Chapter 14: A Simple Job (Part 1)
A light tapping on my shoulder slowly brought me back to the waking world as I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As I did a small weight that was present on my lap suddenly vanished, followed by the sound of ruffling bedsheets.
I blinked away the fuzziness of my vision as the room took shape, the memories of last night flowing back in earnest. My eyes snapped open, but my body remained completely still. My gaze stayed locked with the small figure atop the nearby bed, snuggled and hiding beneath the sheets. It was the same filly I'd helped last night… her small face peeking out from under the covers.
The sun still hadn't come up, the room aglow with ghostly moonlight. The tiny pony wiggled a bit under the covers before twirling her two front hooves together shyly.
"Hi…" She spoke, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.
There was a short silence as I watched her shift uncomfortably.
"Are you hungry?" I asked gently, getting her to meet my gaze for a moment before looking downwards once more.
Zecora had packed plenty of supplies for the trip, though it was all back in the carriage. The only food I had in my pouch was whatever I had left in deer meat… and something told me that wasn't an option.
I motioned to the front door with a wave of my hand. "I can get you something, but you'll have to give me a minute, ok?" I explained as I stood and made my way past the bed.
She said nothing and watched me timidly as I pulled the door open, pausing as I went through before turning back with a shrug.
"Of course, you can still leave if you want. It's not like I'm keeping you here." I stated with a motion towards the window.
She looked out the moonlit glass and seemed to be thinking hard on something, before looking down with an unreadable expression. I took this as my queue to leave and slid out of the room, pulling the door shut behind me. Letting out a tired sigh I leaned against the door, resting the back of my head on it as I thought about how to go about handling this.
It didn't take much observation to tell she was starving… or near starving. I could plainly see her ribs in the daylight earlier. With the state she was in it was obvious she had no parents, and no parents meant no-one to leave her with. Plus, judging by Herb's reaction last night, she's obviously tarnished her reputation around town.
Most here have never felt the pain of starvation, it's maddening grip twisting in the pit of your stomach. It would drive even the best natured folks to evil out of desperation. I would help those I could back in Azeroth, the reason I learned alchemy in the first place.
But starvation was something that couldn't be cured by elixirs or potions.
We also couldn't take her with us, that was absolutely out of the question. It was just far too dangerous for a child to travel with someone… like me.
She'd end up dead, or worse, I'm certain of it.
I let out a gravelly sigh, before beginning the short journey back to the carriage. Descending the stairs towards the lobby I noticed how silent the inn currently was, with not a single soul roaming the darkened halls save for myself. Though the darkness seemed to scatter and give way to a bright atmosphere as I entered the main lobby. I noticed Herb working quietly nearby, sliding chairs off tables and setting them up… likely preparing for the morning rush.
The lobby was brightly lit, everything set out and ready for breakfast. I soaked in his features for the first time, as I couldn't really do so late last night. He sported a dark burgundy coat, his black mane slick with product of some kind and combed back into a pompous looking hairdo whilst his tail came to a short stop only half way down his legs. The image on his flank resembled a small tea cup accompanied by a swirl of different herbal leaves.
That's something I've noticed about these ponies… not a single pony shared the same mark. Well… not exactly. I've noticed similarly themed marks but each one is entirely unique in it's own way.
I really should ask Zecora about those.
Herb paused his tidying for a moment as he spared me a quick glance, before letting out a sharp, annoyed sigh. Pushing the chair he was behind into the table, he turned to regard me as he fixed his crooked glasses.
"You can bring the thief-" He paused as my glare hardened, getting him to quickly avert his own eyes and electing a small clearing of his throat. "Ahem… the child down for breakfast." He stated as he pulled more chairs off the table with a huff. "Courtesy of Tusk." He added low, a sour tone hanging from his voice.
The idea of giving her an actual breakfast instead of a random fruit from the carriage sounded like a much better plan, but I doubt I could get her to sit and eat in a public setting like this.
"Could you bring it up to the room?" I asked, earning a hesitant shake of his head.
"N-no, we don't do room service here." He replied back, wiping down the table with a cloth.
I pulled out a gold coin and placed it down where he had just wiped, slowly sliding it towards him as his eyes sparkled.
"Make an exception."
It didn't take long for the sun to crack the sky and begin the day, a warm glow beaming down uncomfortably on my neck from my seat by the window.
"What about an Abyssinian?" The filly questioned from her spot on the bed, shovelling another bite of what looked like fried hay into her mouth… gross.
"No." I stated flatly, rolling my eyes at her persistent questions.
She chewed slowly as she mulled over her next guess. "If you're not a Minotaur, and your not an Abyssinian, you're…" She shot her hoof up victoriously. "-a diamond dog!"
"No." I replied again, getting her hoof to fall onto the bed and electing a small *Pomf* from it as she groaned in annoyance.
"Well you're not a pony!" She grumbled, taking a swig of her applejuice.
"How observant of you." I quipped back jokingly, finally prompting a tiny giggle from her.
She was very reserved at first, but as soon as her breakfast arrived she became much more talkative. She was currently trying to guess what I was.
She'd be guessing for a while.
Poking at her food some more and scooping another bite into her mouth, she chewed happily as I scratched my chin out of habit.
"My name is Dalandor. Could I ask you yours?" I said softly, gaining her attention from the food quickly before swallowing and looking back down.
"J-Just call me Raven." She mumbled out.
I furrowed my brow at her answer as she avoided my eyes and continued focusing on her food. That was a very odd name. Not to me, but just with how different it was from the names I've heard here so far for ponies.
Twilight Sparkle.
Shining Armor.
Fluttershy, Celestia, come on…
But Raven, now thats a weird one.
Part of me wanted to ask her about it, but I could tell the subject was a sensitive topic for her. The filly continued chowing down the assortment of hay, fruit and scrambled eggs albeit with a bit more apprehension. Thats when I noticed something odd, or rather it's what I didn't. There didn't seem to be any mark on her flank like the other ponies I'd seen. That's when it dawned on me that any of the children I've seen up to this point didn't have them either.
Now I was really curious, is it possible it's some kind of coming of age ritual? Perhaps done by their parents? If that was the case, it would make sense why she didn't have one yet… though something tells me there's more to it then that. I held off on asking anything about it, besides… the answer probably lay within one of the books which I already had in my possesion.
I really should give those a read…
"Can I…" Raven suddenly began, but hesitated as she poked her food and avoided my eyes. "Can… I come with you?"
The question caught me off guard, electing an owlish look from me as I stared back at her in silence. Her ears folded down tightly against her skull as she shrank a bit, but didn't say a word.
I composed myself quickly, before sighing and shaking my head.
"You don't know who, or even what I am, kid. I could be dangerous." I began, getting the filly to shuffle in place. "Why the rush to leave?" I asked with a motion towards the window.
Her eyes screwed shut as she looked away, silence hanging in the air for a few awkward moments.
"I-" Before she could answer a sudden knock at the door interrupted us.
I grasped for my axe out of reflex, my hand resting on the handle as I stood and quietly crossed the room. The filly stayed quiet from her spot at the bed, her ears folded down as she watched me with a look of hesitant curiosity.
I unhinged the latches and locks before pulling the door open a crack to a smiling Zecora. Letting my hand fall from my hip, I pulled the door open wide and could tell the difference in her coat from yesterday immediately, she was positively glowing. Her mane looked as if it had been touched up and her coat cleaned to a near sparkle.
She must have enjoyed that shower she spoke of so fondly.
Thats when I noticed the state I was in. My clothes still clinging to my body with large splotches of dark, dried blood printed all down my shirt. Worry and disgust spread over her face as she hurriedly shoved me back into the room, all whilst taking quick looks down the hall before swinging the door shut with a solid bang.
"Dal, what the hay happened to you!" She spoke in a hushed yell, followed by some words I couldn't understand in presumably her own tongue. "Why are you covered in blood?!"
