeling they'll be around.
Vortigern doesn't seem bothered by the goo. She places your hooves firmly on her shoulders. A good thing too: Her first leap into the sky is like that of a rocket, and you'd have flown off were it not for her grip. She's a stronger flier than any pegasus you've met.

>>30791625
>>30791614
River is inert and unresponsive, but Flaming forces open Volkama's throat and forces the herbs down with a bit of water. Suddenly, he sits up, face turning a tad green, and limps toward a corner of the room. In a few seconds, Flaming understands why, overcome with the need to throw up.

>>30791632
>>30791691
You leave the hoofsteps behind, but you realize that they too are heading toward the wind, slowly, patiently. As you advance, the landscape changes and grows colder, full of ice and sleet.

An apparition of a mare darts across the landscape, moving freely and swiftly among the snow. She runs with a limp and hops from cover to cover.

>>30791743
"No, nonono. River, please..."
Pryce mutters as River lies unresponsive. He hovers the herbs over her mouth, desperately hoping she'll wake up.
After a few agonizing seconds, feeling like an eternity of nothing, he pulls the herbs back. He lifts River up, holding her back as he pops the herbs in his mouth. Chewing them, he leans down, locking River's and his lips as he feeds her the cure for the glassification.

>>30791743
"I do not practice religion, I only call buiwong 'lord' by title, much like how a mercenary could call someone by lord even if they are simply hired by one. If anything I'm more of a leech who sucks out knowledge from Buiwong while exchanging help once and awhile." Observer explains himself to Yes Mare before turning to talk to the dragon.

"I do not need a prayer answered, however I am interested in finding a spell that may assist me in allowing my companion Caw to become... what's the word they call it... It allows mortals to bind a companion to them I believe." Observer says, pondering about the spells he once recalled awhile ago relating to companions.

>>30791743
Flow holds on to his hood as the pair fly off.
"Ay! I didn't expect flying of this calibur from you, to be honest, lass!"
He holds on much tighter to Vortigern's shoulder.

>>30791632
Flaming steps back very quickly as Volkama shoots up, a look of relief appearing shortly after on her muzzle as she looks at the pony apparently moving again. "Volkama! Oh, thank the spirits, a-are you alright?! I never imagined the herbs..."

She looks on in shock, however, as he moves over to a corner of the room and starts to wretch, spewing the contents of his stomach as she cringes and tries to close her eyes, looking away, "Ewwww, gross gross gross.... I-I REALLY hope it wasn't important for you to keep those down."

>>30791743
>>30791632
Shei-Sher can sense the hoofsteps following them, his attention turns to the apparition for a moment but then returns to the task hand. Shei-Sher continues flying against the direction of the wind to find its source.
"This place is full of peculiarities, we shant give in to distractions. Time is of the essence."

Shei-Sher focuses on sensing the thing approaching them to greater detail
[1d10+1] appraise following hoofsteps

>>30744494
[continuing convo from last thread]

>"I'm sorry she died. I promise that I won't die before you," she laugh
Shei-Sher smiles in response "Amy could I share a story with you? -from my childhood. Do remember I once said I had never celebrated my birthday?"

>>30791784
Mocha glances over as you start to pull River up. The herbs are exceptionally bitter, and holding them in your mouth without spitting is quite straining. "You know, we could probably wash them down with-- WOAH!"

Once the process is finished, River jolts awake with a sudden, awkward heaving of her chest. She shoves herself away from you, and hobbles outside. A few moments later, you hear a loud retching and coughing.

>>30791806
"A familiar?" the dragon asks. "Well, don't go up to the Lord and just ask for free powers. It don't work that way. But if one had an offering, perhaps that's another story. It's at the far end of the barracks, and down the last door on the left."

"That's good. I was wondering if you had turned into a complete failure in your short time here," Yes Mare scoffs.

>>30791823
You notice that her wings are much larger and fuller than those of most pegasi, suggesting that she's come from a frigid climate. Vortigern looks back and blinks with concern. It's soon apparent why, as the air around you drops to a sharp chill due to the altitude.

>>30791876
Pupil outlines the presence of the figure in the haze. It's Asa, one of the four demon hunters you met in the Birdcage. When you met her, her left forearm had recently been replaced with one of angel metal. But as she approaches through the haze, you hardly recognize her. Her face is half-broken as if it were made of porcelain, and cracks show along her body. Below the broken parts, a black cloud in the shape of a pony churns, and lines of indecipherable gold text run through it, much like Metatron's body. She has no eyes, but pits.

As you follow the wind, you see Vizsla, in her younger form, cowering in a dead-end of rubble and crumbled buildings, panting heavily as she looks all around her for an escape. But there is none. Asa slowly walks her way from behind, clenching her metal arm with a mindless, mute hunger.

>>30791846
You see that Volkama's body is still half-turned into glass, but the transformation has halted, leaving him partially immobile. "Yes, well... there are many herbs whose sole purpose is to excavate poisons and the like from inside. Now that I'm no longer turning into glass... I think I'm well now. How are you?"

He leans with his freakishly long, fleshy neck toward your forehead. "How long have you had those markings?"

>>30791944
Flow's movements start to become stiff.
"O-o-oi lass...I'm mostly m-made of water. Cold air n I...don't go well together. D-dya think you can fly a little l-lower?"

