Caravan Guard CYOA #4.5

Trail Leader

>You are Ardent Mind, an experienced caravan guard and a senior team leader of Steady Stride Caravan Guard Company
>Your job is to escort ponies across the desert and to new colonies in the Mysterious South, passing between Changelings, Diamond Dogs, giant lizards and other dangerous wildlife found in The Badlands and the lands beyond
>Despite the recent economic downturn and what is typically considered the slower season, you've remained busy this last month
>You’ve fought bandits, Diamond Dogs, uncovered murders, and even encountered a tatzlwurm, discovering strange and unsettling rumors regarding secret wars along the way
>Most recently you and a rival company, Roughshod, have been hired to escort a mixed group of settlers and public officials, fifty ponies in all, from the city of Appleloosa all the way down to New Ponyville in the southern colonies
>Now, as you travel through a canyon to the southern colonies, you have found yourself in the middle of the rumored war between Dogs and Equestria

>Taking shelter in an ancient Diamond Dog temple, you currently find yourself in the middle of a bloody battle for survival

(Characters: https://pastebin.com/PqtD6vYH)

Previous Threads:
https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/<wbr>40650158/
https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/<wbr>40794550/
https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/<wbr>40927699/
https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/<wbr>41028815/

Anonymous

>>41032455
“Wait one second.”
>”Again?”
>You ignore her and cast your Material Analysis spell on the rod

>The core of the rod is made of bone wrapped in keratin which is then gilded with highly purified gold
>The rod has some kind of organic magic focus in it, similar to a unicorn’s horn
>The rod is enchanted with some kind of powerful spell, likely some kind of illusion
>While still in the spell you work quick to slightly modify it, adding your medical diagnostic spell on top
>The organic components belong to a single unicorn, a mare, and is too old to accurately date beyond sometime a few thousand years ago
>When you come to you are sweating from exertion, the combination of two energy draining spells taxing even a powerful mage like you
>Looking at the results of your autoscribe spell confirms your suspicion
>The rod is a single ancient unicorn horn encased in gold and holds some kind of powerful magic that is most similar to an illusion spell
>You pant a little but cast the spell again, focusing on the pendant

>The pendant is made of the same gold as the rod and likely dates to the same time period
>Surprisingly, there’s an image on the reverse side of the sun and moon
>The image is of a dragon encircled by a tatzlwurm
>There seems to be no magic
>When you come to Hollow stands on her hind legs and leans against the chest
>”Are you done yet?”
“Yeah, I am.”
>”Was it worth putting off giving us orders?”
>You bristle at her snippy attitude but try to remain calm
[Input Needed]

>>41033293
Grab the Rod, and when the dogs eventually catch up to us, use the illusion spell embedded in the rod to cast an illusion of abuwtifag or some other high ranking diamond dog

>>41033293
If the items seem safe to handle, might as well grab them so the dogs can't get them.
About Soul's personal shield, is it stronger/easier to maintain if it's on only one pony and can he maintain it beyond line of sight?
I thought we could volunteer to go first, with Soul's shield and the water breathing potion on us.

>>41033293
Also once in the cave, cast an analysis spell on the gas, I don't think we did that yet?
Have a mana potion too if we're feeling low after that.

>>41033309
Could be a per-recorded illusion and we don't know what he looks like. Also, it's similar to an illusion spell, not an illusion spell.

>>41033293
Call Glossary over.

Trail Leader

>>41033323
“Hey, Glossary? Can you come over here.”
>The stallion slides his government folders back into his saddlebags and walks over to you
>Settlers glare at him and mumble under their breath but Glossy ignores it
>”What did you need, Ardent?”
[Input Needed]

>>41033322
>>41033312
>>41033309
Noted

Anonymous

>>41033329
Ask him if this staff might be what the dogs are looking for.

Trail Leader

>>41033357
>>41033309
>>41033312
“Do you think this staff might be what the Dogs are looking?”
>The stallion looks at the rod and shrugs
>”Maybe. It certainly looks like a religious object of some kind. But I’m not an expert.”
“Alright. Hollow, grab the pendant and rod-“
>Hollow does so immediately
“-and we’ll get everything planned out.”
>You find Soul Mane and talk to him
“Is your Personal Shield spell stronger or easier to maintain if it's on only one pony and can you maintain it beyond line of sight?”
>”It’s a little bit easier if it’s only one pony, yeah. But not by much. I do need to have line of sight to cast it on somepony but not to maintain the spell. Once it’s on them and they remain within three hundred feet it’ll work so long as I maintain concentration.”
>You nod and call your team together, as well as everyone else
>”It seems we don’t really have much of a choice in this matter,” you admit, “so at least some of us are going to have to test the river.”
>”It should be Fleur!” a stallion cries
>There’s a small ripple of agreement
>Fleur looks hurt by the settlers’ behavior and steps towards you
>”I’ll volun-“
“I’ve decided I’m going first.”
>Everyone is suddenly silent, seemingly shocked that you would volunteer for such a thing
>”Ardent, I don’t think-“
>You cut off Hollow
“I’ll have Soul Mane here cast a magic shield on me and I’ll drink a water breathing potion.”
>”How many water potions are there?” a settler asks
“Just one.”
>There’s a murmur through the crowd
>”If we’re all going, shouldn’t a foal get that potion?”
>”Or maybe your wounded friend?”
>”What about the rest of us? Are we supposed to just drown?”
“I don’t believe so,” you answer the settlers, “there should be enough room to breathe while on the way down. It’ll be like a really rough water slide, in a way. I’m going to take the potion because I’m not sure what’s down there and I’m scouting it out for us. I could get stuck underwater and need the potion to survive and escape.”
>”Say that everything goes right and the river leads us out of this place and back to the canyon proper. How are you going to tell us? Or are we supposed to just jump in to what may be a very watery grave and hope everything’s fine?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41033366
Soul, I gave you the Earth Sight spell, right? Do you think you're up to casting it? Or anypony else for that matter? You could use that to track me.
Also, once I'm on the other side, I can try shouting to you, with luck I'll be close enough Hollow's ears can pick me up.

>>41033378
Oh yeah, if somepony can cast Earth Sight, we could come up with some hoof signals to communicate with.

Trail Leader

>>41033378
<s>I forgot to count your rope. If there’s anything else you bought that I may have missed in the inventory >>41032314 please let me know. </s>
“Soul, I gave you the Earth Sight spell, right? Do you think you're up to casting it? Or anypony else for that matter?”
>”Yeah, you did but I only had time to glance through it. I could attempt to cast it but it’s unlikely to work. If I had a few days to study it then maybe I could. I’m a lot better at magic related to biology and shields because that’s what I’ve always studied.”
>You look to the Roughshod unicorn and he gives you a similar answer
>You look to Fleur and then the crowd and receive nothing but shrugs and head shakes
“Hollow, do you think you could hear me if I shouted?”
>”Possibly? That river is pretty loud and the echoes in the cave are a bit distracting. But if you are close enough and yell into the tunnel I should be able to at least make out a few words. Again, are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
>”We could tie a rope around you,” Soul offers, “and you could pull it in a certain sequence to let us know you made it and if we should send more.”
>”Not sure that’d work,” counters Barrel, “the rope could be snagged, or we could get false pulls from something else tugging on it. Not to mention even if we tie every rope together we’d only have a thousand feet or so.”
>The two stallions look at you
>”So, are you still going? And if so, what’s the plan for communicating?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41033430
Damn, maybe it would be best to send someone else then, then WE could cast earth sight and communicate that way.
Basically pick the toughest/best swimmer and get them shielded and potioned up.

>>41033430
Can Soul feel if the shield gets hit?

>>41033430
Would firing off a couple of shots from Barrel's rifle be loud enough for Hollow?

>>41033447
I doubt the powder would survive the dip.

>>41033451
I thought they had cartridges not open powder. If it is open powder and our efforts will get it wet, than Barrel is effectively losing his weapon on this plan regardless.

Trail Leader

>>41033442
It’s in the character pastebin https://pastebin.com/PqtD6vYHet me know if I should change the format somehow.

>>41033443

“Soul, could you feel if the shield gets hit?”
>”Absolutely and I wish I wouldn’t. It feels like a sharp pinch in my horn. No way I could miss it.”
“Would firing off a couple of shots from Barrel's rifle be loud enough for you, Hollow?”
>”Yeah, almost definitely. There’s no mistaking that crack.”
[Input Needed]

>>41033451
>>41033456
The maretini-whiney uses cartridges which will survive the water. It’s a ponified martini-henry. It’s one-to-one with the exception of the trigger so if you have any questions about it’s performance feel free to use https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar<wbr>tini–Henry
To clarify, a stallion averages around 3’10 or so but the rifle is keeping its IRL proportions, which is why it requires a pony to lay down or lean against something to use.

Anonymous

>>41033472
So we can hit ourself while the shield is up or we can borrow Barrel's gun to send a signal back?

Trail Leader

>>41033490
Yup. Though be warned if you travel more than three hundred feet or hit something hard the shield spell will drop.

Anonymous

So what do we signal though? One tap/shot if it's safe enough for everyone to go through shielded, two if it's too dangerous for the wounded and we have to find another way?

Trail Leader

>>41033490
>>41033544
“So we can hit ourself while the shield is up or we can borrow Barrel's gun to send a signal back? What do we send, though? One tap/shot if it's safe enough for everyone to go through shielded, two if it's too dangerous for the wounded and we have to find another way?”
>”We could do both,” Soul suggests
>Barrel looks between his rifle and you, “Ardent, maybe I should be the one to go down first. You’re the team leader; they need you more than me. And I’m willing to leave the water breathing potion for Silver, too. I don’t know if she’ll be able to survive the trip without it if she rides alone.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41033581
Once we all get out of here we'll heading back to Gate city immediately flash and silver need a hospital if we continue our journey to New Ponyville there's no way they'll survive the trip especially since we've have limited supplies on the way not only that we shouldn't risk the lives of anypony else as a result it will be a suicide mission we need to do a tactical retreat that's an order Everyone understood I'm not letting anyone else dieing on my watch!

>>41033581
You have a point Barrel, but as a team leader I need to be held accountable for my actions or I'll be ignoring the consequences of my choices and their will be fallout towards my whole team because of my mistakes and I'm the one who got us all into this mess in the first place, so therefore I need to take responsibility and atone for my decisions.

>>41033581
If something we're to happen to me I want you to take over as team leader Barrel you know the terrains of the Badlands so it makes sense you'll the ideal candidate to lead everypony to safety that's another thing a leader must do know when to delegate his or her tasks to someone they trusts and have somepony they know and is ready to be their Second-in-Command in case something goes wrong.

Trail Leader

>>41033611
>>41033627
“You have a point Barrel, but as a team leader I need to be held accountable for my actions or I'll be ignoring the consequences of my choices and their will be fallout towards my whole team because of my mistakes and I'm the one who got us all into this mess in the first place, so therefore I need to take responsibility and atone for my decisions.”
>”Don’t be ridiculous, Ardent. There was no right choice in this.”
“Maybe not, but there were probably better ones.”
>You step into the entryway to the cave and turn to everyone
“Once we all get out of here we'll heading back to Gate City immediately. Silver needs a hospital, we lack supplies and the means to transport them, and I’m not taking any more unnecessary risks.”
>Everyone nods along with your orders
>”So, after you go down we all follow?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
>”What are we taking with us?” Barrel asks, “we’ve got a lot of stuff and I don’t think we want to take all of that with us. We could probably take all the food and maybe a dozen other large items with us.”
>Soul steps forward, “also, what are we doing about transporting Silver? Are we just sending her solo after giving her the potion, having somepony hold onto her, or sending her down in a barrel.”
[Input Needed]

>>41033648
Noted

Anonymous

He does have a point about the waterbreathing though, Silver might need it if we end up transporting her this way. I say we leave it.

>>41033695
Also, I think it might be a good idea to send Silver down with a unicorn or two, who could hold her in TK

Trail Leader

“We’ll give her the potion and send her down with a unicorn that’ll keep hold of her with their hooves and magic.”
>”I’ll do it,” Soul volunteers
“Alright, good. I’ll let you guards decide what we’re taking with us. While you’re doing that I’m going to analyze the gas in the cave and prepare myself for the trip.”
>You leave the group and enter the cave alone
>You stand just outside the crack in the wall when you cast your material analysis spell
>The gas is a mix of mostly carbon monoxide with a notable amount of ethylene
>There’s also a small amount of some other unknown gas with minor hallucinogenic properties
>You open your eyes and step back, recognizing the dangers of carbon monoxide from your time researching gases in the Royal Guard Air Corps
>You walk to the river and let the violent spray of water wash over your body
>It feels cold but not freezing
>You look around to make sure you are alone then look back at the river
>Though you’ve compared it to a water slide, it is unfortunately far rougher and faster than what you’d encounter at an amusement park
>Your mind goes to a dark place, pondering what it’d be like to be swept into an underground lake with no escape but to drown
>You consider if it’d be better to just kill yourself with your knife should you meet such a fate
>There’s a small, repetitive tapping sound that draws your attention
>You look around before realizing it’s the nervous tapping of your own hooves
>You give a dry, hollow chuckle to yourself
>Despite not being religious or spiritual in any true sense, you say a small prayer in your head
>You wait in the cave for a few minutes before returning to grab your gear

>”Don’t forget, one shot means we follow, no shot or two shots mean we don’t.”
“I won’t.”
>”And make sure to clear the barrel of any debris before firing.”
“I will.”
>”And after you’re done sending us the signal make sure to dry it off.”
“Celestia, Barrel. I’m nervous as is.”
>The two of you stand next to the river, your saddlebags strapped tight to your body with Barrel’s rifle slide between the straps and your body so it doesn’t get lost
>Though your knife remains strapped to your chest, you store your halberd in the barrel that holds all of your collective spare weapons and medical gear
>You turn away from your old friend and face the nearly fifty ponies that stand in the cave with you
>Ideally everypony will be on the other side of the river before the gas causes any serious problems
“Alright, listen up. If something happens to me I’m leaving Barrel in charge. He has the most trail experience and Diamond Dog expertise out of anypony here. Secondly, if something should happen to me I want you to know it’s been a privilege to work with all of you.”
>Not one for sappy speeches you begin to step into the water but are stopped by a hoof on your shoulder

>>41034280
>Turning around you are pulled into a tight hug by Barrel
>”I’ll see you down there, Ardie.”
>Soul wraps his hooves around you as well
>”Don’t give up if you get stuck. We’ll find a way to save you and ourselves somehow.”
>You see Hollow standing just a couple feet away from you
>She’s clearly distraught by the situation
>”Ardent,” she begins, “I-“
>She shifts her wings nervously before joining the group hug
>”Just be careful, whatever happens, okay? You’re the best boss I’ve ever had.”
>You hug them back as best you can
>It feels nice to have friends
>As soon as the hug starts it stops and you step into the stream and are immediately swept off your hooves and thrusted into the darkness
>Within seconds of departure you hear the familiar sound of rushing water and brace for the sharp turn and decline you knew was coming
>Suddenly you are slammed against the rock wall ahead of you then rocketed down a steep slope
>Several times along the way you are pulled underwater, sometimes swallowing big gulps of cold water when you mean to breath
>Keeping your head above water isn’t to hard with effort, but your face is constantly splashed, water entering your eyes and nostrils
>As you speed down the river you become disoriented by ever rapid twist and turn you encounter
>Several times you smash into something hard or scrape against a sharp part of the wall but your armor saves you from anything more that slight bruising
>It feels like you’ve been in the water for minutes but you continue to be thrown about by little twists and turns as you rapidly spiral down into the earth
>With one final twist followed by the steepest drop you’ve experienced yet you splash into a slightly slower, but still fast, portion of the river
>Lighting your horn you find yourself in the small chamber you detected when you had cast Earth Sight on the river, the upcoming split in the river quickly approaching
>You swim to the smooth walls of the open chamber and attempt to grab hold so that you have time to analyze your situation but your hooves fail to find purchase
>You claw desperately again and again but the slick, smooth stone doesn’t let you catch yourself
>You hear the sound of rushing water approaching and turn around to find the split in the river before you
>Kicking off the wall you are able to guide yourself to which tunnel you’d rather go down
>With both tunnels seemingly identical, the decision seems arbitrary, yet it needs to be made
[Input Needed] [Left or Right?]

Anonymous

>>41034281
Huh this is a hard decision whatever path we take one has to lead a way out of here while the other will either trap us or kill us there's no telling which one is it since both water roads are identical even if we did manage to choose the right path I doubt we'll come out unscathed so there's a 50-50 chance that our exit route might involved Ardent being caught in a whirlpool or a waterfall so to heck with it what do we have to lose I vote Right!

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>41034373
Ok, so since you tied the vote, why don't I just roll for it then? 1 = left 2 = right

>>41034281
Shit, I was hoping we'd get a chance to take a breather and regroup. is either side slower?

Trail Leader

>With no time to think on the situation you paddle towards the right and again pray you made the right decision
>As soon as you pass the rock the current picks up speed yet again and you are whipped around a tight bend before descending down a bumpy decline
>The river alternates between short, steep drops and short lengths of relatively level stretches of water
>As you come down one final bend you are fully submerged underwater befpre entering a free fall
>You fall for what fells like only a second before you land in more water
>You paddle your way to the surface, unable to find a wall to kick off of
>Surfacing and taking a deep breath you realize the current has slowed to a gentle crawl
>You take a quick look at your surroundings
>High above you shines little speckles of light, giving the illusion of stars that twinkle in hues of blues and greens and provide a dim, calming light to the world below
>You win in what appears to be a small lake a couple thousand feet in diameter that is surrounded on three sides by smooth, level stone that extends another few hundred feet before meeting the cave wall
>Behind you is a sheer wall of rock, a waterfall flowing down from above that you recognize as the the way you entered
>Opposite of the waterfall, about half a mile of water fallowed by another couple hundred feet of rock is another tunnel
>Having taken in most of your surroundings you swim your way to the closest shore and pull yourself onto the slippery rock
>Hidden behind a small rocky outcropping that shielded your view from the water is an upside down wooden row boat with fishing tackle laid against it
>You shake off as much water as possible before deciding what to do next
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41035586
Before we give any signals, let's use that boat and go check out the next tunnel. Use Earth Sight before entering it though.

Trail Leader

>>41035635
>>41035788
>You cast Earth Sight
>You see a fuzzy outline of the lake as water splashes along the shore
>You can see your branch of the river above you, but not the other
>Nor do you see your ponies
>Small lizards and bugs crawl along the walls of the cave near you, eating something off the damp rocks
>The boat remains still and therefore invisible to you, as does anything underneath it
>Opening your eyes you set to flipping the boat over, revealing a wire mesh shellfish trap, two paddles, and an anchor
>The ropes tied to the anchor and trap are damp with the exception of the last few inches that are tied to the boat and buoy respectively
>Given the damp, humid atmosphere it seems the boat must have been used in the last few days
>You drag the boat to the water and step in, sailing yourself towards the tunnel entrance
>Landing on the shore, you pull the boat up with you onto land so it won’t float away and you trot to just outside the tunnel where you cast Earth Sight again
>You detect nothing of note within the five hundred feet you can sense
>You crouch low and listen for any noise ahead, not finding anything after a few minutes
>You calculate how much time you’ve spent down here, estimating it to have been at least close to twenty minutes, maybe a little more
>You debate whether to continue your investigation or call down the others
>The ponies up top must be getting pretty anxious and it will take you another fifteen minutes or so to get back to the waterfall
>But at the same time, you’re not entirely sure if it’s safe for them to come down
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41035830
I think we can go give the signal. There's nothing immediately dangerous in the tunnel and even if the gunfire attracts them, they have to cross the lake to get to us.
Only problem is that crossroads, we can't have our ponies go the wrong way.
Does Earth Sight reach that spot from below the waterfall? We could watch when someone is about to reach it and yell out to go right, hopefully they can hear us.

>>41035830
We've been down here for 20 minutes and we're still alive. Follow Barrel's directions and fire off a round. Than hit out "right" in Morse code on the shield.

Trail Leader

>>41035890
>>41035894
>Figuring that there’s no signs of immediate danger and that coming down here was better than remaining stuck up there you decide to give them the signal
>Jumping into the rowboat you row to the rock wall nearest the waterfall and place your front hooves against it so that you can cast Earth Sight
>Unfortunately even here below the waterfall isn’t close enough to see the split in the river
>You push off from the wall and get as close to the waterfall as you can and prepare the rifle to fire
>Right before you pull the trigger you stop and think about the split in the river
>You would try to send a message in Morse code if Soul’s shield were still up, but it must have dropped at some point when you left its range
>You wait a minute and consider other ways of warning the group
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41036014
I wonder if we cast our flare spell as far as possible up where we came, would it be visible from the fork?

Trail Leader

>>41036047
>You consider using your flare spell
>The unique physical properties of the spell would allow it to mostly ignore the water while also bouncing off the walls, not to mention that the river tunnels themselves are so dark that even if the flare only went a quarter of the way up its likely that you’d still be able to see the light in the near total darkness

Anonymous

>>41036058
Maybe an alarm spell could work or perhaps if we were to have ourselves a magic surge that would temporarily boost up our power and might give us the edge we need to use the flare spell in a stronger form which will definitely get the others attentions at the split crossroads to know what path they should take.

Trail Leader

>>41036108
I’ll allow you to try a magical surge at the risk of causing burnout. Do you want to try that?

Anonymous

>>41036131
I say go for it.
Did we bring a mana potion with us?

Trail Leader

>>41036184
Alright, that’s going to require two Intelligence checks. Now, you can use your previous unused INT roll of 16 (13+3) or if you want you can just roll twice.

Anonymous

>>41036250
Can we roll twice and use whichever is highest between the unused roll and the new one for one of them?

Trail Leader

>>41036279
Sure. First roll is for if you can successfully force a magic surge and the second is whether or not you have magic burnout. It’s going to be very hard to do the surge and fairly easy to get burnout regardless of whether you successfully force a surge or not.

Anonymous

Rolled 15, 17 = 32 (2d20)

>>41036305
Alright, I say roll the burnout roll with advantage.

Trail Leader

>>41036319
>You are struck by inspiration
>You grab your last personal mana potion from your bag and lay it down and point your horn up at the waterfall
>Taking a deep breath you funnel as much of your magic as you can into the simple flare spell you are weaving
>You go far beyond what’s required for the spell, pushing yourself beyond even your own safety limits
>The ball of magical light on the tip of your horn swells and becomes blindingly bright as you feed it more and more energy
>There’s a sharp squeeze at the tip of your horn that sends bolts of pain down your body and your brain feels like it’s about to catch fire
>But you persist until finally something in you feels like it’s going to snap and you unleash the flare
>The blinding light leaves purple streaks in your vision as it disappears down the river tunnel and you fall to your haunches
>You lie there for a little while, trying to catch your breath
>You’ve never had a true magical surge before and you haven’t had one yet
>But you feel like you were close, within perhaps a hair of success
>Regardless, the flare was the brightest you’ve ever seen and will probably last far longer than normal
>Standing to your hooves you are happy to find that not only have you not burnt yourself out, but your magical energy has only taken a minor dip
>Picking up the rifle with your telekinesis you raise it as close to the glowing river entrance as possible before firing it in an attempt to maximize its volume for Hollow
>The rifle almost bucks out of your magical grip but you save it from falling into the water below and instead lay it besides you as you wait for the first ponies to arrive

>You wait a minute
>Then two
>Then five
>You begin to worry that they never heard you and you grab the rifle, preparing to try again when there’s a loud noise above you followed by a splash into the lake
>Bobbing up and down is one of your barrels of supplies

>>41036854
>Grabbing the rope from the shellfish trap you tie it around the barrel so that you can drag it behind you and you prepare for the next one
>Again, you have to wait several minutes before it arrives and you tie it behind its twin
>There’s a depressing realization that settles over you that the barrels were sent down unguided and therefore were arbitrarily sent down one branch of the river or the other by the rushing water
>You hope that more will show up, but they never do
>Instead, the next thing to come down are two ponies together
>You scoop up Silver with your magic and carefully set her down before lending Soul a hoof into the boat
>”Some water slide. I felt like the damn thing was gonna kill me.”
>He gives Silver a quick check over
>”Good to see the journey didn’t hurt her too bad. It’s a good thing we gave her that option. Those gills on her neck probably saved her from drowning after I dropped her during that first drop.”
>The stallion shakes the water off himself
>”You know, I was going to go left when I saw the right tunnel glowing. I’m glad to know I made the right decision. Hope everypony else does too.”
>As he finishes talking there’s another splash, this time revealing a thrashing Barrel Cactus
>The poor stallion can barely tread water so you and Soul pick him up together
>”I hate swimming,” is his only response
>Hollow drops down soon after
>As she climbs into the boat you make your way towards shore to drop off your friends so that you can ferry more ponies
>Thankfully it’s a short distance and you’re back in position in time for the next pony while your team unloads the barrels
>The first of the clients to come down is Fleur, who quickly paddles her way over to you
>You help her into the boat and can’t help admire how beautiful she is with her mane wet
>She shivers and looks at you, noticing you staring at her
>”Is everything alright.”
“Yeah, just glad you went down the right path. I hope the others get the idea.”
>Fleur frowns
>”I hope so too but to be honest, I don’t know if I could have changed direction if I tried. I’m not used to making those kinds of snap decisions after being battered around.”
>You frown a little but there isn’t much you can do

>Over the next hour your clients slowly show up before the last remaining members of Roughshod descend themselves
>You ferry each group of eight or so ponies to the shore before returning to pick up more as they drop down
>Many ponies credit your flare for their decision to go right but after a headcount on shore it seems that despite your efforts a few ponies still went the wrong way
>Greenback, Fleur’s assistant, is one such example

>>41036859
>As is the mother and little sister of a filly in your care
>And so is the journalist mare, though her photographer made the right decision just in the nick of time
>All together, of the fifty three ponies in total that you were expecting only twelve didn’t show
>Of the ponies that didn’t show, only two of them were foals
>As ponies that were split from their families cry and wail you kick a hoof in frustration and swear under your breath
>You bristle in frustration when you feel a hoof around your shoulder
>”We did the best we could. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
>Hollow nuzzles your cheek but you can’t get yourself to return the favor
“I know, Hollow. But it still doesn’t feel right.”
>The two of you stand there, looking out over the lake as the glow of your flare slowly dies
>There’s a cough behind you and you turn to see Boulder
>”I’ve got bad news,” he whispers, “we’ve only got two barrels of food out of five and we’re missing the barrel with all of our weapons and some of our medical supplies. Thankfully we did store some of the medicine in each barrel so we aren’t entirely shit out of luck but we’ve only got enough food now to last this many ponies fourteen, maybe fifteen days.”
>That’s not as bad as you were expecting
“Hopefully we don’t need that long. I saw some lizards eating something off the wall, maybe that could supplement our diet.”
>Barrel nods, “and if we really need to, we could catch some fish in this lake. Not a big fan of fish, but it’s not bad.”
>Seeing that your little chat is done, Fleur approaches you
>”So, Ardent, what do we do now?”
[Input Needed]

Meta Leader

For the sake of transparency: sending the flare did a lot more than it may seem. If you hadn’t done that or given some other indication on where to go around half of the settlers would have gone left while the only guards that would have joined you on the right would have been Barrel and the remaining pegasus from Roughshod. For everyone that was originally going to go left I rerolled to see if they’d go right. I just want to make it clear you didn’t get railroaded with how the group was split.

Anonymous

>>41036863
The only path forward is through that tunnel. I'll take Soul and Hollow and go scout it out first, everyone else can camp out here in the meantime. Barrel, stay here with Roughshod to handle defense, just in case.

>>41036863
We can't do anything for the ponies who went down the left path they're on their own I'm afraid I'm sorry Fleur but what we can do is casting some illuminations magic to create some light within this area and find out where all this water is coming out of there has to be a current around here somewhere that will lead us towards another tunnel out of here otherwise this whole room would have been flooding up right now.

>>41036936
Actually, ask Soul if he's needed with the wounded. If so we'll just go with Hollow.

>>41036863
At least the ones on the left got the majority of the supplies and that end of the fork has to drain out somewhere or else that chamber would've flooded.

>>41036863
We should probably try to figure out what species this boat belongs to.

Trail Leader

>You sigh
“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about the ponies that went left for now. But they’ve got a bunch of food and a lot of weapons so hopefully they’re fine. Hollow and I will scout out that tunnel since it’s our only path forward. Meanwhile, I want Soul to check on the wounded. Barrel, I want you to handle our defenses.”
>”What can I do?” Fleur asks
“If you and some of the other clients could get some lighting set up that’d be nice. Oh, and if somepony could figure out where this water drains out to. There’s got to be another tunnel or else this cave would be flooded.”
>Your ponies nod and split up while you and Hollow take the boat to the tunnel
>As you row Hollow fiddles with some of the fishing equipment
>”Who do you think this boat belongs to? Dogs?”
“Probably. All of the gear is a little big for ponies, except for the one small fishing rod. Other than that the only race that I know lives underground is Changelings and I don’t think they do much fishing.”
>”What about the southerners?”
>You hadn’t considered that
“Possibly, but I doubt they’d do much fishing either. I know some ponies eat fish; according to Silver most pegasi in Neighagra Falls do, but I doubt most of the southerners would.”
>Soon you land and make your way through the tunnel to where you stopped last time
>As you again cast Earth Sight, Hollow listens for any sounds up ahead but neither of you detect anything
>You slowly continue to creep through the cave together
>The cave walls are unnaturally wide and smooth, with clear signs of someone demolishing stalagmites and -tites
>After traveling a half mile or so the tunnel dramatically widens
>The dim green-blue lights of the first cave a now fully replaced by a similar “stars” of red-yellow that cling to the ceiling of a massive, miles wide chamber
>Where the tunnel ends leaves you and Hollow onto of a short hill overlooking the chamber
>In the center is a small two story house who’s windows glow with the soft light of lanterns
>Surrounding the house are giant mushrooms the size of your leg, spread out over acres of land
>The mushrooms grow out of some kind of black soil
>After watching for a few minutes you spot a tall, very thin Diamond Dog hoe the soil while a smaller Dog follows him
>It takes you a couple minutes of watching before you realize that the Dog isn’t just a smaller breed, but is actually a child
>At the far end of the cave is another tunnel, but unlike yours there is a clearly marked road that leads from the house through the cave
>”I don’t see any weapons,” Hollow whispers, “but they probably don’t need them with their claws.”
>You nod, also failing to spot anything weapon like beyond the hoe
“That other cave must lead to somewhere important.”

>>41038175
>”Why do you say that?”
>You point a hoof at the road
“The cave we’re in has fresh water and food but nobody comes up here enough for a clear path to form but that other cave has a full blown road.”
>Hollow nods at your explanation
>”Well, what should we do?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41038175
Now we have to figure out if we traveled into another pack's territory or we just went from the frying pan to the fire.

>>41038176
If these are civilian dogs, they might not be aware of everything going on. We can't sneak everyone past them so we'll just have to try diplomacy. Worst comes to worst we'll take them captive and release them once everypony is through.

Trail Leader

>>41038185
>>41038328
“Now we have to figure out if we traveled into another pack's territory or we just went from the frying pan to the fire. If these are civilian Dogs, they might not be aware of everything going on. We can't sneak everyone past them so we'll just have to try diplomacy. Worst comes to worst we'll take them captive and release them once everypony is through.”
>Hollow nods
>”Alright. Should we go get back up or are you and me just gonna walk up to them?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41038375
We should head back and prepare for the diplomatic approach.

>>41038375
Barrel knows a lot about dogs and Fleur has more of a silver tongue, maybe we should bring them.

>>41038375
"We should head back and let the others know what we have discovered from this new development".

As the two were rowing back to the tunnel they came from something was plaguing Ardent's mind so he wanted to get it off his chest.
"Hollow I need to know do you Hate Me for shooting that unarmed diamond dog diplomat in the back of his head you were silent when I did the deed and now look at us some of the settlers are killed while others are lost down here and two of them are foals separated from their friends and family and the worst part is I have to lived with that Now! How can you still look at me the same way from what I did I brought a Heavy Burden on all of us and for that I'm so Sorry!

Trail Leader

>>41038397
>>41038402
>>41038492
“Let’s swing back and grab Barrel and Fleur. Barrel knows the Dogs better than anypony I’ve met and Fleur has a silver tongue that’ll we’ll need if we want to be diplomatic.”
>With that Hollow and yourself return to the boat and set sail

>As you row you can’t help but think over the last couple days
>You look at Hollow, who sits at the front of the boat and looks out over the lake
“Hey, Hollow, can I ask you something?”
>She hums affirmatively
“Hollow, do you think I did the wrong thing when I shot that Dog?”
>She turns to you in surprise
>”Where’s this coming from?”
“Just some guilt building up I guess. I’m kinda responsible for this.”
>She turns back to looking over the lake
>”No, I don’t think so. You were right; they were going to kill or enslave us anyways.”
“But how can you know that? Maybe if I hadn’t done that maybe they would have held back a little and we wouldn’t have lost-“
>Hollow spins around and cuts you off
>”Shut up!”
>Hollow huffs in anger
>”Just… shut up. There’s no point in worrying about the past. Everypony has regrets and there’s no point in worrying about what could have been. We’ve made our decisions and the only thing we can do now is move forward.”
>The bat lays down and looks back over the lake
>”Let’s just stay focused on getting out of here.”