Rolling my eyes, I waved off her worry. "I'm fine, it's not even mine."
This elected a shake of her head as she let out a huff. "Thats not. The. Point!" She punctuated each word with a prod to my chest, before groaning and letting out a defeated sigh. "…what happened?"
My answer was to simply move aside. She looked at me questioningly for a moment before she noticed the only other presence in the room, currently watching us silently from atop the bed. She stood stock still, before quickly looking between Raven and I with a bewildered expression.
Sighing and pinching the bridge of my nose, I moved back to my chair and plopped myself down. "We were targeted by a couple of assassins."
"Assassins?!" She hissed in surprise, a look of dread quickly filling her features.
"Two of em', and yeah, assassins. I heard one mention a price on my head." I stated coldly with a nod, electing a small gasp from her. "Seems I've already painted a target on my back, and I've barely even been here a week. This might be a record for me."
She stared at me with a look of bewilderment, waiting for me to reveal this was all some kind of joke. When I didn't she sat on her haunches, covering her face for a moment with her front hooves before dropping them to the floor and looking away from me.
"This… is my fault isn't it?" She asked hesitantly, electing a shocked look from me.
"You're asking if it's your fault because they didn't murder you that night? No, Zecora. It's not your fault. Wanting to live isn't a crime." I stated back fiercely as she locked eyes with me for a moment, a look of surprise visible on her face before she quickly returned to studying the ground… as if searching for what to say.
"Do you think theres more?" She asked quieter this time, a twinge of worry seeping into her voice as she glanced to the front door.
Sighing, I closed my eyes for a moment before shaking my head.
"I don't know. At this point I assume we have at least a few days before they know we're still alive. And that's only if they traveled at the same speed we did. Though, it seemed like they were waiting for us here already so I wouldn't hold your breath." I answered in defeat, motioning out the nearby window. "When word does get back, who know's what they'll send."
The silence after that was so thick I could almost taste it in the air. The moment stretched on until the other occupant in the room, who'd until now had been completely silent, finally made herself known as she shifted a bit on the bed.
Zecora turned to her with a warm smile. "And who's this little one?" She asked in a softer voice, getting the little filly to shift a bit in place.
"That's… another thing." I began, rapping my fingers against my knee and glancing at Raven. "She got involved… it's my fault. I should've scouted the area before I baited them out." I admitted as I looked down at my hip and the still bloody axe hanging from it.
"Baited them out? How long have you known they were around?" She asked as I blinked once, before leaning back a bit in my chair.
"Since the Hearthstone." I stated flatly as she stared back in shock.
"You never thought to let me in on that? That maybe your travel-mate should know these things?" She spoke with an annoyed tone. "Sisters sake Dal, I went out last night to get you medicine!" She paused as she flipped open the saddle bag on her hip and pulled out a large green bottle.
As she set it on the ground, I looked between the bottle and herself as realization sunk in. She'd been out last night on her own and I had no idea. If they got their chance they could have…
"Luckily," She started again, breaking my train of thought. "It was pretty busy that night. A lot of ponies were coming in and out of the inn for drink, so I guess thats the only reason I wasn't targeted?" She let the question hang for a moment, before letting out a small huff. "If we're traveling together, we have to be honest. No more secrets."
There was a long silence after that as I stared at the bottle.
"I'm sorry." I finally spoke out, getting one of her ears to flutter. "You're right. You're damn lucky they didn't capitalize on that. I won't…" I gave out a sigh, before looking back up to her. "I won't hide anything else from you, I promise."
She looked at me in surprise. Though it passed quickly and she took on a thoughtful look, as if there was still something she wanted to ask. With a shake of her head she let out a sigh and turned to the one other occupant in the room who had been sitting silent on the nearby bed.
Looking at her with a warm smile, which the filly returned with a hesitant look, Zecora spoke in a soft, gentle tone.
"I'm very sorry little one, is there someone we can drop you off with?" At the question the filly's expression fell slightly as she shook her head, her ears flattening down.
Zecora and I shared looks for a moment, before she turned back to Raven and gave her a wave towards the door. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."
She ushered the small filly to the front door, who reluctantly followed her commands as they both made their exit. Zecora stopped in the doorway before turning back to me, scanning my figure with a slight hint of disgust.
"And for Sisters sake Dal, clean yourself up!" She commanded in a harsh whisper, electing a grumble from me as the door clicked shut.
I stomped into the nearby bathroom and set work to cleaning off what I could. The blood just wouldn't come out of the fabric, but that was to be expected. It did, however, wash off the axe's fel iron edge with ease. The running water from the sink flowed against it as my thumb worked the offending liquid off.
Once I was satisfied with the cleanliness of my weapon, I shed my clothes and wrapped them in some linen before stuffing the bundle away into my pouch. As I opened the box given to me by Fluttershy and browsed through my options, I found a peculiar pair of things at the bottom. Yanking them out, I stared at the pair of black, lace up shoes and facepalmed.
Those would have been nice to wear before the walk here. I swore to myself for not checking the whole box when I first changed, before sighing and pulling out a new set. These ones were completely black, matching the cloak I wore last night. I think maybe that Rarity took my request for nothing colorful seriously, maybe even a little too seriously.
Theres such a thing as being so inconspicuous you double back around you know…
The pants slid on fine but as I moved to put on the shirt something strange caught my eye in the mirror. I stopped and looked at my reflection, more confusion creeping in the longer I stared. Slowly bringing my hand up to my face I rubbed my cheek… a scratchy, sandpaper-like texture brushing against my fingertips.
"What the fuck?" I blurted out as I took in the strangest thing I'd seen since arriving in this world.
I had a goddamn 5 o'clock shadow.
It was barely noticeable, probably couldn't even be considered stubble yet… but it was there.
Even though the proof was undeniable, I still couldn't believe it as I stared dumbly at my reflection. I was pulled from my stupor as a loud series of knocks rattled on the bathroom door.
"Dal, are you ready yet?" Zecora's muffled voice asked from the other side.
My mouth was dry as I swallowed, looking into the mirror one last time before shaking my head.
"Y-Yeah… hold on." I replied as I quickly pulled on my remaining clothing and opened the door.
Zecora pulled back a bit in surprise as I did, but recovered quickly and motioned to the nearby bed containing a certain filly. Her wing feathers were still a bit disheveled, but the blood and dirt staining her coat seems to have been washed out.
Zecora pulled me over to the front entrance and whispered in a hushed voice. "I cleaned her up a bit but she wasn't very talkative, she asked if…" Zecora paused as she bit her lip, before shaking her head and sighing. "Where did you find her anyway?"
Glancing to the filly in question, who quickly averted her eyes and focused on the blanket she was fiddling with, I shrugged.
"She was just hiding behind some boxes when I got jumped. Pretty sure she's been on her own for a while." I stated, getting a raised brow from her.
"What makes you say that?"
"Saw her pinch some fruit from a stand when we arrived, snatched it like a pro too." I said with a small smirk. "I've seen others of her ilk before." I added motioning to the filly. "Looks like she's been on the verge of starvation for days, maybe even weeks."
"I can hear you, you know…" The filly spoke up from the bed as she looked at me in annoyance, before turning her gaze to the nearby window. "I get by."
There was a long silence as Zecora and I stared at her, before Zecora bumped my side and motioned towards the hall. I followed her closely and clicked the door shut behind me.
"We have to drop her off somewhere safer." Zecora began as I spun around and shook my head.
"Like where? I'm sure if they had an orphanage around here she'd already be there." I answered with defeat.
"Take her with us then." Zecora stated simply. "Until we find someone we can leave her with."
"…what?" I replied dumbfounded, staring blankly at the zebra. "Are you nuts Zecora? She'd be in even greater danger with us!" I spoke with increasing intensity, but stopped as a pony exited their room and gave us a strange look.
