/q/ - Quest

ADVENTURE!

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File: 1380389780230.png (1.04 MB, 1161x900, MLP - Luna0.png, IO Google TinEye)

ID: bab83 488045

>Last time on Luna Quest
>After waking up from a strange dream Lucent and Baron take you to meet Princess Luna and Celestia
>After a brief discussion, you and Princess Luna investigate the crater in the courtyard
>Luna scans the crater with magic and triggers a spark of ancient magic that knocks her unconscious
>At the same time, the pony ambassador to the dragons, Gold Heart, enters the castle on her dragon companion, Thorn
>The first meeting with Gold Heart isn't a pleasant one, and after Luna is given medical attention, you join Gold Heart in the throne room with Celestia
>According to Gold Heart and Celestia, an ancient dragon, Tiamat, has awoken and is currently attempting to escape Tartarus
>The magic that harmed Luna in the crater could be as old as Tiamat herself and she may hold the answers you seek to returning home
>Tiamat won't go down without a fight however
>While Celestia gathers the Elements of Harmony, Gold Heart puts together a small armed force, and you have decided to see how Luna is doing

Current Affection Level
Luna - Mid-Low
Lucent - Low
Gold Heart - None
Celestia - None

From the throne room, you ask one of the guards to direct you to where they're keeping Princess Luna. Princess Celestia may have given you the ability to walk freely about the castle, but the castle halls are still a maze to you at the moment. It's a long walk to Princess Luna's bedroom, but when you arrive, a doctor is on his way out.

He seems surprised by your presence, but seeing the guards unfazed seems to put him at ease a bit.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to see the Princess?" he asks, sporting a disapproving frown. "From what I understand, it was your fault she ended up in this condition."

488049

>>488045
I wouldn't know how to do something like that to begin with.

ID: bab83 488054

>>488045
>>488049

"I wouldn't know how to do something like that to begin with."

"Regardless," the doctor stomps a hoof, "she was hurt while under your care. I don't know who she is to you, but to the rest of us, she is one of our beloved princesses. I suggest you take responsibility for your carelessness."

With that, the doctor storms off leaving you with the guards. The door to Luna's room is cracked open a bit.

ID: e370e 488057

>>488054
Yeesh.
Well, let's see what the damage is.

488058

>>488054
Let's go see how she's holding up.

488061

>>488054
If she's concious we could char with her a bit, if not we might as well move to reinspect the crater.

488067

>>488054
Geez, that Doc sure doesn't like us.

Push the door open a bit and peek inside to check if Luna is awake.

ID: bab83 488068

>>488054
>>488057

Stepping through the door, you enter Luna's bedroom. Dim light is cast over the room by a few enchanted orbs floating above some of the furniture. Thick, dark drapes are covering the windows and a large, circular canopy bed stands against one of the walls. The dark curtain of the canopy is open and in the bed is Princess Luna. Her silver adornments have been removed, leaving her dark blue coat exposed to the air. Her breathing is slow and steady and you take a quick look for any sort of physical damage. She seems perfectly fine, though the strange mark on her flank attracts your eye. You could have sworn seeing something similar to it on Princess Celestia and some of the other guards around the castle.

You really want to make sure she's okay, but waking her up might not be the best idea. You suppose you could always help out Gold Heart and check back in on her later.

Choice Time
Wake Luna
Let Luna sleep and help out Gold Heart

488072

>>488068
Let her sleep,

488074

>>488068
Kinda torn here. If we don't wake her up making the trip to her room was a waste of time (and we also have to deal with the dragon later on because of it).

Touch her mane to see what space hair feels like before we go and help Gold Heart

488078

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ID: e370e 488079

>>488068
Let her sleep.
Maybe tuck her in.

488087

>>488054
> benevolent ruler of Equestria placed under anyone's care
Someone has delusions

488088

>>488068
Back out of the room quietly. She needs her rest.

ID: bab83 488093

>>488068
>>488072
>>488074
>>488078
>>488079

Princess Luna has been up for a long time. Letting her sleep is probably the best thing you could do for her right now. Getting on better terms with Gold Heart wasn't a bad idea either. The last thing you want here is enemies.

Taking some of the sheets on the princess' bed, you pull them up over her body and up around her neck. Her starry mane shifts its flow as she curls up into the blanket and a few strands fall across your hand. It tickles, but not like you thought it would. As you run your fingers through it, the feeling reminds you of cool, slow running water. It's soft and airy.