>As you drag the boat ashore you find the settlers cooking food and setting up tents
>You spot Soul helping fix a large pot of vegetable soup and call him over
“What’s going on here? Did Barrel order everypony to set up camp?”
>The stallion nods
>”Sure did. Most of the settlers are getting pretty tired, even with all the excitement so we decided it’d be best to have everypony rest while they can. According to Glossy’s pocket watch it’s almost ten at night so making camp makes sense.”
>Hollow walks up to the boiling pot and sniffs at the boiling soup
>”Smells good. I haven’t had soup in a long time. Maybe we should have a quick bite before heading out.”
>Soul raises an eyebrow, “you’re going back out? Why’d you return?”
“We’re just coming back to pick up Barrel and Fleur for, uh,” you look around and lower your voice, “diplomatic reasons.”
>”Diplomacy? So you found someone?”
“Yeah, a Dog and a kid. Or pup or whatever. They’ve got what looks like a mushroom farm just down that tunnel.”
>”Think they’ll be hostile?”
“Hope not. Anyways, that’s why we need Barrel and Fleur. Speaking of which, where is the old colt?”
>Soul points to a tall stalagmite formation
>Though you can’t see the stallion, you take Soul’s word for it
>When you reach the stalagmites you still can’t spot the stallion until he reveals himself

>>41038570
>”Welcome back, boss. Find anything?”
>You explain the situation to Barrel who seems quite interested in the situation
“…so that’s why I want you with us for this.”
>”Sounds like a plan. I’d heard D-Dogs did some level of agriculture, they do brew alcohol after all, but it’ll be interesting to see it first hoof.”
>With the stallion in tow, you go and find Fleur

>The white mare sits with her assistant and slowly eats her soup
>The pair sits on the edge of camp, watching the going ons of the ponies within
>Fleur barely touches her food
“Fleur?”
>The white mare jumps a little, “yes?”
>You explain the situation to her, making sure the other clients don’t hear
>They’ll learn eventually, but not right now
>The mare listens intently and nods when you invite her
>”The least I can do is try to right my previous failures. If you think I can help, I’ll help.”
>With that you give your small team the chance to eat before returning to the farm
>The food does you a lot of good, but the small rest makes you realize just how tired you are

>The four of you sit atop the hill overlooking the farm
>The child Dog plays with an animal dog, similar to the pet one you have back in camp, while the adult grinds something in a barrel
>”That’s kinda… weird, isn’t it? A Dog owning a dog?”
>For some reason you can’t help but agree
>There’s just something offsetting about it
>”Most domesticated dogs have better senses of smell than D-Dogs, so it makes sense,” Barrel answers. “It’s not all that different from a griffin owning a bird, or pet cat.”
>You continue to watch the pair for a while before a bell rings from inside the house and the pair walk inside
“Come on, let’s make our way over.”
>”Are we just going to knock?” Hollow asks
>”I think we should,” Fleur suggests, “it’ll make our presence known without scaring them too bad and we’ll be approaching them on our own terms. Might not want to bring the weapons, though, or else they may think we’re threatening them.”
“That’s not a bad point.”
>”Shouldn’t we at least have one of us waiting in the reserve with weapons ready?” Hollow asks
>Everyone looks to you
>”What’s the plan, boss?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41038375
Hollow thinks on her thoughts for a moment and then scoot herself on the boat forward towards Ardent and wrap her wings and hooves around him to provide him some comfort as she speaks her honest answer."You did what you had too Ardent Mind that diamond dog had put you in a life or death situation you tried to resolve the issue peacefully and he wouldn't take it so its his own fault for wanting to go to War with us in fact you saw his sinister smile He was even inclined on the idea of wanting to pick a fight with us".

>>41038575
Yeah we definitely should have a least one pony in the reserve weapons ready in case things get hostile we don't know what else is down here. Hollow your stealthly perhaps you can easily conceal a weapon with your skills.

>>41038575
Not a bad idea. Hollow, you hang back out of sight, just in case.
>>41038585
My man I don't think you quite understand how cyoas work.

Trail Leader

>>41038595
>>41038606
“Yeah we definitely should have a least one pony in the reserve with weapons ready in case things get hostile. Hollow, you hang back out of sight, just in case.”
>She smiles, “yes, sir!”
>With that she takes off, disappearing into the dim light above

>Fleur knocks on the door with a hoof and steps back
>You and Barrel stand behind her, Barrel’s rifle and your only remaining weapon, your knife, are slung over your backs
>The pet dog barks from inside the house and you hear some shouting before the door opens up
>The child Dog stands on the other side of the door, looking the three of you in the eyes while his mouth hangs open in awe
>Behind him the adult Dog and an unfamiliar adult Dog sit at a table with plates full of mushrooms over some kind of meat
>”Hello,” Fleur begins, “May we talk to your par-“
>The familiar adult Dog jumps from his chair and charges at you, claws at the ready
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41038805
Try to stop him with TK, shout that we're not here to fight.

>>41038805
Stop him with your magic in a telekinesis grip"Hold it right there we just want to talk not to fight and also what kind of an example are you teaching your child attacking someone who just politely knocked on your door"?!

Trail Leader

>>41038817
>>41038839
>You grab the Dog in your telekinetic grip
“Whoa, hold it right there we just want to talk not to fight.”
>The Dog struggles but he’s not a warrior so you easily hold him tight
>”Let me go or I’ll kill you!”
>You’re tired and you’re not in the mood for this
“What kind of an example are you teaching your child attacking someone who just politely knocked on your door?”
>”Mushroom! Come here!” the other Dog shouts
>You just now realize the other Dog is a female and look her over
>She’s the first female Dog you’ve ever seen and you look her over
>She’s very similar to a male, but her body and face are slightly slimmer and curvier and she has a slightly longer tuff of hair on the top of her head but is otherwise almost entirely indistinguishable from a male
>The child Dog runs back to what is assumedly his mom
>The Dog in your grip growls, “leave my family alone. We’re just farmers, not pony slavers.“
>His voice is desperate
>”Don’t worry, we’re just here to talk,” Fleur begins. “We just wanted to ask questions.”
>The Dog snarls, “what do you want to know?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41038884
We have a large group of ponies stuck in the cave back there. All we want is to get everyone out of here safely, we don't want any trouble with you. Does the tunnel behind your house lead outside?

>>41038884
Not only that your family seems to be the first diamond dogs who says to be farmers we met others of your kind and all they wanted to do was to fight and kill us or enslaves us so why are ya different?

Trail Leader

>>41038889
>>41038966
“We have a large group of ponies stuck in the cave back there. All we want is to get everyone out of here safely, we don't want any trouble with you.”
>”If you leave us be there’ll be no issue.”
“Good to hear. Now, does the tunnel behind your house lead outside?”
>”Yes.”
>You smile at the good news before Fleur speaks up
>”I think my friend means to ask if it leads to the surface world.”
>”Then why didn’t he ask? No, that tunnel leads to the city.”
>”The city?” Barrel asks in disbelief. “Since when did you D-Dogs have cities?”
>”We don’t,” is the curt reply, “we have A city; THE city.”
“Alright, second question. Your family is the first group of Diamond Dogs we’ve met who claim to be farmers. Every other member of your species we’ve met only wanted to fight and kill us or enslaves us so why are ya different?”
>”Cause we’re farmers. That’s what our pack decided for us. Now please, mister knight, let my family and I go and I won’t cause any problems.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41039345
Is there any way to the surface, other than through the city?
Also, there's an underground river nearby, the one that flows into the lake? A bit before the lake the stream splits. You wouldn't happen to know where the other fork goes?

>>41039345
Don't worry I will like we say we only came here in peace and to ask for directions.

So where's the path that will lead us to the surface world?

Wait your pack decided you to be farmers were you given a choice to be one or were you exile from your pack.

>>41039345
I'm kinda curious about their mushroom alcohol, I wonder if they are willing to humor the idea of trading with us. No slue what we'd give in return though.

Trail Leader

>>41039358
>>41039370
>>41040349
“Is there any way to the surface, other than through the city?”
>”You could dig, or go back the way you came.”
“So where’s the path that will lead us to the surface world?”
>”There’s many of you go far enough. If you want the quickest path there’s an old mine on the north end of the city that leads to the surface. Lots of Dogs use it.”
“There's an underground river nearby, the one that flows into the lake? A bit before the lake the stream splits. You wouldn't happen to know where the other fork goes?”
>”I don’t know what split you’re talking about, but there’s a large lake and river the city uses for water, fish, and play. It’s in the south portion of the city.”
“So your pack decided you were to be farmers? Were you given a choice to be one or were you exiled from your pack?”
>”Neither. My pack leaders said I was needed as a farmer, so I became a farmer.”
“So then you were given a choice?”
>”No, my pack needed a farmer and I was the best farmer so I became a farmer. It was a necessity, I had no choice in the matter. Any Dog would have done the same in my position.”
“So it was your pack’s decision, not yours?”
>”No, it was my decision to help the pack. There was no other choice.”
>You ignore his confusing explanation
“So, you grow mushrooms? Do you have any of that mushroom alcohol?”
>The Dog growls, “if that’s what you want, take it. Just leave my family alone.”
>”We’re not here to rob you,” Fleur explains, “but we’ll trade you for it.”
>The Dog looks at Fleur with suspicion, “trade? Why trade? You have the upper paw.”
>”Because we are not thieves, just ponies that need directions. Now, what would you want in exchange for a bottle of your mushroom spirits?”
>The Dog is quiet for a while
>”Thirty rubies for a quart.”
>”Sorry, we don’t have rubies. Is there something else you’d want?”
>The Dog responds, “We’ll take any gems of equal worth.”
>The Dog then looks at your and Fleur’s horns
>”Though I’ll settle for any magic you can give, unicorns.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41041037
We don't have any magic items we can trade, but using our magic to help them out for a little bit isn't an unreasonable trade as long as we know a spell that can be useful to them.

>>41041037
"If we were to go through the city, would the dogs there actually let us pass? What is the general attitude towards ponies there?"
>>41041057
Kek why are you guys thinking of booze right now anyway?

>>41041259
Trading is a friendly action. It's less about getting booze and more about leaving a good impression. At least to me.

Trail Leader

>>41041057
>>41041259
>>41041458
“We don’t have any magical items, but perhaps we could provide you magical services.”
>”Can you get rid of the dam gophers eating my mushrooms?”
>That would probably take a while, but you realize your Earth Sight is perfectly suited to the situation
“I might not be able to kill them all for you, but I could find their dens.”
>”Then we might have a deal.”
“Alright, good to know. If we were to go through the city, would the Dogs there actually let us pass? What is the general attitude towards ponies there?"
>The Dog looks at you for a moment
>”Yes, they would. Ponies are tolerated in the city.”
<s>Charisma Check: Passed</s>
>You get the feeling he’s lying about something
>You squeeze him a little bit with your magic
“Don’t lie to me, Dog.”
>The Dog winces in pain
>”I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Just tell us the truth about the city.”
>”I didn’t lie about ponies being tolerated. But all ponies are slaves; a free pony will be quickly taken captive, then sold.”
>This time, he seems to be telling the truth
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41041517
Crap. That means getting out of here won't be that easy, plus it's very likely our missing settlers ended up there and are now slaves.
I think we need to do some recon of this city and come up with a plan.
First might as well help them with their gopher trouble.

Trail Leader

>>41041547
>You drop your grip on the Dog and his family rushes to him
“Thanks for your cooperation. Now, how about we take care of those gophers?”

“You’re right on top of it… now!”
>Through your Earth Sight you watch the farmer Dog punch through the earth and skewer the creature with a claw before dragging it to the surface and finishing it off with a slice across the neck
>The creature is closer to an overgrown mole than a gopher with its entire lack of eyes and overgrown forelimbs
>The Dog tosses the corpse onto a pile of matching corpses that his son pulls on a small wagon
>The Dog wipes the sweat from his brow, “that’s the west field finished. Now, how about we move onto the west field.”
>You pant as you break the spell
“I’m sorry, but it’s been a very long day and I’m getting tired. We’re going to have to call it here.”
>”I said the south field,” the Dog growls, “needs-“
>Barrel clears his throat and shifts the rifle on his back
>”Never mind,” the Dog turns around to return to the house, “I’ll get you the bottles.”
>You follow him to his cellar where he grabs five dark brown bottles, about the size of a half gallon each
>Five bottles for a little under two hours of work was hopefully a good deal
>”Now, if we’re done here, I’d like to prepare the gophers for market.”
>You suppress a yawn
“Yeah, we’re done for now. We might swing by later, if you don’t mind. Thanks for the alcohol.”
>The Dog nods and leads his son into a small shed attached to the house while you ponies make your way back to the tunnel
>Fleur covers her mouth with a hoof as she yawns
>”I could use some sleep.”
>Barrel hums in agreement, “me too. Unless there’s something else you want us to do, Ardie.”
>You do feel pretty tired, but there’s still some work to be done
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41041724
I would like to get a sneaky look at this city, see what we're dealing with. But I suppose that can wait, assuming those dogs don't go tell everyone about us.

Trail Leader

>>41041737
“I would like to get a look at this city, see what we’re dealing with. But if everypony’s tired, I suppose that can wait, assuming those Dogs don't go telling everyone about us.”
>You make your way back to your camp, Hollow rejoining you when you reach the tunnel
>As you row your boat Fleur begins to nod off, and though she tries to hide it, Hollow does as well
>Barrel meanwhile whistles an old song to himself
>When you return to camp you get together with your fellow guards and work out a skeleton crew of two ponies on rotation for the night with one pony positioned at the top of the hill overlooking the farm in case the Dogs try anything crafty
>Thankfully, you don’t have to work either shift tonight so that you can recover all of your magic
>As you set up your own tent you notice almost all of the settlers have already fallen asleep and you soon join them in the real of dreams

>You awake an unknown time later, the lack of sun or moon or any noticeable changes in the ambient light making it hard to keep track of time
>The sounds of settlers moving about convinces you that you’ve slept long enough so you slide out of your bedroll
>Once you strap your armor on and grab your knife you go to grab a plate of grits but stop when you notice Soul changing Silver’s bandages and approach
“How is she?”
>”Still asleep, unfortunately, but otherwise she’ll recover. Hopefully she’ll wake up by sometime tomorrow or the day after.”
>You look over your sleeping friend and smile slightly when you see her peacefully face
“I’m glad she’ll be making a full recovery.”
>”I didn’t say that. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll be up and moving for the most part in the next week or so but I’m having my doubts on how fast her wings will heal, and I don’t expect the maimed one will ever recover fully.”
“What do you mean? Like, she’ll be a weaker flier or do you mean she won’t ever be able to fly again?”
>Soul finishes changing the last bandage, “I’m worried it’ll be the second one. I can only sorta get the bones set right but she needs an actual doctor if the wing’s to heal correctly.”
>You look over the bandaged and crippled wing and wince
“Alright, let me know if anything changes.”
>With that you grab your food and call for a group meeting between you guards
>You explain the situation in detail and layout your plan to scout out the city
>The only question is who will be joining you on your scouting trip
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41041824
A smaller squad is probably safer. Bring Hollow and Barrel, and set a time limit so if we're gone too long, the others will know we might need help.

>>41041824
While barrel and hollow recon the city I will head back to the dog's farmer house to continue helping them with their gopher problem after that I'll ask them more questions about the city there has to be more information they can tell us about it.

Trail Leader

>>41041850
>>41041965
“Hollow, Barrel, you two and I will scout out the city after I check in with the Dog farmer. I might help him with the gophers and ask more questions about the city while you two do recon on your own. As for the rest of you, just continue your watch over the area and help set up some additional defenses. If we’re not back in twelve hours assume we’ve encountered a problem.”
>With that settled you all split off to do your assignments

>As you stroll through the mushroom field the Dog farmer notices you and Barrel, Hollow having already disappeared into the dim light above
>Again, his son follows and occasionally helps pluck out small, shriveled mushrooms that grow next to the larger, pony sized beasts that are the focus of the farm
>Once you’re within comfortable speaking range the Dog addresses you
>”Why have you come back, pony? I thought I made it clear we were no threat to you.”
“I wanted to see if you wanted help clearing out more of the gophers.”
>The Dog stops his examination of one particularly large mushroom and taps his chin in thought
>”I normally take care of the shrooms first but if you’re free for the next six or eight hours, we can hunt gophers. Why, what’s in it for you? Do you need more spirits?”
“Maybe, but I mostly just want to ask you some more questions.”
>The Dog weighs the deal in his mind for a moment before shrugging
>”Sure, why not. We’ve got three more fields to clear out and each will take about two to four hours to clear, I thinks. How many do you want to do today?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41042683
"We can do at least one, maybe two depending on how long my friends will be."
Then pull Barrel and Hollow aside to discuss the game plan. They should scout out the city as discreetly as possible, see what we're up against and maybe even try to find out if the other settlers ended up there.

Trail Leader

>>41042726
"We can do at least one, maybe two depending on how long my friends will be."
>”I noticed that pretty unicorn was gone. Where are they headed?”
>You don’t really see a point in hiding the truth from the Dog
“They’re going to scout out the town for us.”
>The Dog makes a throaty, grumbling sound before speaking
>”Since you’ve already agreed to help me, I’ll give you a warning. A pony with these,” he tugs at his spiked collar and bracelets, “can move freely but with suspicion. A pony without will be sent to market or worse if they are caught.”
“That’s… not good. You wouldn’t happen to have any spare collars or bracelets, would you?”
>”No, each Dog has their own and no more. You would need a Dog to buy some at the market or find a leatherworker to make a custom one.”
“I see. Thanks for the warning. Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to have a private talk with my friend before he leaves.”
>The Dog nods and returns to his house, assumedly to fetch the cart to collect the corpses
>You walk with Barrel to the edge of the mushroom field and signal Hollow to land
“I want you two to scout out the city as discreetly as possible, see what we're up against and maybe even try to find out if the other settlers ended up there.”
>You look at Hollow and see that she’s still wearing the collar and bracelets she looted from the diplomat you killed
“There’s no identifiers on those, are there?”
>She looks over the bracelets on her legs and presents her collar for you to look at
>You let out a breath of relief when you both fail to find any
“Alright, good. I suggest keeping those on at all times. Apparently the Dogs will be less likely to hurt or enslave you if you wear those.”
>Hollow raises an eyebrow
>”You don’t say? I guess everyone has the preferences when it comes to fashion.”
“I suppose. Anyways, take your time if you need to and be back within the next eight hours. Meanwhile I’m going to be hunting for gophers with the farmer.”

>>41043272
>”Why are you so interested in helping this Dog?” Hollow asks
>Barrel answers for you, “because we’re building a good rapport with him. We help him and show that we’re friendly and he’s less likely to turn us in the first chance he gets.”
>Hollow shrugs her wings, “I guess. I think just getting out of his hair would be better.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here as fast as we can while keeping everypony safe. Now get going.”
>The pair nod and head towards the tunnel that allegedly leads to the city, Hollow again disappearing into the dim light above while Barrel walks

>”Do you eat meat?”
>You barely register the pup’s question as you track a mother gopher and her babies as they return to their nest
“What? I mean, yeah, sometimes some ponies do. Hey, she’s almost there so get ready to pounce.”
>The adult Dog hunches over the burrow, both front claws ready to cull yet another family for the fifth time in two hours
>”Have you ever ate gopher?”
“Nope. We mostly eat pork and chicken. Oh, and fish.”
>The mother gopher hesitates at the entrance of the burrow and sniffs at the air, as if aware that something awaits her at the surface
>”You eat fish! I love fish. Dad and I go fishing whenever we can get away from the farm. Have you ever had-“
>”Damn it, Mushroom. Leave him alone. We’ve got-“
“Now!”
>The father lunges forth with both claws, skewering the mother and one of the babies
>As he pulls them to the surface you grab the remaining babies with your telekinesis and bring them to the surface where the pup quickly disembowels them with a claw
>You pant as the father and son throw the bodies onto the pile and fetch drinks of water from their canteens
>They don’t offer you any so you just drink from your own
>”That’s the south field done. You did good, Mushroom. And you too, pony. I suppose you’ll want to ask me some questions now? How’s this, I’ll answer five questions and then we go to the east field, okay?”
“I think that sounds fair. I need a chance to rest my horn anyways.”
>”Right. Well, pony, ask away.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41043279
Does any dogs from the city ever come to your home?

Who's the leader in charge of running the city?

What can you tell me about this city did your kind build it or did ya found it?

Before we stumble ourselves down here we found a magic staff and a magic pendant in a chest we found on the surface world I don't suppose you know anything about these two relics do ya?

How can you and your family live in a dark isolated place such as this where there's hardly any sunlight doesn't that make farming down here hard plants needs the sun's ray to help it grow photosynthesis?!

They're growing mushrooms, let's not waste a question on that last one.<br>Instead, ask how often slaves are sold to dogs outside the city. We need to figure out how screwed the settlers are.

Trail Leader

“Do any Dogs from the city ever come to your home?”
>”Sometimes, mostly my pack mates. Most Dogs have no reason to visit me.”
“Who's the leader in charge of running the city?”
>”Now? Abuwtiyuw runs the city. But for thousands of generations before the city ran itself. It is a neutral ground where pack warfare is banned.”
“What can you tell me about this city did your kind build it or did ya find it?”
>”The old Dogs built it and we’ve maintained it ever since.”
>You pull the rod and pendant you took from the mummy Dog and present them to the farmer
“Before we stumbled ourselves down here we found a magic staff and a magic pendant in a chest we found on the surface world I don't suppose you know anything about these two relics do ya?”
>The Dog’s eyes go wide and he takes the rod from you and looks it over before returning it
>”No, I don’t. It looks like something those priest Dogs would carry. I’d be careful with those, great pony. Relics like that are powerful to us Dogs and I doubt the priests will allow you to keep such an object, especially since you probably stole it from our ruins. But I’m a simple Dog, unworthy of telling you what to do, great pony.”
>He speaks to you with reverence, avoiding eye contact all the while and once he’s done with his explanation he whispers something to his son, who presents you with his own canteen of water
>”My dad says I should share my water with you, great pony.”
>You begin to reject the offer but second guess yourself
“Thanks, but I’m good for now. Maybe once we get the other field finished I’ll have some.”
>The pup looks downcast but doesn’t push the subject
“One last question. How often are slaves sold to Dogs outside the city?”
>The Dog gives a sharp laugh but stops himself quick
>”Forgive me, great pony. I should know that our world is unknown to you. But this is the city, the only city. Dogs from all over the world, even the ones beyond the deep waters and oceans come here for trade. This is where almost all slaves end up and are sold to packs across the world. Almost all ponies are sold to Dogs outside the city. Only the priests and city merchants will buy a slave and keep them here.”
>A pit forms in your stomach
>If any of the clients were enslaved, you would probably only have a short time to rescue them
“That’s… upsetting. I’ll need to talk with my friends when they get back.”

>>41044300
>You screw the cap back onto your canteen and start walking to the east field
“Let’s get this other field finished.”
>”Yes, let’s.”

>The next four hours are similar to the first two, and you slowly work your way over the field making sure to wipe out any gophers you can find
>This field is comparatively overwhelmed with gophers when compared to the south field, so you are forced to spend more time and magic on it
>By the time you are done e your magic is effectively exhausted and you feel you could probably only cast one major spell until you’ll experience burnout
>But thankfully your telekinesis and light spell don’t draw enough power to worry about
>As you go to drink from your canteen the pup again offers you a drink from his canteen, just as the father asks you if you have any more questions
>He doesn’t give you a limit, this time
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41044302
"Some of our friends may have ended up in the city, what would be their fate after being discovered? How long until they would be sold off?"

Trail Leader

>>41044381
"Some of our friends may have ended up in the city, what would be their fate after being discovered?“
>”Assuming they don’t do something stupid and try to fight back? They would be taken to the market immediately and registered for sale. Unless they are knights, in which case they would be executed.”
“How long until they would be sold off?"
>”Hmm… depends on the type of pony they are, I guess. Unicorns are the best slaves, followed by earth ponies and then donkeys and so on. I don’t know how long they have, but I believe there’s an auction day after tomorrow. They have one once a week; that’s when most slaves get sold. Forgive me, great pony, but I know little about slavery. As I told you, I never owned slaves.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41044437
I assume there's a prison of some kind where the slaves would be kept in the meantime? Do you know anything about that?

Trail Leader

>>41044471
“I assume there's a prison of some kind where the slaves would be kept in the meantime? Do you know anything about that?”
>”Yeah, sure. There’s different slave pits around the city. Most districts have one and on auction days they’re herded into the big ones next to the market. There’s lots of guards around those, of course. Nobody wants a rival pack to steal their bounty.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

I can't think of anything else to ask, at least until we find out what Barrel and Hollow saw.

>>41044520
What this about a rival pack?

>>41044520
Do the dogs treat their pony slaves poorly and harsh? If they do why do they justify this inhumane action Slavery to pony kind?!

Trail Leader

>>41044643
>>41044657
“What this about a rival pack?”
>”Packs compete against each other just as much as they do against ponies, except we have rules about how we treat fellow Dogs. Nowadays almost all packs work together to help each other, as per Abuwtiyuw’s orders, but they still compete for their place among the rest of the packs. We can no longer fight each other and we’re ordered not to steal from each other, but stealing still happens.”
“Most packs work together? What about the ones that don’t?”
>”Those Dogs live near the surface. Abuwtiyuw is dealing with them now, either forcing then to join us or wiping them out. His soldiers are better equipped and trained than those who resist, so the work of assimilation is easy.”
“Do the Dogs treat their pony slaves poorly and harshly?”
>”We treat ponies as needed. Most ponies work in the mines or farms as laborers, and since ponies are lazy Dogs can be harsh. Some Dogs can be cruel, of course, and treat their slaves harshly for the fun of it. The ponies that stay in the city have it easier though, usually having some freedom to do as they please so long as they don’t cause problems and make gems for their master. Some slaves own their own stores or even other slaves, but that’s rare. Some Dogs get… overly familiar with ponies, which is a problem.”
“How do they justify treating ponies cruelly?”
>”It’s their property, they don’t need to justify what they do. It’s said that might makes right.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41044719
Slaves can own their own slaves? So if a slave pony were to go check out the current stock, that wouldn't be unheard of?

Trail Leader

>>41044736
“Slaves can own their own slaves? So if a slave pony were to go check out the current stock, that wouldn't be unheard of?”
>”Certainly not. Many merchants send their slaves to scout out new stock ahead of time. However, only a Dog master can buy a slave. Pony masters need their own master to purchase the slave for them.”
>The Dog hesitates before continuing
>”Be careful, great pony. Guards near the slaves are extra vigilant, especially around ponies. Most slaves that scout the slave pits are familiar to the guards.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41044785
So if the guards were to see ponies they've not seen before will the whole city be on high alert against outsiders interloping their ancient city?

>>41044785
Do dogs enslave other dogs? Like a punishment for crimes perhaps?

Trail Leader

>>41044895
>>41045945
“So if the guards were to see ponies they've not seen before will the whole city be on high alert against outsiders interloping their ancient city?”
>”Not necessarily. The ponies would just have to have a good explanation of why they’re there and will probably have to show proof that they’re telling the truth, like their master’s seal on a letter or a carry their pack’s symbol. Most new ponies are introduced by their masters in person so that there isn’t any problems, however. Escaped slaves on the other paw would make the guards set off the district alarm system. Again, great pony, I would be careful if I were you.”
“Do dogs enslave other dogs? Like a punishment for crimes perhaps?”
>”Yes, we do. Usually they are taken by members of rival or warring packs, but with Abuwtiyuw as master of most packs there’s a lot less Dog slaves to go around.”
>There’s a sharp whistle from the direction of the city tunnel and you all turn your attention to it
>Both Barrel and Hollow walk towards the three of you, Hollow evidently deciding it was fine for the Dogs to see her
>”Are those all your friends that went scouting?”
“Sure are.”
>You wave to the duo with a hoof and drink more of your water as they approach
>”Pleased to report a successful scouting trip, sir,” Barrel begins, “we didn’t find the mine that leads to the surface, but we learn some interesting things.”
>”First and foremost,” Hollow begins, “is that the city is huge and seems to be divided into different districts by walls that run floor to ceiling, which means a flier can’t go from one district to another without walking through the gates like everyone else. Secondly, most of the houses on the outskirts of the city, the houses closest to here, are empty. Barrel and I found an entire block of abandoned houses, enough to house a hundred ponies easy. That’s where we sat to watch the market when we weren’t exploring.”
>”We also found what we think are slave pits,” Barrel continues, “there’s a bunch of collared ponies sitting in a pit with bars over it. You can see them from down the road but the D-Dogs have guards all around them.”
>”Oh,” Hollow adds, “and we saw a mare walking around on her own the market. The Dog merchants seemed to mostly either ignore her or show her some passing respect when she talked to them.”
>”Was she yellow?” The Dog asks
>”Yeah, do you know her?”
>”Marigold,” the Dog mumbles, “her owner used to be a powerful merchant and he’s given her his favor. She lives a freer life than most slaves. Easier than most Dogs, even.”
>You make sure to make a mental note of that
“Did you two happen to see or hear anything about our missing ponies?”
>”Afraid not,” Hollow answers, “we mostly just watched from the distance so we didn’t hear much. We did hear a guard patrol talk about a lot of new slaves showing up in the last few days though.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41046431
Great now we have another problem to deal with guys either we try to launch a risky rescue mission to save those capture pony slaves or we leave them to their fate at the claws of diamond dogs while we escape with our very lives! What are we going to do now? In fact what's even the right choice at this point no matter what we decide somepony is going to get hurt or kill from this crisis we're in. What else can you tell us about these new slaves the guard dog talked about?

Trail Leader

>>41046486
“What else can you tell us about these new slaves the guard Dogs talked about?”
>”Nothing much, really. Just that they made it sound like there’s been an influx of pony slaves recently. We would have to do some more scouting if you want to know more.”
>”Should we head back?” Barrel asks. “It’s been almost eight hours since we left, so if there’s something else you want to do we have about four hours to do it. Otherwise maybe we should make a plan on what we’re going to do next.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41046726
Let's head back to camp, update the others on the situation and try to come up with a plan.
We definitely need to somehow get a closer look at those slave pits at least.

>>41046431
I would like to ask the dog about why his behavior changed after seeing the staff. Was he afraid of it?

Other questions for him is if he can tell us about how the dogs from across the sea arrive in the city and if there is anybody that normally purchases a large quantity of slaves.

Anonicorn

>>41046486
Bad plan, We're outnumbered and outgunned. This is like defeating 50 ponies with only your hooves while they get to have weapons. Best bet is to abandon the enslaved ponies and have the guard deal with em. (On an unrelated note, How many years has it been since twilight sparkle's rule of equestria)

Anonymous

>>41047083
Gotcha and well to be honest with you I have no idea maybe 10 years or so I guess!

>>41047083
I have a longshot idea to save a large number of slaves while escaping and facing less risk, but it relies on external factors we have absolutely no influence over. So tons of luck basically.

>>41047083
Problem is by the time we get the guard involved, those ponies will have been sold and shipped off to who knows where. I don't wanna give up on them that easily.

Trail Leader

>>41046850
>>41046898
“We’ll do that in just a second.”
>You turn to the Dog
“Why did your behavior change after seeing the staff? Are you afraid of it?”
>The Dog seems surprised by your question and shifts on his paws nervously
>”As I said, I’m not entirely sure what it is. But I’ve seen the priest Dogs carry relics with the same symbols before. Dogs say that they’re magic and are holy. If you own one, even if you stole it, then you must be a great pony. I’m ashamed to not have realized such when you came to us but understand I’ve never seen a wizard before.”
“Can you tell us about how the Dogs from across the sea arrive in the city?”
>”Depends. Most must brave the journey under the waters, where the ocean is most shallow. But that takes a long time, months even. Some come over by boat, though that is rare and was more common before the Storm King. But the most desperate or foolish Dogs travel far below the surface in the caves dug by the Deep Dogs.”
“Deep Dogs? Are those another tribe of Dog?”
>”Tribe? You mean like buffalo?”
“No, I mean like how I’m a unicorn and Barrel here is an earth pony. I guess I’m asking if they’re like a subspecies of Dog.”
>”No, they’re not. They’re just outsiders, I guess. Deep Dog packs live far, far deeper than other Dogs, where the pressure and heat are unbearable even to the rest of us Dogs. They rarely come up to where other Dogs live, so they’re not really a part of Dog society.”
“But otherwise they’re just normal Dogs?”
>”Sort of. Dogs say that the Deep Dogs are more hardy but more deformed than other Dogs because of their exposure to earth magics, which makes them and their offspring mutate. It happens to their slave ponies, too.”
“Mutate? Like, get superpowers or something?”
>”Superpowers? I don’t know what those are, but if it’s magic then no. Deep Dogs are said to have malformations, especially when it comes to their mouths and fur. I’ve never seen one though, nor have I met any Dog that’s met one, so I can’t be more specific.”
>Barrel and Hollow exchange a subtle look before looking at you
>They’re clearly both suspicious of the Dog’s story
“Back to the topic of slaves, is there anybody that normally purchases a large quantity of slaves?”
>”Yes, the Dogs that run large mines and the Dogs from far away. Far away Dogs need to make their trips worthwhile and the mining Dogs need a lot of hooves. Most mining slaves won’t live long, unless they’re a unicorn or a strong earth pony.”
[Input Needed] [Do you have anymore questions or are you ready to go back to camp?]

Meta Leader

>>41047083
>How many years has it been since twilight sparkle's rule of equestria
Never happened. It’s been about ten years since the season three premiere, which is where the timeline splits. The Mane 6, Spike, Shining, and Cadence failed to save the Crystal Empire from Sombra. The timeline diverges considerably from there. If you have more questions about the world feel free to ask but I figure nobody wants an info dump and a lot of what happened behind the scenes are completely unknown to Ardent Mind and will be meta knowledge that could effect your decisions. For the most part every villain except Tirek happen at the same time as they did in the show but had to be defeated by either Celestia, Luna, or the Equestrian military which has grown dramatically since the disappearance of the Elements of Harmony.

Anonymous

>>41047159
I have one more question to ask you my friend. Is there anything else you can tell us about your leader Abuwtiyuw all we know is that he's some kind of dog priest looking for ancient relics like the staff and pendant I just show you do you know about his past, ever met him personally before, or about his true motives for wanting these relics so desperately and frankly?!

Trail Leader

>>41047218
>>41047260
“I have one more question to ask you my friend. Is there anything else you can tell us about Abuwtiyuw? All we know is that he's some kind of Dog priest looking for ancient relics like the staff and pendant I just showed you. Do you know about his past, or ever met him personally before?”
>”I only know what the other Dogs say, and I’ve only heard the story once. Abuwtiyuw was from a small pack far away from here. When he was a pup he would be struck by visions that left him weak so his pack sold him to the priests. At some point before maturity Abuwtiyuw left the priest Dogs and was enslaved by a pony traveler who brought Abuwtiyuw with him around the world, even Equestria for a time. I don’t remember what happened to that pony, but eventually Abuwtiyuw had another vision and returned to his pack to became their leader, which was when he came to the south just as you ponies began your war against us and stole our dens. His pack was the first to come to the aid of other packs and others eventually followed his lead. Over the last few years he became our war leader.”
>The Dog takes a drink from his canteen before continuing
>”At some point the priest Dogs became interested in him, but priest Dogs don’t talk to us regular Dogs. I only know that they occasionally preach his message of Dog unity and returning to the ancient ways in the marketplaces. But I don’t know anything else. I’m sorry, great pony, if anything I said doesn’t make sense, but I only know very little of the story.”
“It’s okay, I appreciate it. Have you ever met him personally before? Or know about his true motives for wanting these relics so desperately?”
>”No, I haven’t met him. At least I don’t think I have. Dogs say he walks among us in the city, but I don’t go into the city often. As for why he wants relics? The priests and other Dogs say the relics are the key to restoring our ancient kingdom. They say the relics hold the magic of civilization. When we have enough we will have magic like ponies.”
“That’s an interesting story. Well, thank you for answering my questions but we need to return to our camp now.”
>The Dog nods, “you have been an interesting guest, great pony. But if you’re going to take your ponies through my land, I must ask that I may be allowed to see your camp beforehand so I know what you e said about being travelers is true. No offense, great pony, but I can’t have soldier ponies travel through my land.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good night.”
>With that you and your ponies walk back to your boat

>>41047437
>”So, do you believe what he said?” Hollow asks Barrel once you are outside of the Dog’s hearing range
>”I don’t know. I guess I don’t have a reason to not believe him but some of what he said sounds… I don’t know. I just have my doubts.”

