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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Jan 31, 2013 19:25:12 GMT -5
All that work and for what? To leave Royal Rocks when there was so much to offer? Not going to happen. Shade hadn't grown attached to the place, but he had decided the amount of work he'd put into this grand state of affairs was too much to trot away from. He stayed, much enjoying the honorary mentions and the praise for his diligence and loyalty... not to the King in his opinion, but to make sure the building in which King Whitefeather had perish in was still in one solid piece. He was still recovering, but the unicorn was definitely on the rebound. Two nights of headaches and nausea had led to his now ship-shape attitude.
He had been out and about most of the day, doing what he usually did best, and that was wandering. Albeit he never left the upper half of the city's levels, it was a large enough place for him to occupy his time. Not to mention Shade's usual business included minor tasks for minor pay, and so on and so forth. The equine tended to work up his usual amount of cash lifting objects at will where a Griffon would regularly be tasked with a difficulty depending on the size and weight... Shade could do it far more efficiently, and accurately position things where shoving with your talons was far less effective.
While his mind never thought much about what had gone on prior to this lovely afternoon, that wasn't to say he didn't already reflect. In truth, he was indeed honored, and more content than he ever thought he'd be... afterall, his magical ability had been proven far beyond his own expectations- initially believing he would fail near instantly, or crack under the pressure. But he stuck to his horn, and came out on top. Why even Loci's fate had lifted his spirit, despite the level of cruelty it must have struck him. He knew nothing about the Desertification of the conniving bird, but seeing his wing torn off, and even catch glimpses of his agonizing crowning was enough to satisfy him. If only he knew the whole story~. However in Shade's mind, he had that gut feeling the Dark Griffon was now long gone, rotting at the gates of Tartaros like a corruptive, murderous creature should be.
“Hail, Unicorn!”, some would say, other with more bitter words... one couldn't please all, and Shade did understand he needed far more power to engulf a city rather than just a palace. Maybe if his abilities granted him that kind of potential, he wouldn't have felt so guilty. But when the admiration did come, he revveled in it, striding into a local shop, and paying out the amount of cash he'd summed up working his magic.
A blank journal, a quill pen, Some berries, and a new bottle of ink. Unlike some, Shade did not have the giant reserves of spare neccesities that others did, and though he could have gone through the palace at this point-with new limitations-The unicorn much prefered purchasing his own items... at least on a small scale.
And even so... he needed someone like Shoel to translate his gosh darn Hippocampi Magic Texts... like many things; magic was scarce in Royal Rocks, but he would also pursue to weed it out on his own accord. The unicorn may try even sooner than he planned... or at least ask of it. He swore loyalty to the Council, he was a Defender of the flock now-maybe not the highest ranking, nor the best- but he demanded new spells in order to bolster his arsenal. One thing was for sure, Shade bowed his head in prayer than the Hippocampi book would have SOMETHING on Ice magic, as compared to water. After all that had happened, and even with the city in full reconstruction... he felt much allergic to fire now.
It was a nice sunny day, and even in the upper, newly refurbished portions of town... he could hear the chipping, and clanking of rebuild.
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Post by Bowie on Feb 22, 2013 9:58:52 GMT -5
Rolling out of a nearby building was a heavy-looking crate, sitting atop a flat dolly. And behind it, a griffon. Even with the benefit of the dolly's wheels, he seemed to be putting out a large amount of effort to get it moving. He was already in a sweat for the short distance he had traveled.
The griffon looked up from his arduous task, his eyes lighting up at the sight of a unicorn. In an instant, the cat-bird had locked the wheels of the dolly and scampered over to where Shade was walking. "Hey, hey you're the unicorn. I seen you helpin' out folks around the city, right? Helpin' move stuff."
"Listen, I got a favor to ask. I got someone waitin' on that crate and I'm already late. If you can get it to him, the guy will pay you for you trouble. 'Sides, unicorns are good at movin' stuff. It'll be a breeze for you."