>>30791944
Observer nods to the dragon before trying to find his way to the barracks while he speaks to Yes Mare. "I'll take that as a compliment."

>>30791974
Flaming lashes her tongue out, shaking her head to try and get the picture of vomiting out of her head, "I guess but, still, EW! I thought it would work, well... more magically." She looks down at his half-glassed body, and frowns with worry. "You're not fixed yet though.... why is half of you still glass, I thought the herbs were supposed to work?"

As he extends his neck out towards her, she backs up in discomfort, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I-I just got them a few minutes ago. They're.... kind of a weird story. I-I'll tell you all about it after we get you fixed," she reaches up and rubs at her tattoos, still feeling the hefty weight that comes with Elder markings for a calf so young.

>>30791944
"I know her.." Shei-Sher thinks to himself as he tries to remember the name of the pony he first met in the Birdcage "Asa."
In the moment after finding Vizsla Shei-Sher's thoughts are drawn to the corrupt visage of Asa, if she's following them it could mean Vizsla's death.

>>30791944
>>30791632
Shei-Sher hugs Amy firmly "We can't let her find Vizsla. Shei-Sher, while holding Amy, dips down no longer following the wind's current. Shei flies in the direction of the apparition they saw before darting through the snow.

As an extra cautionary measure Shei-Sher prays for Vizsla and in his mind's eye shapes the wind into a guardian.

>A Vision of Thralls: Twice per combat; Instant; Summon either 1 monster from the “Medium” tier, or 2 from the “Small” tier of the Compendium of Monsters. If “I Dream of Monsters” has already been chosen, this skill’s rolls get +1. Grants one Pet Mastery point. All summoning weakens the Firmament.
[1d10+1] Wind Elemental

>>30791944
Pryce falls back on the floor as River shoves her way past and rushes outside.
"Thank goodness."
He sighs in relief.

With everypony else in the cabin looking better and having taken their remedy, Pryce pops the last few herbs in his mouth to cure himself.

>>30791944
>>30791876

"We found her..." Amy says, looking at Viszla. "Now what?"

>>30791932

"I do remember," Amy responds curiously. "I never got the whole birthday thing. It's just another day. Why spend it differently?"

>>30791993
Vortigern pats your forehead, and with no warning, dives toward the ground. She soon pulls into a gentle, sloping stop outside the bush where you left the Rumblers. The lizards are coaxed out of the bush, and Vortigern opens an extra-wide dark corridor to accommodate for the carriage.
Inside the hideout, you see the dragon and Yes Mare plop onto a couch, leaving the two golems to the side. Observer, meanwhile, is heading back to the barracks.

>>30792015
"They only purged the source, but they were not an antidote. I don't know if one will even exist!" Volkama says. "I don't know of any herb that can fix an affliction made by an angel."

>>30792039
As soon as you are able to choke them down, you too are overcome with the horrific and immediate need to vomit.

>>30792053
>>30792037
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3hyARHe1DE
As Shei conjures the wind elemental, Asa crouches and drops her jaw ravenously. Despite her malformed body, her legs bulge grotesquely, far beyond the limits of a normal pony, and she bounds toward Vizsla in an instant. The young Vizsla turns and shrieks, throwing up her hooves to cover herself. But it is no use, as the metal arm spikes its way through Vizsla's stomach as if it were mere paper.

>>30792013
Behind the door indicated by the Dragon, you find a small narrow hall, and beyond that, a claustrophobic room. Inside are many boxes piled high, and every inch of the floor, walls and ceiling are coated in many spiders. At the back of the room is a wooden sedan chair, with the sides open, but covered by regal purple curtains.

>>30792053
"I think her data has been stolen. Look at her." Shei-Sher remarks Vizsla's young appearance. " We can't approach her yet, I believe we're being followed."

>>30792053
[topic on birthdays is coming up. It's a longpost.]

>>30792126
>>30792133

As Amy sees the half-angel act, she begins to shiver with fear.

"Th-there's nothing we can do, Shei. We need to get out of here."

>>30792126
Flow shakes his head as he steps through Vorgitern's portal, and takes a deep breath once he's through.
"Where's everyone else?" he asks both the dragon and Yes Mare.
He takes a seat on the ground, and begins to take a few moments to reflect.

>>30792126
Flaming sighs, "I suppose it was too good to be true... but, at least we stopped it from spreading. We'll have to hope Shei-Sher was able to find Vizsla and Mirror Image, only an angel like her can fix this."

She looks down at herself, "I seem to have lucked out, I'm completely clean... good thing too because I am NOT eager to try any of those herbs. Blegh,"

>>30792126
>>30792039
As River runs outside and Pryce swallows his, she decides to go outside to check on the cybernetic pegasus. "River! How are you feeling....?" She asks as tough the answer weren't obvious.
She

>>30792126
Pryce holds a hoof to his stomach as the sickness wells up in him, having not assumed the herbs would react that way. He starts to go for the bucket of water Flaming brought back, but since they might still need that he goes for the door. He does not make it very far outside, with how much his body has been pushed he only makes few hoof steps before he stumbles, stops, and pukes.

>>30792126
"CURSES!" Shei-Sher cries out, before Shei can do anything rash, he stops himself and then remembers the icekey in their posession. He tosses it to Vizsla, the key landing in her lap.