>When you return to camp you find Soul looking over Silver’s wounds once again
“How’s she doing?”
>Soul jumps at your question before looking up at you
>”Oh, welcome back. Yeah, Silver’s doing alright, all things considered. She woke up a couple hours ago for just a few moments, but I don’t think she’ll remember that. Again, she’ll probably wake up for good tomorrow or the day after.”
“Good to hear. Alright, help me round everypony up. We’re going to have a lot to talk about.”
>Soul nods and gets up to help gather the clients and other guards
>Once everyone is together you tell them what you’ve learned about the city, which is met with worried murmurs among the settlers
>Once you are done talking you take questions from the crowd
>”Are you going to rescue the others?” a settler mare asks
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41047441
Ardent sighs"I'm sorry ma'am I wish we could but there's only 50 of us left against a whole army of dogs we barely survived the last encounter with them if we tried we'll only get ourselves killed. I'm afraid the only hope those pony slaves have now is for us to find a way back to the surface, head back to Gate City, and contact the Royal Guard for additional reinforcements so they can launch a full scale rescue operation".

>>41047504
Nah fuck this pessimism. Let's at least consider out options and see if we can come up with some plans.

>>41047441
We only have half of our supplies so therefore limited resources I don't think we'll be able to tend to all the slaves injuries and even if we did rescue them an alarm for the city will go off and they'll hunt us down in full force, so getting everypony out will be very slim the best chances for many ponies to survive is to go and get backup rather than risk a life or death suicide mission.

I'm interested in what this anon had in mind.
>>41047131

Trail Leader

>>41047504
>>41047511
>>41047545
>You sigh
“I'm sorry ma'am I wish we could but we only have half of our supplies and there's only fifty of us against a whole army of Dogs. We barely survived the last encounter with them and if we tried to fight them directly again we'll only get ourselves killed. I'm afraid the only hope those pony slaves have now is for us to find a way back to the surface, head back to Gate City, and contact the Royal Guard for additional reinforcements so they can launch a full scale rescue operation.”
>The crowd is silent except for the sniffles of ponies
>Families, friends, and strangers hug each other but no one disagrees with your assessment
>Looking to your guards you find them all giving you somber nods in agreement or looking away in shame
>Everyone except Soul Mane
>The stallion doesn’t say anything to you
>Instead he looks at you in disappointment and shakes his head
>For a moment you feel angry; angry that he’d judge you for making the clear, obvious call
>But then the target of your anger changes from him to the situation
>It wasn’t right
>It wasn’t fair
>You’d made the best decisions you could in the moment and you’d still wound up in this mess
>So why take any more risks
>…

>Fuck this pessimism
“I know I said the situation is bleak,” you address the crowd, “but I’m open to suggestions. I’m just a single pony, so if someone has a different view on the matter, I’d like to hear it. Not saying we’ll go with it, but I’d like to check other possibilities.”
>The crowd looks at you in silence, their hope already dashed

>>41048064
>You look to Soul Mane, but even he looks to be short on suggestions
>Finally, after a few seconds pass Barrel steps forth
>”We don’t know much about the security situation outside of what we’ve been told. We could do another, longer reconnaissance mission. Send a couple of us into the city and try to scope out what we can of the slave market. I doubt we’ll find anything helpful but knowing more about what we’re dealing with is always good.”
>Hollow shifts uncomfortably on her hooves before rolling her eyes and stepping forward as well
>”If we really, really want to save the twelve missing settlers we don’t necessarily have to make a big jail break and free all the other slaves. We could just wait until our settlers get purchased at the auction and follow them back to wherever their new master decides to keep them and then free them on individually. There’s no sense in freeing all of the other slaves in our situation and even if we can’t free everypony at least we’ll free some.”
>The crowd of ponies murmur to each other and you can feel the blanket of pessimism slip a little
>Following the other two, Soul steps forward
>”You all seem to be forgetting something. We don’t know for sure if the others have been found yet, or if all of them were even enslaved if so. It’s pretty damn premature to be jumping to conclusions yet.”
>Soul looks you in the eye
>”Ardent, sir, I recommend we do a reconnaissance mission and try to figure out for sure what’s happened to the others before we make any final decision.”
>Everyone looks to you
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41048067
Agreed, we'll need more information regardless. Whether we manage to free the others or not we gotta come up with a way to get out.

>>41048067
The farmer dog I talked to told me that a Day after Tomorrow there will be a auction for pony slaves somewhere in the city so that means the next day is our only chance to find out for sure if the missing settlers are there or not. Therefore, we have a full day to confirm the missing blanks on their whereabouts!

Let's do it but remember this is strictly recon only get inside the city, keep a low profile, find out whatever Intel we can, and get the buck out before the diamond dogs can ever know we were ever there I'm not losing anymore ponies to these animals!

>>41048067
Once we get all our info for tomorrow we can plan our next move that night for the auction although, if something we're to happen and the diamond dogs caught wind of our plans or say capture us we have their precious staff and pendant something that Abuwtiyuw the priest is looking for turns out they're very rare and Sacred to the Diamond Dogs it will be our Ultimate Bargaining Chip to ensure our freedom and the slaves pony settlers in case things goes wrong, however we'll only use that as a total last resort if our plan fails. Gotta have a backup plan in situations like this in order to expect the plan to go off the rails!

>>41047962
The idea was hoping that a "far away dog" came from overseas to buy a ton of ponies. They'd need a slave barge and access to the ocean to make it possible. After their purchase is loaded on said barge, we hijack it. We'd get a ride to the coast and southern colonies and the slaves they purchased would get their freedom.

>>41047167
Uhh, Can you divulge some info without crossing past the meta knowledge boundary? It's not like the EoH are trapped and we have to save them right (wink wink nudge nudge) RIGHT? RIGHT?

>>41048436
That's a nice plan, but we have to go to the entrance first.....

Trail Leader

>>41048096
>>41048295
>>41048402
“Agreed, we'll need more information regardless. The farmer Dog I talked to told me that the day after tomorrow there will be an auction for pony slaves somewhere in the city so that means tomorrow and part of the day after is the only time we can learn if the missing settlers are there or not. And even if we don’t find the settlers we’ll need to find a way out. I’ll put together a team and once we get all the info we can gather we can plan our next move.”
>Although the settlers remain grim, you feel that at least a little optimism is starting to grow
[Input Needed] [Who do you want on the scouting party and when are you going to send them?]

Anonymous

>>41050013
I think it should just be Hollow and Ardie. She can be sneaky and has the "disguise" and we can use earth sight to avoid guards. More ponies means more chance of detection.

>>41050026
Oh and let's go as soon as we're fully rested and ready.

>>41050013
Me and hollow will take care of this guys we'll lead the scouting party besides I want to take a look at this City full of Diamond Dogs myself see what were up against while you two barrel and soul keep watch over the settlers camp site.

Meta Leader

>>41049987
<s>I don’t have any plans for the EoH to ever show up in the story directly. The main reason I wrote them out of the story is because I wanted an Equestria that was more divided, both socially and in terms of where its attention, and a bit more dystopian. I can’t see that happening with the Mane Six around without mischaracterizing them or having them just solve a lot of the major issues themselves, specifically everything going on with the Diamond Dogs and the rebels in the southern colonies. Once I wrote them out with the season three premiere a lot of things just fell in place with what I wanted. To be clear, Celestia and Luna are still around and are competent, caring, and genuinely good leaders but with Equestria facing so many problems on so many fronts they’re too busy focusing on the large existential issues going on to pay attention to the small things, which is why they founded Parliament and have slowly given them more and more power. Sorry if this explanation is a bit unfocused but I wrote it between moments of busyness.</s>

>>41050026
>>41050033
>>41050075
Noted. I’ll write the update after I finish my dinner.

Trail Leader

<s>Whoops, fell asleep for a couple hours there. Sorry for the delay. </s>

>You dismiss the crowd and pull all the guards to the side
“Alright, I’ve decided that Hollow and I will be our scouting party.”
>The Roughshod unicorn raises a hoof
>”Uh, are you sure you don’t want backup? Or at least another set of eyes for scouting?”
“No, more ponies mean more chance of detection. We’re just going to do a quick recon mission; get inside the city, keep a low profile, find out whatever intel we can, and get the buck out before the Diamond Dogs can ever know we were ever there. No need to risk any other ponies. Hollow and I are the best suited for this kind of situation. Besides, I want to take a look at this City full of Diamond Dogs myself to see what we’re up against while the rest of you keep watch over camp.”
>”And if you get caught?” the unicorn asks. “You’re in charge of the group now, we can’t afford to lose you, not now with Flash gone and Fleur’s authority seemingly undermined in the eyes of the clients.”
“If something happens to me then Barrel Cactus is in charge. However, if something does happen I still have a bargaining chip, hopefully a powerful one.”
>You pull the rod and pendant from your saddlebag
“These seem to be important magical artifacts to the Dogs, especially their leader Abuwtiyuw. If we get caught there’s a chance I could win us, all of us, including the settlers, our freedom in exchange for hoofing it over. I’m only going to try that as a last resort though.”
>Everyone nods in understanding and Hollow raises a hoof

>>41050697
>”So, what time do we head out?”
“We’ll leave as soon as we're fully rested and ready. Let’s make a hearty dinner and get as much sleep as we can. We’ll plan on entering the city ten hours from now.”

>Ten hours later the two of you stand inside the farmer’s second tunnel
>From where you stand you see what looks like a city block made up of abandoned stone homes
>The houses lack any doors or window shutters, although they have both windows and doorways
>In the near distance are taller buildings, some of which glow softly with candle or lantern light while others stay dark and foreboding
>In the far distance is the city wall you were told about
>It was unnaturally smooth, clearly the work of Diamond Dogs
>Lights peer out of small windows cut into the wall, hinting at some kind of habitation inside the wall itself
>The air where you stand has a slightly smokey smell and you can faintly hear the sound of bells in the direction of the wall
>”So,” Hollow asks, “where did you want to start? The abandoned apartments Barrel and I stayed in are just a short walk from here and they’ll give us a decent look at the rest of the district. Otherwise we could sneak our way to the local market where they have a few slave pits, but that might be risky since there’s so many Dogs wondering about. And I suppose we could just go straight to the wall and try to get a look at the big slave market your Dog friend mentioned, but we should probably wait until you have a collar and bracelets before trying that.”
>You consider your options
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41050700
Let's head to the abandoned apartments, we can make a sort of base camp there and take look at the district.

>>41050700
Let's head to the abandoned apartments first I want to see the what the district looks like and who knows perhaps I might discovered something that you and barrel might have overlooked or didn't see the first time.

Trail Leader

I’m going to need a Perception Check (D20+2)

“Let's head to the abandoned apartments, we can make a sort of base camp there and take look at the district. Who knows, perhaps I might discover something that you and Barrel had overlooked or didn't see the first time.”
>”What, you don’t think we did a good job of scouting?”
>You shake your head vigorously
“No, I trust the both of you. That’s why I sent you. It’s just that an extra pair of eyes always helps.”
>Hollow smirks and punches your shoulder
>”Don’t worry, I know what you meant. Come on, I’ll take you to the apartment.”

>Hollow leads you through a series of alleyways between the little stone houses to the apartment building
>Along the way you both keep your eyes and ears on a swivel, listening for any possible Dogs or other creatures
>Only once do you spot any signs of life, a Dog patrol at the far end of the road directly outside the apartments
>Thankfully the building seems to be outside of their patrol area and soon they disappear back towards the district center
>The two of you sweep the building together, going room to room to make sure you won’t be surprised by any overlooked inhabitants
>It takes some time, but it’s better than taking an unnecessary risk
>After a couple hours you and Hollow have a little camp set up at the top floor of the building where you can look out over the district
>Using the binoculars that Barrel loaned to you for this trip, you scan the area
<s>Perception Check: Massive Success</s>
>Along the wall at street level you see large, open gates
>Armed Dogs, averaging five at each gate, stand guard, stopping any Dog that tries to pass through the gates and talking with them
>After what you suspect is a routine interrogation the traveler Dogs give the guards a single large gemstone and pass onto the other side of the wall
>Just as you are about to turn your attention away you spot a pair of ponies pull a cart up to one of the mall gates where they are stopped by the guards
>The ponies are surrounded by the guards who rough them up a little but otherwise perform another quick interrogation before sending the ponies on their way after being handed a single gem
>You make a mental note that the Dogs never checked what was in the covered wagon
>After that you check the district market
>Smoke hangs heavy over the open air market as many stalls and buildings hold furnaces or open fires
>In addition to the same goods you’d expect to see at any market in Equestria, you see many restaurants and food carts roasting what looks like various kinds of meat
>Weapons are proudly displayed at every smith or tool shop and you even spot a stall selling firearms

>>41051082
>As you watch the firearm dealer try to win over a customer he grabs one of the rifles, loads it with powder, wad, and shot and fires it into the air in your general direction
>There’s no way he saw you so you continue to watch, only hearing a single, small pop after a few seconds
>The rifle produces a large white puff of smoke and the two Dogs resume their haggling before eventually exchanging the rifle for a cart full of lizard skins
>In between two buildings you spot a small stall selling leather goods maned by a single pegasus pony
>Her spiked collar is chained to the stall but she doesn’t seem to be in any distress
>Looking over the wares it seems the stall sells leather armor alongside the familiar vests and spiked collars of Diamond Dogs
>The final thing you note is how busy the market is
>The aisles and roads between stalls and stores are crowded with Dogs and the occasional donkey or pony, all of which buy mostly food
>Watching the ponies you see most of them follow behind a Dog, likely their master, and don’t interact with anyone else except to load goods into saddlebags or onto small carts
>The few slaves that aren’t with a Dog receive sneers from the shop owners and seem to pay more than Dog customers for the same amount of goods
>Most customers, both Dog and slave alike, come and go from stone buildings surrounding the market
>If you had to guess, this district housed around ten thousand or so inhabitants, a lot higher than you expected for some reason
>”Notice anything weird about the market?” Hollow asks
“Yeah, it looks like it mostly runs on barter. Both parties exchange goods instead of using currency in most cases, although it seems gems kinda fill in for bits in the sense every store seems to want them.”
>Hollow nods, “yeah, that’s true. But did you notice almost all the stores are ran by females?”
>You peer back through your binoculars to confirm what she said
>Paying closer attention to the Dogs you realize the vast majority of them are indeed female, except for the weapon and tool merchants
>Ever the stores staffed by pony and donkey slaves are mostly mares only
“Huh, I guess Dog society must have strict gender roles. If the males act as guards and miners then maybe merchants are expected to be females, or at least the clerks are.”
>Scanning over the district you barely spy another hub of Dog activity hidden behind some more abandoned buildings
>There’s a large amount of Dog guards, a dozen or so, standing around metal grates in the ground
>Large wagons with metal roofs and metal bar walls are parked nearby
>What’s beneath the grates in the ground you can’t tell
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41051086
Hey Hollow what that's area full of guard dogs doing there it looks like a full platoon is that one of the pits' where they keep the slaves?

>>41051086
We need a closer look at those pits. Hard to mount a rescue mission if we don't even know where our rescuees are.
How's the area above the grates, could Hollow take a look from above? We could create a diversion of needed.

>>41051086
So travel between districts is regulated and a toll needs to be payed? That poses a significant problem both since any slaves passing through should know their destination and we have no gems. Although, I doubt an ancient city like this doesn't have a few secret passages being dug over it's long history.

Trail Leader

>>41051173
>>41051186
>You point with a hoof
“Hey, Hollow? What’s that area full of guard Dogs over there? Is that one of the pits where they keep the slaves?”
>”Uh, yeah, I think it is. That’s the general area Barrel and I were in when we spotted those pits yesterday. They must be the same ones.”
>You watch the area around the grates for a few minutes to see if you notice any way of approach
>The Dogs are laid back, some even smoking what looks like cigarettes and playing some kind of dice game
>The whole time you watch them there’s always one looking around, but never looking above the rooftops
“Doesn’t look like they expect any fliers. Do you think you could take a look at those slaves from above? I can provide a distraction if need be.”
>Hollow motions for the binoculars, which you give her
>After looking at the area for half a minute she nods
>”Oh yeah, I could definitely get a look from above. The ceiling is dim enough that even if they looked for me I doubt they’d find me. I’m going to need these nocs if I’m going to get a good look at them, though. Otherwise I’ll just be able to count them and tell you what color, race, and sex they are.”
>You consider the risks
“We need a closer look at those pits. Go ahead and fly out there, I’ll wait for you here. Make sure to be safe and stay out of sight, okay?”
>She nods
>”Of course, Ardie. I’ll be right back.”
>She takes the final flight of stairs up to the roof and you here her take off but when you look out the window you never find her

>Waiting for Hollow’s return is miserable
>To kill the time and keep yourself from worrying you grab your quill and notebook and draw, a hobby of yours you haven’t had much time to do
>The drawings you make aren’t much, mostly just little goofy ponies and scenes that are as far away from Dogs and slavery and killing as possible
>When you hear your friends hoof steps down the stairs you slide the notebook and quill back into your saddlebags and wait for Hollow’s appearance
“How’d it go?”
>She gives you a toothy smile
>”Easy as stealing candy from a blind foal. The Dogs never even so much as glanced up the entire time I was there. I counted twenty slaves split between three pits, one for stallions, one for mares, and one for foals. All ponies, too.”
“See any of ours?”
>She continues to smile, “yup. Fleur’s assistant, Green something or another, was there as well as that journalist mare. There were eight others I recognized, all mares or foals.”
>You assume she’s smiling from a successful scouting trip, not because of the situation
“That leaves only two ponies unaccounted for and they’re both stallions. Did you see if there was anywhere else they may have been keeping slaves? A building perhaps?”
>She shakes her head
>”Sorry, but I didn’t see anything like that.”
>You sigh
“Alright, you did good. Real good.”
[Input Needed] [What do you want to do next?]

Anonymous

>>41051486
All right now that we know what happened to the other settlers next on the agenda is to find out where the hay are they going to auction on them off will it be at the local market or at the big slave market over the wall we need to find out where do you want to go next partner?

Trail Leader

>>41051697
“All right now that we know what happened to the other settlers next on the agenda is to find out where the hay they are going to auction them off.”
>”Didn’t your Dog friend say ponies sometimes scout out slaves for their masters? Maybe we could disguise ourselves as slaves and try finding a pony familiar with the slave trade that would be willing to tell us where the auction will be. I can’t image any pony would be suspicious of or willing to sell out their fellow ponies to the monsters that enslaved them.”
“Maybe. That could be risky though.”
>You consider your options but decide to differ to Hollow’s opinion
“So, if you were in charge where would you want to go next?”
>She seems shocked by your question
>”Uh, I guess I would say that we should at least get you a collar and bracelets like everyone else down here. If we try walking through the gates you’re going to need them anyway.”
“Assuming we go through the gates. I’ve been thinking, an ancient city like this has to have secret passages between districts.”
>Hollow nods eagerly with your conjecture
>”For sure. When I was a teen we used to use the old ruins and tunnels under Canterlot to skip school or escape guards. I’m sure the teenage Dogs do the same thing here. Anyways, the call on what to do next is still up to you.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41052519
We do have a full day doing reconnaissance anyway so let's try to see if we can find those secret passages first we need every advantage we can get if we want to stay ahead of our opponents and they might come in handy later let's go Hollow.

>>41052519
Lets look for passages, while keeping an eye out for a place to get those collars. Earth sight might help here.

>>41052722
the leather stall mentioned earlier had collars. (>>41051086)

Trail Leader

I need a Perception (d20+2) and an Intelligence (d20+3) roll.

>>41052886
I’ll also need a Stealth (d20) check.

Anonymous

>>41053003
Question, do all of the slaves have five bands or can we borrow one of Hollow's?

Rolled 14, 20, 1 = 35 (3d20)

>>41052886
Perception, int, stealth

Trail Leader

>>41053003
“We have a full day to do reconnaissance still so let’s try to find any secret passageways we can since we’ll probably need them for one reason or another anyways. After that maybe we’ll try getting ahold of one of those collars for me. Any suggestions on where to start looking for the passages?”
>Hollow thinks for a long moment
>”We always found them at construction sites or in the poorer parts of the old city but I don’t know if this place has any construction or if there’s anyplace that isn’t as old as the rest of the city. I guess we could just look through all these abandoned buildings but that could take a while. Oh! I remember hearing about the catacombs in Prance, maybe this place has something similar? If they do and they’re nothing like the ones in Prance then there’s a chance they’re interconnected over the whole city.”
“You know, that makes sense. As old as this place is there had to have been hundreds of thousands if not millions that lived and eventually died here. I recall one of the Dogs I encountered before saying that Dogs believe that they must be buried when they die so there has to at least be a cemetery or something we can start out searching at.”
>You take Barrel’s binoculars and scan over the district for anything that could pass for a church or a graveyard
>After half an hour or so of searching you finally spot something that may be what you’re looking for
>It’s a small marble building, not much bigger than a storage shed, that sits a distance away from the surrounding buildings with no visible windows and only a single stone door
>What makes it stand out is the engraved facade with the image of a seven armed sun and crescent moon which match the engravings on the ancient Dog rod you’d found
>Thinking you may be on to something, you take extra time to search the nearby area for anything else of note
<s>Medium Perception Check: Pass</s>
>Another small marble building sits not far behind the first
>You had dismissed it initially but now that you’re looking closer you notice the partially erased image of a tatzlwurm on the facade
>Again, the design matches the one on the rod
>You search the building for any entrance but find none facing you
>The buildings aren’t very far away from where you are staying either, sitting just on the other side of the market
>Sneaking there will be a little slow but it shouldn’t take longer than an hour or so to reach, assuming there’s no hiccups along the way
“I think I found where we can start our search.”

>As you and Hollow sneak towards the marble buildings you take it slow, with Hollow taking the lead as her sight and hearing are better than yours in the dim light
>Occasionally you are forced to wait in alleyways while Dogs, guard and civilian alike, pass by you
>Whenever you are forced to wait for a long time you cast Earth Sight and learn a few things

>>41053608
>The buildings, even the ones that are close to the market, are largely abandoned
>In the buildings that Dogs do inhabit the inhabitants mostly stay in the basements
>Dogs cook, eat, and assumedly sleep in their basements, while the occasional home with a slave has the slave either living in a room above ground or chained in a room in the basement
>Occasionally you spot an underground body of water far below you, around three hundred feet under your hooves
>The water flows gently and you can see vague outlines of metal pipes pumping the water to the surface, when it’s collected by people with buckets or cups
>It seems every house and store has the plumbing necessary to retrieve the water
>Besides that, casting Earth Sight has become second nature to you thanks to how often you are casting it

>Forty minutes after you and Hollow left your camp in the apartment the two of you approach the two buildings you had spotted earlier
>The area here is only slightly more populated than the abandoned blocks of buildings you camp in, with an inhabited building only once every three or four hundred feet
>Which means the two of you are able to quickly move from alleyway to alleyway and after a few short minutes you sit together in an alleyway outside the open area that surrounds the marble building with the sun and moon facade
>While Hollow looks and listens for any signs of possible threats you cast Earth Sight one more time
>You spot movement, two old Dogs sitting on a rooftop overlooking the open area, one of which holds a rifle across his lap
>You also spot two more Dogs doing something inside the building you’re moving towards
>You whisper your discovery to Hollow but remain in the spell and try to find any signs of possible underground tunnels but fail to find any movement below you
>Frustrated, you kick a hoof without thinking
<s>Hard Intelligence Check: Critical Success!</s>
<s>New Spell: (Advanced) Earth Sight</s>
>As you sever the connection to the ground Earth Sight requires you instinctively try to maintain the spell, pouring as much magic into it as you can
>Your vision goes dark for a moment and you feel the spell begin to unfurl just as your hoof strikes the ground
>Suddenly you see everything connected to the earth around you
>The world appears in your mind as a wireframe, buildings, tunnels, and moving creatures all
>The image holds in your mind, acting like a live video in your mind
>Your range of vision remains the same, however it takes an absurd amount of energy to cast
>You’ll probably only be able to cast it four or five times a day before exhausting your supply of magic
>Although you are shocked at first you quickly move to take advantage of the unexpected situation and search for any underground passageways
>You immediately find one such passageway directly beneath your hooves

>>41053612
>The tunnel is a confusing maze, even for you with your spell, and connects not to the building with the sun and moon but instead connects to the other marble building with the tatzlwurm
“Hollow, you were right. There’s an entire maze down there.”
>”Really? Cool. Can you see an entrance?”
“Yeah, it’s that marble building in the back, behind the one in front of us.”
>Hollow looks at the building and whispers back
>”We could probably swing around this open area and approach that building from behind. That way we can stay in the alleys the whole time.”
>You agree with her assessment and the two of you backtrack a little before finding a new way to approach the marble building that has more cover
>As you cross the last street before reaching your goal a Dog guard patrol at the far end of the street rounds the corner, surprising both you and Hollow
>The two of you quickly dive into the closest cover you can find, a small building
>The building has only one entrance and window, both of which face the street the Dogs patrol
>The air just outside the building reeks of urine
>”Did they see us?”
>You cast your basic Earth Sight and see that the Dogs maintain their casual pace
“Doesn’t look like it. There’s four of them, all with spears and clubs. They’re heading this way so just bunker down and wait for them to pass.”
>The Dogs move slowly and look straight down the road, which forces you to stop and wait them out
>As the Dogs get closer you and Hollow crouch down in the darkness of the building, hiding from the light of the torch one of the Dogs carries in a paw
>The patrol slowly walks past your building, chatting idly about female Dogs they’re interested in
>You hold your breath as they pass, making sure not to move even a single inch for fear they’d hear your armor scrape the stone wall you are pressed against
>You hear the Dogs sniff at the air right outside the window as they pass
>”Wait,” one of the guards calls to the others, “I need to piss.”
>”You’re obsessed with that building,” one of the guards says
>”Hey, I’m a creature of habit.”
<s>Stealth Check: Critical Fail</s>
>You faintly hear the sound of liquid splashing against the outside wall of the building you’re in as the Dog urinates
>”Hey, what’s that glow?”
>You instantly cancel your spell, fearful that the glow of your horn in the darkness just sold out your location to the patrol
>You mentally kick yourself over and over for the mistake
>You look around for Hollow but fail to find her and assume she’s disappeared into the darkness
>”Shit, it’s gone. I swear there’s some kind of light in there.”
>”Yeah, I saw it too,” another guard agrees
>”Whoever’s in there, come out now!” a Dog barks. “If we have to come in there you’re not gonna like it.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41053616
Time to make ourselves scarce quick fall back and find somewhere to hide in the buildings dark shadows there's got to be something in here that will conceal our presence if not then find an alternative way out of the building where they couldn't see us.

Trail Leader

>>41053770
>You push yourself as deep into a dark corner that you can and look around for an exit
>Besides the single doorway and window that face the four guard Dogs outside you don’t see a single exit
>There’s also nothing to hide behind other than Hollow who crouches in the corner opposite you
“Last warning! Come out now!”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41053835
Drat so much for that idea it's a long shot but the only idea I can think of now is that we risk using our magic, grab something we saw earlier before entering the building, and try to make a loud noise with the object from the outside using our telekinesis in order to draw their attention directly towards it that way the dogs might redirect their focus to the loud noise.

>>41053835
There is a other idea we can do dogs have sensitive hearing so using our magic to make certain sound vibrations will hurt them and cause them to want to leave area as far away as they can.

>>41053835
I don't see any way this ends without violence. Even if one us pretends to be a slave they'll demand to know our owner.
I say we act as bait, talk to them and keep their eyes on us while Hollow attacks from the shadows and we blast them.

Trail Leader

>>41053027
The slaves always have a collar but the number of bracelets, if any, varies

>>41053874
>>41054251
>>41054263
>You rack your brain for answers and remember a small loose rock you’d just passed on the street
>Even though you can’t see it you still try to grab it with your telekinesis
>It’s a hard trick to pull off and you unfortunately fail to find it
>Regardless of your failure your horn glows with magic, illuminating you in the darkness of the house
>”There he is!”
>You hear the Dogs snarl and figuring the jig is up jump into the doorway and raise both your hooves
>Immediately two of the Dogs point their spears at you, the tips hovering just inches from your throat
>”It’s a knight!” one shouts and you’re dragged from the doorway by a hoof
>Immediately one of the Dogs with a club bring his weapon down on your head only for it to glance off of your conical helmet, saving you from most of the damage
>”We should kill him,” one suggests, “he’s a knight!”
>Another Dog pokes you hard with a spear but not enough to pierce your armor
>”Quiet, all of you,” an older Dog orders before picking you up by the tail with a paw
>You intentionally don’t resist the abuse, hoping that at the least Hollow will be able to escape
>”Tell me, knight pony, how many of your friends are with you.”
“I’m it, I promise.”
>The Dog bears his teeth, “don’t you lie to me, pony.”

>>41055526
“I’m not. Honesty is a virtue.”
>”We’ll see.”
>The Dog drops you and orders his companions to search your saddlebags for weapons
>”Except for you, Chico. Give the house a search.”
>As the Dogs rip open the flaps of your saddlebags and spill out the contents therein the youngest looking Dog picks up his club and steps inside the house
>Something in your saddlebag falls out with a metallic clink and you look down to see the magic rod roll down the street
>The oldest Dog picks up the rod and turns it over in his paws as the other two dogs continue to rummage through your saddlebags
>”Where did you get this?”
>As you begin to answer there’s a blood curdling howl from inside the house all three Dogs turn away from you to look at the house
>Immediately you jump to your hooves and fire your Triple Bolt at the back of the heads of the three distracted guards
>All three bolts make solid hits but unfortunately lack the power of your single telekinetic bolt
>The Dogs yelp in surprise and swing around in confusion
>You take advantage of the situation and blast the old Dog with a powerful bolt, knocking him to the ground unconscious
>The two remaining Dogs recover their wits and attack, the first thrusting with his spear only for your new armor to save you
>Your not so lucky with the second Dog, who swings his club at you once again, this time delivering a blow to your chest and sending you staggering back
>The Dog with the spear steps forward and raises his spear only to be tackled from behind by Hollow
>As the two wrestle you turn your attention to the club Dog and blast him in the shoulder
>The Dog shrugs it off and swings at you
>You jump back and fire wide, letting the Dog to again swing at you
>This time you duck under the swing and fire a bolt straight up at the Dog’s chin
>The Dog drops with a thud and as you spin to help Hollow you find her standing over the now dead spear Dog, her barding and coat splattered with blood
>The two of you pant from the exertion and check on the Dogs, finding the old Dog and the club Dog still alive but unconscious
>”We should finish them off, hide the bodies, and run,” Hollow suggests, “before more guards arrive.”
>You can’t deny the thought is tempting, but at the same time you still want to finish the mission
>After all, the entrance to the underground tunnel is just across the street
[Input Needed] [What do you want to do with the Dogs and do you want to proceed with the mission or run off and try to find a different entrance to the underground?]

Anonymous

>>41055529
Do as hollow says but we should hide the bodies in like the Landfill or atleast in a dumpster and after we hide the bodies, we should scout a little bit more before retreating.

>>41055529
We know where the entrance is, so we can try again later once the heat dies down. Grab a dog spear and make it look like they were killed with weapons rather than magic. Also collect our stuff.

>>41055526
Might be possible to connect two bracelets so they look like a collar at a glance.

>>41055529
If the alarm geta raised, we'll have a much harder time getting around next time. Hiding the bodies should give us enough time to head underground. Since it's such a maze we should be able to keep hidden.

>>41055558
The problem with that plan is that there might not be another way out of the catacombs in this district.

>>41055529
Good idea hollow we can't lose the element of surprise and have these dogs report back to their superiors and we need to make sure we can still rescue our captured settlers we're not going to leave them as slaves especially those foals down there we just saw.

Trail Leader

>>41055543
>>41055555
>>41055558
>>41055730
“Agreed.”
>You look up and down the street for a place to hide the bodies
>All throughout the city you’ve seen very few signs of trash which means there must be some kind of waste disposal service in the city, which in turn must mean there’s some kind of dumpsters or something placed throughout the city you could use
>Sure enough, right down the road is a large metal box with a lid
“We’ll finish them off with the spear and dump them inside that thing over there.”
>Hollow sets about removing the collars and bracelets on the Dogs, leaving their necks exposed
>Quickly, you pick up the spear and pierce the throats of the two unconscious Dogs, who shake and twitch but otherwise remain still as their blood flows from their wound
>The two already dead Dogs are already covered in multiple knife wounds from Hollow but you still give them the same treatment you gave the others just to be sure
>Lastly you take one of their vests to use as rags later and another you use to wipe up as much blood as you can from the ground
>Using your magic you bring the corpses and their weapons to the dumpster one by one before opening the lid
>The metal container is almost entirely empty except for some shattered glass bottles, which confirms that it is indeed made for trash
>You quickly toss the Dogs into the darkest corners you can, hoping they’ll be hard to see even if someone checked for them there
>With the last one tucked away you and Hollow rush to the closest alley you can and begin moving away from the underground, heading to the abandoned homes on the opposite side of the district from where your base camp is
>Thankfully you never once encounter another patrol along the way
>Eventually you come across a small, rusty water pump attached to a home and take moment to rest
>You instruct Hollow to search the house while you give the lever a few pumps, receiving metallic smelling water in return
>You cut the Dog vest into pieces with your knife and wet them before joining Hollow inside
>”I can’t find anything interesting,” Hollow admits, “there’s a couple small rooms in the back but otherwise this place is empty.”
>You nod in acknowledgment
“Alright, that’s fine. Come here, I want to get that blood off of you.”
>Using your magic you scrub her leather barding and coat down, removing all traces of blood
>It isn’t until after you’ve finished that you realize how intimate of an act it was, even when using your magic instead of your hooves
>You toss the bloody rags into a corner
>As you toss the last one away Hollow throws her hooves around your neck, holding you in an intimate embrace

>>41056927
>You’re caught off guard by the close contact, especially as your cheeks followed by your necks nuzzle against each other before you realize what she’s doing
>You feel a collar tighten around your neck and Hollow latch it in place with her hooves before she steps away from you and gives you a look over
>”There, now if we took off the armor and weapons we’d look like any ordinary couple of slaves.”
>You watch Hollow stuff the rest of the collars and bracelets into her saddlebags
>You both take drinks from your canteens and sit down to rest, obscured from sight by the cover of absolute darkness inside the house while still keeping an eye on the street through the front door
>”So, it’s been about ten minutes. How long did you want to wait before trying to enter the underground passage again?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41056930
A half hour will do we shouldn't spend too much time hiding out here otherwise we'll miss our chance to find out where the auction is being held plus we need to map out the underground passage as much as possible if we're going to need a fast escape route in case we're compromised.

I don't really get what our plan was here. Just wait and see if anyone goes looking for the guards and hope they don't? If we're gonna use the same entrance anyway then isn't it better to do it sooner rather than later?

