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Post by Red Charge on Feb 20, 2013 18:53:28 GMT -5
"Git on ahead." Said the fish, "I'll go make sure the word's out, y'hear?" The very satisfied Kelpie said, fading slowly into the scenery as he walked away. Whether or not he was good for his word, Gilda won't find out until she got to the woods. One could only hope that he was indeed interested in Rainlock's favor.
The rest of the city was quiet, the Rainlock Security Forces mostly left Gilda be, knowing better than to mess with Rainlock's hired talon. On her way to the southern woods she saw several guard tearing the wings off a changeling in an alley, probably needed every bit of info they could get. This only cemented in Gilda's mind the thought that Rainlock truly despised Changelings, what between that and the changeling vaporizing spell she put on her house. Perhaps the changeling hive was that one adventure she could never go on. Perhaps it was an adventure she would not like to be reminded of. After all she was all cooped up in her home, something that did not seem befitting of such a powerful pony.
And there she finally was, at the southern woods. True to the fish-pony's words, no one hassled her as she went through, but noise soon attracted her to a small clearing. A mixture of thugs both pony and griffon were laying dead on the ground there. A single Diamond Dog was staring distastefully into the eyes of another pony, standing relaxed with a rapier to the pony's throat. Though the diamond dog seemed very old, well past his prime, the pony was sweating profusely, not daring to even so much as gulp.
"You truly are useless. Be glad I'm not sending you back to your boss." The old diamond dog said, the pony's eyes widened as the realization of the dog's words struck him and with a lazy swish, the pony's throat was open. The dog wiped the blood off on his cloak and placed the blade into a walking cane, completing the fake contraption.
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 20, 2013 19:58:46 GMT -5
Lives were clearly quick and worthless in this city for the underclass, even in its outlying areas. The massacre before her was something to behold, a scattering of corpses from distasteful sorts and an old Diamond Dog in the middle of it all with a blood stained saber and another pony still gurgling blood from his severed throat. Interesting, wondering which one of the dead ticked him off first. Figuring he probably was already aware of her presence, she opted to play it cool and just took to levitating close to the ground, careful to keep the skyline visible should she need to dart for the sky on a breaths notice. Not that she had any love for the fallen and she can’t recall ever crossing a Diamond Dog before, but this old dog certainly appeared like someone she didn’t want to aggravate and stick around.
”Who ticked you off?”Gilda inquired, keeping her distance from the Dog. ”And just for clarification, I’m not with them.” Gesturing to the field of corpses before her. She wondered if she may have a problem as her mind kept wandering to the thought of looting the corpses – she was out of bits after all and why stop now after pilfering pancake pony back on the Rainlock estate. That would have to come later. ”If this is a bad time, I can come back.”
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 22, 2013 3:00:45 GMT -5
The dog turned to her with a pleasant smile, "Oh don't mind them, madam Whitefeather," He said pleasantly. He tapped beneath his eye to indicate how he recognized her, by her eye markings. "What a curious coincidence running into you here of all places. Though I suppose it's hard not to be drawn here. A word of friendly warning however, curiosity killed the cat. Please don't let down your guard in these areas."
He leaned on his walking cane, which Gilda knew was a rapier, it was obvious he wasn't trying to threaten her, but rather dispense a warning. "Now, is there any way this old dog can assist you? I may not know where the Grey Shadow is hiding, but I suspect information regarding what he's taken from dear Lady Rainlock might help you?"
He acted rather friendly considering the clearing he was in was full of corpses. Even Gilda's sharp eye could not find any markings on any of them to signify their belonging to any group or other. Far as she could tell they might as well all have been random passer bys, though Gilda's sharp wit knew better than that. What had she gotten herself into? What was going on in the world anyway? So much violence, so much pain... it didn't use to be like this...
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 25, 2013 15:38:35 GMT -5
Gilda shot the old dog a curiously flabbergasted look. A Diamond Dog that knows griffon family markings, how utterly bizarre. And his friendly manner, calm, collected, perhaps even wordly way he spoke did not at all appear like the typical diamond dog she knew about. They were a savage, uncultured race of brutes whose only want in life was to eat, kill and dig. This was entirely bizarre for her and she kept herself ready for the reveal that it was just a ploy.