It was the same drunken pony from last night, his brown mane completely disheveled and his eyes bloodshot. Though he tried to cover it up with a hard look which did little to hide the nausea behind his gaze. He brushed at some dirt staining his olive colored coat, before giving up with an annoyed snort. He walked past us down the hall and towards the Main lobby, each of his steps echoing out as he descended down the stairs and out of sight.
Turning to Zecora again I continued but this time at a whisper. "Whoever these guys were last night wont give up, and whoever is behind this obviously has a lot of money and connections… once word gets back about their failure I'm sure we can expect more." I paused as I waved to the door behind me. "She'd just become another target."
Zecora looked like she wanted to argue, however I could see in her eyes she knew I was right.
Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Let me talk to someone, maybe I can figure something out. Stay in public areas when I'm not around, okay?" I asked, placing a hand on her back.
She looked hesitant for a moment, before nodding slowly and sighing. "Okay."
I didn't say anything else and moved aside as she reentered the room. The door clicked shut and I let out a small breath I didn't know I was holding, before hastily taking my leave. The lobby of the inn was bustling with both early risers and hungover patrons; shovelling breakfast down their gullets and socializing, or groaning in pain as they cradled a cup of orange juice and massaged their temples.
There was just one group in particular that wasn't present…
Khana, Cragg and Tusk. I never observed the other two very closely, however I did note the one called 'Khana' seemed to have a slightly more feminine build.
Slightly.
Herb, the innkeeper, moved about and greeted random patrons as they ate, his eyes flashing towards my direction for a moment but paying me nothing more than the single glance. I made my way to the bar table and leaned against it, waiting as he went about his checks before he finally rounded back to me.
"I thought you were leaving this morhing?" He whispered as he passed me, going behind the bar and digging under the table for something.
"I have to talk to Tusk." I answered, looking over the dining room and electing a sudden short laugh from the pony.
"Usually not such an easy feat," He quipped as he pulled out a big bottle of unopened brownish liquor and set it on the table with a solid clink. "Luckily for you, he'd also like a word." He stated, nodding to the door behind the counter as he shoved the bottle forward.
I raised an eyebrow at him and tentatively reached for the bottle, sliding it towards myself and inspecting it closer. The bottle was unmarked, it's sticker having already been ripped off. Herb got up with a small grunt and took off to continue his work as I grasped the bottle he'd left, glancing at the door behind the bar table.
Sighing, I pushed off the table and made my way to it. I'd seen Herb and Tusk go through it a couple times, I could only assume it was some kind of personal housing section. My suspicions were more or less confirmed as I pushed it open and a much different aesthetic greeted me back.
The walls looked like polished oak with a fitting trim across the bottom, the floors clean and unmarked hardwood. Ahead of me stretched out a short hallway, a few doors littered about and cracked open varying amounts… all but one of them housing a darkened interior. Paintings adorned the walls, not just random pieces of art but what looked to be family photos of some kind. I recognized Herb in a couple of them, and a few with different ponies I could only assume were family or close friends of some kind.
A couple photos even had Tusk in them, though he looked a lot younger as he stood side by side with another minotaur I hadn't met yet. A crackling sound from one of the nearby doors caught my attention as my gaze broke from the photos. I approached the open door and lightly pushed it open, revealing a small study bathed in the orange glow of a roaring fireplace.
Large decorative drapes were pulled tight over the room's windows, letting none of the morning's light through. Tusk faced me as he sat at a large desk with his head down, peering at the many sheets of parchment in-front of him. His right hand squeezed tightly around a long quill, the end of which looked worn and torn up as he it scratched against his temple… his gaze angrily locked onto the documents.
"Just, leave it over there Herb." He spoke up in his gruff voice, gesturing lazily with his free hand to the end of his desk.
I strode forward and placed the bottle down with a loud clink. "Little early for the hard stuff, don't you think?"
His gaze snapped to me as I spoke, a look of surprise adorning his features for only a moment before it disappeared and was replaced with a hard look.
He replied with a grunt, reaching forward and taking the bottle. "Not if you haven't slept. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked dismissively as he dragged over a nearby cup with an inch of water left in it, likely from long since melted ice.
He shot back the water quickly before filling the glass halfway with the brown alcohol.
I raised a brow at him before crossing my arms. "I have my reasons, but Herb mentioned you wanted a word too."
Tusk looked at me for a moment before shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand.
"…yeah. I did." He stood as he took a sizeable gulp of his drink, before setting it down on his desk and motioning me forward. "Take a seat." He stated as he moved to the corner where a single chair sat, dragging it over and planting it infront of his desk.
He walked back around and took a seat in his own solid wood armchair. It dwarfed the other chair in size easily, and creaked as he sat down before gesturing again to the seat across from him. I sat in the chair as he leaned back and took the glass of alcohol with him.
He took a smaller sip this time, cringing a bit a the taste before looking at me and pointing a single finger. "You're a mercenary, right?"
I stared at him for a moment longer, before leaning forward on the table and clasping my hands together.
"Is that a problem?" I asked calmly, getting a shake of his head.
"Not at all, actually…" He paused as he reached down and pulled up a large sack which jingled loudly. "I wanted to hire you." He stated as he dropped the sack on the desk.
I stared at his offer, the large pouch obviously brimming full with bits, before looking back to him with a squint.
"I've no interest in coin." I stated dismissively, his face emotionless as he leaned back electing a groan of displeasure from the chair.
"I thought you might say that." He shot back while raising a finger, before reaching into his desk once more and pulling out a rolled up piece of parchment. "Found this before we buried those two. I'm willing to add this to my offer, if it pleases you?"
I stared at the document sitting on the desk between Tusk and myself. It had a stain of blood covering half of it but closed tightly by the string binding it. For a moment, I considered snatching the thing and running… but the look on Tusk's face gave me pause.
Something told me not to give this guy a reason. I've held my own against large foes before, but it's not about how big an enemy is more so than how they use their strength in a fight. And judging by the faded scars present on his body he's seen his own fair share of conflict.
"Okay, I'll do it." I finally said with a nod, extracting a small smirk from him as he went to speak. "But, like I said before… I didn't come here for coin. I've got my own terms."
There was a short silence as he scanned me intently, before he gestured forward with one hand. "Go on then."
"Raven, the child from last night." I began, pointing at the door I came in from. "I want you to help her."
He let out a thoughtful hum as he leaned further back in his chair, the old oak threatening to give out under the immense pressure. "Hm… and help her how, exactly?"
"Give her a place to stay, even if you make her work for it. Just… something to keep her from becoming gutter filth." I asked, practically spitting the last few words out in anger. "I've seen too many suffering children in my lifetime, and far too few of them got a second chance."
He tapped his fingers against the table loudly as he stared me down with a steely look. After what felt like an eternity, he picked up the sack of coins and stuffed it back into his desk before shooting back the remainder of his drink.
Standing from his spot, he reached over the table and offered me his right hand. "Deal." He stated gruffly as I looked between him and his outstretched arm.
I was a bit surprised by the familiar custom, but didn't dwell on it too much as I grasped it with my own and gave a firm shake. I could feel the warmth of his grip compared to the freezing surface of my skin, and he took on a look of bewilderment for a moment as he glanced to my hand. A shot of panic ran through me for a moment and I quickly let go, my hand returning to my side as Tusk looked at me with an unreadable expression.
Shaking his head, he walked past me silently out into the hall. He stopped as he left the room, before turning to me and waving me over.
"Follow me…" He stated gruffly.
He disappeared to the right down the hall, but I hesitated for a moment as I ran that scenario through my mind once more. Lifting up my hand, I looked into my palm as I rubbed my fingers together. It felt so… normal to me that I often forget how noticeable my cold skin really is.
I should be more careful. The last thing I want to explain to these people, or ponies, is what a Death Knight is… or even undead in general.