He then removes himself from Amy "I'm sorry Amy."
He flies behind his wind elemental and clenches himself in a ball and opens up as Shei's arms writhe and claw as if they're trying to grab onto some kind of power. Shei-Sher attempts to amass his aura into something like a star, great enough to turn Asa's attention away from Vizsla.

>PHASE AURA: Your body sheds light in a small radius of 5 meters, in a color you choose when you learn this skill. All creatures in this range cannot turn invisible or become hidden, creatures already hidden or invisible are made clear, and incorporeal beings and lingering magical effects and wards manifest a visible shape. Effect persists roll minus five turns
[still not involved in combat]
[1d10+1]

As Shei does, his conviction summons his Pheonix unto the scene. Emerging from an inexplicable spark of fire.
>A Vision of Thralls:
[1d10+1] Pheo

1/2

>>30792126
Observer approaches the back of the room where the wooden chair is, inspecting the area around it for anything strange about it.

>Analyze
[1d10+1]
>Fourth Eye
[1d10]

>>30792157
"You give up too easily!" Shei-Sher barks at Amy "She can't die, even if she is immortal! How many chances will fall upon our lap? Surely they will be exhausted and then everyone perishes. Do you understand!"

>>30792126
Shei-Sher's wind elemental surrounds Asa with its body and begins levitating her away from Vizsla's vicinity.
[1d10]

>>30792263
>>30792126

Amy merely watches, huddled up in her cloak for now.

>preemptively stating that I'm protecting Shei with Pragma

>>30792157
>>30792234
>>30792263
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAxNOyV6db4
Without warning, or even a sound, a figure rushes in from behind, flying through you, which gives you a chill up your spine. It's Vizsla, only this one appears middle-aged. Her mane, tied in a ponytail, is a dirty, tattered mess, and her clothes are smeared with dirt.

"Yahahaha!" the older Vizsla cheers. With a wild look in her eye and a freakish smirk, she dives onto Asa from behind, with a knife of ice in one hoof. The younger Vizsla melts halfway then re-freezes into a block of ice, pinning Asa to the ground. In a single movement, the older Vizsla breaks Asa's other foreleg, then jams the knife into the gap between the metal arm and the shoulder, wrenching and stabbing over and over and over and over.

Asa doesn't make a single sound, though her back legs futilely kick and thrash at the air. The elemental is unable to move the pinned Asa.

>>30792263
Vizsla glances over at your wind elemental in surprise. "Muuuudiiiii, did you leave a creature out here? Tell him I'm damned busy here!"

>>30792188
"How did you escape unscathed?" Volkama asks incredulously. "All of us were right in there with the victims, and dust and feathers were flying everywhere!"

>>30792188
>>30792205
River wipes her mouth with a rag, then passes a clean one to Pryce. She sizes up her body-- almost totally burnt, half-cybernetic and a little more now turned into glass, including part of her left cheek and shoulder. "Every day, there's a little less of me to go around," she remarks with a laugh, though her eyes betray a certain gravity.

>>30792183
"I don't know, but they left in a hurry," the dragon says, gesturing at some overturned blankets and other things scattered on the floor. He picks up the small black bell from a nearby desk and rings it. It produces no sound. "Hmm... well, LJ should've heard that. He should open up a corridor for us if he's able to."

>>30792251
The sedan chair contains an imposing, massive presence, bearing the weight of thousands of souls... yet there is something hollow about its feeling. The spiders part for you, and you see that there is a small box atop a pillow in the middle of the chair. There is a slit in the box, but no other discerning markings.

>>30792317
Observer inspects the box further, interested in if this may be the "offering" the dragon mentioned earlier.

>Analyze
[1d10+1]
>Fourth Eye
[1d10]

>>30792317
"For now, I just need something to do. Now that the hunt's over, I need something else to do...did you catch any hint at what they were after?"
Flow takes out his stone and starts sharpening Schlangenschwert.

>>30792313
Flaming looks down at herself, looking almost guilty at the act of her having escape unscathed. "I was saved by the grace of Vir-can, god of the Buffalo. He intervened somehow and... made me his avatar, I think. His personal warrior in his fight against the demons and angels." She points at her new tattoos, "that's where I got these just now, too..."

As River makes her joke, Flaming gives a little laugh to try and lighten the situation. "It... looks kind of pretty, actually. And don't worry, THIS one will be temporary. Shei will find Mirror Image by the time we get back to the air-ship, and she'll fix everyone right up."

>>30792313
Shei-Sher stops his writhing once he sees the real Vizsla come to the rescue. All of Shei-Sher's concern melts away into a relieved but dumb feeling emotion.

>>30792302
He looks to Amy "uheheh" Shei chuckles embarassed " It seems like Asa's in good hooves. Sorry for snapping at you like I did. There is a lot at stake after all. We can't afford many more mis-steps afterall."

>>30792313
Shei-Sher hovers over to the younger Vizsla and takes the icekey, he threw, from her lap.
Shei-Sher drags it along the sand or dust or dirt to draw a message to the younger Vizsla "Well that was anti-climatic. This is Shei-Sher and Amy. We are looking for Mirror Image."