Trail Leader

>>41056976
“A half hour will do. We shouldn't spend too much time hiding out here otherwise we'll miss our chance to find out where the auction is being held plus we need to map out the underground passage as much as possible if we're going to need a fast escape route in case we're compromised. Let’s just keep our ears and eyes open for any activity. I’d also like to do some more scouting along the way back so let’s take an alternate route.”
>”Sounds like a plan.”

>For the next half hour you wait, listening for any shouts or alarms of any sort but ultimately hear nothing
>As planned the two of you take an alternate route back to the marble building that houses the entrance to the underground, finding only a small block of Dog occupied houses and what seems to be a bakery that advertises various breads
>The bakery has a very pony-esque “closed” sign hanging on the front door with a list of hours of operation
>You’re not exactly sure how the Dogs tell time down here
>So far you haven’t seen any clocks or other time keeping devices and the faint glow of the lights above doesn’t seem to change in intensity
>The only reason you can keep track of time is thanks to the gold pocket watch one of the settlers loan you before your scouting trip
>Your desire to investigate Diamond Dog chronoception is put on hold as you continue to move

>After the ten minutes it takes you to return to the street with the marble building the two of you hide in yet another alley while you cast your basic Earth Sight
>Again, you spot two Dogs sitting on a nearby rooftop overlooking the empty area around the sun and moon building but from the way you are approaching the tatzlwurm building they shouldn’t be able to see you
>You also see two Dogs inside the tatzlwurm building, right in front of the entrance to the underground passageway
>Neither of the Dogs appear to be armed with weapons, instead appearing to read a book or scroll of some kind
>You open your eyes and tell Hollow what you saw and look over the tatzlwurm building with your physical eyes
>The building is a solid cube of black marble, with the exception of a white marble door that faces you
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41057945
There right in front of us Hollow do you see any blind spots around us where we can sneak pass by them easily and quietly to avoid detection?!

>>41057945
The dogs inside don't look like guards. Think we could get away with pretending to be slaves?

>>41057945
I wonder if those could be the priests we keep hearing about.

Trail Leader

>>41057958
>>41058033
>>41058070
“There’s two right in front of where we need to be.”
>”Guards?”
“No, or at least they don't look like guards. In fact, I wonder if those could be the priests we keep hearing about. Do you think we could get away with pretending to be slaves?”
>Hollow weighs the question in her mind
>”Ehh, I don’t know. It’d be one thing if they saw us walking around on the road, which we could probably explain away. It’s another thing for us to walk into the building where they keep the entrance to an underground passageway. Heck, if they’re priests then that passageway might be some kind of religious site, and I doubt they want ponies there.”
>You consider what she says and think about other options while you continue to watch the Dogs
>The Dogs inside the marble building continue to read their book or scroll
“Hollow, do you see any blind spots around us where we can sneak by them?”
>She shoots you a confused look
>”You’re the one that can see them through the walls, not me. Assuming there’s no way we can sneak past them inside the building we could lure them out here while we hide in the alley next to the entrance and sneak inside behind them as they leave to investigate our distraction. That way we can avoid detection and a potential fight.”
>You suppose that might work but as you look down the street you don’t see anything you could grab to make noise with, other than what’s in the dumpster you hid the Dogs in
>Even so, your options for how to approach this remain wide open
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41058133
Any distraction noisy enough to be heard inside might also attract other dogs.
Maybe we just head inside and scope out the situation, take them out if need be.

>>41058133
We need to find out what's in that religious site I say we take the chance use the things from the dumpster where the dead dogs were at and make a loud noise from them so we lure them out and sneak inside but we make sure to take the items with us so they can't find them and then toss them away later where the other dogs can't see them out of place and out of sight.

Trail Leader

>>41058247
>>41058334
Split vote. If there’s no tie breaker I’ll flip a coin in an hour.

Anonymous

>>41058133
Go with the distraction plan the more information we can get to learn about our enemies the better chances we have to improve our odds of survival.

Trail Leader

>>41058573
Sorry for the delay. Coin Flip says you’ll try to lure them out.

“We’ll try to lure them out.”
>You trot to the dumpster and fetch one of the Dog clubs and a glass bottle
>You return to Hollow and you take cover inside a house next door
>Using your magic, you hover the club down the street and give the marble door a series of hard bangs and then toss the club behind the building
>You drop to your belly and stay in the darkness while Hollow sits just within the doorway, careening her neck to peek out and watch for the Dogs
>A full minute passes before the door slowly swings open, the sound of rock against rock clearly audible even inside the house
>Hollow ducks her head back inside and whispers
>”There’s two of them; a really tall, thin Dog and a shorter old Dog.”
“Did you see any weapons?”
>”Nope. They both had books, though. They were wearing white robes, too.”
>You think back to the ancient Dogs in the temple and their white robes, concluding that these Dogs probably were priests
>Hollow peaks around the doorway again before jumping back inside
>”They’re just sitting there arguing.”
>You nod, though she probably can’t see it, and toss the glass bottle down the road through the window
>A few seconds later you see the tall Dog run past your window and you hear a scampering of paws behind him
>Hollow raises to her hooves, looks both ways, then gallops as quickly and quietly as she can and you follow after her
>The white marble door remains wide open and Hollow rushes inside
>You hesitate only a second to grab the discarded club with your magic and bring it inside with you
>You decide not to close the door behind you as you step inside the small marble building
>You find yourself inside a candle lit room with a marble staircase built into the ground and note that the rock that makes up the floor of the city doesn’t match
>Taking a quick glance around the room you see what must be dozens of large scrolls stacked in various shelves
>Idols made of white marble and platinum are placed above each shelf, each one made in the image of a tatzlwurm

>>41059035
>Hollow immediately rushes down the stairs and disappearing into the darkness below
>You follow her immediately and light your horn so the two of you can see
>You stand at an intersection in a small tunnel, the roof just a couple feet above your head
>The walls are carved out of the same rock that makes most of the city, with cavities filled with the skulls of Dogs wrapped in white cloth
>The intersection is a four way, with a tunnel ahead of your, to the right, to the left, and of course to the rear
>There’s the sound of stone rubbing against stone behind you and you hear the voices of two Dogs in the room above you, which causes you to dull your horn a little in the hopes they don’t notice the glow of your magic
>”Which way do we go?” Hollow asks in a barely audible whisper
>You look at the walls of the different halls for any indication of where they lead
>There are small gold signs embedded into the rock, assumedly they’re the labels you’re looking for
>Unfortunately, their written in a language you don’t recognize
>You kick yourself mentally for not already learning your auto translate spell, but you haven’t had the time to study the last few days
>Without knowing where each tunnel leads you could end up getting lost in the maze of catacombs
>Or worse, go straight into some kind of den full of Dogs
>For their part the Dogs above you don’t seem to have noticed your presence and you hear the muffled sounds of them talking
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41059039
To be honest with you hollow I'm not sure which path we should take I don't recognize the language and I haven't learn how to use the auto translate spell yet so whatever path we take we can't get it wrong otherwise we'll be lost down for the entire day. I say we should play safe and go straight unless wait maybe my advanced earth sight spell could help us know what obstacles each tunnel has in them and then we can know which way to go.

>>41059039
See if earth sight gives us any clues, at the very least it'll let us avoid any dogs.

>>41059039
We should check the ground for signs of paw prints both to see how often these catacombs are entered and where the traffic usually goes.

Trail Leader

>>41059110
>>41059193
>>41059378
“To be honest with you Hollow I'm not sure which path we should take. I don't recognize the language and I haven't had time to learn how to use the auto translate spell yet.”
>You look around for any other clues before realizing you should check for paw prints
>Sure enough there are fresh tracks on the dusty floor, as well as red and white drops of candle wax
>The paw prints lead down the tunnel to the right
>You point out the prints to Hollow and then cast your (Advanced) Earth Sight
>You know the spell makes your horn glow far brighter than you’d like in this situation but you simply just hope the Dogs upstairs don’t see it
>The world within five hundred feet of you pops into your mind
>You immediately check the Dogs upstairs and find them resuming their reading or whatever it is with the books before checking the tunnels ahead of you
>All three bend and wind seemingly at random until they intersect with other tunnels at the edge of your vision
>You fail to find any signs of life down any of the tunnels as well, nor do you find any possible traps
>Far, far below you is the underground waters and you notice a pipe leading up to the tunnel straight ahead, ending at a spigot about four hundred feet ahead
>”So,” Hollow asks, “should we just follow the paw prints to the right then?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41059480
Yeah let's take the right path the tracks may be fresh but I'm not feeling any signs of life so far the diamond dogs that were here are long gone or probably further ahead lets see what they were doing down here recently.

Trail Leader

>>41059608
>>41060083
“Seems like our best shot. The tracks may be fresh but I'm not feeling any signs of life so far. Whatever Diamond Dogs that were here are long gone or probably further ahead. Let’s see what they were doing down here recently.”
>You take a moment to light your lantern and extinguish your horn while Hollow takes the lead
>The catacomb continues for a few hundred feet before you come to a t-intersection
>You again check the floor for tracks and find them continuing straight and you follow
>The trail continues to wind and bend for thousands of feet, occasionally intersecting other paths
>You notice that each intersection has a small gold plaque with strange alien words written upon it
>You always follow the paw prints when you come across each intersection, fully aware of how easy it would be to get lost even with your Earth Sight
>For the entire length you walk the walls are filled with Dog bones, with each skull wrapped in white or yellowed cloth
>Occasionally small walls of stone are covered in the strange writing with the same image of a tatzlwurm at the top
>After what must be a full mile or more of underground passageway you descend a short flight of stairs and enter a large, open room
>The room smells heavily of frankincense and sage
>Against the left wall is a stone coffin, about four feet long and two feet wide, that comes up to your chest and is covered in black soot and candle wax, with one tall candle still burning
>Standing over the coffin is a platinum statue of a Dog skeleton dressed in the same white clothing the Dogs you recently passed worm
>In the statue’s right paw is a platinum scepter while in the right it holds a gold rod that matches the one in your saddlebag almost perfectly, except it only has repeating images of the tatzlwurm instead of the other three objects
>A stone table sits against the opposite wall, a stone bowl holding still smoldering incense sticks resting atop along with a set of bronze knives and hooks, a loose stack of coarse papers, and what looks like an alchemy set
>Unlike the passageways, this room lacks any Dog bones or carved out areas for the placement of such bones
>Other than the path you came from, the passageway continues at the opposite end of the room but the paw prints end here
>As you take in the room Hollow investigates the alchemy set
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41060145
Check the statue's artifacts. Are they magic or decorative?

Trail Leader

>>41060159
>>41060213
"Find anything useful?"
>Hollow shakes her head
>”No, At least I don’t think I did. At first I thought maybe they were making some kind of embalming fluid given the whole spooky necropolis thing going on but I don’t think that’s what they were using this for.”
>She grabs a small glass bottle from a rack attached to the alchemy stand and turns it in her hooves before showing it to you
>The bottle is labeled in modern Equestrian
“Frilled lizard venom? Were they making poison?”
>Hollow shrugs
>”Maybe. I’d have to investigate more but I have a feeling they were after something else. There’s a way to get a powerful psychotropic from the venom, but you have to know what you’re doing.”
>You raise an eyebrow
“And you know that how?”
>Hollow places the bottle back where she found it
>”My potion brewing professor was part of U of C’s Hippology department and the husband of the vice-head of the Ministry of Health’s illicit drug program.”
>She stands still for a moment before speaking up
>”And I got curious once.”
>Before you can say anything she turns on you quickly
>”I just brewed it though. My at the time coltfriend took it. I promise.”
>You nod, not entirely sure what to make of what she said
>Instead you check the statue’s artifacts with your Material Analysis spell
>The scepter is almost entirely pure platinum but seems to be purely decorative
>The rod, however, is a perfect match to your own, even having a millennia old mare’s horn inside
>There’s also a spell attached to the rod, something similar to a typical illusion spell
>You also take the time to analyze the statue itself
>The statue itself isn’t of much note, except for the presence of something biological built into its core
>The biological material has a hard outer layer and a spongy layer and is reinforced with calcium
>When you come to and check your autoscribe you find your assumption correct
>There was a Diamond Dog skeleton inside that statue
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41060271
Part of me wants to grab the rod, but someone might notice it missing and raise an alarm. I guess we'd better move on. Check the papers on the table just in case.

>>41060145
Hollow I have a strange feeling that this is room is probably where the Diamond Dogs perform ritual sacrifices here hence the need for coffins.

>>41060271
Grab the rod and replace it with something that looks similar at a glance. >>41060277
The rods could be a series that when unified creates a very powerful illusion spell.

>>41060287
We'll be down here again, so lets wait and grab it on our way out of the city.

Trail Leader

>>41060277
>>41060280
>>41060287
“Hollow, I have a strange feeling that this is room is probably where the Diamond Dogs perform ritual sacrifices here, hence the need for coffins.”
>Hollow looks around the room then scrapes some spot off the coffin with a hoof
>”I don’t l know. This coffin doesn’t look like it’s been opened any time recently.”
>While she investigates the coffin you check the papers on the table and discover they’re written in a mix of modern Equestrian and Burro
>You read the ones written in Equestrian and learn they’re a mixture of shopping lists and the bemoanings of the author regarding a priest named Bean, who seems to be either the author’s mentor or master
>You turn back to the statue’s rod and think of what you could use as a stand in
>Obviously you lack anything that looks too close to the rod with the exception of the one you already have
>Checking your saddlebag you don’t find anything that could perfectly work as a replacement, even at glimpse
>You have a tin can of baked beans from your rations that’s about the right size as the rod, but it’s made of cheap tin and would be an obvious prop for anyone that looked at the statue
>If only you had some way to make it pass as gold at a glance
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41060346
The appearance of some metals can be changed. Ask Hollow if there's a way to use the alchemy equipment to make the tin can look like gold.

Trail Leader

>>41060357
“Hey, Hollow? Is there a way to use the alchemy equipment to make a tin can look like gold?”
>”Tin? Not that I’m aware of. I could do it with copper and if I had the right materials here. Why?”
>You explain your plan to switch out the rod
>Hollow taps here chin for a few seconds before rummaging through her bag and pulling out her largely depleted first aid kit
>Opening the kit she pulls out her thermal blanket, the outside of which is a goldish color
>”We can wrap the can in this. If we’re lucky it might fool someone that doesn’t look too closely at it for a couple hours.”
>You go along with the plan and replace the rod
>The gold blanket wrapped can doesn’t really look like the rod at all but it’ll pass at a glance in the low light of the tunnel
>You slide the rod into your saddlebag alongside its twin
>”Alright, should we get going then? I assume we’re continuing straight ahead, even without the prints to guide us.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41060602
Yeah, might as well. Let's go.

>>41060602
Yeah, we done all we can here and found some more useful informations not to mention sabotaging some of their work here let's see what else we can interfere with on our next location.

>>41060602
Hey Hollow do you think these rods we collect might be 2 out of 3 keys needed to unlocking some kind of ancient secret hidden puzzle mechanism that'd lead us to either lost untold riches of the Ancient Diamond Dogs Treasury or probably some kind of well-preserve relic that will grant the user Ultimate Powerful Magic?!

Furthermore, I also wonder if we're ever gonna have to use these magical rods in a fight should the situation calls for it when the outcome is about to become desperate and drastic.

>>41060602
Lets use Earth Sight just to check if there's anything interesting.

Trail Leader

“Yeah, let me cast Earth Sight then we can go.”
>Again you cast your advanced Earth Sight and are immediately surprised by the presence of a sleeping Dog family only some twenty feet above you and to your left
>You seem to be under a fairly populated area of the city with Dogs walking to and fro on the streets above
>As for the tunnel ahead you see it wind before it intersects with a large number of different passageways, all of which spread out chaotically and intersect with each other
>But most interestingly is what’s inside the coffin
>Suspended in some kind of solid is the partially decayed skeleton of some large serpent-like creature with a split jaw
>If it’s weren’t so small you’d guess it was an infant tatzlwurm
>While interesting, it’s not really pertinent to the situation so you inform Hollow of what you’ve seen and the two of you resume your journey
>As you walk you decide to make a little small talk to lighten the mood
“Hey, Hollow,” you whisper, “do you think these rods we collect might be two out of three keys needed to unlock some kind of ancient secret hidden puzzle mechanism that'd lead us to either lost untold riches of the Ancient Diamond Dogs Treasury?”
>Hollow looks back at you in confusion
>”What? Like some kind of Daring Do book?”
“Yeah, I mean, this whole underground city thing is very pulp fiction, wouldn’t you say?”
>She shrugs, “I guess so. It’s not as fun living it as it is reading about it.”
>As you walk deeper into the underground the Dog bones begin to look more and more recent

>After half an hour of navigating the tight corridors of the underground in which you see no signs of life Hollow suddenly stops in front of you
“What’s wrong?” you whisper
>”Quiet,” she hisses
>You remain quiet for close to a minute before she speaks again
>”There’s Dogs up ahead, at least two, judging by the voices.”
“Are they approaching us?”
>”I don’t think so. Sounds like they’re… brushing something? Maybe sweeping.”
>You look at your surroundings
>You are in a narrow corridor, the most recent intersection with another passageway was only twenty some feet back
>Right next to you are partially unfilled shelves for bones with just enough space for a pony to squeeze into
>You quickly cast your basic Earth Sight
>Sure enough there’s a pair of Dogs up ahead about two hundred feet
>One Dog sweeps the ground with a broom while the other dusts a wall with a rag
>Right above you on the city level are a dozen Dogs, each of which wears what looks like some sort of long gown, probably robes, if you had to guess
>The Dogs above you either perform menial tasks or sit and read scrolls
>”What should we do,” Hollow asks. “Should we wait for them to leave, try to hide in case they come, or maybe backtrack and go another way?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41062622
Might be under a temple and they might be in it's basement. Not much point in cleaning catacombs after all.

>>41062622
We should go back and head to that other pathway that was twenty feet back this corridor is too narrow so it might be hard for Hollow to find a hiding spot in the shadows better to play it safe than take another risky gamble with the diamond dogs we can't willingly put ourselves in danger all time that will be reckless and will have our characters end up dead as a result.

Trail Leader

>>41062637
>>41062647
“I think we might be under a temple. Let’s head back to the intersection.”
>You both quickly retreat to the previous intersection and take a right
>You again try your best to remain walking in a straight line, ignoring the intersections you pass
>As you walk down this passageway the presence of water pipes becomes more and more common and the Dog skulls in the walls are no longer wrapped in white cloth
>Again Hollow stops not very long after the last time she stopped you
>This time you wait for her to tell you what she hears when she’s ready
>”Sounds like running water up ahead. Like, as in a river, not a faucet.”
>With that knowledge you cast your basic Earth Sight
>Sure enough there’s an open river about four hundred feet ahead of you
>Above you are dozens of Dogs, donkeys, and ponies walking around what you are pretty sure is the market
>Opening you eyes you tell Hollow what you’ve seen
>”We must be getting pretty close to the slave pits then. We should be pretty close to that big wall, too.”
>The two of you cautiously move forward, eventually coming to a stone bridge over a fast river
>On the other side of the river is a large, circular chamber
>Two flights of spiral staircases are cut out of the stone wall on opposite sides of room of each other
>The muffled sounds of a busy market come from both staircases
>In the center of the room is a large gold statue with a prominent plaque
>Besides the tunnel you are coming from there are several other tunnels, organized like the rays of the sun and with small plaques written in three languages; the language you don’t recognize, Equestrian, and Burro
>’Temple of the Tatzlwurm’ is written on the plaque of the tunnel you’re coming from
>The other tunnels are labeled ‘Temple of the Sun and Moon’, ‘Temple of the Earth Dragon’, ‘Slave Pits’, ‘South Housing’, ‘North Housing’, ‘Waste’, ‘Forbidden’, and another one that also reads ‘Forbidden’
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41063028
I wonder if one those forbidden ones might be surface access? In either case, we should go take a look at the slave pits from this side.

>>41063028
Check what's at the top of the stairs and look for signs of traffic. How fast is the river? Could it be the same river that comes from the lake?

Trail Leader

>>41063036
Noted

>>41063042
>You look over the side of the bridge
>The river is dark and fairly fast; it would require a very strong swimmer to swim upstream
>The pipes run down from the city above into the river
>If you had to guess this is where the lake drains into
“I’m gonna check for surface access,” you tell Hollow
>You cautiously walk up one of the stair cases, stretching your neck to see as much as possible without exposing the rest of your body
>When you reach the top of the stairs you find an iron bar gate
>Beyond the gate you see the busy marketplace, Dogs and slaves walking by the little building that houses your staircase without paying it any attention
>You quickly back down enough that no casual bypasser would see you and look at the gate
>There doesn’t seem to be any lock on it
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41063075
I have a feeling that the other stairs would go to the other side of the wall.

Trail Leader

>>41063080
You’re aware that the wall is another quarter mile or so away. You can safely assume the other staircase is just another entrance/exit.

Anonymous

>>41063089
Check the time, for all we know it could have been a couple hours or couple minutes since we started scouting.

>>41063075
I wonder what those forbidden tunnels lead to theirs 2 of them so we should take one while hollow takes the other.

Trail Leader

>>41063156
>>41063226
>You pull out the pocket watch to check the time
>To your surprise it’s been almost six hours
>You stash the watch and return to Hollow
“The stairs lead directly to the middle of the market. Anyways, I want to see where these forbidden tunnels lead. I’ll go down the one on the left while you take the one on the right.”
>”Are you sure that’s a good idea? We don’t know how far these tunnels might lead.”
“Yes, I am. We need to cover as much ground as we can as fast as we can.”
>Hollow seems uneasy with the orders but complies
>”How long should we scout before meeting back up?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41063344
Give it say, 15 minutes of walking or until we find something, whichever is first? Then meet back here.

Trail Leader

>>41063351
“Let’s give it fifteen minutes or until we find something interesting before returning.”
>Hollow nods and lights her own lantern before the two of you depart

>In the fifteen minutes you spend walking you only cross one intersection which has been bricked off
>However, the plaques at that intersection remain in tact
>The passageway you are taking is labeled ‘City Heart’ while the passageway that intersects you is labeled ‘North Housing’
>Besides that you find nothing interesting
>As you return you hear footsteps coming from the room you’ve labeled the hub, where you are to reunite with Hollow
>As you peak around a corner you see an old Dog holding a lantern step down from the staircase you’d investigated
>You skitter back around the corner just as he shines his lantern down your tunnel
>You hope he didn’t spot you, and over the next few seconds you wait in anticipation for whatever the Dog may do
>But you only hear him idly walk around the central hub
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41063405
Stay hidden and keep watch over that old diamond dog follow him discreetly he may lead us to something important.

>>41063506
Watch him but don't follow until Hollow gets back, we can't get separated.

Trail Leader

>>41063506
>>41063604
>You wait and watch the Dog
>In the low light you can just barely make out a tool belt around his waist stuffed with wrenches, pipes, and hammers and a crowbar in his paw
>Because he stands in the circular chamber you and Hollow cannot reunite without making your presence known to the Dog
>For his part the Dog simply paces back and forth for a few minutes before his ears perk up and he looks towards the ‘Waste’ tunnel
>The noise of wood scraping against stone is faint at first, but grows louder as the seconds pass on
>”I thought I told you to stop dragging that shit,” the old Dog grumbles
>”Sorry, Max,” a shrill male voice responds, “but I’m on my own today. Oliver got called in for guard duty.”
>A small Diamond Dog enters your vision, a heavy looking wooden crate pulled behind him
>”Shouldn’t that make things easier?” the old Dog, Max, you presume, asks. “Couldn’t he have just let you through the Heart gate down here?”
>”You haven’t been a guard for a long time,” the smaller Dog responds, “they watch for those kinds of things now. Ever since Abuwtiyuw took over things have been rough for us. New guard rule is every underground gate has two Dogs on watch. We can’t just use the catacombs willy-nilly anymore, we need to use the waste yards to get across the city now.”
>”I don’t care. Neither does Bear.”
 >”Right, right. We’ll get you the next shipment on time tomorrow.”
>Max nods, “good, good. Or else you’ll be the next one on the rotisserie.”
>The small Dog lets go of the crate, “yeah, I get it. Listen, I’m a good Dog, you know that. We’ll work everything out.”
>Max growls, “good. Now scram. I’ve got pipes to fix.”
>The little Dog does as instructed, returning the way he came while Max pops the crate open with the crowbar in his paws
>The old Dog looks inside the crate which glows with a bright pink hue before re-nailing the crate shut, snuffing out the pink light
>Max drags the crate with him towards the ‘Tatzlwurm Temple’
>Soon he disappears from sight as he rounds a corner in the darkness passageway
>You stand and move into the chamber
>”I think those were smugglers.”
>You damn near jump out of your skin at Hollow’s remark and spin to find the bat pony standing in the entrance of her ‘Forbidden’ corridor
>”Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya.”
“It’s no problem, just didn’t hear you coming is all.”
>Hollow walks up to the ‘Waste’ tunnel
>”So, it sounds like the city dump or whatever is our means of getting around without running into guards. Is that where we’re going next?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41063874
Sounds like a plan. Did you see anything in your tunnel?

>>41063874
 Yeah shall we check it out next! This reconnaissance is going well hollow it won't be long until we have the tunnels mapped out that will shows us the ways. back to the surface and we'll be one step closer free from this nightmare.

>>41063874
I think that pink light might've been the magic gems the cult was smuggling. Also, our tunnel leads to the heart he mentioned.

>>41063929
>>41064249
>>41064286
“Sounds like a plan. Did you see anything in your tunnel?”
>”Not much. There was an intersection at one point but it was bricked off. The plaques at the intersection said the blocked off passage was the North Housing tunnel while I was in the ‘Old Mine’ tunnel. What about you?”
“My tunnel leads to the heart he mentioned.”
>”Huh. I wonder if the heart is the city center or if it’s some kind of metaphorical heart?”
>You shrug
“I don’t know. Either way this reconnaissance is going well. Hopefully it won't be long until we have the tunnels mapped out that will show us the way back to the surface and out of this nightmare.”
>”Hey, don’t jinx us now. Besides, I could have done without the fight with the guards. If that went just a little differently we could have been the ones in the dumpster.”
>Hollow extinguishes her lantern then takes the lead as she begins walking down the tunnel
>You follow after

>For two hours you walk in silence in the total darkness of the catacombs
>You repeatedly pass dozens, if not hundreds or intersections, each one labeled with plaques in the unfamiliar script
>Except for the first intersection, again with the ‘Northern Housing’ tunnel, despite its entrance being on the opposite side of the chamber you started in
>Regardless, you eventually see a dull light shining from around a corner at the end of the tunnel and are assaulted by the smell of burning sulfur
>Slowly, the two of you advance at a crouch walk
>Rounding the corner you find a large, circular cavern that’s a good five or six hundred feet in diameter

Trail Leader

>>41065891
>The ceiling glows a warm golden color, illuminating the entire cavern in a dim light
>In the center of the cavern is a dark pit which stretches down deep into the earth, its bottom concealed by dark shadow
>Large l, blazing braziers are scattered around the room and give you some additional light
>A wide spiral staircase is built into the north wall
>Along the edge of the room are eight wide tunnels labeled with plaques, including the tunnel you currently stand in
>You read your tunnel’s plaque and learn that you’ve come from the ‘South East District’
 >Again, the sign is written in the alien language, Modern Equestrian, and Burro
“This must be it. Now we just need to find where we’re going.”
>”Yeah, let’s do it quick. This place reeks and I don’t want to be here longer than we have to. I’ll fly across the room and read four plaques while you read the-“
>Hollow suddenly stops talking and backs up into the darkness of your tunnel
>You immediately do the same and extinguish your lantern
>You hear the echo of ringing bells approaching for the other side of the room
>Coming out of the tunnel opposite your own are earth two ponies shackled together and pulling a cart full of what looks like garbage
>The ponies and cart have large brass bells tied to them which jingle with every step
>Slowly the pair pulls the wagon alongside the pit and spin it around so that the ramp in the back is parallel with the void
>The ponies, both older stallions, unhitch themselves and lower the ramp before grabbing shovels that are tied to the sides of the cart and begin tossing the garbage into the pit
>At the rate they’re going and with the amount of trash they have it’ll be a few minutes before they’re done
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41065892
We should talk to them. Unless they got bad Stockholm syndrome, I doubt they'd give us up to their slavers and we really could use more info.

>>41065892
Hollow this is our chance to get inside information about the diamond dogs city these earth ponies could tell us where the slave auction will happen tomorrow, but if they can't then any Intel about the diamond dogs guard patrols locations inside the city will do so we can know their daily routes and hourly routines!

Trail Leader

>>41065905
>>41065991
“Alright, this is our chance to get information about the city.”
>You begin making your way to the ponies when Hollow stops you
>”Are you sure this is a good idea? Aren’t you worried they’ll turn us over?”
“Unless they’ve got some kind of psychological bond with their masters, I doubt they'd give us up and we really could use more info.”
>You resume your approach and as you close into conversation distance the two stallions dig up the corpse of a young mare
>The stallions jump back in surprise just as much as you do but recover quicker
>One performs what seems like a quick prayer and the pair folds her forehooves across her chest and pick her up
>The ponies walk her to the edge of the pit and prepare to toss her in when you shout
“What are you doing!”
>The stallions again jump in surprise as they suddenly notice your presence
>They almost drop her body but manage to stop themselves in time
>”We’re burying her,” one replies
>”Looks to me you’re throwing her out with the garbage,” Hollow retorts
>The stallions look at both of you and then at each other
>”Uh, you’re not slaves, are you?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41066436
No we are not my name is Ardent Mind and this is my comrade Hollow Honor we're are caravan guards of the Steady Stride Caravan Guard Company and we are trying to rescue our captured settlers being held prisoners by the Diamond Dogs. May I ask who are you two supposed to be we only wish to talk?

>>41066436
I get that ponies are treated like we're less than dirt around here and corpses need to be dealt with, but throwing her in the trash is a bit much.

Trail Leader

>>41066480
>>41066777
“No, we are not. My name is Ardent Mind and this is my comrade Hollow Honor we're caravan guards of the Steady Stride Caravan Guard Company and we are trying to rescue our-“
>”You shouldn’t be here,” one warns, “you’re going to get us in trouble.”
>The stallion looks over his shoulder towards the tunnel he came from, “there’s Dogs down here.”
>”You’re not going to turns us in, are you?”
>Hollow’s question holds an edge of aggression in it
>”N-no. But you should know that the longer we talk the more likely we’ll be caught.”
“Okay, we’ll make this quick. As I was saying, we’re looking for our captured and missing setters and-“
>”You’re not going to free them,” the same stallion says, “nopony escapes. Ponies have tried and they’ve all ended up at the bottom of this hole.”
>The stallion that’s so far remained silent finally speaks up
>”Don’t listen to him, he’s new. If the ponies you’re looking for are recently captured they’ll go to the slave pit in the main market tonight or in the morning just in time for the auction.”
>The first stallion interjects, “I’ve been here for two years, nopony’s ever escaped.”
>The second stallion rolls his eyes, “again, you’re new.” He turns to you, “my name’s Drift, I’ve been here fifteen years. My partner here’s named Maple Sap.”
>”You’re telling them our names?”
>Drift ignores Maple Sap’s exclamation
>”Look, Maple’s right that most escape attempts end with the pony in this here pit, but I’ve seen it done once or twice, and I think I can help.”
>Hollow narrows her eyes, “aren’t you forthcoming. Why are you so eager to help us out if most escape attempts end up with the ponies dead?”

>>41067305
>”Filly, I’ve been here fifteen years, and I wasn’t a spring chicken when they caught me, either. I’m getting old, and tired, and soon I won’t be all that helpful. I’ve never seen a pony down here older than I am now. For all I know my retirement could be a club to the skull. I miss home, I have foals I’ve never seen grow up back there and if the worst that can happen to me is that I’m at the bottom of this pit a few years early I’ll take it.”
>Hollow shoots you a glance
>She clearly doesn’t trust the stallion
“Look, I’m glad you’re eager to help, but I have couple of questions first. First, may I ask who you two are supposed to be?”
>”Well, you already know our names, so that’s settled. We’re sanitation ponies; owned and controlled by the Dogs that maintain the city. Right now we’re cleaning the slave yard.”
“I see. Secondly, I get that us ponies are treated like we're less than dirt around here and corpses need to be dealt with, but throwing her in the trash is a bit much. Can’t you do something more respectful.”
>”We shouldn’t be talking,” Maple Sap mumbles
>Drift tells the stallion to be quiet before answering you
>”I wish we could but everyone, pony, donkey, griffin, everyone ends up down there when they die. Even Dogs that the priests don’t want are tossed in.”
“Why? Are they just worried about having nowhere else to put bodies?”
>”I’m sure that’s how it started, but the only explanation I’ve heard them give is that it’s the place everyone goes in the end. You know, returning to the earth and all that. Why they need to use this specific pit, I don’t know.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41067307
We've heard that there's a path to the surface through the mines and we've also saw a tunnel heading to the place called the old mines, could that be an escape route? Also, we need a way into these catacombs from the outskirts of this district, know of any ignored entrances?

Trail Leader

>>41067350
“We've heard that there's a path to the surface through the mines and we've also saw a tunnel heading to the place called the old mines, could that be an escape route?”
>”You probably could still use the old tunnels to escape, assuming the Dogs haven’t collapsed all the exits since I last worked the mines. The main ones are definitely collapsed, but there’s a chance the smaller surface tunnels still exist. Again, assuming they haven’t already been collapsed and to be honest, they probably have ever since those knights showed up.”
>Maple gives a sharp inhale, “Drift, shut up. That’s just a rumor and you know what they’ll do if they hear us talking about it.”
>You ignore the cowardly stallion
“Knights? Like, Royal Guard infantry or actual knights?”
>”Actual, real Equestrian knights,” Drift answers before sighing, “but Maple’s right. At the moment it’s only a rumor we overheard from the guards. It may be true, and I’m thinking it is given how many of the regular guards are gone, but still.”
>You make a mental note before changing subject
“We also need a way into these catacombs from the outskirts of this district, know of any ignored entrances?”
>”Now, I don’t know these catacombs very well like I do the mines, I’ve only been on sanitation for three years now, but I know of a couple hidden entrances. Some of the meat vendors have entrances dug into the catacombs right near their stalls. Speaking of meat, I’d be careful about what you eat around here. Just because they call something pork doesn’t mean it’s actually pork, you know?”
>You grow a little sick to your stomach
“You don’t mean, uh…”

>>41067514
>”People? No, the Dogs are monsters but even they don’t eat people. No, I’ve seen the vendors use their tunnels to smuggle meats that they sell with a different label. I once saw a Dog smuggle a crate of dead rats to her stall during the night. Next morning I passed her stall and saw it was selling rabbit and mushroom kebabs.”
>It’s not as bad as you feared, but it’s still not great
“Alright, meat vendors. Any other secret entrances?”
>”I’d check the abandoned houses near a dumpster. We sometimes use secret tunnels in abandoned basements to make our jobs easier. And of course there’s a few others, but unless I drew you a picture of the city you probably won’t find them.”
>Maple Sap shakes nervously, “come on, we’re running late. Let’s get out of here.”
>Drift sighs and the two stallions gently drop the dead mare into the pit
>You do your best to push the image of her body hitting the ground from your mind
>The two stallions resume shoveling trash from their wagon when Drift asks you a question
>”So, do you want my help?”
“Maybe. How do you plan on helping?”
>”I could smuggle you into the slave pits, if you wanted. Or anywhere else in the city, really, so long as I have this here cart.”
>”And what do you want in return?” Hollow asks
>”Isn’t obvious? I want you to take me along with your settlers. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it?”
>”I suppose it’s fair.” Hollow quietly admits
>”Now, if you want me to bring you into the slave pits, you have to come now. And you’re going to have to ditch your armor and saddlebags, you hear? You need to pass as a slave if you want to sneak into the pits.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41067518
What do you think hollow should we try sneaking into the slave pits right now if we do this getting out and reporting back to the others might be tricky?