I silently followed him out of the room and down the hall, passing the darkened room's I'd seen before until we came to a closed door at the end. As he pulled it open I peeked around him and scanned it's interior, the inside housing an assortment of fruits and veggies lined up on various shelves.
Tusk let out a grunt as he reached behind the doorframe and pulled on something I couldn't see, electing a small click as the front shelf lowered a bit. A moment later it swung open, revealing a hidden stairway descending into the depths of the inn.
"I'm sure you've noticed it, the unspoken anger that infects the town." He started as we descended down into the dark basement, the stairs creaking under each step. "Nopony talks about it, but you must have noticed the way everypony seems distant."
I nodded at his words, though he couldn't see it from my place behind him. "I just came from Ponyville and yeah, it was a bit of a change."
"Wasn't always like that, but many here still grieve a terrible loss." He explained with a hint of sadness in his tone.
As we made it to the bottom he flicked a single switch on the wall nearby. There was a few moments where nothing happened, until the sound of clicking machinery could be heard through the walls as the room was suddenly bathed in a multicolored glow. Illuminating the whole room were a series of gems planted into the ceiling, each emitting a dim light and bathing the room in it's prismatic display. Situated in the middle of the cellar was a large table, loose documents spread across it haphazardly.
The rest of the basement was mostly empty save for a few pieces of furniture, all of which were wrapped in white sheets and shoved up against the walls.
"Back, about three years ago now, there was an accident at one of the mines." He continued as he approached the table, shuffling some pages around before sliding one out of the pile. "We'd been excavating around Hearthstone mountain, and wouldn't you believe we hit the jackpot."
Walking up to the table I focused on the page he presented, narrowing my eyes as I tried to understand the finely printed document. It was hard for me to read the small text, and there was so much information it was a bit overwhelming. I decided to just stick to reading the headlines.
"Quartz Junction struck riches! Insider Report."
"Mayor to release statement on findings, safety concerns linger."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "So you guys hit the mother lode. What exactly was the problem?"
"Getting to that, like I said… there was an accident." Tusk repeated as he threw another page down, the headline catching my eye immediately.
"Tragic cave in leaves families in mourning, eight presumed dead."
I squinted at the pages as I looked between them, glancing over the names but not really commiting any of them to memory.
"They never were able to do a rescue mission, only a handful of unicorns made the job too dangerous and too much time had passed once aid arrived. The town grieved and moved on, though many broken families never recovered." Tusk explained as he leaned against the table, glancing over all the strewn about pages.
"Okay, so where do I come into this?" I asked, sliding a page towards myself.
It looked like an old overexposed picture of somewhere around Hearthstone mine, depicting a brand new mineshaft jutting out of the rocky surface.
"I think the mayor is full of shit." Tusk growled out as his fists clenched shut, the table letting out a groan of displeasure from his pressing weight.
He tossed a picture down on the table of a pony I hadn't met yet. He wore what appeared to be the top half of a tuxedo, or perhaps thats just what tuxedos look like here, though it was stretching to fit someone of his… generousness. His coat was pure white, his short horn barely poking through his curly purple mane.
"Thats him, mayor Evergold. Around this time he always find a reason to be out of town. And since the collapse, he's cut off any and all projects around the mountain. Said it was 'Too dangerous to work on', that the existing Hearthstone exhibit would provide us with steady income. But I think he's up to something… I just need proof." Tusk explained as he shuffled the papers around some more.
"What makes you think your mayor is hiding something from you?" I asked as I tried to look at some of the pages he moved around.
He let out a small chuckle, before shaking his head. "I've got my own eyes and ears around here. I know he's been exporting something out without claiming it, not to mention he's replaced the royal guard around town with his own private hires. He's definitely hiding something." He stated with a nod. "That's what you're for. I can't just go sneaking around town, everyone knows who I am. I need someone who wont draw attention, a stranger."
I stayed quiet this time and crossed my arms, listening to his briefing with increasing interest.
"I've tracked down one suspicious caravan, here-" He put another page down and pointed to a specific line, "This carriage enters the town in the dead of night on the first of every month, but declares no cargo and leaves before dawn."
I took his word for it and nodded along. Replacing the guards was already suspicious enough, and now a mystery caravan?
"Just one problem… I can't just confront the mayor with what I have. He'd simply destroy any possible evidence before I ever got the crown's attention. But at least I've managed to stay under the radar with my investigations, and I hope to keep it that way." He paused, sliding another blurry image towards me. "The caravan should be arriving tonight, I want you to follow them and see what you can figure out."
I gave a small nod as I reached down for the page to examine it closer.
"Hold on." He added suddenly, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "You need to be subtle about this. We don't want to attract any attention until we can get something we can work with. If I'm right and the mayor did have a hoof in all this, that bastard needs to pay for every life he's ruined. We only have one chance." I could feel his grip tighten a bit around my shoulder as he finished his little speech.
His tone wasn't malicious nor threatening, instead commanding an air of seriousness that was backed up by his hard stare.
I looked at him only for a moment before giving a firm nod back.
"It will be done."
The door let out a click as I turned the key and pushed it open, revealing my striped travel companion along with the 'Stray' we were currently housing. Raven was napping blissfully on the bed in the exact spot where the sun's glow landed, interrupted only by the occasional whinny or twitch of her hoof.
Zecora sat focused on her journal, concluding something in writing with her quill before spitting it out into the book and closing it tight.
"Did you talk to your… friend?" She asked, glancing at the snoozing filly.
I crossed the room quickly and donned my hanging cloak, before motioning for Zecora to follow me over to the door. She silently moved with me to the other side of the room, sliding her journal back into her saddlebag as I set my hands on my hips and sighed.
"…we have to stay one more night while I sort it out." I explained as I felt her eyes on my back, waiting for me to continue.
When I didn't she took a step towards me. "Sort it out? What more is there to sort out? Is there…" She paused for a moment, before continuing quieter and glancing towards the door. "…more? Of them?"
Turning to face her, I flicked my gaze towards Raven once more before sighing and waving to the door behind me. "No, as far as I'm aware there isn't anyone else stalking us." As I said it she breathed a small sigh of relief. "And they said they'll take the kid off us, but they want a job done in return."
She stared at me for a moment longer, before shaking her head and furrowing her brow. "They? A job? What does that mean, who's they? And what kind of 'Job'?"
I tried to wave away her worry. "A simple one. Just some surveillance work."
"So spying." She stated flatly, electing an annoyed groan from me. "So I suppose coming back every day covered in blood or dressed like a lurking assassin is normal for you?"
"Look," I snapped with an accusatory finger, causing her to suddenly reel back a bit. "I'm not just some wandering vagrant. I've lived by the blade my whole life, and quite frankly it's why I'm still alive. From time to time I take on jobs that I-" I paused, pointing to myself, "-deem necessary. And sometimes yes, it means I will be covered in blood… and you can swear on your gods that if I can help it, it won't be my own."
Her eyes were wide as she scanned my face. I let out a huff and turned away, the slumbering filly nearby moving a bit and catching my eye. When she didn't move again after a few seconds I turned back to Zecora, getting her ears to fold back a bit at my stare.
"If you want to travel with me, you'll have to come to terms with that." I stated rudely as I pulled the door shut with a small bang.
Just as I went to move away a wave of guilt washed over me, the scenario which had just transpired running freshly though my mind.
'You know she didn't deserve that…' I scorned myself as I glanced back. 'No… no I warned her that this would happen right?'
Regardless, a small twinge of regret rang out in the back of my mind as I considered opening the door and apologizing… or at least rewording what was said. She's done nothing but worry for all our safety, even going so far as to getting me medicine for my night terrors…
But whether it be stubbornness, sheer stupidity or even a mix of both… I didn't. Instead I settled for muttering a few expletives as I pinched the bridge of my nose and marched out of the hall.
