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#Post#: 3730--------------------------------------------------
Tartarus
By: Mana Burn Date: September 19, 2018, 11:27 am
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The trip to Tartarus was uneventful and therefore a little bit
boring. To help pass the time Thunder would have happily talked
up a storm with anyone who would listen, including Nivalia even
if he was hesitant to get within hugging distance. It would
certainly fill the air, but his tendency to focus mostly on
himself and his own personal exploits may have come off as
grating after a while should one's patience be too limited. Much
like with Charybdis whom would only speak sparingly and very
little about herself. Her habit of taking off into the sky to
"scout ahead" whenever something began to annoy her - aka
whenever Thunder began to annoy her - showed her disinterest in
getting friendly. Her disappearing every night when the group
set up camp only to return when it was time to move on may have
also indicated either a limited level of trust or perhaps a
departure to satisfy hunger as, while Mana and Thunder took to
eating from clean patches of grass as they moved, Charybdis was
never seen eating anything. Mana was quieter than Thunder during
the trip, but this was easily chalked up to his nose being
buried in his notes as he tried to scribble down everything he
could remember about Tartarus. He'd answer questions on the way
if asked, so long as they stayed on topic with what he was
writing about, but would stick to necessary information that
elicited the fewest branching inquiries in order to better focus
on his work.
Starting off skirting the edge of a treeline, reaching and then
following the road as far as it would lead them, and only
passing one other traveler on the way, the group would
eventually be forced to rough it through the woods as early as
the first night to keep on time. Camping among the trees and
wildlife, the peaceful calm of the great outdoors may have made
up for the ruined chance at relaxation back in Weaver. Mana
suffered from the bad habit of staying up late to continue
jotting down notes even if he wasn't on watch while Thunder made
the best of the situation by snoring away the hours. Still, Mana
toughed it out without complaint when it came time to move on
and around the afternoon of their third day on the road they
came to a stop on the thinning edge of the woods facing a small
field of grass resting beside a cliff face stretching well over
thirty meters upwards.
"Alright," Mana said, pointing a hoof at an unremarkable wall of
rock decorated with a patchwork pattern of dirt and straggling
foliage, "We're here, everybody. The entrance should be just
over there." Charybdis reached a claw over to push Mana's hoof a
little further to the left.
"Its actually there, Guardsman," she corrected with a self
satisfied smirk, "Try not to get us lost at the very end."
Mana gave her a reserved glare while Thunder let out a mixture
of a groan and a sigh as he fell to his side and rolled onto his
back. "Finally," he nearly cheered, his legs going limp from
apparent exhaustion that may or may not have been exaggerated,
"my legs are killing me! If I had to go one more day trudging
through the woods you'd have needed to leave me behind!" He made
weak kicky kicks at the air and didn't seem to care that his
armor was being smudged by the grass.
#Post#: 3731--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Foxtrot Date: September 19, 2018, 6:18 pm
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Foxtrot and Nivalia were mostly quiet throughout. Engaging in
small talk with whoever was brave enough to get near her. Other
than that their time and energy was spent with each other. There
wasn't any point disguising herself since it was just them. It's
been years since the two had actual time together, and they
weren't going to let it go to waste. Days camping were a breeze,
like old times. Nights by the fire are enjoyed stargazing. The
two were a little further from the group, but if one were to
listen in on their conversation, they could pick up traces of
the changeling's story.
"It's been a while since I've been in woods like this," Nivalia
says as she looks out into the forest. "It reminds me of..." She
trails off, her ears folding back.
"You don't have to talk about it, Niv," Foxtrot gives her a
casual hug, "You've told me the story multiple times. I know the
ending."
Niv smiles, "I know. I just... I tell myself the story to remind
me that there's others out there like mom and pop. Those who
care..." she glances down at her hoofs, the jokes and dark
colors a contrast to her usual looks, "no matter what."
There was a pause before Fox speaks up again, "Tell me again.
Once more time."