The griffon looked up at Shade, his breathlessness catching up with him. "Think you can help me out?"
The Rocy Mountains were surprsingly peaceful that day. A few drifting clouds would hide the sun, darkening the environment every once in a while, and a cool breeze drifted thorough the otherwise warm air.
Perhaps if Lucent listened carefully enough he could hear a few small critters or birds scuttering about, but otherwise he was quite alone. After all, the griffons often stuck to the air and their cities. Who knew, perhaps Lucent was the first to visit this spot in several months!
There were still a few sparse trees here and there at Lucent's altitude, but they began to disappear the further he looked up the mountain, their prescence replaced by that of boulders and rocky cliff-sides. Trekking through the mountains at this height would only take a moderate effort. If Lucent wanted to ascend further, that was another thing.
The expression on Klepto's face did a one-eighty when the crowned catbird turned round to glare at him. Any sign of optimism quickly vanished, replaced by growing concern. "Uh..." The look in those eyes told the pony that his captor certainly didn't like how he had handled the situation.
"I mean, I am losing blood here, and at this rate I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay conscious," the thief spoke as the deformed griffon approached, grabbing the metal and wooden object. "I mean, you wouldn't want me to leave you on a cliff-hanger, right? If you want a good story, you gotta let me-GAH!!"
CRACK. A strong, sharp, stabbing pain erupted from the left side of Klepto's chest, right where the bird had struck him. The thief tried breathing in, but was greeted by the unpleasant sensation of a broken rib jabbing his lung. It came with its own soundtrack: a wheezing, rattling sound that Klepto almost couldn't believe was his own. "No no no no no. Not again. Not freaking again." He had just gotten out of one disastrous lung-related injury, one that had almost taken his life. Now another? Had he ticked off some malign star, or was fate just trying to be thorough.
A volley of worded responses bounced around the pony's head. Insults, sarcastic remarks, things he wouldn't hesitate to say if he wasn't at the mercy of this psychotic griffon. But he was, as much as he hated it, and further provoking this bird was only going to earn him a deeper hole.
"I[shake]. . .[/shake]" Klepto blinked heavily, slow, rattling breaths now rhythmically occupying his word-space. "You[shake]. . .[/shake] want a story[shake]. . .[/shake]
[shake]. . .[/shake]alright[shake]. . .[/shake]"
"Once there was this king[shake]. . .[/shake] who lived in this big 'ole city in the desert[shake]. . .[/shake] surrounded by all sorts of walls and stuff. He lived[shake]. . .[/shake] by himself in this huge palace."
"This king[shake]. . .[/shake] he has a sleeping disorder. Can't hardly catch a wink[shake]. . .[/shake] So he hires all the kingdom's pillow makers or whatever[shake]. . .[/shake] to make him the very best pillow money can buy[shake]. . .[/shake] So they travel far, far away[shake]. . .[/shake] for about a month. And when they come back[shake]. . .[/shake] they bring the king this skinny little sheep. And the king asks[shake]. . .[/shake] 'Hey[shake]. . .[/shake] what's the deal with this sheep?'
"So the pillow makers tell him[shake]. . .[/shake] 'This is a very special sheep[shake]. . .[/shake] If you feed it the kingdom's best truffles, and take care of it[shake]. . .[/shake] for three years, it's wool will turn to gold. And if you[shake]. . .[/shake] if you make a pillow from this wool, you'll get the best night's sleep[shake]. . .[/shake] anyone's ever had."
"So[shake]. . .[/shake] the king's daughter starts taking care of this sheep[shake]. . .[/shake] and she feeds it the best truffles he in the kingdom. And it gets big[shake]. . .[/shake] and fat, and fluffy. And it's wool starts turning[shake]. . .[/shake] more and more of a golden color.[shake]. . .[/shake] The king gets so excited, he decides[shake]. . .[/shake] decides to throw a festival when the sheep's wool[shake]. . .[/shake] is finally ready to be sheered."