This was exactly why I preferred to travel alone. I'd choose to avoid partying with anyone simply out of worry of driving them away. I didnt exactly have a good track record controlling my rage.
I let out a huff and shook my head. I'd deal with that problem tomorrow... I couldn't have any distractions right now, not when it was time to work.
It was still quite early, so I decided to use this time effectively to better prepare for the job I'd received. Before I left Tusk filled me in on a couple extra details, like how the carriage doesn't arrive until at least an hour after the sun goes down. That gave me plenty of time to work with.
I made a mental checklist of what to do, just as I always did before I start a quest.
Scout the area, prepare some potions to counter possible 'obstacles', and set up a camp to fall back to.
After all, sometimes you never know what kind of heat comes with a job until it's too late.
I suppose task three is already handled with the Inn, though Herb did say he wanted us gone by today. I'm sure he wouldn't mind… considering it's a job for Tusk.
Also, some of the information I got from him was… shaky, to say the least. Some 'Operation' of the mayor's might be going on somewhere around the base of Hearthstone Mountain. The most I've got to work with is some carriage that arrives the first of each month to, presumably, export something out under the cover of night. A good starting point would be the original mineshaft which was closed down after the accident.
The mountain's northern side faced the town, with the old collapse he mentioned situated on it's easternmost side. Though to call it a mountain seemed like a slight exaggeration to me… walking around the base of the thing would probably take no more than a few hours.
I pushed through the Inn's exit as the morning sun greeted me harshly, it's blinding rays assaulting my eyes with gusto. I was starting to miss the overcast weather Azeroth had from time to time. Equis, with their consistently clear skies and blistering sun, was beginning to grate my nerves… and threatening to give me one hell of a sunburn.
There was a still a lot to learn about this world and it was clear I was just scratching the surface. How different this world is compared to Azeroth really hit me when I saw those pegasi moving clouds. From what I could tell, it seemed as though the ponies themselves control their own weather.
How such a thing ever became necessary would surely be an interesting story, but alas it's a story for another time.
Hearthstone mountain stood in the distance as I drew in a small breath, letting it out in a silent sigh and starting my march. I looked around my pouch as I weaved through the busy streets and the ponies crowding them, careful not to walk into somepony as I focused on inspecting my available herbs. I swore to myself as I combed through them, there was barely anything left in here! Probably only enough for a couple healing potions at best.
I groaned and facepalmed, remembering that Zecora had most of my herbs with her… along with a few tomes of mine and my old vial heater. We figured that since she was going through the trouble of teaching me Equish it would be fitting if she learned a bit of Common. At the time it seemed like a good idea, she'd be able to read alchemical tomes herself which freed up time for me to practice my reading more.
Well that backfired unexpectedly.
Shaking my head, a scowl spread across my face as I continued my march onwards.
I knew I could return back to the Inn and get them from her, apologizing for my harsh words in the process… but I stubbornly pushed on anyway. I'd just have to use what I've got.
The two guards posted at the gate did little to check any ponies coming in or out besides the occasional glance. They didn't really seem interested in anything happening around us, much less observant than the guard's I've seen so far. Their armor was also plain grey, each sporting plenty of random dents and markings over it's dirty exterior… a far-cry from the elegant gold and blue designs I'd seen in Ponyville.
If I didn't believe Tusk that something fishy was going on before, I certainly did now. He was obviously right about those private hires, there's definitely something going on that he wants away from royal eyes.
Hopefully where I'm going could provide another lead of some kind…
The trip across the patchy and hilly fields was short as the ground slowly shifted to a light incline, more and more boulders cluttering the area as I neared Hearthstone 'Mountain.' I walked the same path I had previously for the tour, however instead of following it all the way to the mountain's northern end I steered left and continued towards it's eastern side.
The clutter covering much of the ground quickly came to a halt as an old wooden mineshaft came into view, partially sticking out of the mountain's side
I stepped over some loose stones on the ground and examined the area around the landmark. The wood frame was surprisingly well preserved, though the nearby dirt was overturned and messy as though someone had been here recently. A yellow glint caught my eye further inside the mineshaft as I squinted, trying to peer into the darkness. After a moment of consideration, I tentatively stepped inside the shaft's maw. A lot of the ground was actually cleared away, leaving plenty of room to walk around inside… though I was still careful where I stepped.
There was a collapse here after all.
I came to the end of the shaft and scanned the rubble which piled itself to the ceiling, blocking any further exploration. Pressed into one of the larger stones was a small golden plaque. I realized now that ponies must come here often to pay respects to their dead.
I moved closer to the memorial, trying to read the text on the dust covered plate. Wiping it a bit with my thumb I carefully read the listed names.
It was just a memorial for those ponies I'd seen on one of Tusk's documents. My eyes drifted over their names for a bit longer, but like before not committing any to memory. Before I could move away however, the feeling of cold eyes suddenly planted itself firmly on my back.
The sensation made my skin crawl for a moment as I tensed, my arm slowly lowering towards my hanging axe.
"Who's there." I stated coldly as I spun around towards the entrance, barely catching a glimpse of the dark figure ducking out of sight.
A few moments of silence went by, until Raven peeked her head out from around the corner. "How do you do that?" She asked with an annoyed look.
Furrowing my brow in confusion for a moment I crossed my arms and stared her down. "Why are you following me?"
As the question left my tongue she sheepishly looked down. "I come here every day. Well, almost every day…" She mumbled as she kicked the ground.
A feeling of somber realization washed over me as I glanced back to the etched names. "You… lost someone here?"
She gave a small nod and pointed to the plaque. "Fourth name, second column."
I turned back to the plaque, going down the list to the name she specified. "Flint-hoof?" I asked, getting a solemn nod from the filly. "…I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I got… I got over it a long time ago." She said with mild hesitation, before turning to me with a pleading look. "That's why you have to let me come with you. I… I hate this place! And I hate it more with every passing moon! All of these ponies treat me like bucking dirt, like they're better than me because they were born with magic or earth pony strength! Not some… useless wings!" Her voice cracked a bit as she shouted out the last few words, tears threatening to fall from her glistening purple eyes.
I stared at her in silence as she spilled her thoughts out, before letting out a tired sigh. "I understand… but I can't. You'd surely die."
"I can take care of myself, you won't even know I'm there!" She added in desperation, taking a step forward and raising a hoof to her chest. "I… I can fly! I can be an eye in the sky for you… please, I just…" The filly collapsed onto her haunches and bowed her head in defeat, a couple tears finally dripping down her muzzle and into the dirt.
I watched Raven as she sat unmoving in front of me. I felt… conflicted. I couldn't just let her come with me, but she's seemingly suffered too much to live here comfortably. My fists clenched in annoyance as I groaned, before shaking my head and letting out a huff.
'Get that note, fix the assassin problem, then…'
"When I'm done this job, Tusk agreed to give you a place to stay. You'll have work, and you can earn your place." I paused as I tried to read her reaction, her eyes scanning the ground as she thought hard on my words. "Look. It'd be much safer for you to stay here, under Tusk's watch. Not many in your position are offered a second chance like this. But, if you still intend to leave this place… you can come with us."
Her head snapped up as her mouth upturned into a small, hopeful smile. Lifting one of my hands I silenced her attempt to speak.
"After you're sure. My… party, the path we're heading will take us further north yet, but we'll be returning to Ponyville and I plan on having this… issue fixed by then." I stated with a small motion to my axe. "Hopefully. So if the time comes and you still desire to leave… we'll take you with us to Ponyville." I finished with a nod.
Silence reigned for a moment as she thought on my words. Letting out a slow breath, she looked at the collapsed rubble behind me one last time before nodding.
"Ok…" She finally admitted, "I trust you. I'll stay and… try to fit in." She replied in a defeated tone as she turned to leave.
