Sturmrufer
Griffons
New Griffon
"Having fun, are we?"
Posts: 30
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Post by Sturmrufer on Apr 14, 2015 20:41:56 GMT -5
Saluting, Sturmrufer answered "No ma'am, all seems to be in order." He paused, trying to think of what they could have forgotten. "Though there is the question of what our plan of action would be if, somehow, the drakes captured Canterlot while we were still inside. It's doubtful, but we must be ready for all possibilities, ma'am." He offered, thankful for a chance to speak. He wondered internally of their true mission, recovering Loci's accursed research, though it continued to elude him of why he was brought along. Stygg had said something about 'gaining experience', but with how hush hush it had to be, there must have been more to her decision than just the fact he was a lowly cadet.He suspected it was the fact that he would have been 'impure' in Loci's eyes, an unholy abomination, but it was just a suspicion. Still, he wondered...
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Post by The Archivist on Apr 15, 2015 18:21:39 GMT -5
"Bah... your thanks." The Archivist glanced up from the book, turning to his three daughters, still speaking to Stygg. "They might have put you closer to royalty, but don't belittle them with your thanks. She is looking for a weapon," he told them bluntly, turning the the tome so that they could read its contents. He would not lie to them. They were old enough to understand, and did not deserve to be lied to by any pony. "A sword is a weapon, no matter the intent of its wielder. It has only one purpose, one function, and that is to kill. Especially one forged by the legendary Hephaestus. With it... she will further reunify the griffon clans under her banner. An entire nation, under her command." He paused for a moment, allowing that to sink into them, and he could see the realization dawning on their faces. "The griffon in front of you will become Queen if she succeeds."
The three fillies suddenly looked at Stygg and her body guards, trying to imagine how the fearsome general in front of them would look in a crown. "Is... is that a good thing? Did we do good?" Wintergreen asked quietly, as if unsure of herself.
The old pony harrumphed good naturedly and tousled her mane. "That depends on what sort of queen she will be. But I would rather the decision made by those who will inherit the future instead of old fuddy duddies who live in the past, and noisy chickens who want to rule the present."
He turned back to Stygg, his golden eyes seeming to glow in the paling lantern light. An almost unfriendly smile crossed his lips as he saw LeGoff's hesitation to cross the thresh hold. Well, they were learning at the very least.
"An introduction to Abjuration then... most wards are for keeping things out," he said pointedly, waving a hoof at the door. "You can pass through... but if you do puke, please do so across the hall. I'd like to not have to walk over a mess."
He was silent as he listened to Stygg's terms, mulling them over in his mind.
"They are... agreeable," the Archivist acquiesced at last, rising from the table. Secretly, he only intended to uphold a portion of her requests. He was fully willing to let the birds stick their own necks on the line if anything deplorable had found its way into his home. He was willing to lead them into the halls to the knowledge they seek, lowers its wards, and even still, defend them if necessary.
But if the chicken thought he would tell her everything about those defenses, then she would make a very foolish queen.
Still, lying was the cement of compromise.
His lined brow furrowed in as he thought about Sturm's word, genuinely surprised that the griffon was sharp enough to think that far ahead when clearly his commander hadn't. "Your lieutenant has a point. I highly doubt your fancy blimp is fast enough to outrun a drake. If they do make it to the Archives... I'd be shocked if they made it inside." A grim smile tugged at his lips. "At least we'd have plenty of reading to keep us busy as we waiting for help. Unless you had something in mind?" he asked Sturmrufer.
He rose from the table, passing the book to peppermint and stretching his legs. His muscles burned in protest at the sudden disturbance, and the Archivist could only wonder why the world had to go to Tartarus NOW instead of when he was bright eyed and bushy tailed.
"I shall need an hour here to pack and prepare myself," he told the griffons, turning his back to them as he picked up the piece of chalk with his magic again. He knelt and cleared a space on the floor, and began to draw circles of runes onto the floor of the apartment with a piece of chalk. "Where shall we find each other again?"
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Apr 19, 2015 15:51:15 GMT -5
Stygg merely raised her brow as the Archivist laid out my insults and accusations like the grizzled old horse he was. Ponies got cranky with age, or perhaps, he was part donkey. She never met one that wasn’t a curmudgeon. She let the rant wash off her, there were more pressing matters to attend too and the beliefs of one old book worm was the least of her troubles, not as if she could risk agitating him further. As they carried on, it seemed the old stallion was at least reasonable in sorts, she actually found herself surprised he agreed to readily to her terms.
Sturmrufer’s question intrigued the older griffon, surprised he’d consider bring it up. “Cadet, we’re soldiers, if it happens, we fight our way out – or are a few drakes too much of a problem for some of the best in the Fleet?” She retorted, then addressed Archivist concern, “He’s a officer in training, not a lieutenant, don’t give him any ideas… yet.” She said with a sly smirk her eyes caught Sturm’s for a brief second. “And we’re not just taking a ‘fancy blimp’, we will be using a Scythe ship. It’s a quick VTOL, using rotors and twin engines, one of the faster vessels in the fleet – though we’re sacrificing cargo space for speed, so when we get down into the archives, choose wisely. And should the drakes happen upon us, it has weapons including an experimental weapons platform that should make short work of a lot of them. Failing that, then we’re dead. Though, the drakes are not what I’m afraid, it’s who’s commanding them you and I should be concerned about, including what he’ll do to the archives when he gets there.” She smirked, almost delighting in the thoughts of going down with a fight.
As the Archivist finished, Stygg rose to her feet. “We meet on the roof. If you’re not there in an hour, don’t bother coming. We’re running a razors edge on time here as it is – so, if I might suggest, prepare quickly. The sooner we’re gone, the better our odds. Cadet, we’re moving out.” She patted his side with the back of talon, signaling the other griffon to follow. As she approached the warded door, Stygg glanced back to the old pony, “Tick-tock, old timer.” Stygg turned back to the door, ruslted her feathers and adjusted her wings as she prepared to cross, then with a deep breath, she opened the door and passed through.
A few moments later, an extremely loud sound came from outside, a steady beating ‘whoop’ that was quickly growing louder by the minute, soon causing the windows of the building to rattle. In the next moment a shadow was cast into the Archivists flat as the noise reached a deafening roar and a few seconds later, the building slightly shuddered as something seemed to have landed a few stories above, followed by the din of whatever it was winding away quickly.
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Sturmrufer
Griffons
New Griffon
"Having fun, are we?"
Posts: 30
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Post by Sturmrufer on Apr 21, 2015 15:04:12 GMT -5
"As you say, ma'am." He followed her out on top of the building, keeping just behind Stygg. The airship was already lowering down, the engines whining to a stop. A small ship, only forty two meters long, but it was fast. As they waited for the pony, he thought it a good time to tell her about what he'd surmised from seeing the pony and some of his documents."It doesn't seem that he has any connections with Loci, ma'am. No signs he'd ever been in contact with the bird."He sat back down, thinking of how he got here. He remembered Stygg personally selecting him to accompany her to Canterlot. Even if he could have, he would have been an idiot to refuse a chance to work with the future Queen. He would be sure to make the best of it.
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