 Plus hold on one more thing Drift does the diamond dogs priest leader Abuwtiyuw ever come down to see the slave pits or take part announcing in the auction?

>>41067518
How in the world were you captured by the diamond dogs and led down here to their underground city drift and maple?!

Trail Leader

>>41067582
>>41067598
“Hollow, can we speak in private?”
>”Yes, please.”
>You pull Hollow aside as the other two stallions work
“What do you think? Should we try sneaking into the slave pits right now? If we do this getting out and reporting back to the others might be tricky.”
>”I think he’s lying. Lying about everything. He’s literally trying to disarm and de-armor us then take us to the place the Dogs keep slaves. If we’re going to the slave pits we’re just walking into his trap.”
“That’s… something to think about. But I still have some questions.”
>Hollow sighs as you return to Drift and Maple
“So, how in the world were you captured by the Diamond Dogs and led down here to their underground?”
>”I was a miner, obviously.”
>Drift points to his cutie mark; the entrance of a mine shaft with a gust of wind blowing out
>”And obviously my name is a dead giveaway.”
>You’re not sure what he means by that; the name Drift makes you think of driftwood or a ballon caught in the wind
>”So when I was prospecting for gold in the Badlands I was scooped up.”
>”A-and I was a hockey player,” Maple Sap stutters, “don’t know how that connects to my cutiemark, or name, but it’s what I was after being fired from Spruce Logging.”
“Alright, one more thing Drift does the Diamond Dog priest or leader or whatever Abuwtiyuw ever come down to see the slave pits or take part announcing in the auction?”
>Drift scratches his chin
>”I’m… not sure. They say he walks among the commoners, but that may be a lie. I’ve certainly never seen him.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41067659
Seriously, I find that hard to believe you been here for 15 years how could you not have seen him at least once the entire time and you just said that he walks among commoners and you working sanitation duties is what a commoner does your story make no sense or adds up.

What are you hiding from us? Being down here for almost a quarter century being slaves to the diamond dogs I'm sure that anypony woulda been broken by now and has Stockholm Syndrome!

>>41067789
He just said he thinks that's a lie since he's never seen him.
>>41067659
So, Drift. How exactly would you smuggle us to the pits, where would we end up?

>>41067659
Look I get it drift you've been down here for so long that finding any chances or hope to escape is impossible but it won't be for us me and my team is one step ahead of the diamond dogs we have something that'll give us an advantage over them which will be essential to getting back to the surface, but in order to that you and maple need to trusted us I know that's asking a lot since we're a bunch of strangers but as of right now what else do you have to lose? We're your only shot to finally going home and being free from slavery if you betray us then you're be sentencing us to same damn fate as you is that what you want?!

Trail Leader

>>41067816
For clarity, are you trying to convince Drift to trust you/have hope for escape? So far he’s shown that he’s willing to throw in his lot with you. Did you mean to address Maple Sap?

>>41067789
>>41067814
“Seriously, I find that hard to believe. You’ve been here for fifteen years; how could you not have seen him at least once the entire time? You just said that he walks among commoners.”
>”Like I said, I don’t think he actually does that. Assuming he even exists at all.”
>You feel a little embarrassed at your oversight and change the subject
“So, Drift. How exactly would you smuggle us to the pits? Where would we end up?”
>”Smuggling you in is easy.”
>Drift stabs his shovel into the waste piled in the back of the wagon and scoops it out, revealing a cloth tarp laid on the bottom of the wagon
>”You see that? We always collect food scraps from the market on our way back for the poor souls in the pits and cover it with this tarp to keep the flies off. If the two of you climb in as deep as you can no one will see you as we toss the food into the back. Once we’re in the pits we’ll pull off the tarp and you can mingle with the rest of slaves until it’s either time to register for auction or we sneak you back out right beforehoof. Up to you.”
“Won’t the guards notice two extra ponies showing up out of nowhere?”
>”Especially a bat pony?” Hollow adds
>Drift shakes his head and chuckles, “nope! The guards don’t take count or take much notice of the slaves until it’s time for registration or they try to escape.”
“That doesn’t seem smart.”
>”Nopony ever accused Diamond Dogs of such a thing.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41067981
Even if we trust him, this doesn't seem like a good plan. We're either outside the pits and armed or with all the other slaves unarmed. There's also all the other settlers to consider.

Honestly at this point I'm starting to think anything subtle is just not happening. How about we find that surface exit that hopefully exists, then bring everyone here, surprise attack the slave pit guards, bust out the slaves and haul ass through these tunnels to freedom?

>>41067981
We did see a tunnel leading to the pits and the coward might rat us out later even if Drift is being honest. I have no problem with helping him escape later even if we don't accept his help, but there are too many risks with his plan and having a chat with them wouldn't really help us get them out before the auction. Instead, how many ponies can they smuggle out?

Trail Leader

>>41068053
>>41068562
>You take a moment to think over the situation
>Even if you were to successfully sneak into the slave pit, what could you really accomplish in there?
“I’m not sure about this. Honestly at this point I'm starting to think anything subtle is just not happening.”
>”Thank Celestia,” Hollow and Maple Sap say in unison
>Now it’s Drift’s turn to look nervous
>”Hey, look, if you’re worried that I can’t smuggle you in and out maybe I can do something else for you. Please, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
>You put up you hooves and attempt to calm the old stallion
“Look, I’m fine with helping you escape later even without your help, okay? Don’t worry about that.”
>The stallion remains nervous but thanks you for the offer to save him
“How about we find that surface exit that hopefully exists, then bring everyone here, surprise attack the slave pit guards, bust out the slaves and haul ass through these tunnels to freedom?”
>”You want to fight the Dogs?” Maple Sap shouts incredulously. “You’re crazy! There’s a whole city of the things and you’re just two ponies!”
>Drift slaps a dirty hoof over the other stallion’s mouth
>”Be quiet. All your shouting really is going to draw the guards to us.”
>Keeping his hoof over Maple Sap’s mouth, Drift continues, “he’s right though, there’s going to be lots and lots of Diamond Dogs at the auction, including a large number of guards that will be stationed nearby come early morning. Unless you have a secret supply of soldiers I don’t think that’ll turn out so well for most ponies, if any.”
“Don’t worry about extra hoofs right now, we’ll handle that.”
>You look over the wagon and your attention is drawn to the tarp at the bottom
“If you could smuggle us in and out, that means you could smuggle other ponies out too, right? How many do you think you could hide under that tarp?”
>Drift thinks for a second, clearly still nervous about the situation, “I could fit six, maybe eight of you include foals. The problem is how many I can take without the guards noticing and trying to prevent the other slaves from causing a commotion when I don’t pick them.”
“I’m sure nopony will object if you just take foals, but I’m guessing the guards will be more likely to notice a bunch of missing kids than a few mares and stallions.”

>>41069381
>”Probably. But I’m still willing to try smuggling some ponies out, if you think it’ll help.”
>He seems to be getting more desperate, his previously calm demeanor starting to fade
>Hollow taps your shoulder and motions with her head to talk privately
“We’ll be right back.”
>”Alright, just let me know what you decide you want me to do.”
>You nod and follow Hollow a good distance away from the slaves, far enough so that they can’t hear your conversation
>”I don’t like this. I don’t think we can trust these guys. Even if Drift is being honest and won’t stab us in the back, which there’s no guarantee he won’t, this Maple Sap guy’s got snitch written all over him.”
“Hollow, we don’t have much choice. We need to have at least some level of trust or else-“
>”We’ve put a lot of trust in people lately and not just ponies. Look, it’s one thing to risk it with one slave like Drift, but we’re betting on not just him not turning us in but also Maple and the farmer Dog and the farmer Dog’s family. All those risks are building up and at some point we’re going to lose the bet.”
“So what do you want to do about it then? It’s not like we can make him unsee us.”
>”We can make it so he can’t rat us out even if he wanted.”
>You don’t like where this is going
“Hollow, we don’t hurt ponies, even if-“
>She interrupts you
>”I’m not saying we hurt him. We could make him to lie low down here or something. Maybe tie him up and hide him somewhere then come back to bring him with us when we escape.”
>You look over your shoulder at the slaves and see they’ve already hitched themselves back to their wagon
>”We need to be heading back now so you need to make up your mind. Are you coming or do you want us to bring back a few ponies?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41069383
Considering the bells, their handler will notice immediately if they don't return. And we'll be able to notice an ambush before we meet with them tomorrow. Tell them to try to smuggle out foals and their mothers first and than others if there is enough room. Especially amongst the most recent arrivals. There's another benefit with him in that he's familiar with the mines.

>>41069381
Which has less guards, the slave pits right now or the auction? Cause I was thinking we'd bust them out before the auction even starts.

Trail Leader

>>41069411
>>41069428
“Which has less guards, the slave pits right now or the auction? Cause I was thinking we'd bust them out before the auction even starts.”
>Drift nods, “that’d be smart. The slave pits for the next ten hours or so will be the quietest they are all week.”
“Good. In that case try to smuggle out foals and their mothers first and then others if there is enough room, especially amongst the most recent arrivals.”
>Maple Sap says something and the two stallions engage in a short, heated conversation
>Unfortunately, the distance prevents you from hearing whatever it is they’re talking about
>”sounds good,” Drift says with smile. “When did you want us to bring the slaves back? We can be back as soon as we drop off the scraps and pickup the prisoners, which should be about an hour from now. Otherwise, we can hold off until any time between now and before the auction opens.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41069513
Not quite yet, we still need to find our escape route. Would be pointless bringing all the settlers here until we know where we're going.

Trail Leader

>>41069574
“Not quite yet, we still need to find our escape route. Would be pointless bringing all the settlers here until we know where we're going.”
>”Well… okay. We’ll be back here in exactly six hours for the last clean up of the pits before auction.”
>With that the stallions leave, leaving just you and Hollow alone in the room
>”Well, they’re gone. I hope you’re right and we can trust them not to turn us in.”
>You look around the area
>Each of the eight tunnels are labeled in Modern Equestrian, as well as the other two languages, in accordance with their cardinal directions
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41069669
Time is of the essence let's continue surveying the rest of the tunnels we haven't gone through yet. We need to split up again to cover more ground.

>>41069669
The mine was to the north, right? Might as well check that way first.

Trail Leader

>>41069704
>>41069762
“The farmer Dog said that there’s a mine somewhere to the north, so I guess we should start there. I’ll go straight north while you go north east and we’ll meet back here in half an hour.”

>The north tunnel is immediately interesting
>The Dog bones and the shelves to hold them are absent after the first few hundred yards
>Instead the tunnel wall is flat, rough stone
>The few intersections you cross have plaques written in the three languages, with the tunnel you’re walking down labeled with two arrows
>The arrow pointing to the direction you came from is labeled ‘Waste’ while the arrow pointed to the north is labeled ‘mines’
>The dust here indicates a large amount of foot traffic in the area and just as you are about to return to the waste pit you spot something small shining in the light of your lantern
>Picking up the object with your magic you realize it’s a familiar candy wrapper
>You give the wrapper a sniff, confirming that the wrapper indeed belonged to one of the small peppermint candies you and Soul were given by the young colt at the apothecary back in Gate City
>You leave the wrapper where you find it and return to your meeting place with Hollow

>After you explain what you found Hollow describes her tunnel
>”There wasn’t much the way I went besides a bunch of dust. The plaques said I was heading towards ‘New Town’ but the tunnels and bones seemed just as old as the rest of the catacombs.”
>Hollow shifts her saddlebags idly
>”So, we’re going down your tunnel I take it? No sense in wasting out time checking the rest of these tunnels.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41069974
"Yeah, the mines are our best bet for surface access right now. Let's go."

Do we have any dynamite left, in case we gotta blow our way out?

>>41069974
Yep that's about right there seems to be more to that mining tunnel than we originally thought hopefully that pathway might be the breakthrough we're looking for.

Trail Leader

>>41070088
>>41070096
> Do we have any dynamite left, in case we gotta blow our way out?
No. Canary used it to blow up the temple.

"Yeah, the mines are our best bet for surface access right now. Let's go."
>With that the two of you begin walking down the north tunnel
>Besides the one candy wrapper there isn’t anything interesting to note
>Instead, you and Hollow walk for miles on end, passing dozens of intersections with other tunnels
>The further away from the waste pit you walk the colder the air gets and the less common intersections become
>It takes you over two hours before you encounter anything of note

>”Wait,” Hollow whispers, “I hear someone.”
>You stand some fifty feet from a sharp turn in the tunnel but quickly crouch down and dim your lantern
>Hollow’s ears twitch as she hones in on the sound and you decide now would be a good time to cast your Earth Sight
>You see no movement above or below yourself
>However, just a few hundred feet ahead of you is a single Diamond Dog reclining in a small wooden chair, a long spear laying across his lap
>He swings a rear leg idly while holding his forelegs across his chest and resting his head against the tunnel wall, almost as if he were sleeping
>”Sounds like a Dog talking to himself,” Hollow whispers
>The Dog shifts his weight a little bit on the chair but otherwise remains in the same position as before
“Yeah, I see him. He’s got a spear and he’s leaning against the wall ahead of us.”
>Hollow is quiet for a few seconds before whispering, “how are we going to approach this?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41072050
Simple we try to sneak past him hollow do you think that you can fly us over him?

If you can't then we'll just have to do it slowly and quietly on foot, but if he wakes up then we knocked him out hard although if he proves challenging to do then we'll kill him before he ever gets the chance to call for help.

>>41072050
If we do have to kill this diamond dog I suggest that Ardent hold him down in his magic stasis and Hollow goes in for the kill to the throat with the dog spear so the guard dog can't scream out loud from the dying pain!

Trail Leader

Roll for stealth (d20+0). Roll above a 12 and you succeed; roll below and he wakes up.

Anonymous

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>41072631
Last time I rolled a 1, surely this time will go better.

Trail Leader

>>41072169
>>41072283
>>41073010
“Hollow, do you think that you can fly us over him?”
>”No, definitely not. These tunnels are barely tall enough for me to hover more than a couple feet in, let alone carry another pony.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to try sneaking by. If he wakes up I’ll try to knock him out but if he doesn’t drop after the first hit take him down however you can.”
>”No problem.”
>The two of you hug the corner wall as close as you can before crossing the Dog’s line of sight
>Hollow goes first, moving fast but doing her best to keep her hoofsteps light while you follow just a few steps back
>As you try to sneak past the guard you become hyper aware of every little noise you make, from the sound of your breath to the subtle jangling of your scale armor
>As you walk you keep an eye on the sleeping Dog
>He’s younger looking than most of the guards you’ve seen and he wears a thicker leather jacket than most as well
>Around his neck is a little silver whistle on a string
>The torch near him burns just bright enough to make him easy to see but dim enough that Hollow and yourself can remain partially obscured by the darkness
>Once you are a hundred or so feet outside the Dog’s vision you return to your previous pace
>This time, however, you only travel fifteen or so minutes in a nearly straight line before Hollow spots a light coming from ahead
>You again cast Earth Sight, revealing five large guard Dogs
>This time only one of them sleeps while one paces around what must be a very large room
>The remaining three Dogs sit at a table and play some kind of game, cards if you had to guess
>Each Dog wears some kind of armor and keeps a spear and a club well within reach
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41074538
I don't like these odds. Think we could lure one or two away, deal with them separately?

>>41074538
Five armed guards even with the element of surprise is definitely going to be noticed. Even if we're able to quietly take all of them out, the guards that replace them would be even more alert. Better to look for an entrance for the rest of our group.

Trail Leader

>>41074604
>>41074631
>You relay what you see to Hollow
“I don't like these odds. Think we could lure one or two away, deal with them separately?”
>”Probably. I’m sure we could at least get the one pacing to come down this tunnel without too much effort, maybe even just bang your helmet against the wall. But if the other three are playing cards together it might be hard getting one to come down here without the others joining him. But if we do manage to get one or two to come to us at a time we could easily ambush them from the darkness.”
>You consider it
>Even if you were able to quietly take all of them out, the guards that replace them would be even more alert
“Do you think it would be better to look for an entrance for the rest of our group?”
>”Like, look for a different entrance to the mineshaft? We could, but it’d probably be best if you used your new version of that earth sight spell first to see what, if any, tunnels are around us. If you mean back tracking and looking another entrance to the catacombs I suppose we could try that.”
>It seems your options remain open
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41075100
My vote is for using the advanced earth sight we need a through layout of our entire surroundings to see if they are any other alternatives routes nearby we can take that will allow us to sneak pass them.

>>41075100
There's no telling how long it'd take to find a whole new entrance and no guarantee it'd lead to anywhere less guarded. Let's check for tunnels around us with super earth sight and then consider our options.

Trail Leader

>>41075173
>>41075174
“Let me cast my stronger Earth Sight real quick.”
>You immediately cast the spell
>There is nothing above you, or below you, except for solid rock
>Ahead of you, where the five Dogs keep guard the tunnel widens considerably, enough for eight or more ponies to walk through side by side
>Your tunnel sits opposite of the entrance and seems to be the only way of entering the area
>Inside the tunnel ahead is a large, open, oval-shaped area, about two hundred feet in width and about a hundred feet in length
>There are six tunnels inside the oval room, with all but one blockaded with what looks like wood and stone
>The remaining tunnel has several large sticks of what looks like dynamite bored into the walls with wires running to plungers placed just behind where the three Dogs play cards
>Beyond where the dynamite is placed, the unblocked tunnel extends straight ahead at a slight incline, a set of rails running down the center and stopping in the center of the oval room
>The tunnel continues beyond your vision
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41076928
Okay hollow I got bad news and no good news whatsoever. The bad news is that there is no other paths we can use to sneak pass the dogs this is the only way in or out and ahead of us is six tunnels but 5 are blocked off and now they're planning to destroy the last tunnel with dynamites being planted on the walls. If wait on this they'll cut off any chances for us to escape we're have no choice but to take them all out before that happens. So we need to come up with a plan stat!

>>41076928
I think our best bet is to lure at least one to us. If we can take him out quietly, we then might be able to sneak attack the card players before the last one wakes up. We do have to go back and take out whistle boy, too.

>>41078093
I wonder if the whistle could be used to lure the guards away so the dynamite can be stolen.

>>41078253
The whistle is likely an alarm that will have all five come running. We should try to divide and conquer before using it.

>>41078254
Why kill them in battle when we could steal the large quantity of dynamite instead? If we MUST kill them today, than we could also plant a single stick to be blown remotely when they return to that room without having to engage in battle.

>>41078312
Well if we only steal the dynamite they'll know something is wrong. Besides, if this is the path we'll use to escape later tonight we'll have to kill them anyway.

>>41078426
The question is when. Do it too soon and they will be replaced by dogs ready for a fight while we have non-combatants in tow. The dynamite guarantees that dogs are coming down here in the near future, and if it's still here when they do, there isn't going to be an escape route.

>>41078448
But what's stopping them from just replacing the stolen dynamite, this time making sure to use it fast so it doesn't get stolen again?

>>41078490
Why does that matter? If they're going to blow it immediately when they planned to or a little while later because they had to replace the charges, the end result would be no more escape route. Killing the guards would also be meaningless by the same logic. Or are you assuming the guards are the ones responsible for detonating the charges and that nobody will be curious enough to check on them when there's no explosion at the appointed time?

>>41078520
I just think removing both the dynamite and the dogs near it is a safer bet than just taking the dynamite and hoping they won't raise an alarm when they notice.

>>41078546
An alarm will be raised no matter what we do, what's important is the condition of the tunnel when we plan to use it. My assumption is that the blasting is delayed due to some form of bureaucracy. If a non-violent theft took place, it'd increase the delays rather than decrease them since it wouldn't reveal the motive of protecting the tunnel. In fact, they might even think that there will be no further problems here if they believe the motive is just acquiring dynamite.

>>41078568
>alarm will be raised no matter what we do
Yes, but the difference is timing. Taking the dynamite will mean these dogs will 100% raise the alarm as soon as they get back from whatever we use to distract them. Killing them means the alarm wouldn't be raised until someone else comes here, which for all we know won't happen for hours, which is enough time to put our plan into action.

Trail Leader

“Okay Hollow, I got bad news and no good news whatsoever. The bad news is that there are no other paths we can use to sneak past the Dogs. This is the only way in or out and ahead of us is six tunnels but five are blocked off and now they're planning to destroy the last tunnel with dynamite being planted on the walls. If we wait on this they'll cut off any chances for us to escape.”
>”Then we should act fast and try to lure them over here one by one.”
>You consider it for a long while
>You go back and forth in your mind, considering the consequences of killing them here and now and whether or not to steal the dynamite
>Your mind races with possibilities and it isn’t until you feel yourself being shaken by a hoof that you snap back to reality
>”Ardent, are you okay?”
“Sorry, I was thinking this over.”
>You explain the argument going on in your head to Hollow, who listens intently
>Once you’re done explaining your thoughts she sits there silently for a moment
>Eventually she speaks, but keeps her eyes away from yours
>”Maybe we should consider alternatives…”
>She shifts her leathery wings uncomfortably
>”Look, we could fight them on our own, but maybe we should grab Barrel and Soul. Even our odds in a fight a little, you know?”
>You consider it
“What about the dynamite? They could easily blow the tunnels before we return and that still doesn’t solve the whole problem with other guard shifts showing up and alerting the rest of the Dog hierarchy.”
>Hollow finally looks you in the eyes
>”But what if that’s not what they’re planning?” Hollow asks. “Didn’t one of the Dogs we passed earlier mention that there’s knights in these tunnels? Maybe the knights are down that tunnel and the plan is to blow it if the knights get too close.”
“That seems… like a reach. Why wouldn’t they just blow it now?”
>”Why wouldn’t they just blow it regardless? We don’t know why they’re waiting, but the longer we wait the more likely they will set the dynamite off and then we’re trapped or have to find another way out.”

>>41078836
>Again, Hollow looks away from you and shifts uncomfortably
>She sighs before continuing, “I hate to say this, but this could be our only chance to escape.”
“If that’s the case we’re screwed either way. We need to fetch the rest of the settlers at the least, and that’s a lot of ponies to sneak through the city and the catacombs and pass the pit. It could take half a day to return, and they might blow the tunnel in the meantime anyways. We need to do something to delay that, at the very least.”
>”I know. I… I think we should take out the guards and get out while we can.”
>You raise an eyebrow
“You mean just you and I?”
>”Yeah… I do.”
>You try to respond but she cuts you off
>”Look, we’re out of our league here. We can’t fight off a city of guards and if we kill the Dogs here more guards are going to come, and then the alarm will be raised and they’ll either blow the tunnel or they’ll flood the tunnels with so many guards we can’t escape anyways. We should just take our chances and run. At the least me and you could escape.”
>You reel in disgust
“That’s cowardly. Our job, our promise, is to protect tho-”
>”It’s not cowardly, damn it. It’s smart.”
>She finally looks you in the eyes head on
>”We could escape and report the situation to the government and then the military can hadle this. We know where this city is, we know Abwu-whatever is here, we’ll know where the tunnel access to the city is. All of that is valuable information that the Guard or Army could use.”
>She puts her hoof on your shoulder
>”Look, you’re a smart pony, maybe the smartest stallion I’ve ever met, so you know as well as I that this is the best bet to save these ponies. We can’t do it on our own, just look at Roughshod. Even when we face two to one odds we lost half of our guards, what’s going to happen when the last six of us have to face dozens of Dogs in their own familiar territory?”
>She stands firm and stares straight into your eyes
>Her ears lay back against her head and her tail holds tight against her body
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41078838
And what happens when we don't return and the others take matters into their own hooves?
IF we do it your way... it'd have to be just you. You can fly, making you much faster in getting the guard. Meanwhile I would stay behind to tell the others and do what we can to survive.

>>41078838
I hate to say it Hollow but you might have a point we have to take the chance now, however we already told Drift and Maple to come back to the waste tunnel six hours from now they're going to feel like we betray them if we're not back in time to guide them so our best chance to do both is this once we find the path that leads to the surface. I'll stay behind to help them coordinate our escape route while you get out and return to Gate City as fast as you can. Hollow you and both know that since you have wings you'll the only one who can get there quickly enough to get help I'll only slow you down. As a leader I need to do what is best for the rest of the group even if it might cost me my life!

>>41078838
Ardent wraps the bat pony in a tight hug and stroking her mane''Hollow, I just want to say that no matter what happens from here on out I glad that I met you and wish we coulda spend more time together to determine how special you and I see each other like we discussed back at the Gala dance''!

>>41078838
How long do you think it'd take for us to make contact with the guards and get them into the city? By then the tunnel could've been destroyed and the rest of our group could've been discovered by the dogs and captured. What the dogs are doing here has to be delayed for anybody to have a chance and we need A LOT more force if the alarms are raised. Here's another thought, steal the dynamite and use it to cause a terror incident in some far off part of the city while getting the guard into the city. It'll lure the dogs away from the tunnel and let the guard deeper into the city before the dogs are able to respond to them. If they arrive in time that is.

Trail Leader

“And what happens when we don't return and the others take matters into their own hooves?”
>”You left Barrel in charge and if anypony can survive down here it’d be him. They’ve got access to fresh water and plenty of food, they’ll survive until the Guard comes.”
“How long do you think it'd take for us to make contact with the Guard and get them into the city? By then the tunnel could've been destroyed and the rest of our group could've been discovered by the Dogs and captured.”
>Hollow flaps her mouth at that but fails to give a retort
>You sigh before the silence can settle
“I hate to say it Hollow but you might have a point. But IF we do it your way... it'd have to be just you.”
>”Ardie, you can’t be serious. I need-“
“Hollow, you and I both know that since you have wings you’re the only one who can get to the Guard quickly enough to get help. “
>”But you-“
“I'll only slow you down. Go ahead and get out and meanwhile I will stay behind to coordinate with Drift and the others and do what we can to survive.”
>”But you could be captured or enslaved or even killed! Why risk that? We’re right here, we could escape.”
>You’d considered that, of course, but some things required self sacrifice
>You give a shrug full of nonchalance that you don’t really feel deep down
“I’m in charge and I need to do what is best for the rest of the group.”

>>41079448
>Hollow drops to her haunches and stairs into the darkness behind the two of you
>She’s quiet and you give her time to think before she whispers
>”You’re just like my father.”
>You remain quiet and let Hollow sit there in silence
>She doesn’t seem angry at you, more like she’s trying to come to a decision
>”I… understand. I don’t agree, but I think I know why it’s something you have to do.”
>The bat pony raises off the ground and puts a hoof on your shoulder
>”If something happens…”
>As she begins to trail off you throw your own hooves around her
“Hollow, I just want to say that no matter what happens from here on out I glad that I met you and I hope we can spend more time together. You’re important to me.”
>Hollow throws her other foreleg around you and hugs you back
>”You’re the best boss I ever had, Ardie. And a great friend. Just, please understand that I’m not a coward, I’m doing this for us, all of us.”
“I understand.”
>You hug for a long moment, almost forgetting why you were here to begin with
>But eventually all things must come to an end and you both drop to all fours
>”Alright, enough of the mushy stuff,” Hollow says softly, as if not entirely wanting to move on
“Right.”
>A sudden bolt of inspiration strikes you
“Hey, I just got an idea. What if we steal the dynamite and use it to cause a terror incident in some far off part of the city while you get the Guard into the city. It'll lure the Dogs away from the tunnel and let the Guard deeper into the city before the Dogs are able to respond to them. If they arrive in time, that is.”
>Hollow taps her chin with a hoof
>”Yeah, I like that idea. It’ll be hard to coordinate everything since it’ll probably take a few days or more before the Guard gets here but if we pulled it off I’m sure the Guard will be able to cease the moment. So, I take it you want to take out these guard Dogs then? That way you can get your dynamite and I don’t have to worry about out flying them or them setting off the dynamite as I look for the exit.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41079451
Absolutely, let's kill us some more bad guys in the name of Freedom the way I see it we can take out half of them if we'll do it stealthly, but the rest we'll have to go in guns blazing frontal assault let's show these diamond dogs what we're made of Partner!

>>41079451
She should also take one of the staffs with her. It'll give the guard a chance to prepare for the magic they'll be dealing with prior to arriving.

If we go with this plan, we also need to figure out what to do about the enslaved ponies.<br>We'd have to bust them out and then somehow keep everyone hidden or at least protected til the guard arrive.

Trail Leader

“Absolutely, let's kill some more bad guys in the name of freedom. The way I see it we can take out half of them if we do it stealthily, but the rest we'll have to take head on guns blazing. Let's show these Diamond Dogs what we’re made of.”
>The two of you quickly discuss what to do to lure out the patrolling guard and ultimately decide to go with smacking your helmet against the wall
>Just as you take your helmet you think of something and grab the second Dog rod from your saddlebag and hoof it to Hollow
“Take this with you. It'll give the Guard a chance to prepare for the magic they'll be dealing with prior to arriving.”
>Hollow holds the rod in her hoof and looks it over before putting it away
>With that taken care off you snuff out your lantern and bang the helmet against the wall
>Even in the complete darkness of the catacomb you crouch down to make yourself less visible and quickly strap on your helmet with your hooves, not wanting to risk giving yourself away with the glow of your horn
>Several long, dreadful seconds pass before you see the light of a torch approaching
>”Brutus? Is it time for shift cha-“
>You don’t give the guard the chance to finish as you quickly launch a bolt straight at his head before he can see you
>Your aim is perfect as the bolt smashes directly into the Dog’s jaw
>The Dog drops the torch and falls to the ground but quickly tries to get up before Hollow pounces on him
>But the Dog is quick, faster than the ones you’ve fought before and before Hollow can slip a knife into him he kicks her away
>You fire a follow up shot on the Dog but he dodges with ease
>The Dog roars and grabs the club on his hip but is again tackled by Hollow
>With both of her hoof blades Hollow stabs the Dog as many times as she can
>The Dog lets out a constrained screech as Hollow plunges the blades into his throat and chest again and again before getting off of the corpse
>There’s a loud commotion from the direction of the mine entrance followed by an echo
>”…Frankfurt…”
>Again you crouch low in preparation for the next ambush
>And again a torch appears at the end of the tunnel
>”Frankfurt! Are you there?”
>This time there are two Dogs and they approach carefully, weapons ready
>This time you wait for Hollow to make the first move
>The Dogs get uncomfortably close and pause in their tracks when the torchlight reveals a smear of blood on the floor, standing just within mere feet of you
>The lead Dog begins to shout just as Hollow launches herself at him
>The Dog turns quick, taking most of her blow on the shoulder
>You leap into action with a bolt at the second Dog but his armor absorbs the blow
>As Hollow and the other Dog battle the second Dog rushes you down
>Before you can react he swings his club down onto your back
>You yelp in agony as pain shoots up your entire body

>>41080848
>You drop to your belly as the Dog raises the club again
>As the Dog brings the club down again you blast him with a powerful bolt straight to the chin
>But it’s not enough and the Dog again brings the club down on your back
>This time you scream, not even your armor sparring you
>Gritting your teeth you fire one last bolt at the Dog
>The bolt strikes the Dog perfectly in the stomach and he drops the club
>The Dog falls to the ground clutching his belly and you grab your knife
>The Dog rolls in pain and in the back of your head you assume your blast has done significant internal damage
>You put your hooves on the Dog to hold him still and, using telekinesis, drive your knife into the Dog’s throat
>As he thrashes about you turn your attention to Hollow and her Dog
>The Dog’s right claws are dug into Hollow’s ribs and dark red blood spills across the floor
>Hollow’s eyes are wide and she swings wildly with her blades, only for her blows to glance off the Dog’s armor uselessly
>The two roll, blocking any clear shot for your bolts
>Hollow’s blood continues to cover the floor and her strikes become weaker and weaker
>Suddenly the pair stops their wrestling and you fear the worst, only for your to realize what’s happened
>One of Hollow’s hoof blades slides into the Dog’s jugular, spilling hot blood in squirts over Hollow’s body
>Pulling the hoof blade free, the Dog collapses onto Hollow, who breathes heavily
>You throw the dead Dog off of your friend and immediately pull your group’s second to last health potion
>Hollow cries in agony and gasps for air but you force the potion down her throat
>Normally you’d give any injury like her's a quick look over for any potential complications the health potion could cause, but with the situation as dire as it is you don’t have the time to do that
>You hear the Dog you’d fought stop thrashing, followed by a quiet gurgling sound
>As the last drops of the potion drain down her throat Hollow coughs and sits up
>She touches her ribs and takes several deep breaths before wiping the tears from her eyes
>”Thanks.”
>She gets to her hooves wobbly and looks at your shaking knees
>”Are you alright?”
>To be honest, you’re not
>Your back and ribs pulse with pain and you feel weak in the knees
>Another solid blow from a Dog will almost certainly put you out of the fight, maybe even permanently if Hollow can’t save you in time
>You check your saddlebags for anything that can help
>You have a first aid kit, which has just enough pain relievers and herbal remedies to make you feel at least decent
>But it’ll take time to kick in, and won’t fix whatever real long term damage you have on the inside

>>41080851
>Your other option is the caravan’s last remaining health potion
>Its healing powers are near instant, and it’ll fix any injuries you may have, assuming everything is where it’s supposed to be
>Hollow suddenly slaps her hooves over her ears, drawing your attention away from you saddlebag
“Everything alright?”
>”No!” she shouts as she screws her eyes shut. “That fucking ringing is killing me.”
>You listen but hear nothing and after a few seconds Hollow lowers her hooves
>Hollow groans, “why haven’t they come for us?”
>It takes you a moment before you realize what she means
>The last two Dogs have yet to enter your tunnel, likely staying behind to either guard the mine or prepare the dynamite, if you had to guess
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41080854
Come on hollow we have to finish this before the last two diamond dogs seal the tunnel we can't lose this opportunity to get help. Here's the plan you go in and distract the two remaining dogs, while I'll charge up my horn and prepare to shoot out a powerful magic blast that will take them both out, but make sure you can lure them out to my position so I can have clean clear shot at our targets which will enable me to not accidently hit the dynamites and set them off as a result!