"Yeah, I think that proverb doesn't means what you think it means." She smugly retorted. "Coincidence? Seriously, what is your deal doggy? Never heard of your kind being so 'eloquently friendly', specially while swimming in a pool of corpses." She fluttered a little closer, her eyes inspecting him up and down, still puzzled by this bizarre creature before her. "And how do you know about all that? Does this entire lame city know? Is there a billboard I missed somewhere?" She was beginning to get frustrated at how quickly information was traveling around about her reason for being her. She was suspecting that Rainlock herself may be doing this to mess with her. She seemed like the sadistic type.
"Fine, well you have my attention, doggy. What can you tell me about that thing Grey Boy stole? Rainlock wasn't very forthcoming with information." This job was starting to get weird, first fish-lips, not the gentleman dog who appeared to just have massacred a small army. She really wished that she never ran into pancake pony for her own good. Rainlock will have to pay big when this was all over and done with.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 25, 2013 19:14:42 GMT -5
The Diamond Dog smiled pleasantly at her, "Spur," He mentioned as she called him doggy. "Yes, Lady Rainlock tends to skimp on the details a bit, I agree. Well the object you are looking for is called the Eye of Cassius. We believe it is of Equiterian origin, though it could be prior to that. now no one knows for sure, because the Eye has been jealously guarded through the years. But it is said the eye was enchanted with the power of prismatic breath by a dragon. As such, it is said to have the ability to alter reality itself to the vision of its wielder. Not many had a chance to tinker with it too much. But imagine that kind of power in the wrong hands, and you have yourself a problem that would make even Lady Rainlock and I hope she forgives me for saying so, shake in her boots."
At that the old dog began to walk away, "It was good talking to you, Lady Whitefeather. I wish you a productive journey." And just like that he vanished into the woods, leaving with barely an explanation to who he was, how he knew what he had told her, or why he chose to help her.
"Oh and Lady Whitefeather," She heard his voice from the thicket, "Please don't consider me rude for saying, but perhaps next time it would be wise to take a breath mint before engaging in conversation." And then silence.
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 26, 2013 18:39:50 GMT -5
Gilda curiously cocked her brow as the Diamond Dog explained the artifact, admittedly, it both intrigued her and frightened her. Not only does it sound like a hoot to play around with – Gilda could think of a so many thing she’d like to see ‘altered’ to her, obviously, proper vision of reality. But on the reverse, she now had to make sure someone else didn’t twist reality into something lame. And most importantly, she thought, who has something like that in their house? Rainlock needed a different hobby before it cost the known world everything it ever understood.
”Thanks for the info.” Spur was weird, ”Yeah, same to you, Spur.” Then came his retort and every pleasantry she had for the old dog went right out the window. ”HEY! Come back here so I can sock you in the muzzle for that!” She was wrathfully angered, how dare he say that. She fluttered around, trying to figure out where he had wandered off into the thicket, keeping still in the body strewn clearing. Dog was gone, but her anger was lingering. Next time, she thought. And how bad could it actually be – she checked that, breathing into her talon. So maybe he wasn’t entirely out of line – Dang that fish lips. She’ll have to file her beak to get this stench off.
She was now alone, surrounded by corpses and not a clue where to go. But she did have one thing in her favor, not only did she have an idea what was stolen (assuming Spur wasn’t an insane hobo), she also had a few minutes to check the bodies for some bits. She grinned mischievously, wringing her talons and landed beside one of the piles of ponies and griffons. She riffled through a few, taking a few measly bits and the occasional trinket that looked like it could fetch something at a pawn shop. These goons appeared to be mostly low level thugs and as she went about taking what they obviously didn’t need, she made note of any markings or indications that could point at what organization they belonged too. No luck there, just random thugs.
Wiping the spilt blood from her talons, Gilda resolved to continue further into the forest. Sadly, it would be slower than if she could fly over the forest but it was just too dark for that and the morning light was still a few hours away. She continued forward, the same way she had been going before the interlude - keeping herself astute, with her eyes, least she should be able to spot someone before they spotted her.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 26, 2013 19:08:06 GMT -5
All Gilda could find on the dead thugs were a few bits, not enough for anything and one chipped ring, silver plated, not even worth that much, especially in its condition. The woods were silent, they were still. Gilda kept as alert as possible as she trudged through the forest, trying to find the trail of the Grey Shadow.