"Wait, you said you come here often?" I asked, electing a tentative nod from her. "Did you ever see any suspicious ponies come around?"
Squinting a bit, she scratched her chin and hummed. "Well… a lot of ponies come around here, it is a memorial after all."
Shrugging, I nodded with a sigh. I suppose thats about the answer I expected.
"There is that one pony though…" She mumbled to herself, looking at me for a moment before pointing out of the mineshaft. "He always goes that way, actually he doesn't even stop here at all. He always smells gross, too."
I raised a eyebrow at her strange description as I peered behind her, towards the shaft's entrance. "Gross? Gross how?"
"Gross like that stuff from the bar. He probably already went by though… I usually only see him right after the sun is raised." She explained as I hummed in realization.
'He smelled like booze, then. That's not a bad piece of info…'
Though, I couldn't help but notice the end of her sentence… made no sense.
'After it was raised? No, I must have misheard…'
"Why? Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly as she turned to face me fully, one of her front hooves lifting slightly off the ground.
I stared at her in silence for a moment, before motioning towards the exit. "You should get going, and stop following me around. I have a bad habit of hurting those that sneak up on me."
She didn't seem at all deterred by my warning as she scanned me with her eyes, before spinning on her hooves and running off. With a small leap she flapped out of sight, finally leaving me alone once again. Walking up to the mouth of the mineshaft, I squinted my eyes as I peered into the sky to confirm she was gone before I committed to my next action.
Then again, she'd already seen me decapitate somepony so who's to say shapeshifting into a worgen would even surprise her at this rate. For how young she was, she sounded quite mature. Though I didn't consider that a positive… not when they're that young. I just hoped this note from Tusk gives me some vital information, but the real question is if it doesn't… am I going back on my promise to her?
…
No, I wouldn't. I'd keep her safe and deliver her to Ponyville. But I still have hope she will find her purpose here…
Three. Years.
Three years ago that kid lost her father, and the fact she didn't bring up anyone else leads me to believe her family tree ends with her.
I can't fix the past, but I can at least help secure her future. If things turn out right and I find some proof of the mayor's involvement… well it wouldn't fix her heart but at least it would give her some closure.
Exhaling out slowly, a mantle of cold mist draped over my body and enveloped me completely in it's cool grasp.
My form twisted and morphed, my senses kicking into high gear as I stretched my newly formed limbs out. The process finally finished, the chill receding as relief washed over me. I couldn't exactly explain why but while it fatigued me to use my worgen form too often, not using it enough tended to make me feel… claustrophobic.
The black cloak draping over my shoulders did well to hide my form from prying eyes, from behind at least. I pulled the hood down over my head, concealing my face the best I could before stepping out of the mineshaft. I sniffed at the air, looking for any scents which stood out from the rest.
A particularly familiar smell brushed past my nose for a moment as my snout gave a small twitch. The scent reminded me of that Stonebrew from Tusk's, and was no doubt what Raven had meant. I sniffed at the air a bit more, before pinning down the direction it was coming from and following it slowly. It seemed to lead along the side of the mountain, just as the filly had said, as if he had bypassed the memorial entirely and just kept going.
With all the projects around the mountain being canceled, it really begged the question as to what exactly he's doing all the way out here.
A couple hours passed as I kept a slow pace, tentatively sniffing the air every time I moved past an open crevice in the wall just to be sure I wasn't passing some kind of hidden entrance. I was putting an awful lot of stock in this one lead… but it was the only other lead I had for now so what choice did I have. The ground wasn't actually that bad around this side of the mountain, much of the clutter having been cleared up with only the occasional, albeit massive, boulder situated nearby.
I passed a particularly large rock as I followed the smell, however thats also the same moment I lost track of it. I tilted my head a bit in confusion as I turned in place, sniffing around and trying to reacquire the scent. The ground I stood on was steeped in shadow from the nearby looming boulder, which towered over me at fifty feet or more at least, covering not only where I'm standing in darkness but a part of the nearby mountain face as well.
Thats when my nose picked up the scent again, though it did nothing but leave me more confused than before. I stared at the rocky mountain face, inspecting it all over but noticing nothing out of the ordinary. I gave another sniff, confirming my suspicions as the scent of booze reached my nostrils.
Taking a few steps towards the mountain, I knelt down and inspected it closer. Nothing in particular stood out of place… but I could feel as if, whilst I stared at the rocky surface, that something was staring back. I hummed to myself and reached forward, but just as I was about to lay my hand on the stone I could suddenly feel more eyes on me from behind, causing me to freeze up for a moment.
Spinning on my heels, my eyes locked with a small dark figure peeking out over the top of the nearby boulder.
However, before I could so much as even process who, or what, I was looking at… a loud crack rang out as I fell forward into a heap. My vision exploded into stars as the world rapidly spun around me. I shakily lifted a claw to my head as a cold, wet sensation flowed down the back of my neck.
Using my free arm, I dragged myself a couple feet away before righting myself up. I tried to reach for my axe, unfortunately the disorientation proved too much as I fumbled with the leather cording binding it to my hip. I looked back towards the rock face and watched as a pony ran through it. A blue glow outlined him as he passed through the seemingly solid wall, a large chunk of it shimmering as he went. He quickly crossed the distance to where I lay in barely a second before crashing into my right side, throwing me onto my back.
He didn't waste a moment and pushed forward, delivering a hard stomp straight to my face. Darkness fell over me instantly as I tumbled into the unconscious abyss.
A sharp and throbbing pain was the first sensation to greet me to the waking world, electing a sharp inhale from me as I quickly sat up. The whole world spun as I did, barely giving me enough time to lean over before unloading the contents of my stomach onto the dark stone floor.
Just then I felt a hoof set itself on my shoulder. "Easy-"
However the moment it made contact with me I spun around and gripped onto it, pulling hard and yanking him closer before grasping his neck with my free hand.
I tried to squeeze harder, but I found my strength failing me as he quickly pried himself from my grip and scooted away. I collapsed in place, heaving as I set my hand on the back of my pounding head. Shifting into a seated position and crossing my legs, I grunted as I leaned against the cold stone wall and stared down the only other pony here.
He cleared his throat as he sat on his haunches. "Take it easy, I'm not gonna hurt you." He reassured as he rubbed his throat. "Ponyfeathers, thats gonna leave a bruise."
"Well I was trying to kill you." I stated in a low tone as I brought my hand back around, confirming the still bleeding wound on the back of my head. "Where am I? How long was I out?" I demanded, reaching for my hip and finding both my axe and pouch missing. "Where are my things." I added coldly, suddenly realizing just how bad a situation I was in.
As I asked I took a quick look around, the area almost completely black would it not be for the cracks of hearthstone peeking through the stone walls. It ran like thin veins through the rock, giving just enough light to keep you from walking into something but nothing more.
I could see the area we were in was small, even with us each on opposite sides we were less than a couple long strides from eachother. There was no visible way out, though I did see a crack on the wall to my left which was less than an inch or two wide at most.
The pony who I'd just attempted to strangle straightened his glasses a bit. They were round trimmed but horribly cracked, one would say it'd be worth just going without at that point.
"Hearthstone mountain, and maybe a couple minutes?" He said with a shrug. "They only just-" Though, anything he was about to say was abruptly cut off as the nearby wall with the crack began to shimmer.
Stepping through the wall was two ponies, the first looked at me with disgust as he scanned me. His coat was a light orange and his mane a short cut blond. His horn was alight with a white glow until it cut out for a moment causing the wall shimmer to end, before the tip of his horn shone a brilliant white light and illuminated the room.
"He looks nothing at all like you claimed." The pony suddenly spoke in a gravelly voice.
The second pony stepped aside into the light, and I recognized him immediately as not only the one who attacked me… but also the drunken pony from last night who rented a room right next to us. I could feel my anger beginning to boil over quickly just at the sight of him.
