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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on May 16, 2013 20:52:40 GMT -5
Miguel paused for a moment, letting the gears click in his head as to what the pony had just said. He then lowered his dukes. "Feathermain? Hah, w'y didn't ye say so the first time. I was about to knock ye lig'ts out. So how is t'e ol fell-out-of-his-nest-too-many-times Feathermain doing? So, he wants a favor... we can work t'at out, I speculate. Take it's another one of his suicidal expedition, where is it this time? Ah ye know what, I rat'er be surprised." Miguel gave Klepto another suspicious eye. "His confidante, aye.. ye don't look like no mare - ARE YE TRYING TO PULL ONE OVER OL'MIGUEL AGAIN!" Miguel then slapped Klepto on his withers, "Hah, just messing with ye lad. Let me go speak wit' t'e captain an' we'll get this worked out." Miguel begun to walk towards the gangway to the ship, when he suddenly stopped in thought, then looked back to Klepto. "I just remembered... Feathermain said once t'at as trade we could have his next 'confidante' for a nig't! Hah, we gos ye a pretty dress too! An' I hope ye know how to p'ay the balalaika! Hahah!" He bellowed with laughter, "Ah got ye again, ye ponies are so easy. Just wait 'ere, be back soon." Miguel trotted up the gangway, still chuckling to himself as he boarded.
Soon, another voice shot up the dock. One more familiar, but unlikely any more wanted than the unsavory ones surrounding Klepto at the time. "Hi-ho, my thieving friend!" It was Feathermain, laden down with bags and equipment clutched in his talons and under his arms. He let it fall before Klepto. "Take it everything is set for our excursion? Bravo, knew you were the pony for the job - that's why I brought you this." Feathermain reached down into the pile of bags and removed a device, bound to straps that would easily fit over a pony's midsection. At its sides were two devices loaded with bolts and attached to a single metal bit which appeared to be situated easily enough for Klepto to manipulate with his mouth. "This should do you nicely. A battle harness, just face your agitators and then snatch on to that metal piece there and pull. They'll be pin-cushions before you can say slapperdash. I, on the other talon, have this."
Feathermain pulled out a long metal and wood tube, a rifle with a brass scope, from the mound of equipment. One of the griffon's new weapons, designed by Loci, now slowly funneling into the general population. How he got ahold of one was a good question and Feathermain wasn't about to reveal his sources. "This should be able to drop a charging rhino at 100 yards - or so they tell me. The rest of this stuff isn't nearly as 'cool', but it should help us get to where we need to be. Ah soon enough they'll be writing books on our adventure - think of the royalties! Profits-ho!"
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on May 16, 2013 21:28:19 GMT -5
Mare? What did this griffon mean? The thief gave a statled jump when Miguel had slapped him on the back, not expecting the gesture (especially after the tone that had preceded it). "Yeah, that's great. You go get the captain," Klepto responded as the boatswain walked towards the gangway. Huh, so the captain and the boatswain weren't the same thing. How many guys did you need to run a boat? Captain, vice-captain, swabbie, cook. That about covered it.
Klepto's face went pale when Miguel mentioned Feathermain offering up his confidante for the night, especially when a dress was mentioned. What did these griffons want with a guy who's supposed to pay another guy's taxes? "Heh, guess you got me," the thief responded, following his sentence with a gulp. Klepto couldn't have been more relieved when Feathermain's voice came from further down the dock.
The thief examined the odd device as Featermain explained it. A 'battle harness'. "Wow. I don't know where you get all this cool stuff, but this thing looks like it'll show those dumb scorpions who not to mess with." He then looked up from his new weapon, raising an eyebrow at the wood and metal stick Feathermain was holding. "What, are you supposed to hit people with it?" he asked, raising the barrel to his face to get a better look at it.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on May 21, 2013 19:07:35 GMT -5
Feathermain pondered Klepto's observation, yanking the weapon away from Klepto before he hurt himself. He inspected the rifle up and down in his talon. Truth be told, he only acquired it through an associate with a contact in the military. He really had no idea the mechanics of it, only getting a 2nd-talon brief on its function which comprised mostly of put this inside that and then pull this trigger - aim away from beak. The technology was too new for most griffons to understand, except that it was a cross between a cannon and a crossbow.
"Yes... in a manner of speak you can 'hit' people with it." Feathermain concluded as he threw the weapon over his shoulder. "So we're good to go?"
"Ye good ta go!" Called the boatswain from the deck to the dock.
"Bully!" The griffon hoisted up a few of his bags, the smaller ones, and padded towards the gangway while leaving the heavier lot - a chest and some duffelbag. "Grab the rest, would you gentlepony? Sooner we're on board, the sooner we can be slowly roasting in our own juices in the middle of an inhospitable desert!"
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on May 21, 2013 19:59:31 GMT -5
Klepto looked up as Feathermain pulled his new stick away from the thief's face. "I dunno, seems like a pretty dumb design. Might as well be using a sword."