It was soon that she picked up a trail and began following it. Her attentive scouting got her to the edge of another clearing, this one with a structure of sort covered in moss. She couldn't tell what it used to be, a mill of some sort? Unfortunately for her, she had little time to find out. She heard a hard *thunk* behind her, but as she tried to turn she found she was falling forwards, crashing into the earth. Her vision swam, something hit her square on the back of her head. She was out cold.
She heard whispering. An argument of some sort, it seemed. She felt sore all over, especially in the back of her head. Her vision hadn't gotten back to her yet completely. She could tell she was inside the strange structure, she could tell there was something going on, but not what.
Then the pain got to her, a sharp, unbearable pain in her left eye and everything swam into focus.
"You are fortunate, Shadow. I was going to take your eye, but a griffon's eye is better than any pony's!" A voice said loudly, then going into a demonic cackle. She could see now two figures, one pony shaped, covered in a grey cloak, the other appeared a massive lupine figure colored in midnight black with colorful neon markings.
And then the lupine attacked, viciously throwing the Grey Shadow across the room with an arc of lightning.
"You should have known better than to trust the trickster!" it called, vanishing in a flash, leaving Gilda and the pony writhing in pain. Gilda being shackled to a wall.
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 26, 2013 20:00:17 GMT -5
Gilda roused with a screech of pain as left eye was so rudely ripped from its socket, she was only able to see a faint glimpse of some sort of canine creature before her and his horrible claws grasping at her head and ripping the organ from its place, then it went black. When her head finally recuperated itself enough to make sense what had happened, Gilda found herself lacking depth perception and a warm river running down the left side of her face. She let out a barrage of curses, struggling against her restraints and oblivious to the pain any other creature would be feeling – she wanted blood, eye for an eye wasn’t even going to cut it for her, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to rip the wolf’s head from its neck.
Her struggling wasn’t getting her very far, straining against her bonds, she couldn’t feel them give. She tried pushing with her wings, but all it achieved was the shackles cutting into her arms. She relaxed, panting, rolling her head over to the zapped pony in the room. Was that the Grey Shadow? Everyone certainly talked him up a lot for getting his flank beat down. Least she was taken by surprise – how was she surprised anyhow? What dweb got the jump on Gilda? Her rage rose again thinking of the lupine with her eye, now she wanted him double dead.
”Hey! Loser! Wake up!” She yelled to the Grey Shadow. ”Get on your hooves and get me out of this thing! I need to put a dog down and I can’t do it strapped to this slab!”
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 26, 2013 20:26:13 GMT -5
The grey cloaked figure stirred and Gilda smelt burnt flesh. She couldn't tell the damage earlier, but that shock did a number on the pony, he was charred and burnt all over and shaking. That he was able to stand up was a surprise. He shook himself off and took a potion from inside his cloak. Then Stumbling over to Gilda.
"Tried to kill me." He muttered between coughs, "No one tries to kill the Grey Shadow and lives to tell about it." He approached Gilda and looked her up. "Didn't think he'd take your eye." He said, "Should have known better. But when a god offers you a job, who's going to say no?" He asked, unchaining Gilda from the wall one talon at a time. "Don't swat at me, griffon. We've got a common foe and I'm the only one who knows where to find him."
At that he stumbled over a bit and collapsed again, still breathing, but knocked out. She could try and take him to Rainlock, but moving him could kill him and cost her the lead. She could leave him here and go report to Rainlock, but then he might disappear by the time they get back, again losing her lead.
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 26, 2013 21:06:00 GMT -5
”Don’t think I realize that!?” Gilda squawked, still riled up with adrenaline. ”And I want my eye back!” She exclaimed as her last limb was freed and she plopped onto the floor, stumbling once, then feeling where her left eye used to be. Nothing but blood and an odd, dull yet painful empty sensation. It was disorientating.
A dull thud happened beside and she turned and rushed over to the fallen pony. She ignored his stink of burnt flesh and fur, frankly, she apparently wasn’t smelling to pleasant herself either. She check for breathing, he was alive but looked like a bread that had been left in the toaster for too long, he needed help and she wasn’t the best one to give it. She tapped him on the side of his face with the back of her talons, begging for him to snap back. ”Grey Shadow, stay with me. Don’t be a dweeb, I need you.” She let slip a few more curses and rummaged through his cloak for another potion, or anything that could help.