"Well..." Nivalia gets comfortable, "I was an adventurous little
filly. I don't remember much about the hive. Only that I was
outside most of the time. One evening, I went too far; I got
lost. I wandered for days. Hungry, desperate, I saw some food
and fell for a trap. Poachers. They took me..." the mare
shudders, her eyes darting off for a moment. "Locked me in a
cage, beat me, starved me more to a point I couldn't stand. Then
it was dark, I was in a crate for so long. I just cried. It's
all I could do. Then, the crate opened. I relied back, terrified
what was going to happen. But it wasn't a poacher, it was a
guard. He picked me up; I was so exhausted I couldn't move. He
could've left me, killed me, but he didn't. I was taken to his
home, to his wife. When she saw me, she panicked. Not because I
was a changeling, but because I was in such bad shape." Nivalia
chuckles, "The look on her face. But when she took me in her
hooves, I felt love. Love that I've never felt before. They took
me in,"
"And the rest is history," Foxtrot concludes, "then two years
later I show up to share the spotlight."
"Uh huh," she giggles, followed by a sigh, "Hey Fox, do you
think that one day..."
"Yes. I know what you're gonna say, and yes. It'll take time,
but one day, you can. Just..." he sighs, laying his head on her
shoulder, "We gotta save the day first."
"I'm ok with that."
When the group finds themselves near the entrance, Fox and Niv
are silent and focused. Nivalia herself is disguised in her
sleek, elegant unicorn form. Fox is... well there; ready to take
on whatever lies ahead.
#Post#: 3733--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Onyx Lotus Date: September 21, 2018, 1:08 pm
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Although some of Nyx's energy was used by all the walking, she
purposefully made as few constructs as possible to reserve as
much magical energy as possible. So she continued to be very
energetic, having lively conversations with Thunder, hanging
around Nivalia while puzzling over her unique energy, and
occasionally chasing after floating cotton fluffs for a few
minutes before returning to the group. It had been years since
Nyx had spent so much time outside, instead of shut up in her
lab with piles of books and notes, and she forgotten how much
she loved it.
When they finally reached their destination, Nyx grew a bit more
serious, studying the cliff face. She glanced over at Thunder as
he flopped down, and rolled her eyes as she walked over to him.
"You poor thing!" She said dramatically. "If only you had
another way to travel, to rest your legs..." She gave a pointed
look at his wings, then grinned. "Get up! It's time to have an
adventure."
#Post#: 3734--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Faded Glory Date: September 23, 2018, 8:09 pm
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Glory remained wary throughout the trip, her worries only
growing as they get closer to their destination. Primarily,
she's worried about the summoners. If they have some way
tomonitor their attacks, they probably know the little group is
on their way to Tartarus, and if they use those portals of
theirs, there could be an ambush waiting anywhere. Charybdis'
frequent disappearances didn't help matters. She certainly has
her own plans, and Glory can't shake the feeling she has more of
her group following them. She also tries to keep her eye on
Nivalia, though the changeling seems mostly content to stick
near Foxtrot. Glory doesn't really catch much of their
conversations, just enough to glean that they had apparently
grown up together. To distract from these concerns, she'd chat a
little with Thunder, or ask Mana what he knew about Tartarus,
and what kinds of things they may have to face within.
Unfortunately, he doesn't know much about the specifics, only
that there are a lot of defenses in place to keep the prisoners
contained, including some very heavy duty stuff on the main
door. It all seems calm enough when they arrive though, though
she's still apprehensive about what they may find inside.
Glory sits down to rest her own hooves, taking stock of the area
Charybdis and Mana had indicated. It doesn't look like anything
other than a bunch of rock, even to her enhanced vision. Must be
some sort of magic then. "So how do we get in. I assume there's
some sort of magic words or something to make the door appear."
#Post#: 3735--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Mana Burn Date: September 26, 2018, 6:04 pm
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“We knock.” Mana Burn answered plainly as if it they were
visiting a friend at their house. He and Charybdis began walking
towards the cliff they’d pointed out while Thunder rolled back
over onto his hooves and used his wings to enter into a hover
without any further complaint, his legs seemingly not as brittle
as he made them seem. It didn’t take long to reach the wall
though there was a brief pause when Mana slowed and turned to
the others.