>>41080854
Earth sight NOW!!! The ringing must've been the silent whistle <s>that you guys COMPLETELY forgot about</s> calling for reinforcements.

>>41080935
>a powerful magic blast that will take them both out
We're a research mage, not a battlemage. How many times has our only offensive spell proved lacking against the dogs thus far?

>>41081005
Fuck, I even said to take out the whistle guy too, guess everyone forgot while figuring out the plan.
Nothing to it, we have to bust through the dogs ahead and get Hollow out of here asap.
Drink the health potion, we have to be at 100% for this.

>>41081013
In fact, might even be worth it to act as a distraction while Hollow sneaks out.

>>41081013
My guess is that they're relying on a relay system to call for reinforcements considering how separated the mine entrance is from the city. The dogs in the room send out the alarm while they're pinned down by whatever the problem is and then the lone dog far away from the fighting gets the reinforcements. Our only hope is that the dog behind us was too disoriented from just being woken up to realize he was woken up by the alarm.

Trail Leader

>You quickly cast Earth Sight
>The two Dogs in front of you hide behind the upturned table that was previously used for cards, spears at the ready
>One of the two Dogs holds a whistle in its paw
>Behind you is the Dog you had snuck past only twenty minutes ago
>He also holds his whistle in one paw and his weapon in the other
>Unlike the two ahead of you the Dog behind you seems confused, looking both towards the mineshaft and down the other tunnels around him
>There is nothing else of note
>You come out of Earth Sight and tell Hollow what you saw
>”W-well at least there isn’t anyone coming immediately.”
>As you down your last health potion you notice Hollow shivering with adrenaline
>”T-that’s the last one, right?”
>You feel the magic course through your veins and feel a distinct popping sensation in your spine
“Unfortunately.”
>”So, if I get stabbed like that again…”
“Don’t dwell on it. Keep your mind in the game and keep up your situational awareness and you’ll be fine.”
>You quickly wipe you knife off on the dead Dog’s coat and sheath it
“Only thing left is to take down those last two Dogs and for you to escape. Simple as pie.”
>You give Hollow a reassuring pat on the shoulder and the two of you advance down the tunnel
>As the mineshaft comes into view you notice details that even your Advanced Earth Sight can’t pick up
>Firstly, the lanterns the Dogs were using for lighting are incredibly bright, lighting up the entire room in bright yellow light
>Words are painted in bright red paint at the entrance of the mineshaft
‘DO NOT ENTER: GUARD DOGS ONLY: BY ORDER OF ABUWTIYUW”
>The two remaining guard Dogs remain hiding behind their table and you seize the initiative, firing your bolt straight at the one closest to you
>You don’t intended to hit them, necessarily, only to keep their heads down while Hollow rushes them
>But you manage to land a grazing shot on the Dog as he ducks anyways
>Hollow rushes forward, closing the distance in the time it takes for the Dogs to pop their heads back up
>She launches herself forward with a flap of her wings and slashes the still unharmed Dog across his unprotected face
>Both Dogs turn their attention to Hollow, who deftly dodges the first Dog’s thrust only for the second Dog to score a perfect blow, impaling the mare through her leather barding and bringing her down with a bloody scream
>You immediately fire another blast at the first Dog, scoring a solid hit to the back of his head
>Your bolt hits hard enough to send the Dog’s helmet flying and the Dog falls on his face as the second Dog yanks his spear out of Hollow and take cover behind the table yet again
>Hollow screams in horrific pain and jerks about in a way all to similar to the Dog you’d killed with your knife
>This time your analytical mind works against you as all sorts of life ending injuries run through your mind
>But you snap back to reality just as the Dog pops back up and hurls his spear at you

>>41081453
>You fire a quick bolt at the Dog but your bolt goes wild, missing the Dog
>But his spear does the same and he ducks back into cover
>You grab your knife in your teeth and rush forward, horn at the ready to deliver another deadly bolt
>You swing to the left of the table, giving yourself both distance from the Dog and a clear shot on him
>The second he comes into view you fire another bolt which hits him in his soft belly, just below where his armor ends
>The Dog makes a wheezing sound as he collapses
>At the same time the Dog you’d hit in the head begins raising to his paws but you delivering a perfect, vicious blow to his temple
>The Dog’s head wipes violently, enough for his body to spin as he collapses yet again
>You rush the Dog you’d hit in the belly and ignore his labored breathing and bleeding nose, instead digging your Bowie into his stomach and disemboweling him before stabbing him in the neck
>You spin around, looking for any other threats before running to Hollow’s side and grabbing your first aid kit
>Hollow no longer screams or cries, instead laying still as more blood flows down her torn barding
>You immediately pull the now useless barding off and put pressure on her wound with your hooves
>Her blood is deep red and flows from inside her, covering your hooves and armor
>You grab your homeostatic dressing and apply it immediately after you pour some water over her deep shoulder/chest wound and pour a herbal powder over the opening
>Once the bandage is set her blood stains it immediately
>Not entirely sure what to do next you just keep your hooves on the wound to keep some extra pressure and cast your Medical Diagnosis spell
>She’s critically low on blood and her heart beats rapidly
>A major vein in her chest has been severed and there’s large amounts of muscle damage to her shoulder
>Her breathing is quick and shallow
>Thankfully, there’s no signs of infection and the minor magic of the herbal powder and homeostatic dressing are doing their job, stopping the bleeding by the second
>Still, there’s no way she’s going to be able to get up anytime soon without magical intervention and if she’s not treated soon the possibility of further damage or death is uncomfortably high
>Coming out of the spell you find your jaw clenched shut and it’s hard to swallow
>Needing to release some of the anger you stand up and stomp on one of the dead Dogs
>It wasn’t fair

>>41081455
>You’d gotten so far but the moment you reached the exit everything fell apart
>Why had these Dogs been so successful when almost every other group of guards had been so comparatively easy
>You again stomp on the Dog
>Were these Dogs veterans? Or maybe some kind of elite warriors?
>Or had you just been unlucky, just as you have been for so long now
>You stomp on the Dog one final time and feel something in his body give way
>You almost scream but instead will yourself to bite your tongue
>Deciding you’ve already wasted precious seconds you quickly disconnect the wires running to the plungers so that even if you don’t have time to steal the dynamite at least any explosions will be delay for a few minutes
>You turn your head and ears to the tunnel from where you came, listening for any sounds that could indicate approaching enemies
>But you find none
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41081458
Check to see if there's anything else we can do for Hollow's recovery"Hollow I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm so sorry you ended up like this, at least you fought well soldier I won't abandon you or leave you here to die I promise I can't lose you too because I think I may actually love you"! Then let's proceed to carefully retrieve the dynamites and place them in our inventory before enemy reinforcements shows up and detonate the explosives leaving us trap here or causing a massive cave-in inside the tunnel.

Trail Leader

>>41081496
>You again check over Hollow, trying to figure out what else you can do to help her
>You grab her saddlebags and place them below her hindlegs and rear, trying to increase blood flow to her heart and brain
>Besides that, the only thing you can do for her now with your limited resources and medical knowledge is to get her better medical treatment
"Hollow I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm so sorry you ended up like this. You fought well, Guardspony. I won't abandon or leave you here to die. I promise.”
>There’s more words you want to say, but feel that now’s not the time to say them
>Instead you set about retrieving the dynamite
>You end up with four bundles of three sticks tied together with wick
>As before you make sure to carefully place the bundles in your saddlebag that doesn’t have your fire starters
>With that done you again listen for any incoming enemies but fail to hear anything
>Even though you don’t hear anything coming you know that the longer you wait here the closer Dog reinforcements get
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

Well that made all our efforts completely pointless. We can't leave to get the guards without telling the others, not to mention it'd mean Hollow would die.<br>The only real choice we have is to retreat and carry her back to Soul.

>>41081727
We should go and check out where that tunnel leads to first before going back to the others we need to find out where it goes.

I just remembered we bought a smoke bomb way back when, sure could have used it there.<br>Fuck!

>>41081809
I dunno about that, Hollow needs help asap and we have no idea how long that tunnel is. Not to mention the dogs are likely to blow it up before we come back here.

>>41081809
super not worth it at this stage

Trail Leader

>You stomp the ground in anger
>All of this effort for nothing
>You try to calm yourself but suddenly remember the smoke bomb in your saddlebag, which only serves to frustrate you even more
>You turn to the mineshaft
>Maybe you could just scout it out; make this trip a little worth while
>But you can’t
>As you are standing here throwing a tantrum Hollow is dying by the second
>With no other choice besides leaving her to die, you pick up the mare and gently lay her over your back with your magic
>You make sure to grab her saddlebags but leave her ruined barding behind

>You move fast and within ten minutes you’re back at the intersection with the solo guard
>You gently lower Hollow off your back and sneak forward to watch what the Dog does
>As you peer around the corner you find yourself meeting the Dog’s eyes
>The young Dog blows into the whistle around his neck but you don’t hear anything
>Regardless, it gives you the opportunity you need and you fire a bolt straight for his chest
>The bolt hits home and the Dog stumbles
>He tries getting to his paws but you finish him off with a bolt straight to the back of his head
>You quickly rush back to Hollow and escape the area as fast as you can

>When you return to the waste pit you have to hide in the darkness of your tunnel for a long while
>A pair of unfamiliar earth pony stallions empty trash from their wagon while two Dogs stand watch over them
>The wait is unbearable as you wait for the Dogs and ponies to leave
>After fifteen minutes of waiting you hear a cacophony of echoes from behind you
>You feel the hair on the back of your neck stand on end as a loud series of howls grow closer
>You raise to your hooves, preparing to run out into the open waste room and risking a fight with the two Dogs in front of you, finding that far preferable to the alternative of being caught between them and the Dogs behind you
>Just as you are about to run the slaves hitch themselves back to their wagon and leave, escorted by the two Diamond Dogs
>You rush into the waste room before they’re even out of your view praying that you don’t draw their attention to you
>Either your prayer works or you’re just lucky but they don’t look behind themselves and you slide into the tunnel leading back to camp just as the pack of Dogs pursuing you come into the waste room
>You don’t stop to count their numbers or see what they do, just hightail it out of the area as fast as you can

>For hours you navigate the catacombs, never once stopping for even so much as a drink of water
>The only time you ever stop is when you occasionally cast Earth Sight to scout ahead, which is when you check on Hollow’s injuries and down a few quick swings from your canteen
>Thankfully your trotting hasn’t caused any problems for her, but her situation hasn’t improved, either
>To make matters worse your horn is starting to throb in pain every time you cast a spell now

>>41082123
>You do your best to ignore it, but Earth Sight takes a lot out of you and it’s been a very long day
>Eventually you return to the way you entered the underground, the basement of the little marble Tatzlwurm building
>You cast Earth Sight yet again, ignoring the sparks flying from your horn and what feels like a drill boring into your brain
>The Dogs are no longer there, and you thank Celestia and Luna for that
>You rush up the stairs case and head return to the city streets
>Even though your magic showed you no Dogs in the area, you still keep a lookout for any Dogs

>It takes almost as long to navigate the city as it did the tunnels
>Like you did on your approach you dash from alleyway to alleyway, always keeping to the shadows
>Unfortunately even in the shadows you are not entirely hidden, as you born gives small little sparks of magic on occasion, something only a blind Dog could miss
>Thankfully your horn still works, but you know that with every spell you cast you run the risk of complete magical burnout, especially with the physical exhaustion the day’s worth of exploration and combat has brought about
>To make matters worse, the Dogs have increased their patrols as well
>Dogs, mostly young or the elderly, patrol the streets in small groups of two to five, some even walking with domesticated hounds on leashes
>You’re tempted to use Earth Sight at every corner but know that if you experience burnout now you risk the possibility of fainting, which almost assuredly result in your and Hollow’s discovery

>>41082127
>You occasionally suck on one of the peppermint candies that the colt in Gate City gave you just for a distraction from the pain in your head as you make your way around the market in a wide arch
>The distraction helps and the taste of sweet, minty peppermint is a nice bonus
>As you tiredly open another one of the mints and stow the wrapper in your saddlebag you come to one of the last intersections before you’re back in the abandoned part of the district your camp is in
>Perhaps your mind is cloudy from exhaustion, or you’re just to eager to get to safety, but you check the road you have to cross far quicker than you normally would and try to cross
>Right as you get to the center of the street you hear a sharp whistle and a shout aimed at you
>”Pony, stop!”
>You snap your head to the left and look for the source of the noise
>Three Dogs, two barely adults and one elderly Dog with a flintlock rifle, stand under the shade of a battered awning barely a hundred feet away from you
>All three Dogs wear minimal leather armor and the two young Dogs carry cheap spears
>Along with them are three domesticated hounds that jump and howl and snap their jaws at you
>You quickly consider your options
>Your Triple Bolt might be enough to dispatch the hounds if you land a solid hit on each of them, but may be too weak to reliably take out the three Diamond Dogs
>You could of course use your trusty, powerful single bolt but that’d almost assuredly lead to a drawn out battle in the street, which to be frank you don’t really have time for
>You consider running
>You could at the very least keep pace with the Dogs in pursuit, you think, but the domesticated hounds were almost assuredly faster
>”Surrender and put your mate down! Now!”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41082129
Now is time for that smoke bomb. Make as if we're putting Hollow down, discreetly pull out the bomb and toss it between us and the dogs. Maybe triple bolt the hounds before it goes off for good measure and haul ass.

>>41082129
I agree with this anon the smoke bomb is our only chance to discreetly get away before they could have the chance capture us desperate time calls for desperate measures. "You want me come and get me over my dead body suckers Fire In The Hole"!

>>41082203
FUCCK!!! Why do we keep running blindly into danger without a single thought!?! Two dogs in a defended position had an OBVIOUS advantage against us and was almost guaranteed to take out a single attacker from the front! We shouda taken out the doge behind us when we saw he was still there and than planned a way to force the dogs outa cover or distract them enough for Hollow to get behind them. What was even the point of casting Earth sight when we weren't given a chance to adjust our plan based on the new information? Are we being railroaded? has all of this death and failure been scripted?

Trail Leader

>You already know what to do
>You stop in your tracks but keep your right side away from the Dogs
“Okay, you caught me. I’m surrendering.”
>You begin to lower your rear, as if you’re going to slide Hollow off your back
>”Good pony. J-just keep your horn pointed away.”
>As you lower Hollow you slide your right forehoof into your saddlebag and retrieve a specific potion identifiable by the odd cap
>The Dogs remain in place, hesitant to approach you
“Alright, if you want to come and get me,”
>You pop the cap off the bottle and drop it at your hooves
“Then come and get me over my dead body, suckers! Fire in the hole!”
>The line is straight out of a BATTLEMAGE MONTHLY issue, but it times perfectly with the smoke bomb erupting
>With a bright flash the bottle below you spews forth a cloud of thick, white smoke
>The second you are consumed by the smoke you rush for the alleyway just down the road as opposed to the one directly in front of you, hoping to throw the Dogs off your trail
>You hear a whizz to your right followed by a loud bang behind you just as you turn down the alley to your left
>As you sprint you use your magic to hold Hollow in place on your back and zigzag through the streets
>You hear a howl behind you and look over your shoulder just as the three hounds close within a few dozen yards of you
>You fire your Triple Bolt over your shoulder, missing one and barely grazing the other two
>The pain in your horn flares but your magic remains
>The hound you missed catches up to you and sinks its teeth into your rear ankle
>You barely save yourself from tripping and fire your Triple Bolt over your shoulder blindly
>Only one bolt hits home, knocking out one of the dogs you’d previously hit
>The hound on your heels pounces on you, dragging you down as Hollow tumbles off your back
>The second remaining hound pounces on you as well, biting your exposed face
>This time you fire a single, powerful bolt on the hound biting at your face
>The bolt strikes the mutt in the ribs with a loud crack and you grab the knife across your chest with a hoof and swipe at the hound mauling your ankle
>The animal jumps back and you prepare another bolt
>As you fire the bolt a searing pain shoots down your body, making your eyes roll into the back of your head
>When you come to you find the last remaining hound standing directly over you
>You try to cast a spell, only for the magic to fail to manifest
>With no choice you grab the knife you’d dropped with a hoof and slam it home into the hounds ribs
>The dog yips and you jump to your hooves and delivery a buck to its head, dropping it to the ground limp
>You stagger to your hooves as you hear shouts coming from an alleyway not far away
>Your ankle and faces are wet with blood but you ignore the pain and slide under Hollow to put her on your back
>Without magic she lays across your back limply, bouncing with each step you take as you gallop away from the scene as fast as you can

>>41083206
>Blood drips from your battered body as you run towards your camp

>As you get close to the neighborhood your camp is in you stop to cover your wounds with a piece of the torn Diamond Dog vest
>You’re goal is to stop the bleeding, which is as much of a medical issue as it is an issue for your escape
>Looking back the way you came you see small droplets of blood spattered every few steps
>The trail is going to lead them to the general area, but they wont be any closer than they already were
>You hear the loud clanging of a bell some blocks away followed by the sound of bells spreading throughout the district
>Tying off the makeshift bandage and sliding Hollow back over your back you take off for your camp

>You huff and puff as you climb the very last step of the apartment you’ve made camp in
>You wobble your way back to the room you and Hollow are staying in and slide the wounded mare down onto her bedroll before collapsing into your own
>Your body hurts, as does your head as every pulse sends a bolt of pain from your horn straight into your brain
>Small sparks fly from your horn occasionally, but when you try to call forth your magic you only feel searing pain
>But you ignore your protesting body and sit up to check over Hollow
>Her breathing has resumed its normal rhythm, but the skin under her coat still feels clammy
>You swap out her bandages as a precaution, thankful that her wounds haven’t reopened in all of the excitement
>The wounds are ugly, large gashes which you slowly pour more of your precious water over
>You gently wipe her clean before applying a new bandage and slide her into her bedroll
>You then check your own wounds, which have thankfully stopped bleeding on their own
>You quickly treat your wounds for infection and quickly cover them with bandages
>You take a deep drink from your canteen, finding it empty

>>41083207
>Setting it aside, you grab your other canteen which is almost completely empty as well
>You quickly down the last of the water and toss the canteen aside
>Thankfully you’d planned on the possibility of this trip lasting longer than intended and had therefore borrowed plenty of canteens from the settlers so water mercifully won’t be a problem
>You pull out the pocket watch you carry to check the time, yawning and fighting to keep your heavy eyelids open
>There’s a dull pang of surprise as you see the time
>You’ve already been scouting this city for twenty hours, almost a full day
>You feel you’ve simultaneously only just arrived and have been here forever
>You think back on how long you were scouting the catacombs before running back here and realize you had already spent over eleven hours in the city by that point
>…

>You suddenly bolt awake, panicking from unknowingly falling asleep
>Heart racing, you grab the watch to see how much time you’ve lost
>Fourteen seconds
>You double check your math and check the aperture that tells you the date
>Thankfully your first count was correct and you’d only lost those few seconds
>You eyes begin to close again on their own and you shake your head to stay awake
>The bells in the district continue to ring, but they’re faint enough to be mere background noise for you
>You want to sleep, but perhaps there’s something else you need to do
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41083210
How far away is the cavern where everyone else is?
Do we have any mana potions left?

Meta Leader

>>41082406
>What was even the point of casting Earth sight when we weren't given a chance to adjust our plan based on the new information?
You’ve cast Earth Sight at most of your intersections so far and since you knew that you were in an area Dogs were previously in I assumed you would have cast Earth Sight again. With the area within your spell’s vision clear of Dogs I assume you would have continued to move forward cautiously, as the only other option was spending time looking for a new exit. I didn’t ask for input there for the sake of brevity and not wanting to waste your time as a player, just as I skipped over every previous intersection you’ve previously passed because I figured you would just want to get back to your camp as soon as possible. If I misjudged the situation then I’m sorry and I’ll refrain from making such assumptions in the future.

>Are we being railroaded? has all of this death and failure been scripted?
No, you’re not and I have no interest in running a CYOA when the CYO means absolutely nothing. If I wanted to tell a specific story I would have written a fanfic. You very easily could have won that battle, or left Hollow to die, or just avoided the fight as a whole at any point. The Dogs you fought were <s>professional soldiers</s> and were tougher than the Dogs you’ve encountered before, which is what I was trying to show with the difference in their armor and size. You also had bad rolls; the Diamond dog that attacked Hollow scored a critical hit and then rolled almost max possible damage which is why Hollow, who has the lowest max health of anyone in your party, instantly went down.

>>41083221
>How far away is the cavern where everyone else is?
Two hours walk but it’ll be through the abandoned portion of town, which even with Dog patrols should be safer.

>Do we have any mana potions left?
I just checked and you have one personal one left on you. There are also three back with the settlers.

Anonymous

>>41083242
Cool. Unless Ardie is absolutely on the verge of collapse, it would be safer to chug the potion and make the trip before the dogs spread out further over this area.

Trail Leader

>>41083272
>You sit up and grab your saddlebag and fish out your final mana potion
>You quickly down the liquid and immediately feel the effects
>The pain in your brain quickly dissolves and the small sparks stop spraying from your horn
>You sigh in immense relief and pick up the empty glass with your magic and put it back into your bag
>Your body still protests your movements but with your head clear and magic restored you find the motivation to stay awake
>You pack up your and Hollow’s camp gear and sweep the building for any possible evidence of your presence
>The weight of all of your gear is heavy and the strain on your back only gets worse as you gently place Hollow on top of you
>She groans a little but doesn’t awaken or stir
>You check your gear one final time before leaving the empty apartment behind

>An hour and a half later you stumble into the tunnel the farmer Dog lives in, spotting him and his son caring for their mushrooms in the east field
>You don’t stop to say hi or ask for help, instead you simply keep pushing your body as you make your way to the lake
>As you exit the tunnel that separates the lake from the farm and approach the shore the Roughshod unicorn, who’s name you still don’t know, rushes to you
>”Whoa, are you okay?”
“No, we’re not.”
>You’re curt and don’t even look at the stallion as you speak
“Get the boat over here, now.”
>The unicorn nods and fires off a flare from his horn and fifteen minutes later Barrel and the Roughshod pegasus come ashore with the boat
>Barrel clears a spot for you to lay Hollow down and you get in the boat
>”So,” your old friend asks, “what did you find?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41083318
Most of the missing settlers in a slave pit and a possible escape route that might very well be lost now. The dogs had it rigged to blow. We stole their dynamite but doubt it'll take them long to replace it.
Now they also know me and Hollow are out there at least, it doesn't look good.

>>41083242
You're not understanding why I'm upset about thee earth sight. I know full well that we've been using it constantly for navigation and stealth, but using it in a combat situation is very different. I wanted to gather intel so we could come up with a plan about what to do next, or at least amend the current plan. But we pulled a Leeroy Jenkins instead. As for my anger, I'm just getting whiplash from the exponentially increasing difficulty of the situation. Now I wouldn't be surprised if we face a Dark Souls boss soon. At this rate, I don't think I'm masochistic enough to keep playing.

Trail Leader

>>41083327
“Most of the missing settlers are in a slave pit and we found a possible escape route that might very well be lost now.”
>Barrel waits for you to continue
“The Dogs had it rigged to blow. We stole their dynamite but I doubt it'll take them long to replace it.”
>You yawn
“Now they also know me and Hollow are out there at least, it doesn't look good.”
>Barrel is silent as he rows for a long while
>”No, it doesn’t,” he agrees
>Barrel nods his head at Hollow
>”What happened to her? Is she going to make it?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41083318
We also found two slave ponies name drift and maple who will gladly help us smuggle the captured settlers out of there if we can help coordinate with them and allow them to escape with us.

One other thing the whole recon we did just ended up being a total Massacre me and hollow barely survived the long drawn out battles by but we won by killing all the patrol diamond dogs in our way. We were able to sneak pass by some of them but the rest were unavoidable we had no choice but to fight to the death. As a result, Hollow took the worse of it than me she lost too much blood in the battles' aftermath I did what I could to stop the bleeding but I don't know if she'll make it, however I have to keep trying everything I can think of to save her life we're not losing her and silver too Barrel hurry we need Soul to treat her injuries before it's too late for Hollow.

Finally, the diamond dogs just sounded an alarm as I was making my way back here to home base some of them saw me carry hollow and I use a smoke bomb to get away but the ancient city is now on high alert and will go into full lockdown.

On the bright side we did manage to sabotage some of the dogs activities and stole one of their precious relics another staff similar to the one we found back up in that coffin tomb up top!

Meta Leader

>>41083445
>But we pulled a Leeroy Jenkins instead
I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what point in the story you are talking about. If you mean the fight with the Dogs outside the mine shaft then I guess I screwed up. >>41080935 and >>41081013 wanted to fight the two dogs and stick to the plan you already had. Since the Earth Sight showed that nothing within 500’ of you had changed I just went with that since there was no disagreement over the situation. If you’re talking about when you got caught while walking through the city, that was a result of your stealth roll.
>As for my anger, I'm just getting whiplash from the exponentially increasing difficulty of the situation. Now I wouldn't be surprised if we face a Dark Souls boss soon. At this rate, I don't think I'm masochistic enough to keep playing.
I’m sorry to hear that. The Dog patrols you’ve encountered on the surface are the exact same stats-wise as the Dogs you’ve fought before. The new enemies aren’t much stronger, just slightly harder to hit and more likely to land a hit on you. Obviously you’re dealing with a lot more of them right now and you’re in a very bad spot, but that’s because you’re in the belly of the beast at the moment and need to make risky choices. To be honest, I was worried players would have the opposite reaction to this place and think it’s too easy.

I’d like to hear the opinions of the rest of you players about both of these points.

Anonymous

>>41083487
For my two bits, losing Hollow like that after all the trouble was definitely a blow to morale and things do seem incredibly bleak right now.
That said, I prefer a challenging situation to something completely brainless. I also trust that as QM, you have enough of a plan that you won't just keep mindlessly kicking us in the dick just cause of a string of shit rolls, for example.

Trail Leader

>>41083469
“The whole recon trip we did just ended up being a total massacre. Me and Hollow barely survived the long drawn out battles but we won by killing all the patrol Diamond Dogs in our way. We were able to sneak pass by some of them but the rest were unavoidable and we had no choice but to fight to the death. As a result, Hollow took most of the beating and lost too much blood. I did what I could to stop the bleeding but I don't know if she'll make it.”
>You feel the frustration rising in you again
“I have to keep trying everything I can think of to save her life. We're not losing her and Silver too. So hurry up, we need Soul to treat her injuries before it's too late for Hollow.”
>Barrel does as you say, exerting himself as much as he can
>”There was a problem while you were gone,” Barrel says between strokes. “I caught Soul drinking on the job.”
>You begin to shout when Barrel stops you
>”He’s sober now, or should be, so he should be able to work his magic without issue. I had all of the alcohol gathered and put under guard, too.”
>You kick a hoof in frustration and stare out over the lake
>”So, is there anything else we should know about your trip?”
>You sigh and take a second to calm yourself before speaking
“We also found two slave ponies named Drift and Maple who will gladly help us smuggle the captured settlers out of the pit if we can help coordinate with them and allow them to escape with us. And the Diamond Dogs just sounded an alarm as I was making my way back here to home base. Some of them saw me carrying Hollow and I used a smoke bomb to get away but the ancient city is now on high alert and will go into full lockdown.”
>”Thats… not good.”
“Yeah, I know. On the bright side we did manage to sabotage some of the Dogs’ activities and stole one of their precious relics.”
>You pull the rod from your saddlebag
“It’s another staff similar to the one we found back up in that coffin tomb up top.”
>You turn the rod over in your hooves for Barrel to get a good look at while he rows
>”Looks interesting. Maybe you should show it to the other unicorns when Soul is done with Hollow.”

>You leave your stuff in the boat and carry Hollow to where Soul’s tent is with Barrel’s help
>Soul smokes a cigarette and holds a picture in his hoof as he leans against a rock
>When he sees Hollow spread across your back he jumps to his hooves and tosses the cigarette and fetches his saddlebags
>”Fuck me. What happened?”
>You explain the situation to the field medic as he casts his Medical Analysis spell on Hollow
>Immediately after finishing the analysis he casts his Advanced Healing spell before grabbing his medical instruments
>”You did a good job, all things considered,” Soul admits as he begins his work healing what his magic alone couldn’t
>It looks like it’ll take a few minutes for Soul to finish his work
[Input Needed] [What do you want to do now that you’re back in camp.]

Anonymous

>>41083538
Think we need sleep, badly. But first ask how bad does Hollow look and how Silver is doing.

>>41083538
We should go find out client miss Fleur and check in on her she's been feeling down ever since we lost half our ponies in the battle against the diamond dogs inside the old temple perhaps we can help her come to terms with it and see if we can cheer her up. Her moping face is certainly going to bring down morale and That's the last thing we need right now.

Trail Leader

>>41083560
>>41083572
“How’s she doing?”
>”Hollow? She looks pretty good, all things considered. Definitely a lot better off than Silver. Once I’m done with her and she gets some fresh water and warm food in her belly she’ll be able to move around with assistance. After a few days of rest, maybe five or six, she’ll probably be able to resume light duties. She’s mostly just suffering from serious blood loss and has some serious damage to the muscles in the one shoulder but I think my magic can help those heal quick.”
>You turn your attention to Silver, who sleeps in the open for some unknown reason
“What about Silver?”
>”She’s doing fine, all things considered.”
>Soul washes out Hollow’s wound and begins sewing it shut
>”Don’t think she’ll ever fly again at this rate, but she’ll recover otherwise. But if she doesn’t wake up sometime today then there might be some other kind of problem I’m unfamiliar with.”
>You watch the young mare’s chest rise and fall as she breathes gently
“What do you mean ‘some other kind of problem’? The Medical Analysis spell is supposed to reveal everything going on with a pony physically.”
>”It does, which is why I’m going to be concerned if she doesn’t wake up.”
>Soul cuts the thread and rebandages Hollow before sighing
>”Look, just pretend I didn’t say anything. She’ll wake up any time now. Anyways, I want Hollow to stay with me for now. She’ll be up before noon. Or midnight. I don’t know what time it is, to be honest.”
>Soul steps away from you and lights another cigarette and returns to his rock
>You suppress a yawn and go to check in with Fleur while Barrel heads to the lakeshore
>You find Fleur quickly
>The white unicorn sits alone in her tent with the flap open and she looks up at you as you approach
>”Welcome back, Ardent Mind. Did you happen to find us a way out of here?”
>Her voice wavers, as if on the edge of cracking
“I… don’t know. I may have, but it may not be an option for us anymore. But don’t worry about that right now. How are you holding up?”
>You can see her eyes are a little bloodshot, but there’s no other physical signs of distress
>In fact, she remains a perfect picture of earthly beauty
>”I’m… tired.”
>She shifts uncomfortably
>”I’m sorry, Ardent.”
>You remain quiet as she casts her gaze down and screws her eyes shut
>You don’t need to ask what she’s sorry for but after a few shaky breaths she continues
>”I knew the Dogs were a problem but I made us go through The Narrow anyways. I could have had the Royal Guard escort us, but I wanted to make it look like the Project didn’t need the government’s help.”
>The unicorn chokes up a little and you see small tears run down her cheeks

Anonymous

>>41083538
Hey Soul after your done treating Hollow I need you to check my injuries out as well so you can perform the necessary healing advanced healing spell on me too.

Trail Leader

>>41083659
>”And after everything that went wrong, I still wasn’t brave enough to do what I needed to do.”
>The unicorn weeps almost silently for a second and you find yourself torn between sympathy and anger
>On one hoof, you understand the pain of responsibility she’s going through
>But on the other hoof, how dare she cry to you of all ponies about this
>She hadn’t nearly died twice today
>She hadn’t have to make the tough calls, she always put that on you
>In fact, she hadn’t done anything but sit around since you found yourself down here
>And now she sits here feeling bad for herself
>”And now everyone…”
>She finally breaks into a chocking sob
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41083662
Give her a hug but follow that up with firm eye contact.
"I know things are difficult, but it's at times like these when leaders don't get the luxury of breaking apart. You may not be able to fight the dogs, but you can be a rock for the ponies who believed in you. Show them your strength, even if you have to fake it. We can't have ponies falling to despair, no matter what. You can't change the past but you can help prevent that."

>>41083662
We will get out of this mess Fleur somehow as long as one of us is still alive the hope of light will emerge from the shadows tell me what's going to happened to the Project since we had all these setbacks with the diamond dogs getting in our way will it be delayed, shutdown, or we'll they just proceed without us!

>>41083662
Fleur it's okay that you're feeling bad about what just happened a while ago you need to vent so let out all your emotions I'll help you get through it, but you need start accepting whats done is done you need to be honest with yourself about what led up to that outcome even though it will hurt you, just make sure that terrifying disaster you've witnessed and went through becomes a learning experience for you so you know how to prevent that tragedy from occuring ever again that's how it was for me too when we lost half of our entire entourage Fleur.

>>41083487
We lost most of our fighters before even arriving here. We lost most of our supplies. We lost almost all of our weapons. Some of our caravan have already become slaves. The auction that might send them away to some far off lands never to be seen or heard from again was set for a couple days after we arrived. We're in a place where we'll be killed on sight. The only escape route is through the heavily guarded city. Said escape route itself is guarded by enemies stronger than any we've faced. Said escape route is about about to be destroyed at any second. And now a major character that everybody likes and might be the primary love interest is dying and we have almost no hope of saving her. Her sacrifice might even have been in vain since our situation has only gotten even worse! Oh yeah, the dogs also know we're here now, so we've lost the element of surprise and we're actually being hunted. Way too easy!

>>41084472
You know what, since it seems that are schedules are inverted so I can barely contribute and I haven't been able to read a single post since Hollow got impaled for the second time in a row, I think I'm done with this quest. Might come back out of morbid curiosity if it lasts a couple more threads, but waking up to this is starting to impact my emotional wellbeing.

>>41084472
Hollow's not dying, Soul just said she'll be fine.

>>41085135
>I haven't been able to read a single post since Hollow got impaled for the second time
That's nice.

Trail Leader

>You watch the mare cry for a second before you gently wrap your hooves around her
“We’ll get out of this mess somehow, Fleur. As long as one of us is still alive the hope of
light will emerge from the shadows.”
>Fleur continues to cry and you gently rock her back and forth
“Fleur, it's okay that you're feeling bad about what just happened a while ago. You need to vent so let out all of your emotions and I'll help you get through it.”
>She shivers as she speaks, getting her words out in between sobs
>”I just wanted to help ponies. I just wanted to help my country.”
>She buries her face into your chest and you hold her for a second before pulling away and looking her firmly in the eye
“I know, Fleur, I know. Things are difficult, but it's at times like these when leaders don't get the luxury of breaking apart. You need to start accepting what’s done is done and you need to be honest with yourself about what led up to that outcome even though it will hurt you. Just make sure that terrifying disaster becomes a learning experience.”
>She trembles
>”I know, I need to stop feeling bad for myself. It was my fault, nopony else’s. But I can’t fight these Dogs and I’m afraid I’m going to make another stupid mistake.”
“You may not be able to fight the Dogs, but you can be a rock for the ponies who believed in you. Show them your strength, even if you have to fake it. We can't have ponies falling to despair, no matter what.”
>You gently brush her mane with a hoof before continuing
“I know what you’re going through, that’s how it was for me too when we lost half of our entire entourage, Fleur. You’ve got to move on and learn from your failures. You can't change the past but you can help prevent this from happening again.”
>The mare nods and wipes her tears
>”I will, I promise.”

