The Baltimare group proceeds in their task of investigating a strange group of creatures, mostly Griffins, who seem to be involved in creature smuggling. Up on the Boulderfield,-Whinnysota line, the northern group settles in for a cold night along with their new friends and prisoners.
Soon to welcome our Swedish player and his character
1860 replies and 124 files omitted.
>>116787Midnight flinches at the sudden change in attitude.
>>116787>>116788Iron shrugs at Mala's demand, not really caring or having a say on this, before turning to the far away mares he believes he has a sway in the common interest of beating the griffons up.
"Khoi, Jubilosa. Form up near me. Cover the sides, I will go at the front." He turns to Sands, his blush and smile replaced with determination. "Sands, Cover the rear."
>>116788>>116789>>116790He inhales and exhales a tense breath
“I need to be sure... and I need something more... I think I will need protection from...” he pauses not as his normal way of trailing off, but again because he seems to need the time to think of a word. “Protection from retaliation. From them. And I need to not go to jail...”
Now he trails off again
Blue Skies shrugs back to Dark Star
>>116791Khoi and Jubiloda are more shocked at the situation. Only Sands can say
“I’ll cover your rear”
>>116792"We can do that, one way or other. Do not worry."
>>116792"I promise you will be fine if you help us mala, even if i have to protect you myself."
>>116793>>116794He can only nod, breathing heavily from nervousness
>>116793>>116791>>116790>>116790>>116789At this point, Sands, looking over, starts to as well
“And I also want immunity”
Her eyes dart around
>>116796She backs down, awkwardly
>>116797"Well, if that all is taken care of...shall we continue? Mala, if you know where to go, could you please serve as our guide?"
>>116798>>116794>>116791>>116790Mala takes another breath, and holds up the keys
“Unless you wanted to check the garbage chute... the stairs are over there”
\r
>>116800He nods. "Okay. Garbage chute, then stairs."
>>116801>>116802“Okay...”
He swallows, looks through the key ring, finds a key, places it in his mouth, unlocks a padlock, then opens the chute
>>116803Silver looks inside the chute, using his flashlight if it's too dark.
>>116792>>116795>>116800Iron processes this whole ordeal, overall being confused at most of the things mentioned, but decides not to question it out loud and instead mull it over to himself.
He gestures Khoi and Jubilosa to follow, obviously wanting to have a reliable formation to increase their odds of success, and moving into the garbage chute mentioned and points his flashlight at it.
>>116803Dark Star readys his duel revolvers
>>116806>>116804>>116805When Silver sticks his head into the chute, he is assaulted with a bad smell. It's hardly as bad as it could be, nor is is it unexpected for a supposed disposal of trash. It's what he sees next that is unexpected
Bones. Piles and Piles of Bones. They are all together in a room maybe 10 feet by 12 feet and of an unknown depth. All belonging to an unknown number of creatures, but surely the bones of several dozen are represented in this topmost, visible layer. Skulls of Equine creatures, probably ponies or Zebras. At minimum two seem to have the bases of sawed off horns, and another has a thicker sawed off horn. A kirin maybe? Another has two sawed off horns to each side, as does another larger skull. Several have birdlike beaks. Humerus bones, ribs, femurs, spatula bones, tarsus bones, cervical vertibrea. The remnants of hooves, paws, and wings, both avian and bat-like.
At least half of the bones are charred or partly destroyed by fire, and indeed many are unrecognizable because of it. But there are so many that
are recognizable.
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>>116807Looking down with Silver, his interest with exploring this watery graveyard dissipates almost immediately.
"I am pretty sure we should not go down there unless we are planning on escaping now, and even then it should be an emergency situation."
>>116807"...What the fuck have they been doing here?" He motions for Blue to come over and look. "What the fuck...
>>116809Skies comes over and looks.
She instantly regrets it, moving off
"What the fuck"
>>116811"I know! Sweet Celestia, government is going to have field day with this." He looks some more. "So, presense of kirin and griffon-or hippogriff-skeletons means this likely started after Stormfeather Maakie took over. And couple of horned skulls are missing their horns...think they sold those on black market, like what you saw in Zaphzia?"
>>116811Dark Star snaps out of his semi daze
He snaps a few pictures from a few different angles.
>>116812“Hellsword basin... yes...”
>>116808>>116809>>116810>>116812Mala is sitting down, looking away, and staring far off into the distance. He did not look inside.
“The most recent one in there must be two years old. That’s from before they found out that gnolls can digest bone...”
\r
>>116814Silver suddenly understands why Mala wanted immunity so badly. "...Not going to lie, that is fucked. You are still going to get immunity after this, but...that is
fucked."
>>116814Iron now understands why Mala asked for that immunity thing as his face contorts in disgust.
"At least this will make it easier to convince the authorities to stop this nonsense."