"Misty was there too… ask her!" The olive pony fired back, getting an angry snort from the unicorn. "I woke her up before I jumped him, she must have seen-" He began to explain as I slowly shifted in place, before lurching towards him with outstretched hands.
The unicorn saw me move and, with a flash of his horn, halted my advance in an instant.
My body lurched in place, the feeling of gravity crushing down on me from every direction as he forced me down into a bowing position. I couldn't move, speak, or even breath as he held me in his telekinetic grip.
"You'll stay put, or I'll start breaking your limbs next." He warned as he stared me down with an intense glare.
A moment later he cut off his magic, my whole body slacking in place. I let out a gasp for breath and righted myself back into a seated position, spying a glance towards my cell mate as I pushed myself back against the wall. He almost unnoticeably shook his head as he met my eyes before looking back to the unicorn.
This was my first time experiencing the power of this world's magic users, in a way other than just hurling projectiles at me. Without my Runeblade I couldn't call on my own abilities… I had virtually no way of dealing with this guy.
"He changed!" The second pony admitted desperately as the unicorn stared him down angrily. "He must've! He looked like a bucking wolf, I'm telling you!" He pleaded to the unicorn as he shook his head.
The orange pony sighed, before turning to him and prodding him in the chest. "You were at Tusk's drinking again, weren't ya? I can smell it's stink on you. I told you to stop doing that, you're gonna get us found out!" He yelled out as he smacked the pony on the side of the head and pointed to the cracked wall. "Get back to the entrance, guard it like you're supposed to and don't beat up the next tourist that goes by!" He yelled, a bit of spittle leaving his mouth as the wall let out a shimmer. "And next time, be to your shift ON TIME!" He commanded to the olive colored earth pony, electing a fearful nod from him as he hurriedly scurried out of the cell.
The unicorn grunted, looking at me once more before taking his leave.
The moment he left I stood and crossed the room, the dizziness making it a bit hard to walk straight as I tumbled slightly into the solid stone wall he'd walked through just a moment prior. Resting my palms on it I leaned in closer and peered through the small crack. I could see him for just a moment longer before he disappeared into the darkness.
I continued looking through the small opening until the sound of shuffling reminded me that I wasn't the only occupant of this cell. Turning to look at the pony in question, he motioned me over frantically.
"Let me take a look at your wound, they don't like it when we stand that close to the exit."
I stared at him, before looking away and walking towards the wall I woke up next to. Slipping my cloak off my shoulders and ripping it into strips, I wrapped them around my head and grimaced as I pulled the knot tight.
"So… you're from outside?" He asked, glancing towards the cracked wall.
"Where the fuck am I exactly?" I asked again.
Rubbing his throat, he shifted his seating a bit. "Well, right now you're somewhere beneath the Hearthstone mountain. We've been trapped down here for… well I'm not really sure how long anymore." He finished with a shrug.
"Trapped? You're part of the eight miners who died here three years ago?" I asked, getting his eyes to widen a bit before he slouched slightly.
"Three years? Buck… has it really been that long?" He asked as I shook my head in confusion.
"How the hell have you all survived for three years down here?" I asked, electing a motion of his hoof towards the wall.
"They bring us food sometimes, work us to the bone for it though… and theres only four of us left." He looked to the floor as he paused, taking a deep breath and sighing. "Three of us died in the collapse… another one of us died not long ago."
I listened to his words as I sat there on the cold stone floor, before I closed my eyes and tried to feel for my Runeblade's presence. It was faint, but I could feel it somewhere nearby.
"Who all is still alive down here?" I questioned.
Before he could answer the sound of heavy hoofsteps began approaching us from the other side of the wall. My cellmate quickly beckoned me to stay down, and I did just that.
"My name's Patches, by the way." He whispered, just before the wall began shimmering.
Stepping through it was the same Unicorn as before, his face stoic as he looked over us both, hovering over me for a bit longer before letting out a snort.
"Time to work. Get up." He commanded as he stepped back through the wall.
The surface continued to ripple as Patches got up and made his way over to it. "You better do as he says, he stays true to his threats." He added, before stepping through the shimmering wall.
I hesitated for a moment, before getting up and approaching the fluctuating surface. As I walked through the stone, It felt as if a cool liquid was rolling over my whole body, the feeling of pins and needles following it shortly after as I phased straight through the solid wall. The room I walked into wasn't much different than the one I was in before, with the exception of a few key differences.
Even though it was still quite dark, the veins from the hearthstone were a bit thicker here and gave more ambient light than it did in the cells. There was also a tunnel nearby which seemed to descend towards a bright light source of some kind. The unicorn from before stood a few meters away from me as he watched me stumble out, before pointing down the aforementioned path.
"You're falling behind from the others, pick up the pace." He warned, getting a scowl from me as I stumbled past him.
I descended down the cave, listening to the heavy hoofsteps that followed not far behind. I felt more powerless now than I had in a long, long time… I'd no idea just how much I've come to rely on the powers bestowed to me by my Runeblade. As I descended, the faint sound of metal on stone began to reach my ears.
"Pick up the pace!" He suddenly shouted, giving me a hard shove.
I stumbled forward a bit before turning my head and glaring at him.
"Sorry, did that hurt your feelings?" He mocked as he gave me another push. "Move it!"
I marched on, suppressing my rage down as it threatened to bubble up and push me to do something I'd regret. I'd get my chance… I just had to play it smart. Eventually, I reached the bottom as the area lit up a brilliant orange. I stared up at the light source and for a moment I almost thought it was the sun itself. However, as my eyes adjusted I quickly noticed the glow was being produced from the ceiling stone, and not just any stone… but the Hearthstone itself.
The bottom half of the wonder jutted out from the ceiling, it's light bouncing off the many crystals, gems and deposits of gold strewn around the interior. The cavern was huge, much like the one I visited with Zecora, and dotting the walls were many alcoves which sparkled with gems. It seemed quite a bit of the cavern was already picked clean, half of it containing only thin veins of hearthstone webbed across barren rock.
To the left of where I came in was a larger cave which steadily ascended up and out of sight. Piled high just next to it was a massive pile of ore, gems and other valuable metals. The sound I'd been hearing appeared to be a group of nearby ponies as they chipped away at the wall, another unicorn guard I hadn't seen yet watching them nearby.
This one looked feminine, her mane a light shade of teal and braided tightly against her deep blue coat. She glanced my way for a moment, before returning her gaze forward.
"Grab a tool and join the others." The orange unicorn commanded as he pointed towards the nearby wall.
A few tools were leaning on it, all in varying levels of poor condition. I grabbed a pickaxe and made my way over to the small group, a few of them turning to look at me and taking on looks of surprise. There were four total workers here, but only one of them I recognized, 'Patches'.
Even though a few of them seemed perturbed by my presence, it did little to slow their work as they chipped at the gems. I just couldn't believe they were holding the pickaxes with their teeth, I just gave a small shrug and situated myself next to the line of ponies. The ponies were lined up against the wall of an alcove which descended a good ways into the wall. Patches was situated at the end, further inside and almost completely out of sight from our unicorn captors.
Examining the pickaxe in my hand for a moment, I noted just how bad a condition it was in. I almost felt like I was going to break it in half when I swung it. Rearing my arm back, I swung it into the wall and watched as it glanced off harmlessly. I groaned a bit in annoyance before pulling it back and swinging even harder, with the same result.
I was an alchemist after all… extracting minerals wasn't exactly my forte.
"Swing down." The pony to my right whispered.
"Huh?"
"Thats how minotaurs do it, use your shoulders and-" As he spoke a shout erupted from further back.
"No talking!" The orange unicorn commanded, stomping one of his hooves.
The pony next to me went silent and grasped his own pick again with his teeth, before glancing to me and motioning in front of him. He slowly swung down with the pick, before nodding to me. Looking down at the tool in my grasp, I took hold of it in both hands and in one motion swung the pick downwards.