Shei's wind elemental helps with suppressing Asa, incase it's needed
[1d10]

>>30792313
"As long as you're still here and kicking, everything's perfect."
Pryce responds to River in a exhausted wheeze after emptying his stomach.

As she offers the rag, Pryce takes it in his magic, wiping his mouth clean. Looking down at himself, he folds the rag in half to use the clean side to begin wiping the ash from his body finally after seeing the mess he is now that things are calmed.

>>30792313

Amy's ears perk up at the mention of Mudi. She looks around to see if she can see any sign of her. [1d10]

>>30792377

"That wasn't really a snap," Amy objects. "You were right."

>>30792334
On the contrary, this seems to be where the offerings are going. Though the box is only two inches tall, there are thousands upon thousands of slips of parchment contained within, obviously far beyond what the box should be able to hold. A spider emerges from the crowd, and lays a blank bit of parchment and a quill pen atop it.

>>30792340
The Dragon snorts. "I'm not LJ's keeper. But, I think they said something about dealing with Banana Splitz. But, that shouldn't have required all of them to leave, especially the children. This seems sudden, unexpected. Maybe they ran off to go chase something? Or, the situation at the Windhill is worse than expected."

"I understand the feeling," Yes Mare says, "but in your condition, going out instead of resting is a poor choice. You might lose the strength you gained from that fight."

"Could just go out for a walk?" the Dragon suggests.

Vortigern heads into the kitchen.

>>30792349
Volkama sneers dismissively. "A god aiding the needy? Hmm. Ask him if he does requests."

With that, Volkama spits and heads toward the other main hall where the survivors and first-responders have holed up.

>>30792379
>>30792349
River pauses, staring at the two of you awkwardly. "Flaming, did... did Pryce, uh... did you happen to see how...?"

>>30792377
>>30792381
Mudi is nowhere to be seen.

In a frenzy, Vizsla continues to stab and stab at the shoulder, until the metal limb breaks clean off, leaving only the stump of a joint behind. The elemental keeps Asa pinned as her body twitches frantically. Vizsla hops off, panting and laughing with her new trophy, before glancing down at the message. Her face turns pale with fury, before she looks back up and glances around.

"Get. Out!" Vizsla growls through gritted teeth. "I gave you a simple order and you can't even handle that. I am NOT done here. Not even close. Mudi-- she's out collecting Shades. Don't bother her. As for that damn angel Flaming was fawning over, Mirror Image-- she's in Metatron's grasp. So, like I said: Get. Out."

As Asa continues to writhe, Vizsla presses her hoof on the back of her head, and slowly grinds her face into the ground.

>>30792445
Observer taps his chin with his hoof as he ponders what to write, deciding to write using voidling symbols that translate into words relating similarly to what Observer mentioned he would request earlier about knowledge relating to the familiar spell. He wonders to himself if Buiwong might see this and catch enough interest from him.

>>30792445
"I don't have time to rest. Not while there's demons to kill."
He gets up and checks on his bounties as he wanders to the kitchen as well.
"The world's full of em now, and I gotta get busy building a reputation as the best damn hunter around," he grins, "And that means I have to kill a lotta demons these next few days."

>>30792445
Flaming snickers, "Well, I could try and ask but, given you're no buffalo, I don't know if he'll be as obliging." She turns her head, "You know, I dont think I ever asked... who do you pray to?"

>>30792445
"Oh, how he got you to swallow the herbs? Yeah I saw it while I was trying to feed Volkama his," she says non-chalantly, "You weren't moving at ALL so, Pryce chewed up the herbs himself in his mouth, and pressed his muzzle to yours to get you take them. A little weird but it seemed to work very well." Flaming answers completely innocently, having been fairly unfamiliar with the concept of 'kissing' until Amy explained it recently.

>>30792459
>>30792377

"SHE'S COLLECTING SHADES!?" Amy explodes, forgetting that Viszla can't hear them. Her body immediately turns pitch black. If Shei is anywhere near her, he can feel a blast of heat radiate from her body.

"I told her not to do that! She said I could trust her," Amy snarls. Her snout takes on canine features. "She LIED to me!" she roars, another voice shouting over her own. Her tattoos glow bright.

She begins to groan in a combination of anger and pain. "After I argued so much for her... After we planned so much..."

"I'm going to kill her," she says in a suddenly manically happy tone, an equally disturbing smile on her face. "And then I'm going to eat her. She'll be delicious, just like her STUPID SISTER," she laughs. "Hehehe, maybe I'll even start eating her while she's still alive. Fresh meat..."

>>30792445
Pryce balls up the rag, levitating it to the pile of clothes and the rags they already used to keep the ash and dust contained in one spot.

"Hmm? See what?"
Pryce questions.

>>30792459
Shei-Sher pouts, not accepting Vizsla's answer. He writes another message into the ground with the key "Can't do that. Our friend's are dieing. GLASS. We need Mirror Image. Point towards Metatron's direction."

>>30792522
"AMY STOP!" Shei-Sher yells out "You're scaring me. Please.. I understand your frustration but we can't do anything about this now." He looks up to you from his crouched down position on the ground beside his message in the dirt. He looks sincerely spooked by your outburst.

>>30792573

Amy's face twitches as she continues to try to breathe. The heat subsides and her coat dulls down to a lighter grey. Her snout returns to normal, and her tattoos dim. She looks at Shei with a grim expression.