“It’s fine,” he assured them as if they had asked a question,
Mana waving a hoof for them to follow him just before he turned
and then appeared to… Disperse? It was as if he spread out and
faded into the air the way a drop of food coloring does when it
falls into a glass of water. Charybdis continued on without
care, the same happening to her as she too faded into the air
until there was nothing left. Thunder had a more cautious
approach. He came to the edge where Mana had faded and squinted,
trying his best to figure out what was going on up until a blue
hoof sprang from thin air and pulled Thunder forward with a
yelp.
Arriving on the other side, Thunder would be surprised to find
that he’d felt nothing. As if he’d just stepped forward onto
more grass, nothing was any different for him, Mana or
Charybdis.
Well, aside from the now towering steel wall that suddenly
existed on the rock wall before them. Curving in a soft arch at
the top and decorated in glowing symbols, the wall was as
imposing and cold as the material it was made from. Nearly
stretching as tall as the cliff itself and comparable in length
for the width, Thunder was confused as to how such a thing could
even fit into the cliff it was occupying, the edges almost
seeming to adjust and shift whenever he wasn’t looking. It took
Thunder several seconds of inspection before he realized that
the wall divided at the center with a straight vertical line. It
was, in fact a massive set of doors, two that possessed several
small rectangular indentations at varying heights that Thunder
could only assume were embrasures of some kind currently sealed
with more steel.
“It’s fine,” Mana said again, walking forward with more
self-control than Thunder and his wide-eyed feasting of the
sight.
At the foot of the doors, towards the middle, were two smaller
sections carved into the metal that revealed them as a much more
appropriately sized pair of secondary doors fit for the group.
Charybdis stayed a few strides back and watched Mana approach
with crossed claws While Thunder stared up at the metal and
wondered what the glyphs and runes did. Mana, as he said he
would, took it upon himself to give the smaller doors a good
solid knocking. There the group waited for a response.
Some time went by.
“Uh…” Mana suddenly wasn’t so sure about his methods. He caught
himself before he could glance back at the others and show his
uncertainty and could sense Charybdis rolling her eyes as he
gave the door a second knock. Before he could finish, the metal
swung back from one of the embrasures closest to the group and
the head of a stallion popped out, his head wearing a helmet
like that of the guards below although gray in color and lacking
in the option of a plume.
“Hey, oh, what?” he half asked, and half shouted with darting
eyes, “What’s this? What? Who-What do you want? How’d you find
the door, what’s this? what’s going on? What do you want?”
“A shining example of Equestria’s finest,” Charybdis commented
sarcastically, “guy sounds drunk and confused. Guess that
explains that animal escaping a while back at least.”
“Hey-wh-that’s a bird! How’d you get a bird-cat this far west?
What’s this?” There was the sound of a jostling set of armor as
the head was pulled back from view, a second voice being heard
through a muffle ordering the first to eat something just as a
new face came into view. This second stallion looked the group
over, then huffed and leaned over the edge of his vantage point.
“Lost? You better have official business if you’re coming up to
us like this. Else we’ll have to kill you a little bit before
you leave,” he casually informed the gathering, “just a little
bit. Sorry, part of the job.”
Mana struck with temporary befuddlement over the exchange so
far, did his best to shake it off and compose a proper response.
“We are,” his horn lit up and removed his badge from behind his
armor, “My names Mana Burn, this here is Thunder and that’s
Foxtrot,” nods given to each in turn, “We’re with the Equestrian
Royal guard and require entry as part of an investigation. Is
your warden available? We will need to speak to them immediately
concerning an escaped inmate.”
“Royal guard, huh?” the stallion looked over the three mentioned
then to the rest, “What about them?”
“Witnesses and experts relevant to the investigation.” A good
enough answer, right? Technically true at least.
The stallion hummed for a moment then held a hoof up as if to
tell them to wait before disappearing back behind the embrasure.
The steel clanged shut back over the opening and left the group
alone for nearly a full minute before swinging back open.
“Alright,” the stallion said, leaning back over to look at them,
“I’m told to ask you what the password is. So, what’s the
password.”
Mana looked over at Thunder then back at the stallion with a
raised eyebrow.