It cracked into the stone, breaking a large chunk of minerals free and onto the ground. I was surprised how little I felt the impact, but assumed the tools must have had some kind of enchantment on them which explained the way ponies… grip them.
I continued to swing into the wall but took a moment to glance behind me and noticed our two captors having a heated discussion. The orange pony pointed towards the other end of the cavern, towards the larger tunnel next to the gem hoard, and elected a scowl from the blue pony as she marched out of the cavern.
That left just the one… but it didn't matter if I handled him because the other pony was also a unicorn! I had to figure out where my gear was, it was my only shot of getting out of here. Maybe some of the ponies here know where it would be kept.
So for now… I guess I have to play the part of slave.
My muscles burned as I struck the wall for what felt like the millionth time, stopping to wipe the sweat from my brow before getting back into position for another swing. I had no idea how long I'd been doing this for, or how late it even was.
After a while, the orange pony had sat down at a desk situated by the gem hoard, and had been spending the last while shuffling through some documents. He'd still glance our way often to make sure we were still working diligently, and wouldn't hesitate to shout at one of us if we weren't.
As I worked, I noticed Patches would only swing once for every three of ours, and every now and then one of the nearby ponies would kick a few gems into his pile.
I caught onto what they were doing and, when our 'warden' wasn't looking, would do the same. I wasn't sure how he got caught up in this to begin with, he didn't look like a miner when compared to the rest of them. He was much more frail looking, and tired out faster than any of us… even myself, and it felt like I had a splitting concussion so that was a feat of it's own.
"That's enough!" The orange unicorn commanded from where he was sitting, looking up from the pages on the table in front of him. "Eat. The caravan will be here soon."
His horn glowed for a second as he pulled out a box from behind the desk. It was small, about half my height, and landed with a loud thud a few feet from us. The ponies quickly dropped their tools and went to the box, opening the top and pulling out all sorts of jarred fruits.
I put down my own pick and lumbered over to the group, reaching for one of the jars and examining it closely. Looked like a mix of peaches and pears. I shrugged and popped the lid off before fishing some out and chomping it down.
They definitely didn't taste very satisfying, actually it barely tasted like fruit anymore. A few of the ponies mumbled to each other as they ate, casting occasional glances my way. Patches stood next to me as he tugged on my pant leg, getting my attention as I looked down at him.
"We can talk for a bit now, until we start work again." He whispered, looking back to the unicorn who was still watching us, albeit splitting his attention with the documents in front of him. "Just… keep your voice down. Thunder tolerates it while we eat but it doesn't mean he likes it."
I moved over to the group of ponies sitting in a small semi circle and plopped myself down, letting my tired muscles relax for the first time in a while. Unlike normal death knights that could work for days on end without breaking a sweat, I still felt the buildup of fatigue… it really was quite unfair.
The three ponies ceased their mumblings as I sat down, until Patches seated next to me with a smile. Under the bright light of the Hearthstone I could finally see his features, along with the other ponies as well.
Patches sat on his haunches next to me as he fought with his own jar. His coat was light brown which matched his scraggly, albeit slightly darker, mane.
Two of the three ponies I didn't know yet looked quite similar, both of them sporting a light grey coat with teal blue manes. Though while the one on the left had a much shorter mane, the other's was long and covered almost half his face. They both had very sturdy looking builds.
The last pony's was a stark contrast, his coat jet black and his mane dark purple, slicked back and out of the way. His fur turned to a darker grey towards the bottom of his legs around his hooves.
"Well I suppose theres no use bein' all reserved. We're in this together, after all." The short haired grey pony stated. "My names Stone, and this here's my brother, Rock." He stated with a smile as he patted the similar looking pony with longer hair next to him.
I looked at Stone curiously, before shaking my head a bit. "Dalandor… and is that your full name?"
"That is a… strange name. Eh, no matter." He said with a shrug. "And um, no, it is not… our full names are Gemstone and Rockbiter." He stated with a proud smirk as I furrowed my brow.
"Why does everypony go by a nickname in this town?" I asked with a shake of my head.
Smiling, his fate lit up. "Ah… that is because Quartz Junction was not always a pony town, but was actually founded by minotaurs!" He exclaimed, before quickly covering his mouth and looking behind me.
I took a glance as well, and could see Thunder staring at us disapprovingly. Though he seemed far too invested in whatever he was reading as he quickly tore his gaze away. It would probably be best not to push his buttons any further.
Stone cleared his throat, before continuing at more of a whisper. "Like I said, this town was founded my minotaurs. Their names are much more… basic and 'too the point', know what I mean?" He asked, pausing as I gave a tentative nod. "So most ponies give themselves a nickname round' here, it's kind of a tradition I guess…"
I nodded, before flinching as Patches tugged the cloth surrounding my head. I grimaced and turned to him with a glare.
"I worked in the clinic, just let me take a look." He asked as he went to grab the bandage again.
Lifting my hand I pushed his hoof down. "I've had worse." I said flatly, getting an annoyed look back. "Listen, this isn't gonna kill me. He just got lucky." I stated as he let out a snort.
"Lucky, huh? You must be talking about Dozer. He's a bit… dull, but he's built like a workpony." He said with a nod, pointing to my wound. "And by the looks of it, sure did a number on you."
I shook my head and looked to the ground, setting my food down and crossing my arms.
"Not that I don't enjoy this little meet and greet, but I'm not looking to be stuck here for the next three years." I stated in a low voice as the ponies all gave me mixed looks. "When I arrived here they took something from me, it's… crucial I recover it before I escape."
The black pony, who until now had been completely silent, let out a snort as he shook his head. "Not even a day under his belt and already plotting an escape."
"I just need my things, thats it. If I can get them back-" I began, but was swiftly interrupted as he cut back in.
"You think if it was that easy we wouldn't have done so already?" He fired back in a quiet yell, before sighing. "He'd rip you apart for even talking about it, so leave it there and don't bring it up around us again." He stated harshly as the other ponies all turned their gaze to the ground, staying silent.
"Caravan's here!" Came a sudden shout behind us, Thunder finally standing from his desk.
All of the ponies around me ceased their eating and quickly moved over to the gem pile, so I followed suit. I lined up with them as they all stood next to the massive pile of valuables.
Glancing towards the path that blue Unicorn, 'Misty' I think they called her, had come down revealed a couple cloaked ponies as they hauled a carriage along the uneven rocky terrain. The pair pulled it up close to us, reversing the end towards the pile before unhinging themselves and relaxing nearby, stretching their presumably tired bodies.
"Okay, get that food off quick and start loading!" Thunder ordered, pointing to us then motioning to the carriage.
Patches took the lead as I stared at the back of the carriage. He stepped up onto the back step and flipped the latch off, before pulling the double doors open. Inside were a few rows of boxes which looked just like the one Thunder had brought out for us to eat from. This explains how they've been alive for so long down here…
It wasn't long before the whole carriage was unloaded and the real work began. Little by little we shovelled gems into the carriage, piling it as high as it could go. I was pretty amazed with how little the suspension moved despite the absolute volume of valuables now stocked inside.
I almost fell into a sort of daze as I pushed my shovel into the gem pile, before tossing it into the carriage and repeating. Every now and then I would feel the intermittent gaze of Thunder as he watched us work. However, that's when I felt something else. It was much the same but also very different. More than just a passing glance, but instead an intense stare.
I couldn't help it, and let my eyes wander behind me as I worked. A shimmer of contrasting colors made me freeze as I stared back towards a sight I wasn't expecting even in the least. Far on the other side of the cavern, hidden behind a large boulder and just barely peeking out was the last pony I expected to see here… but that color scheme was unmistakable.
My eyes bulged as I processed what I was seeing.
'Zecora!?'