"Tell her the deal is off," she says in a flat tone.

>>30792475
Nothing happens afterward. Ol' Boney clicks his teeth in the bag. "Tis a bit uncouth to ask for something from a god which you can acquire from your own efforts with the resources at your disposal."

>>30792519
Volkama doesn't respond.

>>30792522
Vizsla backs away a tad, apparently feeling the heat herself, but soon smirks in response. "I really felt that one! Magatsuhi and regular powerful emotion. That's definitely from Amy's soul. Have I struck a nerve? What was it? The part about Mirror Image? The demand that you act without me babysitting you? Or... Ohhohoho. Was it about the Shades? Yes, yes, Mudi told me the whole deal after you left. Am I right? Well, it'd be an awful shame if someone found her in the embassy right now, south of the lake. An AWFUL shame. Especially as wounded as she is, too."

>>30792539
"Find him yourself. It's not hard. Can you handle that or do you still need someone to hold your damn hoof?"

>>30792527
>>30792519
River taps her hoof-tips together. Well, as well as she can with one forehoof half-paralyzed by glass. "Ah. I see. Well, for a moment I was having a bit of a hallucination beneath the sound of bells and I was wondering which parts were the fantasy and which were the-- I mean, uh... I'm rambling again, aren't I? I ramble a lot when I'm in a bind and I think I'm going to lie down now."

She quickly heads back into the house.

>>30792503
One particular bounty catches your eye. The name is the Hooded Rider, depicted as a thin, cloaked figure atop a beastial horse, its body marked with occultic writings.

"Well, at least let us serve you dinner. You can leave when you've gotten your vitality back!" the Dragon insists.

>>30792638
>>30792573

"Tell her, she can go ahead and kill us both, Shei," Amy barks. "I'd rather die than help a lying soul sucker."

With that, Amy turns and leaves the way she came to return to her body.

>>30792638
"Buiwong once told me he was interested in hearing my tales, this way the next time I rest he will know to expect me." Observer says. "I'm more interested in talking about magic about this world in general, not just for this specific spell... However I did not want to ask for something so broad until we met again, he may be interested in the book I found recently as well." Observer says, before heading back out to meet up with the dragon again. "I'm sure a mix of my own studies and some knowledge from Buiwong will benefit me in the long run."

>>30792638
Flow squints at the bounty, and checks the reward.
"Oi. Anything you can tell me about this bloke ere'?"
He hands the poster to the dragon, and makes for the kitchen once more.
"Well, if I'm going up against a pretty powerful demon, I suppose some dinner would help...but just a forewarning, I don't eat a lot. I drink heavily."

>>30792638
Shei-Sher sighs exasperated with Vizsla's oddly aggrivated tone. He drags the key along the dirt again "It would be nice." He writes and then writes under it "Okay. Thank you for the Key Vizsla. May Y'dryth be with you in taming this storm."

As Vizsla makes an effort to ridicule Amy Shei-Sher speedily erases his first message in the dirt by dragging the key along the ground's side and then dragging it out again. "Vizsla would you please stop with the agitation. Amy is not like us. She's very sensitive. You may toy with me as you like and I shall remain able to forgive but Amy may actually throw her life away for a grudge."

>>30792607
"I am not telling her that because that would make everything we're doing more difficult." Shei-Sher says sternly.

>>30792656
"No Amy, I can't- Amy?" Shei notices her leaving, he hovers over to her with great haste and grabs Amy by the arm. "Would you please! Just listen to me. For a minute. Please Amy! Our friends are dieing."

>>30792638
As Volkama walks towards where the survivors gather, she tries calling out to him, "Helloooo? Volkama?" To get him to answer her question, but when she is ignored, she flattens her ears, "Hmm. I'll join him in a minute..." she says to herself as she moves to focus on River.

As River talks about he hallucinations and fantasies, she raises her ears and follows her, "Huh? What kind of fantasies, did your gods visit in you in your dreams too or....?" She asks before she moves to lie down, looking very curious as to what it is could be bothering her. "Huh... well, at least you're better now, but ramble all you like if it makes you feel better. I'll leave Pryce and Mocha here with you while I check up on what Volkama's doing, will you be okay for a bit?" She asks out of concern for the mare's health and state of mind.

>>30792698

Amy stops and turns around furiously. "What we're DOING now is heading to Fantasia to build up a defense against the army that is coming for them. I am NOT letting a liar control ANYONE."

"Now, unless there is a friend here that needs helping, then staying here won't help our dying friends," she says as she turns around to leave again.

>>30792638
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Pryce asks as he stands up.

"We probably all should take it easy, especially with what those herbs did. Just glad nothing's getting worse."
Pryce agrees, heading back inside.

>>30792656
You return to your own body. You hear a loud commotion coming from the street. It's the sound of many voices talking, overlapping. One of the nearby shades, a colt wearing a funny hat, stoops and offers you a hoof up.

>>30792683
"Is rum okay?" the Dragon asks. He shrugs at the poster. The reward is for 10,000 Bits.

Yes Mare scowls at the poster. "He is no fun. I tried to fight him myself, but he would not battle me. He's one of the few demons that has been around since before the Firmament. He is blamed for disaster, misfortune, plagues, revolutions... but he's a fraud hiding behind a legend."