But at Miguel's go-ahead, Feathermain was already on his way to the gangway, leaving Klepto behind with the heavier items the kooky old griffon had brought with him. "Grab the rest, would you gentlepony?"
Klepto let out a short huff, grabbing his new battle harness in his mouth before hoisting the chest and dufflebag onto his back. He then followed Feathermain up the gangway and onto the ship. "Vere somewere you wan' these or...?" he asked through a mouth-full of battle harness, looking around at the ship he had stepped onto.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on May 21, 2013 20:31:39 GMT -5
Klepto would find Feathermain engrossed in his new toy, looking down the scope, checking the design on the stock and the hammer. It took him a long, awkwardly silent moment for him to snap back. "Huh, oh. Anywhere I suppose. Let the gulls take care of it, it's their job after all." Feathermain said dismissively.
Miguel approached Klepto, "A' gottem, ye just gonna hurt yeself." He scolded, trying to snatch a bag from Klepto's teeth - but quickly found something more interesting. "Oye, Feathermain. W'at form of t'ing yet gots ye'self there?"
"They call it a rifle, new fangled weapon from the Royal Armory. Fancy a go with it?" Feathermain offered the rifle to the salty griffon - who greedily snatched it.
"Don' mind if I do." He stared at the device puzzled, unsure what to do next. "How does it work?"
"Well you see-" Feathermain pointed to the hammer. "Lock that back then-" Pointing to the trigger. "Pull that trig-"
*Bang!*
A loud crack erupted from the end of the rifles barrel, discharging a bullet into the air above them. There came a painful screech from the rigging above them and down fell a another griffon, slamming onto the deck in a dead slump. Feathermain and Miguel both stood in dead silence looking at the body of the unfortunate cat-bird with a hole through their chest. Miguel then nodded approvingly. "Fancy an' noisy. Like it. 'ere ye go." Miguel handed the rifle back to Feathermain and went to grab the the bags. "A! Ye broken yokes, clean t'e deck a'ready!" Miguel commanded as he headed below deck.
"Yes... well, least we know it works." Feathermain reassured, awkwardly sidestepping around the dead griffon. "How about we go below before anymore griffons or ponies are shot down. 'Good idea', of course, I thought of it! Glad you agree. This way now don't want to disturb the crew anymore than we have before launch." As Feathermain went to follow Miguel below decks, another griffon member of the crew arrived with a mob and bucket while two more came to dispose of the body over the side. They looked unfazed by the event, rather nonchalant in fact.
((One more post for you then lets move on before anymore people get shot.))
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on May 21, 2013 21:00:52 GMT -5
((Good with me.))
Klepto jumped back in fright as a loud 'bang' burst from Feathermain's stick, spilling the chest and dufflebag onto the deck of the ship. It had sounded like a mix of lightning and two large rocks being smacked together, something Klepto hadn't been expecting in the slightest. Moments later, a griffon had fallen from the rigging, dead.
Klepto stared wide-eyed at the corpse of a griffon, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened. That was no ordinary stick, it was a death stick. You pointed it at people and they died. Whatever sort of powerful magic it was, Feathermain was the last Griffon to be using such a deadly device.
Klepto quickly followed Feathermain below deck, making sure to stay away from the direction the rifle was pointing. The thief looked over his shoulder to see a pair of griffons throwing the dead body overboard, then turned back to Feathermain. "You're worried about scorpions when you've got that thing?" he asked. "I mean, sheesh, I'm feeling afraid for the scorpions right now."
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on May 22, 2013 19:57:12 GMT -5
"Afraid for the scorpions? Those overgrown lobsters? Really? They're only good with a side of butter and some parsley for flavor. Besides, its the small ones you have to worry about. Their venom will puff a pony up like you into a hot-air balloon before you pop and get your guts all over my feathers. I've seen it, not pretty, but quite fascinating. Ah nature... you're so very scary. That's why I've vowed to kill you."
Once below deck, Feathermain made his way to a small room off the main corridor. Miguel had thrown their bags into it and left, forgotten. They were, of course, only on for part of the trip and hardly paying. Feathermain assessed the dank little room, barely more than a closet. "Ah yes, horrible. Perfect." He too then threw his bags into the room and then shut the door promptly, as if to stop the stench from assaulting him anymore than it had. "Might I recommend we just find some other quaters to sleep, these are... loused." He explained. "Anyway, rest up and drink at least 8 glasses of water. We should be over the desert by the morning! Meanwhile, I need to actually tell the captain where we're heading, would be embarssing to end up in the wrong place after all - massacring the wrong natives and all that. Why the egg would be on my face if that were to happen."
The vessel suddenly shifted, clearing its mooring. Commotion from the top deck indicated they were pulling free and would be underway shortly. Feathermain left Klepto, alone, to deal with whatever it is a pony may need to deal with aboard an airship - perhaps finding some ginger so he doesn't lose his lunch, or brunch. Feathermain had no idea what time of day it was.
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