"Well, a week before the festival[shake]. . .[/shake] the sheep goes missing. No one knows where it went[shake]. . .[/shake] and the whole city starts going into a panic. The king[shake]. . .[/shake] sends out the captain of the guard to search high and low[shake]. . .[/shake] for the sheep. But they can't find it[shake]. . .[/shake] The only clue they have is reports[shake]. . .[/shake] of some guy in a tacky looking gray cloak running out of the palace[shake]. . .[/shake] with a sheep-shaped sack on his back."
"You uh[shake]. . .[/shake] you getting all this?" Klepto asked, pausing in his story to see how much the griffon was paying attention.
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Feb 27, 2013 1:08:12 GMT -5
Shade was actually fishing through the coin he'd made through all his exploits. He'd come to notice also that given his magical ablities, especially when they'd been tested during the Siege weeks ago? The way he'd come to use his magic had more than gotten easier, fine tuned enough to hold a gigantic shield around a palace and protect countless Griffons inside. He was no master, but the unicorn was definately a little less easier to reckon with.
The Griffon before him actually took him by surprise, "One and only.", he chuckled, a little bit subconscience about his feats, but Shade would be over them eventually, "...", while he didn't like to take someone's entire job from them, the prospect of making coin was charming to him, "Well, I don't suppose why not."
"Any idea where I'll be taking it?", he asked, stepping forward to the heavy-looking object. It shouldn't be that big an issue for him at least. Sure heavy things were a bit strenuous on his magic but indeed, Shade could get it done the easiest than most other Griffons... he raised his hoof, gently clacking it agaisnt the surface of the grand crate, "Whats in there anyways?", he asked, cocking a brow, his dark pilgrims had levitating off his head, his black mane rolling down to reveal his horn.
His magic was harmless at base, but it did not look like good magic in the slightest. A Dark purple color, sometimes with black shades where the power was say a little misguided, or uneven. Either way... it wasn't the usual Pony color, nothing severe, but nothing pretty, or whimsical.
"Heheh... Sure friend. I'd hate ta see ya get hurt or somethin if that...", afterall he could understand why someone would come to him for this kind of load.
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Post by Bowie on Feb 28, 2013 1:51:49 GMT -5
"I uh, I don't know what's in the crate," the griffon said nervously, eyeing the glow of Shade's horn cautiously. "I just make the deliveries. But I guess I got in over my head this time. Didn't think it would be so heavy. Heh."
The agitated griffon cleared his throat, unlocking the wheels of the dolly and pushing it more towards Shade's direction. "Just gotta take it down to the far end of the East-side docks. Should be a griffon there waiting for you. Big guy, white feathers, impossible to miss." He then let go of the dolly, looking back at Shade. "So, uh, yeah. If you think you got it, then I'll just leave you to it," he said, slowly taking a step or two backwards.
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 3, 2013 10:47:06 GMT -5
You know it was a situation like this one time that got him shang-hai-ed all the way here, in which Shade discovered his unlockable power, and incredible magic durability. He resisted a full broad-side line of fire from the Dreadnaught itself. But not once did he ever plan to cautiously step back from a job that somepony had given to him without any knowledge of what it was.
Yes. His arrogance could take him places. But minus that, it just wasn't in him to first accept, then put down the offer, "Well...", he began, looking it over, enveloping the sizable object in his magic, and rolling it forward, moving it beside him. It was heavy, even my magical standards, but it was comparatively nothing for Shade as it was for the Griffon, "It's not my place'to snoop I suppose.", he shrugged, smiling just a little-though uncomfortably of course.
"Yes, I'll take it off your paws, friend.", he shifted his saddlebags across his flanks, before turning, "Don't worry I'll be gentle with it. Won't be seein anythin crashin about in the streets. Not by me anyway.", in one hoofstep, Umekile stumbled a bit. Regaining his posture he smiled sheepishly, despite the crate being untouched or effected at all.