>>30792698
"I've been fighting damn hard all day with Metatron. Well, mostly fleeing. Forgive me if I'm a bit short on patience and free handouts."

>>30792680
"Noted," Ol' Boney says, before settling down cozily inside the bag again.

You return to the main room, where Flow, YM and the Dragon sit. The smells of cooking food starts to come from the kitchen.

>>30792700
>>30792724
River seems to be keeping her distance from Pryce, eyeing him cautiously. "I don't know... all I remember were maelstroms of lights and... this bizarre need - no, an obsession - to go outside and look at the sky. And the bells-- oh! Yes, there were plenty of bells, and I recall that they played the same song that I heard yesterday. It was a horrible chant that came from the Birdcage. It was when we were caught in the crossfire when the angels started attacking demons in the Velvet Vimana. Volkama was torn to bits from protecting us. It was the song that Miracle was singing, I'm sure of it."

>>30792712
"We need to rescue Mirror Image. We have naught a clue how to cure our comrades of the glass. Our only hope is Mirror. And we need to find her before Metatron leaves."

>>30792751
"That'll do, just not too much. We goos ain't typically good with alcohol."
Flow hums to himself as he listens to Yes Mare's description.
"Any idea where the bloke could be hiding? If'n he's nothing more than a mere fraud, then he should be easy to bag, no?"

>>30792751
Pryce takes a seat wherever available in the room.
"It sounds like that dust tries to make ponies stay out where more of it can infect them..." Pryce comments to River's descriptions of her delusions, "Horrible. They just toss it down and everything just gets drawn out if no one stops them."

Pryce thinks for a moment.
"Odd though, I haven't heard anything, or felt any compulsions. And I was out there in it too."

>>30792700
"Did you hear or see anything Flaming? You collapsed in that tunnel and looked far worse back there."

>>30792751
Observer sits near Yes Mare, deciding to study the magic book he found earlier for his future meeting with Buiwong. If anything he may find something useful for dealing with the witches as well.

>Analyze: Studying the book
[1d10+1]

>>30792751
>>30792757

"Fine," Amy groans, turning back to follow Shei. "But, what can we possibly do to save her? The longer we take, the more likely we'll all just get sick and die."

>>30792751
Flaming looks at the odd distance she keeps between herself and Pryce, but pays attention to her analysis as she looks on with concern.

"I was right up there in the Birdcage yesterday, I think I know what sort of song you're talking about.... I suppose that would make sense, being infected by the curse of an Angel to hear it, right?"

As she thinks on it some more, she turns out the door, "Keep thinking on it, I'll be right back. I just want to see what Volkama's up to. Now that we got everyone through the Dark Corridor, we should probably head back to the air-ship and help Shei find Mirror Image. I'm worried about Little Journey and Tantra too..."

>>30792792
"I felt a terrible weight all over my neck at first, but then," she shakes her head, "I'm not quite sure when it happened but, then I heard Vir-can's voice. The god of the buffalo was reaching out to me to help me raise above the curse of the fog. I didn't hear anything like, bells when I fought Miracle. Just Vir-can when he cured me of my affliction and gave me," she points up to her tattoos, "These as his newly appointed Arrow."

>>30792800
"I am not very sure.. Metatron is distracted with Vizsla at the moment. And If we wait too long he may erase Mirror's memory.. I don't want to do this but.. I think I may have to summon the Phomesa. It will require a trip to see Sabuul. Will you come with me?"

>>30792845

"That sounds like a lot of time..." Amy says, worry growing in her voice.

>>30792878
"There isn't very many options available.. It won't be very long. We can visit her from here. If Sabuul wishes to see us. She will take us." Shei-Sher holds his hoof out to Amy "Just take me hoof."

>>30792898

Amy takes Shei's hoof. Her body is still grey and warm.

>>30792792
"You probably held your breath longer than I did. And besides, I saw some of the feathers when I vomited just now. That was probably why my symptoms were more pronounced than yours."

>>30792817
You find Volkama sitting against the outer wall of another nearby house, leaning down in exhaustion. He's sizing up his mutated, scarred and now partially-transfigured body with weariness and disgust.

>>30792782
>>30792793
Vortigern sets out some drinks: Tea, water, and a few pitchers of alcohol.

"I've met him a few times," Yes Mare explains. "He doesn't stay in any one place for long. I've last seen him on the coast to the west of here, but depending on where he's gone now, that could be a journey of weeks, or months. Assuming he'll even agree to fight you when you find him, anyway."

>>30792793
The book is still heavily guarded with encrypting spells, rendering each page a bit of a mess. It seems that the spell is concentrated in three "knots" of magical energy on the front, back and in the middle.

>>30792921
>>30792922
"Okay. Go to sleep." Shei-Sher leans his forehead against Amy's and prays to meet with Sabuul as he drifts to sleep along with Amy.
[1d10+1] Astral projection to meet with Sabuul. Hope it works like this

>>30792817
"You... you got cured? But you have all those markings over you."

>>30792922
"I did jump down after you did too... Guess my magic didn't help all that much."
Pryce mutters in response.

"I'm sorry, that you took the brunt of all this. Especially because I was being so stubborn."
He apologizes after a pause.
"I didn't want any of you to get hurt from all this, but I just ended up pushing you out there."