Princess Luna shifts again in her sleep and nudges against your hand with her head. Her eyes wince a bit and she starts to wake up. Holding your breath, you slowly back away until you see her fall still once more. As you close the door behind you, you let out a long sigh and ask the guards where Gold Heart might be.

[cont.]

ID: bab83 488098

>>488093

The guards direct you towards the training grounds for the guard. A large open field of pegasus, unicorn, and normal ponies are all clashing against each other in a fight. On a dais near one of the castle walls is Gold Heart, watching the ensuing battles and barking orders over the crowd.

ID: e370e 488101

>>488098
Approach her but stand a respectable distance away and wait for her to find a break in her order-giving to engage you of her own accord.

488103

>>488098
What Hiro said.

Also I'm not entirely sure anymore, she's a Pegasus, right? If yes, we should wave to her once she's done shouting orders because it would be easier for her to come down then for us to climb up onto the walls

488110

>>488103
We could give it a try, I've been working on my harnessless climbing.

ID: bab83 488114

>>488098
>>488101
>>488103

You approach the dais, avoiding as much fighting as you can, and wait for Gold Heart to take a break from her shouting to notice you. Her gaze wanders over the crowd until it finally falls on you.

"Ah," she says before turning back towards the crowd. "The human. And how fares our Princess of the Night?"

"It doesn't seem like she's hurt," you inform her, "but we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm not much of an earth pony for sitting around, waiting, and seeing," Gold Heart says as she hops down off of the dais and in front of you. "What say you to a bit of training yourself? Can you fight?"

This is the first time you've ever seen her smile, and the murderous intent within those emerald eyes tells you that you're not going to like what she has in mind.

488118

>>488114
Not sure how much fighting skills will help against something like Tiamat.

We could make a deal with her - we train with her for a while aka she beats us up and in exchange she tells her dragon to let us inspect the crater so we don't have to deal with him later on.

488120

>>488114
Ask what's on her mind.

ID: e370e 488123

>>488114
"Not really. Can you remedy that?"

488124

>>488114
"All I know is 'sweep the leg,' 'aim for the head,' that sort of thing. And I guess I have a high center of gravity compared to all of you, so that's gonna be a problem."

If you don't point it out, SHE will.

ID: bab83 488125

>>488114
>>488123

"Not really. Can you remedy that?"

Gold Heart lets out a dark, rich laugh.

"I would love nothing more," Gold Heart says.

"All I know is 'sweep the leg,' 'aim for the head,' that sort of thing. And I guess I have a high center of gravity compared to all of you, so that's gonna be a problem."

"Pointing out the obvious already I see," Gold Heart raises an eyebrow as she steps back onto the dais. "At least your not completely incompetent."

>>488120
"What did you have in mind for my training anyway?"

"You will choose a weapon," Gold Heart informs you as you see her shuffling through various weapons on a table. "They may be a bit small for you, but if you have any worthy fighting skill, you should be able to manage."

"Then?" you ask, following her up onto the dais.

"Then you will face off against some of the royal guard," she smiles again. "They could use some training against a larger opponent and you could use any training in general. You may not be a dragon, but until Thorn wakes up from his little nap, you'll have to do."

>>488118

"If I turn out to be better than you thought, can I inspect the crater?"

"You'll be able to inspect the crater when Thorn wakes up and not a moment before,"she prods your stomach with her hoof."

"Alright," you say, rubbing your stomach. "Alright."

"Good," Gold Heart says as she steps aside to reveal a table. "Now, choose a weapon."

Choice Time
Longbow
Sword and Shield
Dagger

488126

>>488125
Sword and shield, I like te stereotypical weapons.

488127

>>488125
>your
Beefery! But delicious.

Sword and shield wouldn't be half-bad against a dragon, but would require a lot of training.

Do they even have shields and swords to scale?

488128

>>488125
>no Lance
Fighting Tiamat won't be lots of fun with those weapons.

I'd say Longbow. That way we can ride into battle on Lunas back later on!

ID: e370e 488129

>>488125
Dagger.
Go for a rogue build.

ID: bab83 488130

>>488126
>>488127
>>488128
>>488129

Sword and Shield it isCan't believe I messed up that "your"And you're right. I should have thought of a lance. Don't know why that didn't come to me while I was planning this all out.Taking ten or so minutes to reboot the router

488131

>>488130
Good luck with that.