"No worries.", the unicorn huffed, and moved along, "See you around!", the Dolly in Tow.
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Post by Bowie on Mar 10, 2013 3:31:35 GMT -5
The griffon let out a sigh of relief, watching as Shade began to take the dolly away. "Oh, I almost forgot," he called after him. "The griffon's name is Filcher. Like I said: white feathers. Can't miss 'em." And with that, the griffon took off, not looking back and not leaving Shade the chance to ask any questions.
The crate was indeed heavy. Very heavy in fact. What was in there that was adding so much weight was anyone's guess. But luckily his destination wasn't too far away. After just a few minutes he had reached the docks, where several massive airships were loading and unloading cargo. This certainly wasn't a passenger's port.
Every ship here looked fairly large, with griffons busy loading crates on or pushing crates off. Time was money in this business and the more you could carry and the less time you spent in port, the better. The docks almost seemed a mini city, with each ship towering over Shade like a building. Except for one. Way down on the end. A very, very small ship that looked very out of place. And standing beside it, a big, white-feathered griffon. There was Filcher.
The griffon looked half snowy owl, half snow leopard, and was standing tall even over the burly workers moving cargo around. His ship, on the other hand, was comically small. There was clearly little room for another crew member, and the luggage capacity didn't look outstanding either. "Your ten minutes late, ya know," Filcher said, watching as Shade approached. The griffon examined the pony pushing the crate as he got closer, only speaking again once Shade had finally stopped. "Didn't know Cannibal was hiring unicorns now. Alright skinny, get it on board and then you get your cut." The griffon nodded towards a ramp leading up towards the ship, ready to follow Shade aboard once he got moving again.
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 15, 2013 19:35:52 GMT -5
"Hm. I try. But I'm jus not inta eatin as often as lots of others.", he chuckled, his horn flaring up as he lifted the heavy object off the dolly, with some strain of course, "Is a might heavy piece of equipment ya got here~", he grunted, walking up the ramp and onto the vessal, "Mind tellin whats in it?", Shade couldn't help but be curious... it just seemed out of place going on a ship THIS small.
But if the answer was no then he wouldn't pry for an answer, he wasn't like that... at least not all the time. His hooves touched the vessal's wooden deck, and he looked about, over the edge at one point, before gently setting the box down in the very center so the boat wouldn't... Overturn hopefully.
"Well, Captain.", he bowed his head curtly, "It's been a pleasure.", he chuckled, smiling just a little, albeit very intimidated by the very large griffon... so white and majestic looking despite his brutish size. It was a little breathtaking that Griffon's put Pony's to shame as far as appearence could go... well save for the princesses he believed, but he didn't even know what they looked like save for pictures on church windows or in books. But the style of those books were... unreliable time to time.
"Anythin else I can do for you?", his Stray, puritan-like hat rose off his back, and rested over his horn, tipping it down a little over his eyes, and nodding politely, "So long as A'm on yer ship I'm at your desposal."
=== (So How big in FEET is this ship? xD)
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Post by Bowie on Mar 15, 2013 22:07:35 GMT -5
((I suppose it's a bit bigger than the boat from Jaws. It's really built to be usable by one griffon.))
"Generator," Filcher answered, following Shade on-board the ship. "Had a pack begging for this one for a while," he said with a chuckle. "So I told Cannibal to save it for something good. Guess they'll be glad to finally get their hands on it."
The large griffon watched Shade set down the crate, noticing the unicorn examining his size afterwards. "Don't worry, I only had to break someone's wings once." He tapped the crate a few times, running his talon over the woods. "I know you're the new guy, but you really aren't paid to do anything other than make deliveries. You get points for gusto though."