>>30792973
>>30792921
Around you, the scene melts away and twists, dancing in a mass of colors and lights, being brushed through the air like sand in a breeze. The scene settles again; you are atop a hill at dusk, before a burnt-out campfire and some cots inside a tent. The sky is awash with brilliantly gleaming stars.

>>30792922
Observer investigates the magical "knots" further to find out how to possibly unlock them. Best to try unlocking it without immediately dispelling the magic around them.

>Engineering: Figure out magic locks(?)
[1d10+2]
>Fourth Eye
[1d10]

>>30793004
>>30792973

Amy looks around with amazement, her color slowly returning to normal. "This place is beautiful..." she marvels.

>>30792987
She nods her head, "Yep. The whole vision is a little hard to explain but," she chuckles, "I sort of... jumped into the Sleeping Dragon... that volcano, I told you about? And after the lava burned me away, I woke up."

As he comments on the markings, she raises her hoof up to them. "They were a gift, from Vir-can. In exchange for saving my life, he wanted me to be come his Arrow. His personal warrior to stand up against demon, angels, mortals, and gods alike for our people." She sighs, sounding fairly depressed. "They're.... Elder markings. The highest respect one of my clan can possibly achieve."

>>30792922
AS she approaches Volkama, she does so slowly, not wishing to startle him with her presence. As he overlooks his transfigured body, she lowers her head. "I'm sorry." She says simply, "I am very grateful for the help but... this probably wouldn't have happened to you if I hadn't been so insistent." She smiles, "For what it's worth? Scars are always a deep sign of honor for my clan."

>>30792922
Flow drinks some tea for the sugar, a little rum to let loose, and water to quench his thirst.
He lets out a contented sigh after drinking water.
"Ahhh...So, he's a wandering demon who won't always accept a challenge from those who offer...seems like he has quite an ego on him. Any ideas?"
He uses the Inheritance to bring out his main thinker, and muscle.

>>30793004
>>30792921
Shei-Sher takes Amy's hoof in his hoof. "We're in the presence of Sabuul. Be respectful." He whispers. Shei-Sher walks over to the campfire and sits before it. his head turned up to the night sky.

"My first and most beloved god. Lady Sabuul, deign my presence with forgiveness. This child is wayward and lost. I come asking for your assistance in the trials I face mending the bond between mortalkind and the Angels that govern us. Please, I beseech you. Lend me Phomesa's grace another time. Everyone I love is at their peril."

>>30793093

Amy simply raises an eyebrow and watches with fascination.

>>30793073
"You jumped into a volcano? Even in a dream that sounds reckless. ...I'm sorta glad I didn't pass out as well, I don't want to think what I would've seen."

"So they're a blessing from your god? I suppose I should give you congratulations, but I'll warn you to be wary."

>>30792987
"I don't think it was a problem with your magic," River says. "I had attempted to enact some warding charms and spells of my own, but the particles simply burnt through it. That stuff is antithetical to everything it touches."

She nods after the apology. "Protecting your friends and comrades is nothing to be sorry over. But nonetheless, I appreciate your meaning."

>>30793016
The locks appear to be a rushed job, probably put in place at the last second before Vortigern and the Dragon killed Calque. Trying to remove them with an ordinary spell would damage the book, but it's possible that removing them with a written ritual would dispel them and leave the book intact.

>>30793073
Volkama displays his forehooves to you; one is completely turned to glass (as is much of his chest), and the other is mangled, sinewy and blackened, absent of hair, due to his demonic transformation. "Look at this. Look at this." He pauses, glancing over himself as if seeing it for the first time. For the first time, you see real fear creeping over his face. "What's the honor in torture?"

>>30793081
"Well, when I first encountered him, I had no capacity for analyzing emotion. But still, I'm not sure if it was pride. Something a little more... well, I don't know the word for it. But, he did say he was an assassin. Perhaps he could be lured in the by prospect of a job."

>>30793093
>>30793114
Without sound, but a gentle presence as vast as the sky, an old mare begins to speak. "Yes, yes. No time for prayer. You're in a bit of a hurry, I can tell. Take it, and we'll hash out the details and offerings later."

With a clatter of hollow wood pieces, the Phomesa appears on the other side of the campfire. It is a regal marionette deer with lanterns hanging from a broad set of horns on her head, and a shawl of moss. It waves a hello to you two.

>>30793163
Flow grins.
"A 10,000 bit assassin who'll only take high-profile jobs... I'm assuming, of course."
>"Perhaps forging a bounty on yourself?"
>>"Aye, but 400 bits isn't worth jack, laddie. C'nsidering this bloke is worth 10,000 of them..."

Flow starts looking for some orange bordered bounties he has.
"Perhaps, we might have some bait right here in my coat pocket."
>"But we really don't know what his intentions are in the first place..."
>>"Ain't no problem with wingin it, laddie!"

>>30793163
Shei-Sher starstruck by the casualness of Sabuul. This is his first time, other than seeing her in his dreams, he's actually visited. "i -uuh erm -th-th-thank you!" Shei-Sher quickly puts his hooves to the ground in prostration.

At the sound of wood clattering Shei-Sher rises and sees the Phomesa arrive, chirper as ever. "Phomesa!" Shei-Sher exclaims with gaiety as he runs up to the deer to give him a hug.

