Off the Boats (WARNING: Dark Themes and Violence)

[Shadestride Scythe]

Perhaps it was, it didn't stop Shade from getting cold feet, staring up at him, hoping the large work horse would give him some kind of signal. Surely from his position he could spot Shade and give him a heads up to at least proceed in that way. His eyes scanned the horizon for Diamond Dogs... but the fear that if he made a movement now that this entire operation would stagger. Keeping downwind as best he could as his eyes carefully locked on Clobber...

If he entered the house from the balcony... then Shade would proceed inside.

[Red Charge]

Clobber did in fact enter the balcony silently and slowly, though the door didn't creak, Shade noticed that after he had it slightly opened, Clobber pulled out an oil can and oiled the hinges. Smart plan.

There was only the basement left now, even Shade's nose, which wasn't nearly as keen as that of a diamond dog could smell the scents coming out from it. Perhaps they kept dead bodies down there, or maybe that's where they slept, or did their business. Either way it wasn't going to be pleasant going in, the Diamond Dog guard had already passed him and if he wanted to go now would be the time.

[Shadestride Scythe]

Couldn't be any less pleasant then the last two weeks of his life. The stench of the undead was.. well thanks to the incident back on Royal Rocks it wasn't something he was terribly unfamiliar with. Rotting carcasses would be new to him that was for sure. But seeing the dead and smelling them fresh he could manage.. hopefully.

As he waited until the Diamond Dog had left his sight, crouching as he hastily, silently, his hooves muffled by the sand bags began to slink toward the basement entrance. It all really depended on if there was something in the way beside the irritating bushes, which he slowly parted in order to reveal the secret entry point. Now walking in feces?... That was something he'd done before and though hated... he could manage, with reluctancy.

[King Tidal Wave]

The only object in Shade's way was the board covering the cellar entrance. Setting it aside revealed a set of stairs descending below the house. The room into which they led was enveloped in darkness shortly after they hit the floor. If Shade moved around slowly, the starlight coming in from the entrance was probably enough to keep him from knocking anything over. However, navigating the cellar at a decent pace wouldn't be easy without a better source of light.

The only real indication of anything down there was the smell, though there was still no telling what it was. There were no audible sounds, and with the darkness keeping him from seeing more than what was a very short distance in front of him, Shade would be going in blind.

[Shadestride Scythe]

It seemed he had two choices... scrounge around in the dark whilst playing partially blind. Or risk it being a sleeping pack of Diamond Dogs and likely get himself positively killed in the process. He had but one choice. With his sand booties on he hunkered low to the earth. He had to at least get an idea of what was so Dang stank down here. Or scan for the door.

Shade crouched, and even crawled in the direction it stunk most fiercely, doing his best to only use his nose enough to find it... as terribly foul as it were, he had sloshed around in the sewer muck at one point in an attempt to find his way out, and my had he been down there quite some time doing so, only to be whisked up by two Griffon soldiers and... well the story goes on.

The unicorn grit his teeth very hard, wanting to cast his candlelight spell and see what the horseapples was so dang rancid. Until the idea crossed him that if he could do it fast enough... he may just get a glimpse. Slowly and ever gently he rose onto his hooves, and with just a spark of magic he made the equivalent to a firefly... a quick bright light, then fade. Naught moving a muscle, to terrified that he may risk... well... awakening something...

Bodies or Feces... he'd settle for either.

[King Tidal Wave]

Shade's quick burst of small light lit up no outlines of sleeping diamond dogs, or any other sentient life for that matter. The light wasn't bright enough or lasted long-enough to give sufficient detail to reveal whatever it was that was making the awful smell. The location of the staircase to the rest of the house also remained a mystery.

It did, however, reveal a lantern that was hanging on a nail stuck into a nearby support beam. The only other notable items of interest Shade could make out in that fraction of a second were some mostly empty free-standing shelves.

[Shadestride Scythe]

With no diamond dog's within the premisis, he gave quite a quite, easing sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and generated a small, now continuous light, and tiptoed toward the lantern on the wall, now gazing across the room, staring at what he could clearly see, and hesitating when he peered into the dark, far corners, 'Now what have we here~' he thought to himself, stopping before the lantern and slowly opening the small flame chamber, he stuck his horn inside ever so gently so's not to rattle it... and charged his energy just enough to ignite a small spark.

His eyes fell on the shelves on the far side, but they seemed empty enough. Like most ponies scrounging around to make a decent living... especially with those like Shade his mind tended to wander and fall upon the basics... scavenging for something of value. But with the stench starting to get to him... he'd much rather focus on finding a way out of this basement. Unless there were something of value.

That dreaded exception ran through his mind, and a strong pout crossed his lips, grimacing even. He wished he'd a way to contact Clobber from down here.

[King Tidal Wave]

Now that Shade had some light he could see exactly what was making that awful smell. It wasn't diamond dog refuse or corpses. It was meat. Pony meat. All nicely organized and ready to be cooked and eaten. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so unsettling had it not belonged to living, breathing, thinking ponies not too long ago.

The light also revealed the staircase to the second floor, hidden around the far wall of the cellar. The door above him was closed, and Shade had no idea what if anything was awake up there.