She’ll need Rainlock, however much she didn’t want to admit it. And she couldn’t move him, not in his condition and her being one eye short. Flying without the weight of a pony was going to be trouble enough. ”I’ll be right back, you hear? Don’t you go and die on me because I’m going to need you to help me rip that things head off and get me back my eye.” She wrapped his cloak over him, only thing she could think to do to keep off cold, before rushing out the mill and back into the forest. Immediately she shot like a rocket into the air, ignoring the pain of cold air running over tattering of the left side of her head. Even with one eye, she could see the city lights in the distance and knew exactly which one was Rainlock’s. She’d get there, quickly explain the situation and try to get back here before that pony either expired or decided to do things on his own – and if he did, she’d kill him too for getting her into this spot.
Gilda swooped into the Rainlock estate, practically crashing through the front door due to misjudging her distance. Flying with one eye wasn’t nearly as tough as trying to land. ”I’ve found the Grey Shadow and I need help, now!”
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 27, 2013 4:02:44 GMT -5
Gilda caught Lady Rainlock sitting at dinner, eating a sprout and beet salad, when she entered squawking. Lady Rainlock continued to munch on her salad nonchalantly, as though she had just been disturbed by a very rude guest. She stared into Gilda's missing eye and between bites she said to one of her employees, "Can one of you fix that?"
Immediately Gilda was sat down on a chair and many hooves swooped down on her, cleaning and applying proper antiseptic to her wound. Needless to say it burned more powerfully than before, but the guards were still holding Gilda's talons and wings so she couldn't break free. after finishing to clean and sterilize the eye socket, the guards applied cream to it and a shiny glass eye was inserted into it.
"Much better, thank you." Rainlock said, finishing up her salad. How she could eat beet while looking at that spectacle was beyond Gilda. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood from the table regally walking over to Gilda. "You were saying you found the Grey Shadow?" She asked. Nodding to one of her guards, who immediately ran off to assemble a team.
"It'll take us a minute to assemble. Would you like some to rehydrate yourself with?"
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 27, 2013 19:16:49 GMT -5
"Wait, what!?" Gilda yelped as she was so rudely sat upon by a flurry of hooves tending to her wounded eye. She did not appreciate the sudden and intrusive dinner table trauma center she had just been forced into. At first she struggled, trying to get away, even getting in one good peck at her pony restrainers before overpowered - restrained twice in one night, if it weren't for the blinding, it may have been a pretty good night.
" Get your dirty hooves off me!" ... "Oh no you don-AGHH! You little - AAH!" ... *pop* "Gah!" She lashed out with words, frustrated, angry, adrenaline pumped and still in a good amount of pain. If she wasn't so burdened with pain and Rainlock wasn't such a frightening beast of a mare, Gilda would break her jaw for getting her goons hooves all over her - despite them 'helping'.
Once recovered, she cupped her talon over her new glass eye. It was cold, strange - was it even in right? Did she looked derped? Most curiously, "What gives? Do you just have a jar of these laying around or something? This better not come out of my pay for the job." She scowled as she gave the glass eye a tap. "Yeah, I found him, so did something else. Maybe a diamond dog, maybe something else. It was big and it shot lightning, didn't have time to exchange pleasantries thanks to it TAKING MY Dang EYE. It bolted after that. The Lame Shadow should still be at the mill to the south, all double battered and deep-deep fried - thanks to my new friend."
Gilda rolled off the chair, onto all four, fluffing her feathers. She didn't have time to wait. "No time, have to get back to the mill. Have your ponies meet me there. And hurry!" The less time Gilda spent around Rainlock, the better. The mare annoyed her. If Rainlock had nothing to add, Gilda was gone. As quickly as she had arrived, she was back into the air and flying towards the mill with all the speed she could muster in her state.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 28, 2013 10:37:50 GMT -5
"Hey, if the Grey Shadow's wounded, use this." Rainlock said, tearing a piece of the vine on her arm and throwing it over to Gilda. "It'll suck out your life to replenish his. Keep him from dying until we get there, will you?" She asked, leaving the room to prepare herself.