Shei looks to the sky again "We will be leaving now. I am forever more within your debt."

>>30793163
>>30793114
"Well I suppose we are done here." Shei-Sher leads the Phomesa with him and Amy as they walk toward the horizon.
>waking up now in astral form

>>30793138
She chuckles, "Well..." she blushes, "It was sort of a choice between jumping into a volcano or turning into glass. Normally I would NOT opt for that choice, that's a little crazy even for me."

As he congratulates her, she gives a flat, "Thank you..." as she reaches up and rubs at them again. "No need to tell me. I'm... it's nothing important but, I will just say these weigh a lot more than you might think."

>>30793163
She takes a look over the tortured and disfigured hooves, guilt creeping up her spine as she looks at the sheer discomfort etched across his muzzle. The buffalo moves up closer, lightly reaching for the paralyzed glass hoof, "If it makes you feel any better, I KNOW we can get this fixed."

She looks away, "It doesn't have to be seen as torture, though. You should take them of signs of having faced the odds and lived to tell the tales. Of valor, and of strength... they're badges of your past battles."

>>30793163
>>30793248

"Oh..." Amy says, surprised at how easy and fast that was. "Thanks lady!" she says, waving up to the sky.

She then wakes up with Shei. "What next?" she asks, as she opens her eyes.

>>30793259
"I can imagine," Pryce comments, glancing back at his wings, "Just, try to keep in mind if what your god asks you is really the best."

>>30793163
"We got off easy then with just turning to glass if it cut through all our magic like it was nothing."
Pryce comments, trying to look at an upside.

"I know. Feels like I'll I've been doing lately is being sorry or feeling sorry. I just... I can't lose you, any of you. And I feel more and more powerless every time something happens."

>>30793277
"Well. Now we find Meta-tron"

>>30793302

Amy takes a deep breath. "Whatever we just got better be good..." she says softly.

>>30793163
Observer continues to research the spells on the book further, attempting to find out even the smallest details about them.

>Fourth Eye: Study magic more deeply.
[1d10]

>>30793295
She nods her head, "I will. I think Vir-can mostly expects me to make my own decisions so long as they're in the good of the clans. At the least, he is no angel and no demon."

"I'm surprised he could reach out to me. I've heard back in Fantasia he's a prisoner of the Colosseum, and the last time I was able to reach out to him I had to use my conch"

>>30793316
"Well when you and Amy, flow and Observer were trapped in the Hypnagogium nightmare, during our trip to Circadia, it was the Phomesa that helped me find you all. He's a vanquisher of nightmares. So perhaps the same concept can be applied to rescuing Mirror."

>>30793340
"That sounds good at least."
Pryce responds to the hooves-off attitude Flaming explains.
"He's a prisoner? I hope he doesn't expect you to go and break him free."

>>30793239
The only orange bounties, the few that there are, are listed as being near locations that are months, if not years of travel away from here.

"Well, didn't that one Ecclesian griffon say something about taking your bounty away for your good deeds?" the Dragon asks.

>>30793248
>>30793277
"I'm still quite grateful for your involvement in that recent Circadia business, so I know you're both a couple of good kids. Now go, don't waste any more time!"

>>30793259
Volkama grimaces and clenches and raises his hoof. For a brief second, your heart clenches with a sense of looming danger. A terrible aura surrounds Volkama, one full of anger and confusion. Volkama glances at his raised hoof in surprise, then lowers it. "Marks of honor or not, they're still on a body that is not my own. One that's still consumed daily by demonic tendencies and hungers."

He gulps. "Sorry... I really wasn't about to hit you. I don't know why I did that."

>>30793295
"So do I," River says. "So do I." After a small pause, she stands, leaning on a table. "But we don't have to feel totally powerless. There are still ponies and some demons that need help over in that other building. And we owe that blue-robed pony our help. Come on. We can handle this."

>>30793334
It seems like there are quite a few spells from a number of disciplines here; Vitae, Divination, Elemancy... the list goes on. But you can't pry any deeper than that with the locks in place.

>Paused

>>30793369
She shakes her head, "I would love to try, believe me, but, we have our hooves full as it is. And I know next to nothing about this Colosseum. I think that's one of the reasons he did choose me to be his warrior, was so that I could act in his absence for the good of the world. It's.... really an honor. Too much of an honor." She says with a really nervous undertone to her voice.

>>30793389
"Well, he made a good choice. I can't think of a better pony to pick to help fix this world"

>>30793504
She lowers her ears, "Buffalo, you mean." she looks up at him with a glitz in her eyes, "Do you really think I can do it? I'm...." she sighs, "I'm not exactly the 'buffest' buffalo around, if you know what I mean."

>>30793574
"Oh, right. Force of speech," Pryce apologizes, "You jumped out to help those ponies from the dust, and you jumped into a volcano. You're not afraid of the dangers and you'll run in to help, I think you'll do amazing."

>>30793596
Flaming blushes, her ears flattening as she smiles no so secretively. "I guess I did, heh... almost died both times too, but, I guess Vir-can must have thought the same thing or he wouldn't have jumped in." She perks her ears up a little bit, "Thank you, Pryce. I promise I'll do my best to me worthy of the marks."