"Now," Filcher said, motioning for Shade to follow him to the back of the ship, "Your pay's somewhere in the cabin." They'd soon reached a small set of stairs, descending into the ship. Inside was a cramped and crowded living space. This was clearly a one-griffon vessel. A hammock was hanging on one side of the room, some maps on the wall nearby. One was clearly of the Griffon Kingdom, and another appeared to be of the Northern Barrens. A table with a few scattered papers covering it and a tiny kitchen were sitting across the room.
"Here we are," the griffon said, picking up a pouch of coins and tossing it over to Shade. There was a surprising number of bits inside, especially considering how easy the job had been. "Was there a note or something? Should have been in an envelope."
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 15, 2013 23:22:48 GMT -5
As he wandered down into the small ship, Shade didn't truly feel awe inspired, but he admired the smaller lifestyle... it looked comfortable enough. So it was a generator in that box? Odd... well he wasn't one to complain.
"Heh... Well actually I jus saw your friend'n I thought I'd give em uh hand myself.", he levitated his head and set it on his back. He took it on and off quite often. Was just a habit of his, poking his eyes around at all the sights, and at the maps, "Where exactly you goin with this ship?", just out of spiteful curiosity. This griffon was... a might terrifying, ripping another's wings off once? Still! Once was enough to keep Shade on his hooves. His eyes flicked, catching the coins in his chest and almost losing the sac to the floor, before catching it, and levitating it up to himself, "Eh... wow.", it was definately too sizable for a normal job~ Something already began to feel out of place.
But it would be impolite to call this creature out on it. But apparently he was given the proper chance by Filcher's own words, "Ehh... Envelope?", he blinked, "I just completed the task like I said I would. Afterall eh...", he looked aside, back at the maps, and all the decor the captain had, "He was having plenty of trouble with it and such~"
Folly! Despite this... things were turning out a might uneasy.
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Post by Bowie on Mar 15, 2013 23:55:54 GMT -5
Filcher began giving the unicorn a confused look, clearly not quite sure what he meant by 'giving his friend a hand'. "Ship's going to Trottingham for a final errand. Then to the Barrens." The easy-going tone of the griffon's voice had been replaced with mild suspicion. He now spoke plainly and carefully, keeping his eyes on Shadestride.
His brow furrowed when the unicorn denied knowing about the envelope. He gave Shade a long, hard look before turning and making his way over to a chest sitting against the wall. "You're not making much sense, friend," he spoke, flipping open the lid and rummaging through the tools that filled the container. A few seconds later he pulled out a crowbar, standing up and shutting the lid.
He then walked back in Shade's direction, pushing past the unicorn as he made his way back onto the ship's deck. "For your sake I hope that note got left in the crate by mistake," Filcher said as he approached the crate. He then dug the crowbar between the wall and lid of the crate, beginning to apply leverage. "If I have to see your boss personally about his next set of requests, I'm not gonna be happy. Neither will he."
With a solid wooden creak and the sound of separating wood, Filcher pried the lid of the crate open. If Shade had been standing close enough to see what was inside, he would have seen that the crate was filled with... sandbags. The big, snowy griffon stared dumbstruck at the crate's contents for several seconds before turning back to Shade. "Alright, where is it?"
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 16, 2013 0:15:39 GMT -5
Well... that was certainly an unexpected turn of events. He cocked a brow, literally almost asking if the griffon actually ordered sand FOR a generator of some strange porportions. Technology WAS wierd to him, but the look on Filcher's face told him otherwise. He knew nothing about an envelope, nor did he understand WHY the Dang crate was filled to the brim with sand.
"... Mmm~ Well... I can't really say at this point~", he smiled uneasily, looking behind him, and to his right and left.
It was becoming vividly clear if he said nothing however... he risked being attacked or possibly beaten senseless, "I... Saw the griffon pushing the dolly and I offered to help em. He looked like he was havin a hard time. So I did et for em.", he levitated his hat over his eyes, "I swear. I was jus bein curtious.", he smiled, giving an uneasy chuckle.