“There is no password,” he replied, “we have our badges. Use
them to verify our identity. We’re also very short on time and
need to get moving.” Motioning for Thunder to get out his
identification, Mana would do the same for Foxtrot if he hadn’t
done so already.
“Yeah, okay, yes, I’ll be down in a second.” Mana could have
sworn he heard the stallion sigh as the embrasure once again
clanged closed. Shortly after one of the smaller doors before
them creaked open enough to let the stallion step outside
entirely, a few of the embrasures above opening up as well
though it wasn’t clear if anyone was looking out of them.
“Alright, give ‘em here,” the earth pony as was now obvious took
each badge in turn, flipping them around in his view and
squinting really hard before giving each back. He frowned then
put on a smile and gave Mana small shove on his shoulder.
“Relax,” he told him, waving up at someone and causing the door
to open further and open the way inside, “we’re just giving you
a hard time. It gets boring manning The Wall and we never get
visitors, so we try to make the most of it when we can.” He
chuckled but Mana only bent his frown as his patience started to
strain.
“The Warden is available for you to speak to him right now, if
that makes you feel any better,” the stallion went on, motioning
for the group to follow, “he’s in his office reviewing a recent
transfer or alteration to a cell or some junk. I can show you
the way.”
“Please,” Mana curtly urged as he and Thunder trailed behind the
pony. Charybdis lingered behind them and gave the outside of the
wall a long look before sighing and following the rest, the door
creaking shut behind them once everyone who planning to come
inside did so.
The door led to a square steel corridor stretching for just over
three meters as the group passed under the massive set of doors
surrounding them and were given an idea of how thick they were.
On the other side of the doors the area opened into a large half
cylindrical cavern of smooth stone walls that followed a similar
shape to the doors outside though was a notable size wider to
ensure the door could open and close without grinding against
the walls.
This side of the doors was much different from the outside as
while the outside was marked with runes, glyphs and the
occasional scattered embrasure, this side was heavily scared
with dents, scratches and scorch marks. On either side of the
doors and curving with the walls of the cavern were a series of
platforms and walkways allowing for a network of defensive cover
and weapons to loom over the length of cavern leading up to the
doors. Weapons the likes of scorpion turrets, ballistae - the
ammo for which was so magically charged as to glow bright colors
among the more drab battlements - and pots perpetually heated
via magical flames stood ready to face whatever tried to barrel
towards the exit. Numerous ponies hefting crossbows and lazily
leaning against their weapons meandered above, chatting among
themselves and watching the newcomers as they walked further
inside under the orbs of light that hung in the air to keep
everything illuminated in a sterile shine.
It took several minutes for them to eventually near the back
where the cavern tapered down and began to split off into more
traditional corridors carved into the stone and lit by more orbs
to ensure that everything remain clear as day. Another door,
hefty but not as impressive as the first, took up another
section of the wall just before the corridor began to shrink,
Thunder being told it was the elevator used to transport larger
inmates lower into the prison upon asking and wondering if the
thing played any music as it went.
“Okay,” the stallion said, turning to face the group again with
a small almost tired smile, “This is where I need you guys to
split up.”
“Split up?” Thunder spoke with a scoff, “Why exactly? Do we need
to find the office on our own or something?”
‘No no, It just that the Warden won’t speak to anyone who isn’t
authorized to know the goings on here in the prison. You Royal
Guards are fine, he’d be happy to help you with your
investigation, I’m sure, but the rest of you are… what…
civilians? That sounds right.
“You can head off to the rec room and relax while you wait,” he
continued, pointing towards a corridor snaking off to the right,
“there’s games and books and junk there for the off hours.
Follow the corridor and just peek into the rooms until you see
pool tables. If you’re hungry you can probably get something in
the canteen. Same direction just don’t stop till you smell
something burning.”
“What if we insist on joining the guards in speaking with he
Warden?” Charybdis asked this, but it sounded more like a
command.
“Then, uhm… I guess you’ll be here a while? Careful not to
wander around lost or you’ll start making people jumpy. Just ask
if you need help finding the rec room. Oh, and do not attempt to
go any lower into the prison. If you aren't cleared to descend
to any of the lower levels then you'll all be considered a
hostile force and arrested.”