ID: bab83 488132

>>488130

The sword and shield is always a classic. You pick up both and strap the shield to your arm. The sword is shorter than you expected, and the shield is more of a targe banded to your forearm, but it'll work for now.

"A standard weapon choice," Gold Heart notes. "Now is your chance to impress me with it."

Gold Heart summons up a couple of earth pony guards to fight you. Each guard has their own sword in their mouth and a shield attached to a foreleg. Gold Heart stands above the dais and watches down on you with her devilish grin.

"So what do I-"

"Begin!" she shouts.

Both the guards rush at you leaving you little time to react.

Choice Time
Take out one - Moderate success
Take out both - Low success
Run - High success
Each will have their own negative consequences

488134

>>488132
Take out one.

ID: e370e 488135

>>488132
Take out one.
Don't be a coward, but don't get cocky either.

488136

>>488132
Take one out. Moderate chances are acceptable and it might be useful to impress her instead of running away like a chicken.

488137

>>488132
Take out one, at least.

these weapons are blunt, right?

488139

>>488132
take out one

488140

>>488137
We're gonna get cut by the one we don't take out.

ID: bab83 488147

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>>488132
>>488134
>>488135
>>488136
>>488137

Success was a >60

As the guard on your left takes a low swing at your leg, the other one jumps up and attempts to charge your body. Taking the targe, you swing it against the side of the pony's face and knock him against the dais. The impact knocks him unconscious but focusing on one doesn't help you from escaping the other. The blunt of the blade knocks against your shin and you fall to one knee.

Pain shoots up your leg and Gold Heart lets out a satisfied "Ooh, that one looked like it hurt."

The one pony left standing charges you again. Your on his level now and the pain in your leg won't make movement any easier.

Deflect and counter - Low success
Roll out of the way - High success
Once again, each will have negative consequences

488148

>>488147
Assuming that the other one will be unconscious for the rest of the fight I'd go for dodging the attack. Right now we are in a pretty shitty position to fight, buying some time should be the best idea.

ID: e370e 488149

488150

488151

ID: bab83 488155

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>>488147
>>488148
>>488149

Success was >30

You roll out of the way, but not without messing up your leg a bit more. The earth pony's sword misses you by a hair as you take your stand. Now that you're back on your feet, you have a better chance in the fight, but your leg is still acting up. You don't know how well you'll be able to dodge another head on attack.

Gold Heart glares at you and says, "I hope you don't think a bruised shin is the worst of it. In a real fight, blades aren't blunt."

The guard charges you again. He knows you're hurt, and this time he's going to make sure you stay down.

Knock him away with the targe - High success
Attack with your sword - Low Success
One again, negative consequences with each choice

488156

>>488155
Attack with the sword. This isn't a real fight so our life isn't in danger - it's worse the risk to impress Gold Heart imo

ID: e370e 488157

>>488155
Attack. Sooner or later we'll have to attempt to land a blow.

488160

>>488155
attack with pointy object.

ID: bab83 488165

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>>488155
>>488156
>>488157

Success was >80

As the guard takes another swing, you sidestep out of the way of the attack and bring your own sword upward. The sword cuts upward against the guards chest and he rolls to the ground away from you. You look back and see him attempt to stand. He wobbles a bit at first, but nods to you once he's back on all fours.

"Not bad," Gold Heart smiles. "Even when the odds are against you, you don't back down, but you're reckless."

A backhanded compliment is still a compliment.

"Thanks," you wince as you walk back towards the dais. "I guess."

"It wouldn't hurt you to think a bit before you attack," she says as she hops down to meet you. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Feel where they're going to be, know where you are, know you're surroundings, know where you need to be. The list of things you need to be aware of in battle goes on and on."

You nod in understanding. This was just a scrap with other ponies, however, not dragons. If this is the best you can do now, there's a good chance you won't survive against a dragon in a real fight.

"Show me your leg," Gold Heart tells you.

You oblige pull up one of the legs on your pants to reveal your wounded shin. There's a dark purple bruise where the sword struck, but it hasn't broken the skin.

"Hm," Gold Heart says, placing a hoof to her mouth as her eyes narrow.

ID: bab83 488167

>>488165

>you're

Ugh…

488168

>>488167
Smutanon would have rolled if I'd have called every one of his grammatical errors. It's okay man.

ID: e370e 488169

>>488165
"You're not gonna have to lop it off, are you doc? I've grown rather attached to it."

488170

>>488165
"Maybe you could kiss it better"
Wink at her

488171

>>488165
What's the issue?