"I don't have a boss.", he replied, "I was just out to make a few coin to buy a book or two.", his ears pinned back, staring up at the imposing Griffon, "I honestly haven't the slightest clue, Filcher.", calling him by name in hopes of sounding more convincing... he really didn't have a clue.
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Post by Bowie on Mar 16, 2013 22:37:10 GMT -5
Filcher's feathers seemed to flare up when Shadestride had said that he "couldn't really say at this point" where the generator was. Perhaps the unicorn shouldn't have used such a smug-sounding choice of words. Filcher looked seething now, and he certainly didn't like it when Shade called him by his name.
"You're telling me that you just took this crate off the talons of that griffon, and let him just walk away?!" The large griffon took a step forward, towering over the scrawny unicorn in front of him. "As far as I'm concerned, you helped him steal my generator. And since he's already turned tail, you're gonna be the one who's held accountable."
The powerful griffon had already pulled back his arm while he was talking, and swung the crowbar forward at Shade the instant he had finished.
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 16, 2013 22:51:02 GMT -5
For once after twice deflecting a bullet, or stopping a barage of cannons, a crowbar of all things beat him to the punchline. His eyes widened, gritting his teeth as it ran right for him, "Bloody-!", blackness.
He hit up agaisnt the wall of the small vessel's interior, stars in his eyes, and hitting the ground with a shrude THUMP!!... this just wasn't his day. He'd probably dream about a world where he wasn't hit with a crowbar... that or he was by far one of the strongest of all spellcasters in the realm.
Either way, the Unicorn was out, stone cold.
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Post by Bowie on Mar 16, 2013 23:27:38 GMT -5
Shade woke up alone, in the sewers, battered and bruised. Filcher hadn't been kidding when he said that Shade would be held accountable. That generator must have meant a lot to him.
The unicorn was aching from head to hoof, bleeding in several locations where the crowbar had been struck against him particularly hard. Moving his back left-leg resulted in a searing amount of pain. It was clearly broken. He could walk, but it would hurt like heck.
There was nothing left on him. Filcher had taken everything. His Hippocampi book, his bits, everything. The only sign of his previous possessions was an apple core sitting in the dirty water in front of him.
And to add insult to injury, the sewers had him smelling like... well... sewers.
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Post by Shadestride Scythe on Mar 16, 2013 23:39:23 GMT -5
It took a while before the pony gave a sudden twitch, groaning, a hoof running over his head and rubbing on one of his bleeding crowbar marks. He was.. alive. But it sure felt like he was dead! Or at least it felt like he wanted to be.
"Hnnnngg~", he groaned through the pain, and began to wobble, "... That...", he began, closing his eyes and rising in the disgusting muck beneath him, "Is the last time... Next time...", he grit his teeth, his horn starting to glow weakly, lighting up the area around him, "I break his neck.", he grumbled, opening his left eye, and trying to remain strong. It was times like this where he questioned his willingness to comply with so many requests. He noticed all his bags were gone... even the book Shoel had given him.
"Ooohhhh! Come on! No No No!", he sturggled, even in the pain able to rip and snort around in the water, charging up his horn, and blasting a concussive shard of magic into one of the walls, making a small crater, growling, gritting his teeth. That Rapscallion! That minoot little bastard! If he ever saw that one-man ship flying through the sky he would crush it's center mass and let it fall from the sky in a burning heap if he could!
"Filcher!", he called out, a throb in his head stopping him as he limped forward through the disgusting water, his little tantrum getting to the point where it hurt enough to stop him. He was just so passionately enraged inside it was like a fire.
Not only would that Dang griffon pay... or so he liked to shout to himself, but if he ever saw that griffon who gave him the dolly he'd tear his wings off and toss him over the side of the palace walls to the pits below! "By Celestia's beard I'm gonna find you and I am gonna~", he grumbled as his horn charged up, spouting a glowing ball of light which followed at his side. Lighting up the sewer ways for him to possibly find a way out.
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