>>41085699
>The two of you hug again for a short time; long enough for her to compose herself
>”Thank you, Ardent. If there’s any way I can help, please let me know.”
“Will do.”
>You get up to leave but stop just as you step out the tent and turn around
“Fleur, may I ask you something about the Project?”
“What’s going to happened to the Project since we had all these setbacks with the Diamond Dogs getting in our way? Will it be delayed, shutdown, or will they just proceed without us?”
>”I’ve been thinking over that very question myself,” she admits. “I’m sure by now they know that the Diamond Dogs have blocked off the Narrow but I’m not entirely positive if they will know what’s happened to us yet. When they do I am sure two things will happen immediately. First, they will send somepony to rescue us, probably adventurers in the Mysterious South or one of the ex-military security companies we work with in the colonies. Secondly, they will contact the Prime Minister and ask for Royal Guards to be sent to help rescue us and for Fancy to keep the press silent.”
>Fleur continues, “after that, I’m not entirely sure. I know once this whole ordeal goes public- and it will, I promise- there will be a Parliamentary investigation and some the ponies in charge of management will be sacked, but I don’t know what the results will be. I hope the Project continues, even without me. I helped found the Project to help those displaced by the crises that have beset our nation, to make life just a little bit easier for those who have lost everything. I still believe in that goal and I still believe the ERP is the best answer to the problem, even after all that’s happened here, but I don’t know if Parliament will see it that way.”
>You listen intently to what she says
“I see.”
>You yawn yet again
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m just very tired is all.”
>”I can see that. You should rest, Ardent, the rest of us can function without you for a few hours. If you want to talk again or need anything, I’m always here for you.”
>You thank her and make your way to your tent
>There’s a sharp pain in your ankles and your remember the nasty bite wounds so you instead go back to Soul
>The stallion again has the picture in his hoof and smokes when he sees you approach
>”Anything I can help you with, Ardie?”
“I need you to check my injuries out as well. It might require your healing spell; the dog bit me pretty good.”
>Soul raises an eyebrow
>”The Dogs bit you?”
“Animal dogs, not Diamond Dogs.”
>”Oh, I guess that makes more sense. Alright, go ahead and lie down and I’ll see what I can do.”
>The stallion casts his Medical Analysis spell on you before pouring disinfectant on your wounds
>The alcohol or whatever it is burns a little and you wince

>>41085702
>”Sorry, I could have probably diluted that a little better. Anyways, I only detected a little bit of debris and possible infection but I figure better safe than sorry, you know?”
>Soul then casts the Advanced Healing spell on you
>You feel your ankles fill with a pleasing, comfortable warmth and the pain subsides as your wounds close up
>”There, you’re all set.”
>You thank the stallion and make your way to your tent, discard your armor, and collapse onto your bedroll

>You awaken in the same spot you fell in
>You sit up and stretch and exit your tent
>You feel great, better than normal even as not even the familiar pain in your leg bothers you
>As you look around your camp you find everyone either cooking food or eating
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41085703
Take inventory, Check up on hollow and inform everyone that im going back to the city to find another exit and if i do find one, I'm recruiting the fastest ponies to escape and call for help..

Personal thoughts: I feel like this quest is about to end with a major bang. Honestly one of my only regrets was hooking up with lemon and not continue courting hollow

>>41085703
I'm just thinking out loud, don't mean this is what we have to do. But right now I can think of three plans if we want to save everyone, none of them super great.

Plan 1, we bring everyone to the abandoned area, our fighters take out the dogs at the slave pits, then the whole caravan hauls ass through the catacombs to the mines. If the previous exit is collapsed, we see if it could be blown open, if not, we look for a new one.

Plan 2, we use the artifacts we found to negotiate. Let the big dog himself know that we'll trade the magic sticks for everyone's freedom, or else we'll destroy them.

Plan 3, we break out the slaves but stay put, keeping hidden and on the defensive and hope our disappearance brings rescue soon.

>>41085703
Lets go join everyone for breakfast we'll need the energy for discussing our battle strategy plan for rescuing the captured settlers afterwards but for now we could use a moment of reprieve peace to get our thoughts in order and spend time with our friends.

Meta Leader

>>41083500
>losing Hollow like that after all the trouble was definitely a blow to morale and things do seem incredibly bleak right now.
I’ll admit that I was hesitant to take her out like I did but I figured it’d be better to just go with the rolls. I clearly made the wrong choice and in the future I will prioritize the flow of the story.

>I also trust that as QM, you have enough of a plan that you won't just keep mindlessly kicking us in the dick just cause of a string of shit rolls, for example.
Generally I try to stick to what the die rolls but I have on a few occasions rerolled particularly unlikely and punishing rolls. In the future I’ll try to limit punishing rolls more than I have.

>>41084472
>We're in a place where we'll be killed on sight.
Death is definitely a likely possibility but I’d like to point out that the guards have asked for you to surrender whenever they’ve gotten a jump on you. Now, the farmer told you that knights are executed on sight so make of that what you may.
>The only escape route is through the heavily guarded city.
<s>You’ve only found the one escape route. That doesn’t mean it’s the only route.</s><s>However, I’ll admit you’ll have to pass through the city in someway from where you are currently camping.</s>

>>41084492
>since it seems that are schedules are inverted
I know my schedule is messy and I’m sorry for that. I try to spread out my posts but my life is busy, as I’m sure all of yours are.
>I think I'm done with this quest… this is starting to impact my emotional wellbeing
I’m sorry to hear that. I never meant to stress anyone out, I’m not a sadist. If this is effecting you this much then I perfectly understand why you want to drop the quest.

Thank you both and everyone else for your feedback. As always if you have any feedback regarding the CYOA as a whole I’d appreciate hearing it.

Anonymous

>>41085822
Well I personally didn't think it was all that bad seeing hollow out of commission like that gotta keep the story interesting with some suspense, drama, and hard-core adrenaline choices. I saw the bright side to the situation where an injured hollow allows us to tend to her and once she wakes up and hears about the lengths and how much efforts we pulled through to help her survive it will touch the bat pony's heart and might even cause Hollow to want to forge a deeper and closer bond with Ardent Mind.

Trail Leader

>You head to your party’s campfire and find Barrel stirring a pot
“Cooking breakfast?”
>”Nope, dinner.”
>Dinner?
“How long was I asleep?”
>”About ten hours or so.”
>Barrel notices the weird look you’re giving him and explains
>”You got back to camp and fell asleep this morning, remember? Though if you lost track of time I can’t blame you; this whole not seeing the sun thing is throwing me off.”
“Well, hopefully my sleep schedule gets fixed soon. Anyways, since you’re still cooking I’m gonna go check on the others real quick.”
>”That’d be a good idea. The girls were both up a couple hours ago.”
>You perk up at that
“They were? Good. How were they doing?”
>”Tired. I only talked with them long enough to say hi but I didn’t want to bother them too much. Figured they needed time to collect themselves. Anyways, Soul’s taking care of them right now.”
>You excitedly make your way to Soul’s camp, restraining your excitement enough to not run through the camp
>As you near the makeshift field hospital your ponies set up while you were gone you spot Silver sitting up in an unfamiliar bed roll and spooling a fishing rod
>Though she keeps one wing folded against her back like normal, the other sticks out at an odd angle
>Hollow, however, sleeps in her own bedroll close by
“Silver, you’re awake!”
>Silver jumps and almost drops the fishing rod at your sudden outburst
>You don’t mean to shout, but after the last couple days it’s hard not to be excited for some good news
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
>Silver sets the rod at her side and gives you a weak smile
>”Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to see you again, Ardie.”
>Silver spreads her forelegs for a hug, which you accept and slip a single leg around her good side, careful not to hold her too tight
>”I’m sorry for letting you down.”
>You laugh
“Don’t say that, Silver. You’ve never let me down.”
>You hold stroke her mane
“I’m so glad you’re back. We were all so worried about you.”
>The two of you separate and Silver gives you a sad smile
>”It sounds like you’ve had a lot to worry about, at least from what Soul and Barrel told me. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”
“Don’t worry, what matters is you’re back.”
>The pegasus shifts uncomfortably and you decide to change the topic
“How’s Hollow doing?”
>Silver gives a dry laugh
>”Angsty. So I guess she’s feeling better than she was when I first woke up. She’s sleeping right now but Soul wants us to wake her up for dinner. To be honest, I’m pretty hungry right now.”
“Well, how about we have company dinner together? Barrel’s almost done cooking and him and I will bring you serve you breakfast in bed. Sorry, dinner in bed.”
>Silver’s smile grows a little at that
>”That sounds nice.”
>You let Silver get back to her work on the fishing rod while you look for Soul, who studies your Earth Sight scroll not far away

>>41086078
“Glad to see Silver’s back and hear that Hollow’s okay. You’re a good doctor, Soul.”
>”I try. I still need to keep an eye on their recovery for the next day or two, especially regarding how much they’re eating and drinking.”
“I understand. Still, they might not be here without your intervention. Especially Silver. Anyways, food’s about ready and I figured we could all eat together since it's been forever.”
>”Right, sure. I’ll be there in a second.”
>The stallion goes back to his studying and you return to Barrel
>You help the earth pony stallion carry the large camp pot and the group’s mess kits over to the field hospital serve your friends
>You personally wake Hollow up
>To your surprise she’s happy to see you and seems to be in a generally good mood, despite what Silver said
>Together the five of you sit in a circle and eat, Soul clearly and purposefully sitting as far from Barrel as he can
>For the first minute or so you all simply eat in silence, enjoying each other's company in silence
>After a few large bites of your bean and cheese burrito you break the silence
“I’m glad to see you all again, but I’d like to start with discussing business. First, I want to take inventory the first chance we get.”
>Barrel fetches something out of his saddlebag and passes it to you
>Looking at it you recognize it as an inventory list
>”That’s current. I already took everypony’s dinners into account.”
>You set the list aside for after dinner
“Thanks, that makes things a lot easier. Secondly, I'm going back to the city to find another exit and if I do find one, I'm recruiting the fastest ponies to escape and call for help.”
>Hollow drops her burrito and swallows, “I know that we’re short on time, but maybe we should wait until the heat dies down a little. Besides, I can join you back out there if you wait a few days.”
>Silver looks at her misshapen wing sadly but says nothing
>”How about I join you,” Soul volunteers. “Barrel clearly has everything under control here and with the girls feeling better some of the settlers can keep an eye on them.”
>You consider his offer
[Input Needed]

>>41085920
Glad to hear it.

Anonymous

>>41086081
Unfortunately we don't have a few days if we want to have a chance at rescuing the enslaved settlers.
Soul, are you sure our wounded don't need you here?

>>41086081
Why not Soul besides Silver and Hollow are in no shape to fight or use their wings for a while plus I don't wanna risk reopening their wounds that could result in them having permanent damages or their deaths.

This is not good guys 10 hours has passed by now the captured settlers are probably sold off at the slave auction but if not then we have to go check to find out for sure maybe the farmer dog can conform that for us.

Although, after me and hollow reconnaissance yesterday the diamond dogs probably triple security around the slaves pit and have double patrols underneath the catacomb tunnels.

>>41086081
Wait a minute, oh my gosh why didn't I think of this before Soul unicorns can cast magic so shouldn't it make sense that we can teleport ourselves to. Most of us have seen what Gate City looks like right so we should have mental image of it in our memories. Why send a Pegasus to fly there when we can just conjure up our magic to perform a teleportation spell to instantly teleport somepony there.

I know that teleportation spell is very tough and complicated spell to cast because we need somepony with a high magic quantity to perform it but a low level unicorn can do it if they use all their magic in that one spell to make the jump but it will leave them utter exhausted in the end. So here's my idea, Soul you and I along with probably several other unicorn ponies if need be can focus all our magic at once and send it towards our client Mrs.Fleur she's a diplomatic politician and therefore has the reach and influence to contact the Royal Guard for help and get them here asap in one or two days.

>>41086154
Neither of us know the spell unfortunately. Unless it's not listed in the spell list for some reason, but I doubt it.

Trail Leader

“Soul, are you sure our wounded don't need you here?”
>”Unless we get attacked here, they’ll be fine without me for a day. And if we get attacked here it’ll probably be in force and my help probably won’t matter either way.”
“Why not. We don't have a few days if we want to have a chance at rescuing the enslaved settlers and Silver and Hollow are in no shape to fight or use their wings for a while plus I don't wanna risk reopening their wounds that could result in permanent damage or their deaths.”
>Hollow frowns and resumes eating here food while Soul nods in approval
>You sigh
“You said I’d slept for ten hours, right? By now the captured settlers are probably sold off at the slave auction, which isn’t good. But if not then we have to go check to find out for sure, though after Hollow and I’s reconnaissance yesterday the Diamond Dogs have probably tripled security around the slaves pit and have double patrols in the catacombs. Maybe the farmer can confirm the slave situation for us.”
>”I can row you across the lake whenever you’re ready, boss.”
“Thanks, Barrel.”
>You resume eating for a little bit before coming up with an idea
“Hey, Soul, let me spitball something with you.”
>”Go ahead.”
“I know that even a basic teleportation spell is very tough and complicated spell to cast and it’d take somepony with a high magical ability to perform it but, theoretically, a low level unicorn can do it if they use all their magic in that one spell to make the jump. It’d require a magical burst, of course, and it would leave them utter exhausted in the end, assuming they succeeded.”
>”Yeah, I guess that’d be possible. Extremely unlikely and risky health wise, but theoretically possible.”

>>41086469
“And a group of unicorns could pool their magic together to perform a spell that would be too difficult for any single one mage to cast, like when we used to raise the sun and moon before the Princesses, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Right, so here's my idea: Soul, you and I along with probably several other unicorn ponies if needed can focus all our magic at once and send it towards Miss Fleur. She's a diplomat with strong political ties and therefore has the reach and influence to contact the Royal Guard for help and get them here asap. Probably in one or two days.”
>Soul weighs the possibilities in his head
>”I suppose that could work, theoretically. Shit, you’d know better than me. But there’s still one major problem.”
“I know, none of us know how to cast a teleportation spell and I doubt the Dogs have any magic stores to buy such a spell.”
>Soul finishes his food and lights yet another cigarette, which causes Barrel to frown for some reason
>”Hey, at least you were considering alternatives.”
>Hollow again drops her food and speaks up
>”They might not have a magic store, but they have magic items and they wanted to trade for your books earlier, right? That means they have to store that stuff somewhere, maybe even in their own private collections.”
“Maybe, but then we’d need to somehow find out where such a scroll might be kept and then go and retrieve said scroll and to be honest I don’t think we have the time.”
>”Yeah, I guess you’re right. Just a thought.”
>The conversation dies down
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41086472
Grab Barrel for a private chat before we leave, we can say it's about camp business.
I want to ask him what's going on between him and Soul, we can get Soul's perspective when we get on the way.

>>41086472
All right we know what the next step is ask the farmer dog if he heard anything about the auction being over or is it still happening but at a later time. Who knows maybe he also has an idea to where the dogs keep the magic items in the city so me and soul can decide whether or not to go retrieve them underneath their noses. After that we'll come back to camp and fill you guys in on our next new Intel's discovery.

Oh and one more thing Silver and Hollow try to take it easy ok your bodies needs more time to recover from y'all ordeals so don't overstrain the use of your wings the minute we get out of this darkness hellhole we're all going to the hospital in gate city because I have a feeling we're not getting out of here without a whole lot more pain, scraps, and burns team.

Trail Leader

“Alright, our next step is to ask the farmer if he heard anything about the auction being over or if it’s still happening but at a later time. Who knows, maybe he also has an idea to where the Dogs keep the magic items in the city so Soul and I can decide whether or not to go retrieve them under their noses. After that we'll come back to camp and fill you guys in on our intel.”
>Your ponies nod along with what you say
“Oh, and one more thing. Silver and Hollow , try to take it easy, ok? Your bodies need more time to recover from your ordeals so don't overstrain your wings or yourselves. The minute we get out of this dark hellhole we're all going to the hospital in Gate City because I have a feeling we're not getting out of here without a whole lot more pain, scraps, and burns.”
>”Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ll be doing much flying anytime soon.”
>Silver tries to say it casually but there’s a quavering in her voice
>You feel bad for the poor filly but there’s not much you can do about the situation
>Once you finish eating you gather your dishes and help Barrel with cleaning while Soul checks over the mares’ bandages
>Once everything is taken care of you pull Barrel aside
“Barrel, what's going on between you and Soul? I can tell from your guys’ body language that you’re not on good terms.”
>”It’s nothing, Ardie. Things are just a little tender between us right now, nothing major.”
“Barrel, I need to know what’s going on. This isn’t the time for drama.”
>”Yes, sir. We had a couple fights while you were gone is all. I told you that I caught him drinking on the job, right? I told him he was putting the caravan at risk and he didn’t take that too lightly. We had a couple other little disagreements about camp activities but nothing major. Since then he hasn’t been very happy with me. I think he just needs time is all.”

>>41088257
“And what about the cigarette? I saw your reaction when he lit one up after dinner.”
>”He didn’t have cigarettes when we got here and he never asked or told me about taking any from the group stockpile.”
“Do you think he stole them?”
>”No, I don’t believe he’d do that. More likely he just traded with a settler that was holding out on us. Still, his smoking has me concerned.”
“Why’s that?”
>”Cause he doesn’t normally smoke, at least not like this. I’ve seen him smoke like you do, on certain occasions or when offered. But now he’s been practically chain smoking ever since I collected everypony’s alcohol. That’s not mentioning the smell, which I confronted him on.”
“The smell? Look, I understand not liking it but it’s not something to fight over.”
>”It’s not that I don’t like the smell, sir. It’s that it’s pungent and distinct. When I was working at the ranch we’d have to deal with coyotes on occasion; go out into the field and capture or shoot them, you know? On those occasions we had a strict no smoking policy; the smell would give away our presence. The same applies here and we can’t afford to give the enemy any advantages and that’s what I told him.”
“I see.”
>”Ardent, I know he’s always had a hedonist streak but this is a little different. He doesn’t talk to anypony but us sometimes and he’s spent the last half day or so just sitting next to his tent. I think he’s starting to crack from the stress.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41088261
Nobody could blame him, but we can't afford to break apart. I'll try to talk to him once we get underway.
How are you holding up? I know this mission has been a clusterfuck to put it in scientific terms.

>>41088261
So you think soul is becoming a liability barrel and might ruin our chances of everypony getting out?

Perhaps, he's doing this because it's his way of grieving over the lost of our forces and some of the settlers. Which I can understand everyone deals with loss their own way but you have a point we don't need somepony getting drunk and want to cause a fight around here that's the last thing we need is a riot and doing this will not bring them back this isn't going to help ease his state of mind instead soul should be using this as an opportunity to channel his anger on becoming more serious about not being trapped in enemy territory.

Trail Leader

>>41088298
>>41088310
“Nopony could blame him, but if you think Soul is becoming a liability and might ruin our chances of everypony getting out then that’s a problem. Perhaps, he's doing this because it's his way of grieving over the lost of our forces and some of the settlers, which I can understand. Everypony deals with loss their own way but we can't afford to break apart and if he’s getting drunk and wants to cause a fight that's the last thing we need.”
>”I know. That’s why I’m giving him his space. I’m not real good at that talking stuff.”
“I understand. I'll try to talk to him once we get underway. He should be using this as an opportunity to channel his anger on becoming more serious about not being trapped in enemy territory. But what about you? How are you holding up? I know this mission has been a clusterfuck to put it in scientific terms.”
>Barrel gives a dry chuckle at your last sentence
>”I’d be lying if I said I’ve never been better, but I’m managing. Staying focused on managing camp has helped a lot.”
>Barrel sighs, “Not to sound like a hypocrite but a few stiff drinks sound pretty good right about now. Anyways, if there’s anything else you’d like to discuss you know where to find me.”
>The earth pony leaves, which leaves you free to do as you wish
>Most ponies are settling in for the night, if such a term could be used down here, but will be awake for the next few hours
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41088740
We should go see if Fleur is still up if she is then we should inform her about our next course of action we're about to undertake really soon.

>>41088740
We should head out. There's still a chance the settlers haven't been moved yet.
Best grab two of the remaining mana potions, one for each of us.

since the thread is getting close to 500. When will you close it?

Trail Leader

>Since you’re already well rested and with time of the essence you decide to head out as soon as possible and trot to Soul
“Let’s get going while there’s still a chance to save the missing settlers.”
>”Oh, I was hoping to get a snooze beforehoof but that’s fine. Just give me half an hour to get my stuff together.”
“Sounds good. In the meantime I’m gonna go back and check on Fleur.”
>Leaving the stallion to his business, you return to Fleur’s camp
>Fleur remains sitting in her tent, just like the last time you saw her, and nibbles on some crackers
>The ponies in the general area, even her own entourage, avoid her
“Good afternoon, Fleur. Are you feeling any better?”
>The unicorn puts down the cracker she was nibbling on and gives you a small smile
>”Yes, I am. I’m sorry for dumping all of my drama on you, I’m usually a little more composed than that.”
“It’s okay, it happens to the best of us. Anyways, Soul and I are going to head back into the city and do some more recon, maybe try to see if we can save the missing settlers.”
>”Oh, so soon? I guess we don’t really have a choice in the matter. Still, you were just on the verge of death just this morning.”
“I wouldn’t go quite that far. Besides, I’m back in tip top shape. Say, I wanted your opinion on something. We know the Diamond Dogs trade for magical items and spell books, right? That means they must store them somewhere.”
>”Yes, that would make sense. But how does that help us?”

>>41090753
“Well, I had an idea. It’s a bit far fetched but it’s theoretically possible. If we were to somehow get ahold of a teleportation spell scroll we would, potentially, be able to cast the spell as a group, the other unicorns and I.”
>”I suppose you would. It’s been a while since I took my last magical theory class.”
“Right. So if we were to pull that off, we’d only be able to send one pony back to Gate City and I was wondering if you’d be willing to be that pony. Now understand that there’s the potential something could go wrong with the spell and you could be hurt but if we’re successful it’d mean we’d have somepony who knows where we are and what kind of condition we’re in actively helping with our rescue. And with your connections I think you would have the pull we need to have a serious, immediate response.”
>Fleur looks you straight in the eye and answers
>”Yes, of course I’d be willing to be teleported if that’s what it’ll take. Assuming there’s nopony better suited, of course. And if you’re trying to learn where the Diamond Dogs keep their magical items you may want to talk with Glossy. I’m not entirely sure if he’d know but there’s a small chance he may. He clearly knew more about what was going on with the Dogs than the rest of us did.”
“Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to remember that.”
>You say goodbye and begin to leave when Fleur stops you
>”Ardent, one more thing. How are Hollow Honor and Silver Sleet doing?”
“Good. Or at least better than they were. Hollow should be ready for regular duty within the week according to Soul Mane.”
>”That’s good to hear. I’ll have to let her parents know what a wonderful daughter they’ve raised the next time I see them.”
>Fleur knew Hollow’s family?
“Do you know them?”
>Fleur frowns, “oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Please forget I said that. Instead, would you please tell me how Silver’s recovering? Will she be back to regular duty soon?”
>You take note of Fleur’s reaction to your question but answer her anyways
“Silver’s doing a lot better. Not sure when she’ll be fully recovered, if ever. Her wing is pretty heavily damaged.”
>”That’s a shame to hear, but at least she’s feeling better. Please give them my best wishes.”
“I will.”
>With that Fleur resumes her nibbling and you begin to return to Soul, swinging by your supply stockpile and snagging two of your remaining mana potions and meeting him halfway between his and Fleur’s tents
>”Alright, Ardie. I’m ready to go, assuming there isn’t anything else you need to do before we leave.”
[Input Needed]

<s>I will post the updated inventory in a few hours.</s>

>>41090399
No idea. I’ll probably the next thread the day this one dies so I’ll probably stop posting story updates in the late 480’s-early 490’s. The posts afterwards will be for input or some meta or off topic discussion.

Anonymous

>>41090756
Might as well check with Glossy before leaving, just in case.

>>41090756
We should also go tell hollow we're about to leave and let her know that we promise to come back alive even if we have to drag our bleeding body back here after all we brought her back to base against all odds so let her become the reason we'll come back at all.

Trail Leader

>>41090791
“Yeah, there’s a couple things I need to do before we go. I’ll be quick about them.”
>”Take your time.”
>While you have the chance you look over the inventory list that Barrel provided you

>Food: 14 Days (Augmented with mushrooms from the farm. We could also add local fish and meat to our diets, if needed.)
>Water: 45 Days (Effectively limitless with the lake)
>Weapons (This time including our own and Roughshod’s): 5 Hoofblades, 1 Spear, 1 Bow, 7 Arrows, 1 Bowtie Knife, 1 Maretini-Whinny, 42 Bullets
>Potions: 1 Mana, 5 Antidotes, 1 Bear Strength, 3 Mane Dyes, 4 Sleep Potions
>Medical Equipment: 3 Needles (various), 2 pairs tweezers, 1 surgical knife, 13 large bandages, 20 small bandages, 10 feet of gauze (divided between 3 rolls), 3 rolls of tape, 2 pairs of scissors, 2 tubes of antibiotic ointment, 10 pain reliever pills
>Alcohol: 1 gallon Apple Family Hard Cider, 1-1/2 gallons of Whiskey, 5 bottles Wine (4 Reds 1 White), 5 bottles of Mushroom Spirit, 500ml Gin
>Shelter: 9 individual tents, 2 couple’s tents, 2 family tents (4 adults or 6 foals), 30 bedrolls, 17 blankets, 38 pillows
>Light Sources: 97 Candles (Various lengths), 385 hours of Lantern Oil, 23 Lanterns, 4 Torches
>Tools: 6 shovels, 3 pickaxes, 2 saws, 4 hatchets, 10 hammers, 500 nails (Various sizes), 1 chisel, 10 screwdrivers, 675 feet of Rope, 30 set of Quills and Ink
>Clothes: 8 sets of leather barding, 1 set of enchanted scale armor, 1 enchanted sun hat, 13 dresses (various), 10 suits (various), 5 hats (various), 8 sets of Mare’s Socks (various colors and patterns), 5 Spiked Collars, 10 Spiked Bracelets, 5 Blue Bandanas (Steady Stride Uniform), 3 Red Bandanas (Roughshod Uniform)
>Other: 20 pots (various), 12 pans (various), 35 sets of silverware, 37 snow globes, 28 family heirlooms (various), 22 sets of Makeup (Various), 11 peppermint candles, 70 cigarettes, 12 cigars, 9 books, 7 spell scrolls (Alarm, Arcane Shield, Auto Translate, Bolas, (Basic) Earth Sight, Animal Friend, and Detect Poison), unknown number of government and ERP documents

>You whistle in awe at how thorough Barrel’s recordkeeping was
>Even your own personal belongings were included
>You begin to put the list away but hesitate
>You sigh and pull out your quill and ink and scratch in a few additions
>First, you add the two Dog rods you’d discovered to the ‘Other’ category
>Secondly, you add the nine remaining condoms you have on you to the list as well
>It’s a little embarrassing in a way, but perhaps they’ll help in some way that isn’t just the obvious
“Alright, I also want to talk with Glossy before we go. Fleur said he might know something about where the Dogs keep their magic items.”
>With Soul in tow you pay Glossy a visit
>The stallion also remains separate from the rest of the caravan, though he sits next to the lake and writes something down on paper
“Hey, Glossy, mind if I asked you something?”

>>41091579
>Glossy slides the paper into one of the manila envelopes that he keeps his government papers in
>”Aren’t you doing that already.”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
>Jackass
“Fleur told me that you might know what the Dogs do with their magic items, specifically where they store them.”
>”She did? And why would I, a representative for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, know such a thing.”
“I don’t know. It’s just what she said.”
>Glossary clearly weighs something in his head for a moment before groaning
>”Fine, I do know a thing or two about that. Most of the mundane magical items we use in daily life or very common items like lightning in a bottle or animated toy trains are either kept by the Dog or pack that found the item in their private dwelling or hoofed over to what we call the Priest class. Most of the actually useful magical items and any spell books or scrolls are given to the priests, who store them in the various temples, libraries, and monasteries around the city. There’s also several smuggling rings that are, uh, let’s say more cooperative with Equestria than the others that store their own magical items around the city.”
>”How do you know all of this?” Soul Mane asks
>”I guess there’s no sense in lying to you, especially if it means saving my own skin. Before I left Canterlot I was allowed access to some of SMILE’s documents regarding what was going on down here. Obviously I didn’t know we were going to be attacked, and I definitely didn’t know about that temple up there, or any useful information on how to escape from here, but I know some very broad information regarding Abuwtiyuw’s goals and social structure. You know, the types of things I might need to work as an emergency diplomat, if needed.”
“And you’re just now telling us that?”
>”Like I said, I don’t really know anything that could help us escape. If you have questions I’ll at least try to answer you, but I don’t know much.”
[Input Needed]

>>41090833
Noted

Anonymous

>>41091583
Okay well for one thing is there any chances to reason with Abuwtiyuw or is he going to do whatever it takes to succeed in his agenda no matter how many lines he has to crossed and break?!

>>41091583
Show him the 2 rods and ask him if he recognizes them.

Trail Leader

“Okay, well for one thing is there any chance we could reason with Abuwtiyuw or is he going to do whatever it takes to succeed in his agenda no matter how many lines he has to cross?”
>”In my personal opinion? No, we can’t reason with him. He’s a tribalist, no better than Princess Platinum or Commander Hurricane. He believes it’s his destiny, his divine destiny, to found a Diamond Dog nation. There’s no way we could accept that.”
“I assume that’s SMILE’s assessment as well?”
>”More or less. I shouldn’t tell you this since it may lead you down the wrong path, but their initial assessment of Abuwtiyuw was that he could have been a potential ally, maybe even a friend. But that’s all changed now.”
“Why?”
>Glossy, already standoffish towards you, becomes tight lipped
>”That’s classified. Let’s just say some of us in the Ministry miscalculated some things. If there was ever potential to be friends, he won’t be reaching out to us anytime soon.”
>You drop the subject for the moment and pull out the two magical rods
“Any idea what these are?”
>The stallion picks one up and turns it over in his hoof while Soul looks closely at the other
>Unexpectedly, its Soul that answers you first
>”Those are the Princesses’ cutie marks.”
“What? The sun and the moon? I guess they are but they’re pretty common tropes for reli-“
>Soul cuts you off by pointing his hoof at the symbols
>”Look, the sun has eight rays, just like Celestia, and the moon is a waxing crescent, like Luna’s.”
>You take a second look at the symbols and sure enough he’s right
“That’s interesting. The unicorn horns inside the rods are ancient, dating back to the three tribes era, as are the rods themselves.”

>>41092847
>”Perhaps the engravings themselves are newer?” Glossy suggests
“Maybe. But that temple was ancient; again, it was pre-Equestrian, which means someone either came by and dropped the rod off in the sarcophagus or the engraving was made in advance somehow.”
>Neither stallion offers an explanation
>Glossy looks over the rod in his hooves thoroughly
>”This one is missing those two engravings, as well as that dragon. It’s just a tatzlwurm repeated four times. You didn’t happen to find this one in a temple with only tatzlwurm imagery, did you?”
“We did enter the catacombs through a very small marble building with tatzlwurm aesthetics and found two Dogs that I suspect were priests inside, but we didn’t find the rod there. We found the rod in an underground room that was nearby. Why?”
>”Just curious. SMILE thinks the Dogs believe in a tatzlwurm deity, either a god or some other kind of great spirit, that represents the physical world in someway.”
>”How does SMILE know all of this,” Soul asks. “I thought they were a super secret monster fighting group. At least that’s what the parliamentary investigation said.”
>Glossy shrugs, “at the time they probably were. But after the war with the Storm King we needed their expertise in a few other areas, too. You know how it goes; mission creep and all that.”
“If you know what the tatzlwurm represents, do you know what the other three symbols represent?”
>”I suspect the dragon is the Earth Dragon, a sort of death god. Not in the villainous sense, understand, but more like a detached grim reaper, or so we think. It’s hard to know for sure since from what we can tell the average Dog only has the most vague understanding of their religion. The priests are the ones that know the specifics.”
“And what about the sun and moon?”
>”Don’t know anything about those; they weren’t in the report. If I had to guess they were associated with heaven or the sky, like most religions.”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41092850
But these rods has powerful magic infused inside them is it possible that they're fill with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia magic if that's the case then wouldn't that mean the princess came here centuries ago.

Trail Leader

>>41092859
“But these rods have powerful magic infused inside them. Is it possible that they're filled with Princess Luna’s and Princess Celestia’s magic? If that's the case then wouldn't that mean the Princesses came here centuries ago?”
>”Perhaps? It’s not like I have any solid evidence to the contrary. But even then that wouldn’t explain how or why the rod with their cutie marks was buried with a Dog millenia ago. I also have a hard time believing that the Princesses wouldn’t have informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or SMILE of what they knew about this city if they’d been here before. There was nothing in the documents I read that mentioned anything about the Princesses, to be honest. But then again, there was a lot of black ink on those pages.”
>It’s an interesting conundrum, one that your investigative nature desperately wants to answer
>”Anyways, anything else you want to ask me?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41092958
I can't think of anything. Thank him and let's get moving, at least now we have some idea where to look.

>>41092958
Two last questions, is there a way how to control and use these rods that would be very helpful on getting us of here or at least help us defend ourselves better against the diamond dogs?

More importantly, are these rods also keys to unlocking some kind of ancient puzzle mechanism or for performing some kind of dark ritual to achieve destructive power lay buried in the darkness.