He glances towards Sands
(Now why would she want this immunity thing, too?)
>>116816"Nevermind authorities: even if I have to do it myself, this ends
tonight.
>>116818"That makes 2 of us."
Dark Star has a look of determination on his face as he stares down into the pit.
>>116818Iron nods, still with the determination to right the griffons' wrongs of taking advantage of ponies then dumping them as garbage.
>>116816Sands, like most of the creatures in the room, did not stick her head in the chute. But she had heard the others talking. It’s enough to leave her face in an expression of twisted and silenced horror
>>116815>>116817Mala’s head hangs low. It’s a look of shame, and one he’s worn in most of the short time they’ve known him.
>>116820The total number of bodies there is hard to measure. It looks like a few dozen, but who knows how deep it goes. There could be many more. Many of the bones are burnt. Clearly, they tried to cremate rather than bury the bodies first.
>>116822Iron, obviously worried about Sands and the other mares, walks back to the unicorn and wraps a foreleg around her, lightly squeezing her in an attempt to comfort her.
>>116790>>116820>>116821>>116822"So, how about it, my friends?" Silver draws his greatsword, holding it in a ready position. "Who wants to help me on this mission? Who wants to rain down punishment on this entire organization like this world has never witnessed before? Who wants to show Stormfeather Maakie what his Gods' Judgement really look like?"
>>116823She’s still a little bit more than disturbed, though somehow less surprised than Khoi, who looks almost ill.
Sands is hugged
>>116824Mala is pet. His fur is surprisingly soft, being short and mostly standing upright.
>>116825>>116824When they first met Mala, he was eating something. Something that left his mouth bloody, and which he hid behind a counter. He physically blocked Silver and Dark Star from entering deeper into the room after that point.
>>116825Mostly, there is silent nodding. Not quite yet an outburst of anger
>>116825"I Don't know about all that Divine judgement stuff, but im ready to fry some birds. maybe we can take maakie alive stuff him in this furnace."
>>116826Oh, Silver already put two-and-two together on that one.
>>116827"Oh, I have something
special in mind for Maakie that will really make clear gravity of this situation."
>>116826Iron whispers to her ear.
"Do not worry. We will make sure these scum will never try this again. Together."
He smiles, before turning his head to the other two mares with a serious, determined look.
"Khoi! Jubilosa! Let us rise up against these abominations that dare toy with the lives of ponies! We will cut their monstrous claws off of them and send them to the depths of fire!"
>>116825Iron stands up, determined.
"I am. We will break their beaks and cut their claws against these monsters in griffon's skin and feathers."
>>116828Dark Star has an almost gleeful smile on his face
"what did you have in mind?"
>>116830"Oh, you will see. I want to keep it surprise for now."
>>116829>>116828>>116830At this point, Khoi Lua literally explodes into magenta flames, her body now black as coal. She screams in anguish
”RAHHHHHH!”Jubliosa is taken aback and moves back, and Sands moves back a step in shock. It is Loputu who reacts the most strongly, turning away and running back several feet, before again facing her. Mala also moves back and tries to hide behind Dark Star out of line of sight
>>116832"Yes Cleanse this place with your flames! but only after we save all of the innocents in here."
>>116832Silver is about the opposite of surprise: he's rather elated to see the nirik come out. "
That is what I am talking about. Want to go hunt some griffins, Khoi?"
>>116832Iron, having experienced the whole Nirik transformation, obviously walks towards her, stopping at around 5 meters.
"Now that is the fighting spirit to demolish the enemy!"
>>116833He glances at Star, shaken out of his frenzy.
"Right."
>>116833>>116834>>116835It’s fortunate the walls and ceiling are made of stone, mortar, and brick, and not wood or anything flammable
”Bằng ánh sáng của sự hài hòa, tôi sẽ thấy rằng những con quái vật này bị đốt cháy!” >>116836Silver might not understand a word of that, but he gets the drift. He looks over to Mala. "Mala, if you would please, lead us to some griffons to punish, or prisoners to free."
>>116836Iron can't help but watch in awe the fiery passion Khoi unleashed, like a moth to a flame.
However, he knew that she had to be able to be stealthy for now.
"Khoi, listen to me. First we have to release the others before we commence our purging, and we do not want to scare them into a quivering mess."
He points at Loputu, who ran away the moment she caught herself on fire.
"I ask for the sake of the prisoners to settle down. You will get your chance to end the lives of these horrendous ponies soon enough."
Hooves crossed hoping this works. >>116837He blinks
“There are probably some prisoners upstairs, and maybe some in the workshop... Griffins, I think some may be in the dormitory, but I think they will be congregating at the top of the middle building...”
>>116838She sighs, and the flame slowly lessens
>>116839Iron nods.
"You will get your chance soon enough."
He places a hoof on her shoulder.
"Do not worry. You will give them their punishment soon enough."