Gilda took off towards the mill instantly, vine clutched in her talons. She'd have to let it suck on her blood to feed the Shadow. Was a healing potion too much to ask? When the griffon arrived at the abandoned mossy mill, she found it completely empty, after a short search of every corner in the mill, she realized that she had indeed lost the Shadow. Then she heard the familiar thud of being hit over the head. Though not so much unconscious this time due to adrenaline, she was still stunned when the shadow stuck the vine into her back. Immediately she felt its draining effects.
"You went and got Rainlock, did you?" He asked angrily, "Well then, I guess you just cemented our business partnership then." He said. Gilda found that the vine kept her stunned as it fed the Shadow. He picked up her stunned form and placed it on his back. Then she felt herself lift, as though he was flying, as he took off into the forest leaving the mill, the only place where Rainlock could find, and if need be, save her, behind.
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Gilda
Griffons
Acolyte Griffon
I'm half-eagle, half-lion and all awesome!
Posts: 213
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Post by Gilda on Feb 28, 2013 22:52:14 GMT -5
With the vine in her talon she was off like a bullet to the mill. Admittedly reluctant to use something that would ‘suck your life’, she at least hoped it would work, the quicker he was on his hooves, the quicker they can clobber that thing. Would they be able too though? Whatever it was, certainly seemed powerful – who was she kidding, that creature was as good as dead.
At the mill, once more, a thwack of something hard rattled her brain and caused her to go dizzy. Twice, in one night, this was getting ridiculous. She dropped, her brain seeming to restart itself when a sharp tinge struck her dead center in the back – like a demonic leech she felt her blood and energy zapped, drawn through the straw now embedded in her spine. She could struggle, but it was in vain, symbolic gestures of her resistance as she was spirited away into the forest.
”What gives… dude?” She slurred out, he body almost completely slack against the pony. ”Was tr-trying to help you. Some nerve you-ou have. Where’s the honor among thieves?” Albeit she was a half-rate ‘thief’ at best. She swatted at the Shadows face, frustrated and angry, her talons barely even grazing the skin underneath his fur. ”Minute you set me down, I’m breaking your face then I’m breaking every bone in that things body.” She was getting increasingly light headed, and the chill of the night air rushing through her feathers and fur was starting to bite back as well. ”This vine is lame… tell you what, remove this thing and apologize and maybe I won’t make a glue out of… out of…” Her body went completely slack, passed out. She stirred every few seconds, like floating up from a dream, the world around her whizzing by surreally. She was at his mercy – lame.
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Post by Red Charge on Mar 1, 2013 7:15:49 GMT -5
She didn't know how much time had passed before the Grey Shadow woke her up with a slap. The vine was long out of her, but she still felt incredibly weak. Part of the Shadow's plan no doubt. Beneath his grey hood, she for the first time managed to glance into his eyes, two bright white orbs with flame colored eyes, they even seemed to shift and burn like real flames as she looked. "Wake up, birdie," He said in a hushed whisper.
Gilda had no idea where they were, it was just at the edge of a massive clearing with what appeared to be a large ancient structure smack dab in the middle. The structure's roof was open to the night sky but was rather tall to reach, however there was a large, open stone door.
"Listen to me you clucking menace," The Shadows insisted as he saw Gilda lapse back, shaking her roughly. "I need your eye," He said, "I need you to get up to the roof and spot for me. Coyote's going to use the Eye and if we don't stop him, he'll make Discord look like a foal in a diaper. I may be a good sneak, but he's not something normal to sneak by. You must get up on the roof and spot him for me, so I can sneak through the labyrinth and get the eye."
At that he bobbed forwards and plopped Gilda's glass eye out of its socket. Gilda couldn't see it at first, but the glass eye was exactly the same shape and size and even color of her regular eye. It was beyond convincing.
"I'm going to switch this eye with the Eye of Cassius, he won't be able to tell the difference hopefully, until he uses his magic and opens the ritual. But..." He said, taking out some device out of his cloak and drilling a small hole through the back of the eye and filling it with some strange vibrantly colored powder before resealing it with a drop of glue. "Magic reactive explosives. Equiterians used to put this all over their treasure chests in case someone tried to magically open the lock, it would explode in his face. A small sprinkle would be enough to set off an explosion, I put in a whole flask. Which means that once I change the eye, we need to get out of here like a cheetah with a burning tail. So you jump off and get down here the second you see me clear. You dig?"
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