“I’m sitting this one out,” Thunder told the rest, “I’m actually
starving to death as we speak. As in, I’m pretty much already a
ghost haunting you. I’m going to go eat something, who’s with
me?”
“Thunder, we need to-“
“Whose with me!?”
#Post#: 3737--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Nivalia Date: September 28, 2018, 9:18 am
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Nivalia trots over to Thunder, "I am. I haven't eaten in a bit
and I'm starving too." She looks down the hallway, "maybe some
pastries, a drink or three. Plus I can always go for a game of
pool."
"Sounds good," Foxtrot nods. He keeps his badge lined on his
chest for easier visibility and approaches Mana to join him to
meet the warden.
#Post#: 3741--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Onyx Lotus Date: September 30, 2018, 10:52 am
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Onyx walks over to Thunder and Nivalia, "Count me in too! After
all this travel, I'm famished. In fact, I'll race you all to
it!" She gets a head start and beelines down the hall. Soon she
would be in the cafeteria getting some grub.
#Post#: 3743--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Faded Glory Date: October 1, 2018, 12:25 am
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Glory looks over at the empty cliff face. Knocking? ...Well,
obviously the door is hidden somehow, but even if they do know
where it is, surely there has to be more to it than that. Glory
follows Mana to the cliff, and blinks in surprise when he
suddenly vanishes, followed by Charybdis. Glory herself steps
through just as Mana is dragging Thunder in. The door to
Tartarus is... certainly impressive. It looks like even the
cyclops would have trouble getting it open. And she's sure
whatever's behind those embrasures must be really nasty. To her
surprise, Mana does indeed just walk up to the massive thing and
knock. Which doesn't seem to have much affect, really. She's
about to suggest that just maybe you need to do more than knock
for the most secure magical prison in Equestria when one of the
steel panels slides back and someone pokes their head through.
Someone clearly not very prepared for people to come knocking.
There's a short exchange and then Mana presents his badge, and
the guard looks the rest of the group over. Glory makes sure she
looks professional, although she has her doubts about it
mattering considering the first stallion they talked to. Soon
enough a smaller door opens in the side and the group is let
through. Weird, the Vigil's secret bases are all misdirection
spells and magical geases. She peers up at the various weapons
and defenses behind the door, feeling a bit intimidated by it
all. She doesn't like having to split up at all, but there
doesn't seem to be much choice, so she supposes she's with
Thunder. Besides, it has been a while since lunch.
#Post#: 3745--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Equilibrium Date: October 3, 2018, 6:26 am
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Equilibrium spent most of the trek to the cavern like prison
base in silence, scripting and writing on her book, occasionally
asking other people questions, trying to make her small scale
information prying seem like a casual chatter. After the party
arrived to the spot of interest, the entrance to the prison,
Equilibrium took a quick moment to draw a picture of the floored
Thunder, smirking at the earlier quick about him wanting to seem
herois for the pictures. This one will surely make him try
harder.
After the door was found and the guards engaged in conversation
with the questionable staff of the monster locale, Equilibrium
made sure to document everything she saw and heard. Pouting when
the party had to be split, she sighed and thought that she'd
probably get a chance to see deeper into the compound later on,
and for now she opted to join the others in the canteen. "I'm
in. I hope they have more than some dry field rations here" She
said to Thunder, passing a note to him as she walked past him
and towards the motioned corridor. The paper note had the
drawing she made of Thunder rolling in the grass from before,
Clearly having added a dash of artistic freedom to it, the guard
seemingly happily rolling in what seemed like a beautiful
flowery meadow.
#Post#: 3747--------------------------------------------------
Re: Tartarus
By: Foxtrot Date: October 23, 2018, 5:35 pm
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Before Nivalia trots down the hall, Foxtrot approaches her.
Instead of regular ponish, he talks to her in a foreign dialect.
Reassurances to stay safe and to also stash a few snacks in her
bag for later on. She giggles and gives him a hug. During these
trying times, enjoying the little things can make all the
difference. Returning back to the others, he awaits to see how
this investigation will pan out. Hopefully they can get solid
answers before things get worse.
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