[Shadestride Scythe]

His heart sank. The realization hit him. His eyes wide with a look of terror and appall. But he stayed silent, just staring upon these... these husks of what used to be. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he set the lantern at his sand-booted hooves, lipping the words 'no wonder they have no idea I'm down here.'

Trembling a tad he scooped the lantern up in his teeth, and began to creep through this unsettling scene, trying not to stare for it might cause himself to heave. It was so foul!~ No wonder it reeked, and the fact it was... well. Meat! He didn't recognize it as his own just... the meat of an animal. eyes straight, though flicking up and down to watch the floor for any mismatches... silently, yet as swift as silence could be. By his own skill at the least, he wondered to the door, and gently lowered the lantern.

Trying to find any cracks of light coming through the underside of the door. Whether it was candlelight or daylight... or if a shadow would occasionally pass through.

[King Tidal Wave]

There was no light outside coming from underneath the door, or at least it was so dim that the glow of the lantern was masking it. Shade couldn't hear any sounds on the other side. The light seeping from the lantern and underneath the door didn't seem to indicate any movement nearby.

[Shadestride Scythe]

He had to take quite some time to button up his courage. Inhaling and recalling the Rust Pheonix from the Siege at Royal Rocks. Yes... he'd been in just as much danger it just felt like the possibility of being eaten was~ Well it was even less pleasant than solely dying. But eventually he inhaled himself. You never won if you didn't take risks. He rose a hoof up and gently lit up his horn, attempting to turn the handle quick enough to get in and get out... but without causing too much commotion.

He grit his teeth behind shut lips, and shifted in his light armor, 'here goes nothing~' he slowly opened the door a crack to peer out down whatever hallway or room might be on the other side. His heart racing and his breath closely under control... He swallowed. Perhaps the artifact would be in plain sight.

And if he was truly lucky... Clobber would be as well hiding in some far off corner ready to fight. Or at least within range of sight~

[King Tidal Wave]

The door to the cellar opened up to the kitchen. Though the dogs had certainly left it a mess, there was no sign of any of them here. This definitely looked, and smelled, like the place where they ate.

To Shade's right were a closed set of sliding doors, currently blocking him off from another room. An open archway around the left corner led into another room, though Shade couldn't see what it was or what was in it from this angle.

The kitchen also had several windows and a backdoor leading into the world outside. The room was dark, but starlight coming in gave off enough light to keep Shade from bumping into anything.

[Shadestride Scythe]

His eyes fixated left to right, taking in all the details. thankfully there was no sign of anything atop the cellar stairs. He slowly opened the door, and closed it, turning the knob slowly enough to just press it shut before he turned. His snout wrinkld to show strong dislike of this stench... even he recognized that this was a feeding ground. Rather than risk the closed doors, he moved toward the archway, hugging the wall along the way, the sand booties beneath him muffling any loud clips of his hooves. For this he thanked Clobber for the idea.

His ears matted back, reaching the stone and peeking in ever gently. Without a sounds in the world he felt they were just simply laying about, slumbering while the starlight peered through the windows. Sometimes he regretted doing things like this... he knew his life was on the line but hey, he got better as he went along, wasn't that right. He gazed around this next room, stealthed agaisnt the archway, eyes looming up and down... left to right.

His heart trying its best not to race on him.

[King Tidal Wave]

Slowly inching around the corner, Shade caught a glimpse of a diamond dog in the other room before quickly pulling back. He had been medium sized, and examining something in his paws, but getting less than a glimpse wasn't very conducive to taking in details. There had been numerous objects strewn about both along the walls and on a large table in front of the dog, but Shade wasn't able to process what they were in that fraction of a second.

The unicorn could try peeking into the room long enough to see what exactly was in there, but it was his choice if he wanted to risk the diamond dog noticing him. There was also the room behind the two sliding doors, and the door leading outside. If there wasn't a sentry walking around, he could try sneaking around to the front of the house and re-entering through the front door.

[Shadestride Scythe]

The final option was immediately null, when he'd came in there was a Diamond dog patrolling the exterior of the house anyway. What made Shade assume that there wouldn't be the same on, or a replacement. He had two reasonable options remaining, and he needed to make them fast. If he could just get a good look at the diamond dog just around the corner. Then it would be easier. He had an idea... or two. The chance to risk it and just get a peek.

Or~... cast a bubble shield around the diamond dog and render him unable to cry for help. From there perhaps he could think of something then on? But it wasn't the easier task. Not to mention he could just screw up on the casting. But... maybe if he timed it right. He could take peek... and if he were caught? Cast the shield? This disgruntled him... greatly. He flicked his eyes around, and he began to wonder... was there only one entrance to this room?... If there was another door, even leading into the kitchen? like a full circle?

He slowly leaned his head out, just enough to take a quick peek... looking for any doors. But he did not put it out far enough most likely, he was smart enough to keep the Diamond dog less than able to see him. At least not easily so. His ears fetted down, 'If I can just... find a gosh darn hallway... I could maybe distract him with a sound..

Regardless; he needed to act quickly. He slowly sifted backwards, this time... he was searching for a weapon. An object of interest with a sharp blade. But only if it were out in the open...

He needed just a moment to make his decision. He had so few options right about now. His horn had already begun to channel, not enough to possess a glow.. enough that he could conjure a spell much more quickly, though. The unicorn bit his lip and peered around the kitchen one good time. A leftover sword... maybe evena butcher's knife..