>>41093220
>>41093297
“Two last questions, is there a way how to control and use these rods that would be very helpful on getti-“
>”Whoa, I’m going to stop you there. I don’t know anything about these rods. I just recognize the tatzlwurm and dragon which were considered culturally important enough for me to know for when I met with the Dogs. So I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that. Anything else?”
“In that case, no. Thank you for your time.”
>You begin making your way to Hollow when Soul stops you
>”You do know you’re going the wrong way, right?”
“I just wanted to say goodbye to Hollow before we leave.”
>Soul raises an eyebrow and smiles
>”Say goodbye to Hollow, huh? Not Silver or Barrel?”
>Your heart skips a beat but you remain stoic
“Well, Silver is with Hollow so I’ll just say goodbye to her at the same time. And Barrel’s probably busy and it’s not like he’s a particularly sentimental stallion, you know?”
>Soul chuckles, “right, right. Anything you say.”
>Soul takes the lead and you follow in silence
>When you reach the makeshift hospital Soul beelines to Silver, who sews together a hole in one of the fishing nets
>”Hey, Silver? Mind if we took another look at your wing?”
>Silver lowers the net and becomes tense, looking between you and Soul
>”I-I guess, if we need to.”
>She shifts nervously and again glances between the two of you
>”It’s alright,” Soul Mane says. “I know medical exams can be anxiety inducing. We’ll do it in private.”
>”N-no, it’s okay. We can do it here.”
>Soul ignores her stammering and telekinetically floats her behind his tent, giving you a wink as he disappears from view
>You still remain in casual listening distance, so you’re not entirely sure how much privacy you have
>”That was… interesting timing,” Hollow comments from her bedroll on the ground. “I would have thought he’d check on her wing before going to find you if it was that important.”
“You’d think. Anyways, I wanted to say goodbye to you before we left. And goodbye to Silver as well, of course.”
>Hollow smiles
>”Aw, thanks. And here we were worried you didn’t need us anymore.”
>Her smile fades and she looks you in the eye
>”Just… be safe, okay? And maybe you should bring Barrel or one of the Roughshod pukes along. Soul only knows defensive and healing magic and those might not be enough if you get in a fight. I don’t want you to join us here at the infirmary.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be safe. Besides, having somepony who’s not a fighter come along might be good for us. Different perspectives and all that.”
>Silence falls between you two
[Input Needed]

>>41093797
Bringing another fighter isn't a terrible idea. Could you remind us which Roughshod ponies are left, OP?

Meta Leader

>>41093818
The remaining Roughshod ponies are the bow pegasus and the bow unicorn. Either could switch out their bow for two spears or carry a bow and one spear if you so wish. The amount of arrows available to the group as a whole is here >>41091579

Anonymous

>>41093797
Hey Hollow, I saw your frown when I told you I didn't want you with me this time, but look at yourself you already reach your limits on your body you have to accept that theirs a big difference between pushing yourself beyond your limits and being foolishly reckless, coming with me again is like one way ticket to the morgue and I don't want bury your body at a funeral plus when I saw your battered body broken and heavily bleeding I was worried that you wouldn't make it because you had too much blood. I don't want to be the reason you die and I can't save you even though I was there. Watching all that blood you lost was gruesome and it scares me Hollow I can't lose you. You give me a reason to keep fighting and why I chose retreat back to camp to save you I didn't want your death on my Conscious!

>>41093936
The general message is good but maybe with a little less spaghetti?
"Would love to have you with us out there, but you better rest up. Gave me quite the scare back there when I thought I'd lost you, you know? I'm sorry I messed up like that during that last fight."
>>41093933
I say we bring the bow pegasus with one spear.

Trail Leader

>>41093936
>>41094413
“Hey Hollow, I saw your frown when I told you I didn't want you to come with me this time.”
>Hollow turns away from you
>”...Yeah, I was- I am having a hard time with the whole being useless thing.”
“You’re not useless, Hollow. Even now. And I would love to have you with us out there, but you’ve already pushed yourself beyond your limits and you better rest up. Gave me quite the scare back there when I thought I'd lost you, you know?”
>Hollow takes a deep breath, “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault, it’s mine. And I'm sorry I messed up like that during that last fight."
>Hollow is quiet for a few seconds before speaking
>”Well, it’s all over now. And it’s thanks to you that I’m alive.”
>Hollow looks you in the eye, her own eyes red and watering
>”I’m sca- I’m worried for you, Ardie. I don’t know what I’ll do if we lose you and if I’m not with you then it’s completely out of my hooves and I hate that. I hate being powerless.”
>Hollow doesn’t cry but her voice is strained
>You kneel down close to her, only a few inches from your coats touching
“I can’t lose you either, Hollow.”
>Hollow scoots a little closer to you, close enough that you can feel her warmth
>The two of you sit together in silence for a time, enjoying each other's presence
>Maybe there was more you could say, but at the moment the silence feels right
>Eventually Soul and Silver return unannounced and you raise to leave
>But first you move over to Silver
“How are you feeling?”
>”I’m… alright. I like working on the fishing gear we found. Reminds me of living in my parent’s house back in Neighagra Falls when we’d all go out fishing together.”
“I’m glad you found something you enjoy. Maybe you could catch some fish for us when you’re feeling better?”
>Silver smiles, “yeah, I think I could do that. At the least it’ll be fun.”
>Silver’s altitude lightens considerably and she grabs the net she was previously working on and resumes sewing
>You step back and address both mares
“Well, we should be going. We’ll see you two in a day or so, depending on what we find.”
>”Pray we find the way out of this shithole,” Soul requests and the two of you leave
>”Anything else to do before we leave?”
“Yeah, I want to bring that Roughshod pegasus along with us. An extra pair of hooves in a fight will be helpful.”
>You search the camp for the pegasus and find him reading a book
“Excuse me, I don’t believe I’ve learned your name.”
>The stallion looks up from his book and offers his hoof, which you shake
>”My name’s Downburst. Did you need something?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to join us on another recon mission. We could use the help if we get in a fight.”
>The stallion jumps to his hooves and slams the book shut

>>41095244
>”Hell yeah I’ll join. My bag’s already packed, I just need to grab my sleeping bag and my bow. Or should I bring some spears?”
>You think it over for a second and answer
“Bring your bow and one of the spears.”
>The stallion nods and collects his things and the three of you head out, one of the settlers ferrying you between the camp and the exit

>As you make your way through the mushroom fields you spot the farmer Dog and his son working on a plow right outside their house
>When he spots you the farmer sends his son inside and approaches the three of one
>Once he’s within speaking distance he addresses you
>”We need to talk, great pony. This afternoon the guard Dogs came to my house.”
>The hair on the back of your neck raises and you prepare for the worse
“Did they ask about me?”
>The Dog nods, “yes, they did. They said you killed many Dogs in the city and were spotted running in this direction. They asked if I saw you.”
“And what did you say?”
>The Dog makes an upset rumbling sound with his throat
>”I said I hadn’t.”
>You let out a sigh of relief
“Thank yo-”
>”I lied to Dogs for you, great pony. For a Dog to be disloyal to his pack is a sin, the greatest sin. Why I did that I do not know.”
“Again, thank you. I know that must have been tough but-”
>”Don’t thank me, great pony. This lie weighs heavy on me and I may still change my mind.”
>Soul speaks up, “you did the right thing, I promise. You shouldn’t feel guilty about what you did. What can we do to convince you what you did was right?”
>The farmer glares at Soul and then turns back to you, “I want to see your camp. I want to make sure what you said is true. That you are simply protecting innocent ponies and that you are not enemies of Dogs.”
“I understand why you want to do that. Could you wait until we get back sometime tomorrow? Time isn’t really on our side right now.”
>The Dog thinks for a long minute before nodding
>”Yes, I will wait. But you must promise me on your pack’s honor that you haven’t lied to me and will bring me to your camp.”
[Input Needed] [If there’s anything else you want to talk to the farmer about, now is the time to ask before you enter the city.]

Anonymous

>>41095246
Ask for the location of the Political Elite. If we successfully save the slaveponies then shouldn't we also attack the Political Elite, for all we know they already found dozens of escape routes out of the city. That and well i want Ardie to be known as a badass that assasinated the Political Elite of the Diamond Dogs.

>>41095246
Has the slave auction already taken place or is it over? Is Abuwtiyuw aware about what has happened yesterday? And has the guards triple security around the slave pits and the catacomb tunnels?

Do you happen to know where the dogs keep their magical items like scolls and books for for example we're hoping that if we can't find a path that will safety lead us to the surface then we'll do it through magical means by learning how to teleport?

Trail Leader

>>41095299
>>41095320
“Before I do that I have some questions. First, I want to know where your political elite are.”
>”That sounds like something a knight would want to know. Why are you so eager to learn their whereabouts?”
“Because I might need to know who to negotiate with, should we have to surrender.”
>You try to keep your voice and body language neutral, hoping the Dog doesn’t see through your obvious lie
>The farmer studies your face for a long while before talking
>”Fine, you ponies hold honesty as a virtue, right? Then I’ll answer you questions, great pony. I’m putting my trust in you on this. Don’t make me regret it. To answer your question, it depends on what you mean by elites. The priests run the city and answer only to the gods and Abuwtiyuw. They live in the temples and monasteries of this city, but their largest is in the westernmost district. Abuwtiyuw himself lives in a tall tower directly at the center of the city, not far from the big central market, near the slave auction. The major pack leaders and other important Dogs live in large buildings with gardens spread throughout the city. Kenyon, the Dog I told you about previously when we discussed his slave Marigold, lives in the district just west of the district we are in now. He likes ponies, more than what is natural. It has hurt his reputation among the packs considerably but his legacy is respected, as is his power. If you are to surrender, he is the Dog to surrender to.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Do you know if the slave auction has already taken place?”
>”It was delayed until tomorrow afternoon due to a pair of slaves that escaped. Security will be stepped up, both at the slave pits and in the catacombs, but the auction is going to proceed as normal otherwise.”
“Is Abuwtiyuw aware about what has happened yesterday?”
>”Almost certainly. You killed many Dogs, he would have to know.”
“Do you happen to know where the dogs keep their magical items like scolls and books?”
>”No, I’m sorry. There are libraries in the city center and they may hold such things but I’ve never been in one. I can’t read very well so I never thought to visit. Now, are you going to promise to let me visit your camp when you return?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41095571
Yes, after all a pony that doesn't stand by their word and breaks it is not worth the time of day those who turn back on their promise are scum, but those who willingly abandon their friends are worse than scum that makes them tyrants.

What you done for us my friend we do for you if it satisfy you I'll even allow you permission to bring your whole family on seeing our campsite back there if you want so you three can see for yourself what kind of group of ponies we are back there.

Trail Leader

>>41095585
“Yes, after all a pony that doesn't stand by their word isn’t worth the time of day. Those who turn back on their promise are scum, but those who willingly abandon their friends are worse than scum that makes them tyrants. What you have done for us my friend we do for you. If it’ll satisfy you I'll even allow you permission to bring your whole family to see our camp if you want so you three can see for yourself what kind of ponies we are.”
>The farmer nods, “good, good. I will not bring my family. You seem nice, great pony, but I don’t really know you and I’m still not sure you’re not a knight. I’m willing to risk my own life but not my family’s. I will visit your camp, and my family will stay safe at home.”
“I suppose that’s fair.”
>You put out your good and the farmer shakes it
>With that he returns to his home and you continue making your way to the city proper
>Once you are out of earshot range of the Dog Downburst asks a question
>”Do you really trust that Dog?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. Besides, he’s either telling the truth and told the guards we weren’t on his property or he lied to us and the guards will be coming for us regardless. Sometimes you just have to put your faith in others.”
>You look to Soul for support but the stallion simply ignites another cigarette

>Just a few minutes later you stand at the edge of the city
>”So,” Downburst asks as he and Soul strap their collars around their necks, “where did you want to start?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41097033
Let's go see the security situation at the slave pit and the catacomb entrance.
Remind Soul that that's gonna be his last smoke for a while, we can't risk any dogs, talking ones or otherwise sniffing us out.

Trail Leader

>>41097041
>Before answering the pegasus you turn to Soul
“Soul, that's gonna have to be your last smoke for a while, we can't risk any dogs, talking ones or otherwise sniffing us out.”
>The stallion nods and takes one more puff before grinding it out on the ground and tossing the butt into an abandoned building
>You then address both stallions
“Let's go see the security situation at the slave pit and the catacomb entrance. I know where we can see both at a distance so let’s start there. If we need to get close we’ll do that after.”
>You return the abandoned apartment that you and Hollow had used previously
>Again, you made sure to bring Barrel’s binoculars with you, as well as Glossy’s pocket watch
>Using the binoculars you first look at the district’s slave pit
>There’s only a pair of old Dogs standing guard at the pit itself while an animal dog patrols the area alone
>There’s only a single small wagon in the area as well
“Looks like the slaves might not be in this district’s pit anymore.”
>”So they’ve all been sold?” Downburst asks
“I’m not sure but I remember someone told me that the slaves were going to be moved to the big pits in the city center.”
>”And how do we get there?”
“Either we go through the city gates, or…”
>You turn your attention to the small marble building that houses an entrance to the catacombs
>Five Dogs stand guard outside the building while a small priest Dog reads from a book
>The guards seem to be listening to the priest as they all face him
“…we go through the underground. Looks like the way Hollow and I went through has some guards stationed around it, at least at the moment. I know there’s a way to enter through this district’s market, but I’m pretty sure we’d be spotted by at least one Dog if we went that way.”
>”So where do we start then? Also, should we make this our base camp or do you want to set up somewhere else?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41097033
Soul and Downburst will you two be prepared to kill a diamond dog if we have no chance to avoid them, because after what me and hollow did to their forces most of the dogs will be out for blood?!

>>41097063
Yeah, let's set up here they didn't find it the last time, hopefully they won't find it today. Some of these abandoned apartments the dogs aren't going to searched anyway they're wood is too eroded and old so they wouldn't want to risk be buried underneath all that rubble and can't get out. Also most of these guards aren't the most sharp tools of the shade.

Trail Leader

>>41097072
>>41097064
“Yeah, let's set up here. They didn't find it the last time, hopefully they won't find it today. Some of these abandoned apartments the Dogs aren't going to search anyway. It’s hard to know exactly how long these buildings have been abandoned, but what few pieces of wood furniture I saw last time were rotten and decayed and I imagine buildings as old as these can’t be all that stable, even if they’re made from stone. Also most of these guards aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.”
>”Sounds good.”
>The three of you set about setting up your sleeping rolls and making a designated areas for both cooking and for a bathroom
>In addition to leaving your sleeping rolls you also leave your little group’s cooking pot, seeing no sense in carrying the clunky thing with you
>As you work you remind the stallions of the seriousness of your situation
“Soul and Downburst, will you two be prepared to kill a Diamond Dog if we have no chance to avoid them? Because after what Hollow and I did to their forces most of the Dogs will be out for blood.”
>Soul Mane nods, “yeah, if I have to. I don’t like violence, but these Dogs don’t exactly inspire feelings of mercy in me.”
>”I feel just the same,” Downburst admits. “I’ve never had much issue with fighting when I had to but after what they did to my friends I wouldn’t mind getting a little pay back.”
>For the first time you consider what it must be like from the point of view of the Roughshod ponies
>If most of your friends had died to the Dogs you would probably be looking for revenge too
>”Anyways, what are we going to do next?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41097169
Good to know we can't allow hesitation at this point otherwise it may cost us our lives we lost enough ponies as is, let's hurry and finish setting up our little campsite and recon the district market we'll have less resistance there', there's way too many guards patroling near the underground tunnels if we have time we'll check it out later but for now we shouldn't attract a lot of attention right away we'll lose the element of surprise therefore we need to be stealthly.

>>41097169
Yeah, let's see if we can survey the market from a distance with earth sight.

Meta Leader

>>41097237
Just to be clear, you have to get within 500' of the market to to see it with earth sight. Do you still want to do that?

Anonymous

>>41097417
I guess that depends on what is between us and the market. We can at least use it to try and get closer without being seen.

Trail Leader

“Let’s hurry and finish setting up our little campsite and recon the district market. We'll have less resistance there and there's way too many guards patroling near the underground tunnels right now. If we have time we'll check it out later but for now we shouldn't attract a lot of attention.”
>The other two stallions hide away a few of their unnecessary items, books and such, while you look through the binoculars at the district market proper
>The number of guards in the area remains the same, though they skew younger than before
>The market is still open as well, with Dogs, ponies, and donkeys shopping as before
>The only difference is that there are less stalls open, as well as fewer customers
>You initially assume the change is due to the recent excitement before remembering that it’s late at night on the surface
>You’re not sure how or why that would effect the Dogs but it’s a possibility
>The three of you begin making your way to the market

>Like last time, you move from alleyway to alleyway even while in the abandoned areas of the district
>There is no sign of recent Dog activity, though you know they were here not even a full day ago
>The bells you’d heard while escaping the city are silent now as well
>However, you still move carefully, always keeping your head on a swivel
>Your teammates keep up their situational awareness as well
“I’m glad you two are ready for a fight,” you whisper. “A mistake may cost us our lives and we’ve lost enough ponies as is.”
>”Look, Ardie,” Soul whispers back, “I get it. We need to be careful, and we will. You can trust us.”
>You sigh
“Sorry, just… the last trip was rough.”
>The three of you continue in silence

>It doesn’t take you long before you reach the edge of the occupied living quarters that surround the market
>You tell you team to hold up in the alley you’re in and cast Advanced Earth Sight
>You see you’re on the edge of a fairly populated area with Dog families occupying most houses, though you do spot an alleyway leading to the market proper between two completely unoccupied buildings
>Almost all of the Dogs in the area lay in beds or eat some kind of food at the tables in their homes
>Of course, there are a few Dogs still up and about, either performing some kind of labor or going to or from the marketplace
>The Dogs are all unarmed, and though you can’t make out the specific details of any individuals, their small statures and thinner frames lead you to believe most Dogs are either the very short breeds you’ve seen, children, or female

>>41097654
>More importantly, you spot no guards in the area either, though you do see a bell on a street corner
>You relay what you see to your team but remain in the spell
>”So, what should we do?” Downburst asks
>”Maybe we should do some up close recon,” Soul suggests. “One or two of us could leave our armor in an abandoned building and pretend to just be normal slaves. That way we could get a close, more personal look ourselves. It’d be a chance to talk with the natives, too.”
>You consider it
>Obviously it would be risky, and if things went wrong whoever got caught would be left without arms or armor but maybe Soul had a point
>Still, how you approach the situation is up to you
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41097655
Soul should come with us while Downburst hangs back for support. Even without weapons we still have our horns after all.
Could we sabotage the bell without anyone noticing?

>>41097655
I don't know having myself out there in the streets is kinda risky Soul someone might recognize me and this could blow the whole mission skyhigh before it even started unless of course if Downburst is quick enough to knock that dog or pony out with their hooves or perhaps in a sleeper hold in case they suspect something off about us then I'll gladly go out there with you, while burst provides us Overwatch.

Trail Leader

>Before answering Soul you check out the bell
>It’s a simple bell tied to what looks like a street lamp with rope
>While the Dogs do have some windows on their homes, it doesn’t seem any actively look out them
>Unless you were incredibly unlucky it would only require you to cut the rope with your Bowie knife to disarm the bell, which will only take seconds
“I don't know. Having myself out there in the streets is kinda risky, Soul. Someone might recognize me and that could blow the whole mission skyhigh before it even started.”
>”I guess. But it’s not like there’s any wanted posters with your cutie mark or likeness, right? I doubt anyone but maybe some of the guards and those ponies you saw know what you look like and even if we get in the fight we still have our horns.
“I don’t know. I guess you kinda have a point but the possibility is threat enough. I guess we could have Downburst hang back as support if we need it.”
>You look back at the pegasus
“Do you think you’re fast enough to intervene to stop an alarm going out if we get caught?”
>The stallion flaps his wings
>”Fast? Maybe not as fast as that cute tomcolt you work with but I’m pretty quick. I could hide on the rooftops and follow you guys. There’s a few buildings with roof access from the ground but most would need a ladder and I doubt most Dogs are going to be climbing up to their roofs for the fun of it. So yeah, I think I could run overwatch for you guys.”
[Input Needed] [Do you still want to run with this plan?]

Anonymous

>>41097912
That's good enough for me Come on Let's go!

I have a itty bitty tiny not a big deal question. How close are we to romancing hollow or can you give us a clue when romancing hollow is viable enough.

Trail Leader

>>41097942
>>41097991
“That's good enough for me. Let’s go.”
>Together you find a small abandoned building with roof access and hide your weapons and armor in the darkness, as well as storing the blue bandana that is your work uniform in your saddlebag
>As you and Soul return to the streets Downburst disappears from sight on the rooftops and you are forced to simply hope he’s following you
>Without your arms and armor you feel vulnerable, even on the abandoned street
>You force your head to remain looking straight ahead and walk casually to help sell the lie that you belong out here in the open
>But your ears remain on a swivel, picking up every little sound you hear
>Together the two of you walk up to the bell post
>The bell is nearly a quarter the size of your head and made of solid brass
>An old, fraying rope dangles the bell from its post, its last remaining threads barely holding the bell up
>You both quickly look up and down the road
>To your left is nothing but featureless stone buildings
>Glancing to the right reveals the same
“Keep a lookout in case anybody might spot us while I do this,” you whisper to Soul
>You double check before grabbing the bell with your magic and pull down as hard as you can, careful to hold the clapper still as you do so
>It take a couple tries but you eventually succeed in tearing the bell free, splitting the the frayed rope in half in the process
>You quickly look around for a place to discard the bronze instrument and find a dumpster in an alleyway leading to the market
>Walking as fast as you can without breaking into a trot, you and Soul slide into the alleyway and gently place the bell inside the dumpster
>The alleyway you’re in exits into the marketplace and you can hear the sounds of Dogs haggling and chatting clearly
>Hiding behind the dumpster you again cast your advanced Earth Sight
>Again, almost all of the homes around you are occupied by sleeping or working Dogs while the marketplace remains running as normal, though it is much slower than the last time you saw it
>On the edge of your vision you see a pair of ponies pulling a wagon through the market, picking up objects from the road as they walk
>About four hundred feet away from where you sit are the two familiar gated staircases that lead to the catacombs
>Closer to you, just a hundred or so feet away you can see a pony and Dog work together in a kitchen
>Across the street from the alley you’re in a trio of Dog guards haggle with a Dog food vendor
>In the catacombs below you the only sign of life is a small lizard thrashing in a spiderweb, the spider nowhere to be found
>Directly above you Downburst hides on a rooftop
[Input Needed]

>>41099249
>can you give us a clue when romancing hollow is viable enough
You’ll just have to read the signs but I’ll try my best to make them obvious.

>How close are we to romancing hollow
Close.

Anonymous

>>41099295
Let's head to the direction of where the two ponies pulling the wagon through the market maybe they could be Drift and Marple if not then we should still be able to get information from the other local natives around here.

>>41099345
Should we risk it? Looks like the catacomb entrances are unguarded, we could go find a potential exit right now.

>>41099295
I vote for talking with the other ponies in the market we need to know states of what's happening in the other districts throughout the entire city.

Trail Leader

“There’s some ponies pulling a cart up ahead I want to talk to. They might be those two trash ponies I told you about.”
>”Lead the way.”
>You come out of the spell and head towards the market, stopping only a moment to take a deep breath before stepping into the open
>Immediately you spot one of the guards at the food vendor
>The Dog stares straight at you as he bites into some kind of meaty shish kebab
>You almost trip over yourself but recover and walk past the Dog’s group
>The Dog watches you for only a few seconds before turning his attention back to his companions and chatting idly about his food
>As you walk through the market you find that none of the stalls have advertised prices, whether they be food, other goods, or services
>Except for one stall which you momentarily stop and stare at
>The sign above the stall is a repurposed Apple Family billboard featuring an illustration of a large, smiling stallion holding a massive red delicious
>Prices, listed in both bits and various gemstones, are given for everything from raw apples to apple pies to apple ciders
>The stall is currently unoccupied and lacks any produce, but the hours are listed next to the prices
>The stall will reopen in eight hours and will close again in twenty two
>As you continue making your way to the wagon what Dog vendors remain ignore you in favor of calling out to their Dog brethren
>The ponies and donkeys also ignore you as well, only giving you passing glances
>When you do find the wagon you are pleased to spot Drift, though you fail to recognize the other earth pony stallion
>”So, are they who you were hoping for?”
“One is. I don’t recognize the dark green one, though.”
>When Drift spots you he whispers something to his partner then waves you over with a hoof
>”Good to know you’re not dead, though it looks like your filly friend wasn’t so lucky. Whatever you did sent the Dogs into a frenzy for a while there and put a halt on all pony related activity, including waste management.”
>Nervously you glance at the other stallion who clearly heard what Drift said, which Drift notices
>”Don’t worry about Arbor here. He’s one of the few ponies I told about you. Besides, he can’t talk anymore.”
>The dark green stallion nods and then opens his mouth, revealing he has only a small stub of a tongue
>”Anyways, I assume you have another plan now, right?”
[Input Needed]

Anonymous

>>41100269
I do. Do you know what happened with the slaves at the pit?
And would you happen to have an idea where the dogs are keeping magical texts or artifacts? Any place like that nearby?

>>41100269
Yeah, I do Drift but before I get into the details I want to clarify a few things to you First of all Hollow is not dead, she gotten beaten up pretty badly from the diamond dogs almost lost all her blood but she's a fighter she going to live I made sure of it, Next the dogs are in a frenzy because during our infiltration into the city and catacombs we executed many of their dogs on patrol when we were trying to find an escape tunnel out back to the surface, and Finally we're not sure if we can still use the catacombs to smuggle the slave ponies out of here in one piece the guard will have more dogs down there patroling the area.

But we do have another idea that just might work, Drift you've been here for 15 years do you know where the dogs keep their magical scrolls and books we believe they might have one that provides instructions for a magical adapt unicorn to learn how to teleport if we can get our hooves on one we can use it to teleport one of our own a diplomatic politician with ties to the government back to Gate city and she can bring the military down upon this place and rescue all of us from Abuwtiyuw and his loyal Dogs in one or two days.

Trail Leader

“Yeah, I do but before I get into the details I want to clarify a few things. First of all, Hollow is not dead. She gotten beaten up pretty badly from the Diamond Dogs but she's going to live. I made sure of it. Secondly, the Dogs are in a frenzy because during our infiltration-“
>Drift silences you with a hoof
>”Are you crazy? Don’t say that out in the open.”
>You look around you
>There’s nobody particularly close but you suppose an eavesdropper could listen in if they wanted with little effort
>”Follow us,” Drift commands as he and Arbor pull their wagon into a nearby alley with a dumpster
>While Arbor empties the dumpster Drift motions for you to resume what you were saying
“Right. Anyways, the Dogs are upset because when we went into the catacombs we executed many of the Dogs on patrol when we were trying to find an escape tunnel. Finally, we're not sure if we can still use the catacombs to smuggle the slave ponies out of here in one piece since I assume the guard will have more Dogs down there patroling the area.”
>”Well, I’m glad to hear about your friend making it. As for the increase in Dog patrols I’m afraid you’re right. From what I hear they thought the knights may have broken through the Dog lines and reached the city. Almost blew up the old mines but it seems to me they chose to move more guards into the area instead. Same with the big slave pit. Good news is that they’re short staffed everywhere else from the looks of it. Most other districts have a lot less than what you even see here.”
“Interesting. Speaking of the pit, do you know what happened with the slaves there?”
>”Sure do. The auction was held off until who knows when, probably sometime tomorrow. Noon if I had to guess. Anyways, the Dogs decided to move everyone together into the big pits in the city center so they could keep any eye on all the slaves at once rather than spread out their guards, which I hate to admit isn’t a bad idea. There may be some newcomers in this district’s pit given there’s some guards there, but anypony they had yesterday or this morning is in the big pits.”
“Alright. Drift, you've been here for fifteen years. Do you know where the dogs are keeping magical texts or artifacts? Any place like that nearby?”

>>41101133
>”Only vaguely. They try to keep those things secret from us, though us waste management ponies occasionally find them lying about. And I guess some unicorns are allowed access to them if their master decides it’s important. Most trinkets and mundane items are kept by the Dog or pack that finds them but I know magical texts are always given to the priests. There’s a tatzlwurm temple not far from here, though from what I hear about your escapades you probably already know where that is. It’s just a small, black marble thing, nothing grand. Otherwise there’s a novelty store on the western edge of the market, maybe a thousand or so feet from here that sells some magical items. But again, they’ll only sell to Dogs. There’s also the libraries, the closest of which is in the wall that divides this district from the rest of the city. You can get to that through any of the gates that let you enter the other districts, but the guards will probably want to know why you’re going there. Ponies are allowed inside the libraries but I’m not sure how easy it will be for you to find or access any magical texts.”
“Thanks for the help. I’m going to let you two in on our new plan.”
>Drift perks up his ears, as does Arbor who stops shoveling trash from the dumpster to listen
“We believe the Dogs might have instructions for a magically adapt unicorn to learn how to teleport. If we can get our hooves on such a spell book we can use it to teleport a pony with some political ties to the government back to Gate City and she can bring the military down upon this place and rescue all of us from Abuwtiyuw and his loyal Dogs in a day or two.”
>The trash stallions look at one another in silence before Drift looks back at you
>”Would rather I be the one to get teleported home, but I understand your reasoning for picking who you picked. Hopefully the Guard can save us as quick as you say. I’ve heard the military is a lot bigger than when I was last in Equestria. For something like a teleport spell I’d guess it would be in either a library or one of the temples, though I could be wrong. From what I understand only the top level unicorns can cast such a spell, let alone such a long distance.”
[Input Needed] [If you wish to keep speaking with Drift, feel free. Otherwise, where do you want to go next.]

[The rest of the few posts remaining can be used for both input and whatever else you want. I’ll start a new thread sometime today when this one hits page 10 or I’ll start a new thread tomorrow. We’ll pick up with whatever input you guys give for the current prompt.]

Anonymous

>>41101135
One more thing, last time we found what we assumed to be a tunnel to the surface, but the dogs had it rigged to blow. Have you heard anything about them going through with the demolitions?

>>41101135
Well, yes you are right about that but a low level unicorn can do it too they're are two ways how they need to use up all their magic to perform such a feat or have several unicorns together combining their magic to executed it.

If we're going to have any luck finding information about teleporting we should check the libraries first, if we can't find it there then the tatzlwurm temple will be our next stop. Can you guide us to them Drift, however if doing that will cause the guard to be suspicious of you then the only safe option is for you is to give us directions and then we can take it form there.

Meta Leader

>>41101224
Sure. What do you want to know about? I’ll explain anything the best I can without giving spoilers.

Anonymous

>>41101298
Blackthorne Infestation. I assume it's related with poison joke or Swamp fever. That and well the Crystal wars and the storm king's invasion, especially the siege of klugetown.

Meta Leader

>>41101314
>Blackthorne Infestation
The Blackthorne Infestation is the vines that grew from Discord’s plunderseeds. Without the EoH or (reformed) Discord around to stop the growth Equestria was only able to slow the spread of the plants to a couple feet of total growth a day. Because the war with Sombra was in full swing at the time the Princesses and their guard were much more on alert, which is why the Royal Sisters weren’t captured by the plants.

>the Crystal war
It took a while for Equestria to confirm that Sombra had returned in full and that the M6 and Co. failed. During that short time Sombra re-enslaved the crystal ponies and overnight formed a new army, which immediately attacked Equestria. During this time Equestria revamped the Royal Guard and the very small Army with the Army in particular growing drastically. Equestria would also create its Navy, Air Force, and Parliament during this time, though all three were very small and had virtually no impact on the war. The war, though technically still ongoing, was the most force for the first two years before rapidly calming once it became clear the war was a stalemate. Now it’s just a frozen conflict with occasional flare ups and some (technically illegal) trade going on between the two countries.

>the storm king's invasion
Happened a few years after Sombra’s return, during the Air Force and Navy’s height. The Storm King’s attempted petrification of the Princesses failed, again due to Equestria being prepared for such an attempt, and the two countries entered a short but bloody war. Most of the war was fought between each force’s respective navies and air forces over the course of a few years with Equestria winning a pyrrhic but definitive victory at the expense of most of its navy and air force. Several other countries, most importantly the griffin nations, also fought Equestria’s side.

>>41101784
>the siege of klugetown
Once it became clear that the war with Equestria would last more than a few weeks the Storm King began turning Klugetown into his main stronghold near Equestria, mainly using the city and its airship docks as a staging point for his air force and army. Many of Klugetown’s inhabitants were forcibly largely relocated or conscripted during this time while the remaining population was forced to work in factories or barely productive farms. Early on in the war Equestria would try to siege the city with its Air Force and a handle of ground troops in an attempt to stop the Storm King from gathering his forces there only to fail after a couple weeks. Near the end of the war Equestria would siege the city a second time, cutting off the city from the outside world with first its Air Force and then with one of the only major ground invasions of the war. Equestria did allow food, water, and other essential civilian aid into the city but after a few months most of the natives were starving despite Equestria’s efforts due to the Storm King hoarding the resources. Eventually the city broke into complete anarchy as different creatures formed their own gangs for the sake of survival and began actively fighting each other for resources, which also weekend the city’s defenses. Hesitant to create more civilian casualties, Celestia and Luna wouldn’t order the military to attack until it was obvious the inhabitants were already killing each other. The Air Force, Army, and Royal Guard would spend a full week destroying what few remaining soldiers and defenses the Storm King had in the city but were ultimately too late to save the majority of the population. After Equestria took over the city the war against the rest of the Storm King’s forces was mostly mop up work. Equestria currently owns Klugetown as a colony.

A note on Equestria’s military as a whole: the military answers to the Princesses first and foremost, followed by Parliament, namely the Prime Minister. The military is lead by the Captain of the Royal Guard, who is in charge of every branch on a broad level but manages the Royal Guard on a more intimate level. The Royal Guard is a sort of elite gendarmerie that was previously Equestria’s largest and practically only military force. The Night Guard also fall under the Royal Guard but are always referred to as Night Guards and never as Royal Guards. They are currently the second largest branch in the military.

>>41101794
The Army is currently the largest branch and is a less elite service. They rely on numbers and equipment that’s “good enough” and mass produced rather than expensive bespoke equipment, such as using leather barding over the Royal Guard’s fitted metal armor. The Army mostly focuses on fighting the Crystal Empire or enemies outside Equestria proper while the Guard mostly focuses on internal issues and defense, as well as guarding government buildings.

 The Navy is Equestria’s second newest and second smallest force, having to almost completely rebuild from the war with the Storm King. Most naval vessels are wooden ships though some coastal and river ironclads exist. The Navy also carries Royal Guards with some of their ships to act as guards, boarding parties, and marine infantry.

 Lastly, the Air Force is the newest branch and was founded at the outbreak of the war with Sombra and is also currently rebuilding its forces after the defeat of the Storm King. There’s no airplanes and only a handful of experimental single pony heli/gryocopters in service. Instead, the Air Force uses air ships in a manner similar to how the Navy uses traditional sailing ships. The Air Force has its own infantry that act as air mobile soldiers, similar to modern day 101st Airborne or VDV. While the Air Force has members of every tribe in its ranks, most airponies are pegasi or unicorns.

>>41101799
Another quick note on some other military things that have been mentioned. The Royal Guard has its own dedicated airships as part of its air corps, which is what Ardent Mind was a member of.

>Knights
Knights are a special unit of the Royal Guard. They are either fielded in mass as heavy infantry or used in small groups as a sort of premodern special forces.

>Rangers
Rangers are specialized light infantry and scouts in the Army. Ranger units are mostly independent and are company (200 ponies) or platoon (36 ponies) sized.