ID: bab83 488173

>>488169
>>488171

"You're not gonna have to lop it off, are you doc? I've grown rather attached to it."

"It's interesting," Gold Heart says, moving her hoof from her mouth to your bruise. "You're much stronger than you appear, but still weak."

>>488170
"Maybe you could kiss it better", you say with a wink.

Gold Heart deadpans and knocks against your bruise, almost causing you to fall again.

You balance yourself and she says, "The only kisses you'll be getting will come from the sweet lips of death if you keep on fighting like you did just now."

There's a short sigh from Gold Heart and she looks up at you, her harsh demeanor melted away by her soft green eyes.

"After seeing the damage you can take and dish out," Gold Heart explains, "I believe you can go a little further with your training. However, but I'll leave that up to you. This bruise may not seem that painful now, but taking the risk of being struck there again could keep you out of any sort of training for a while."

Choice Time
Stop here
Continue with your training
Stopping here won't get you to the crater any faster. You'll still have to wait until Thorn wakes up.

488175

>>488173
Go on.
I don't really see a reason to not improve our fighting ability if we can't inspect the crater any sooner anyway.
Maybe we can wrap some piece of armor around our shin to protect it from further damage?

488176

>>488173
Keep going

ID: e370e 488177

>>488173
Maybe we should stop for now and meet the Elements?
We can train more once our leg has had some time to get better. A little healing magic could hasten the process.

488178

>>488177
Didn't Celestia leave to gather the Elements? I'm kinda sure they aren't here yet.

ID: bab83 488182

>>488173
>>488175
>>488176
>>488177

"I think I can go on," you say, readying up your sword and shield. "Do you have anything I could protect my legs with? Maybe a healing spell? Princess Luna used one on me earlier to get rid of a headache I had."

"No healing magic," Gold Heart snaps. "No more armor either. If you're going to continue this fight, you'll be doing it with no more than what you already have."

Gold Heart returns to the dais and summons up a couple of pegasus guards. Each one suited with blades on the edge of their wings, blunted, just as the swords were before.

"I don't suppose you can fly?" Gold Heart raises an eyebrow.

488184

>>488182
Not a chance, where I'm from we fly uses machines.

488185

>>488182
"I kinda have the feeling you are trying to get me killed."

488186

>>488182
"There's only one guy back home and he's kind of, uh, fictional. We use planes and parachutes for that."

Pause. She's leading you on.

"You want me to train in aerial combat? How? Fairy dust?"

ID: e370e 488187

>>488182
"Does falling with style count?"

488190

>>488182
"Like a wounded tortoise."

ID: bab83 488191

>>488184
>>488185
>>488186
>>488187

"Not a chance, where I'm from we fly using machines. There's only one guy back home and he's kind of, uh, fictional."

"I'd been hoping to put you on equal ground," Gold Heart informs you, "though I suppose a little bit of a challenge won't be too much for you to handle. You did take down two of the guards already."

>>488185
"I kinda have the feeling you are trying to get me killed."

Gold Heart gives you a genuine smile. This one has no hidden agenda or dark intent behind it. For once, she's shown you a small amount of happiness.

"You're doing a fine job of that yourself," Gold Heart says. "Just remember what I told you."

You nod and ready your weapon. Your leg is still bothering you, but the moment's rest seems to have helped a bit. The two pegasus guards take off, but in different directions. No matter where you look, one always seems to be out of sight.

It isn't long before one of them dives at you.

Defend with the targe - High success
Attack with sword - Low success
In this fight, there will be a perception check with each roll. Negative consequences will be affected by the perspective roll, but you still get to choose which action to take.

488192

>>488191
Defend. She's been on our ass about being reckless, maybe feel out a good moment to attack.

488193

>>488191
Gold Heart just told us to think before we attack - so I'd say block with the targe to give us some time to think.

ID: e370e 488194

>>488191
Block.

ID: bab83 488196

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488197

>>488196
This will hurt.

ID: e370e 488199

488200

>>488196
We can only hope for a less than catastrophic failure, but fuck if it hits the same place again.

488203

>>488173
Is she just not used to seeing people with only skin? Surely ponies bruise almost as hard.

ID: bab83 488204

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>>488196

Success was >50

As the one pegasus you see comes down, you hold out your targe to defend, but he'd too fast. The blade of the wing knocks across your chest with enough force to knock you onto your back. The air leaves your lungs and you cough to fill them back up again. The other pegasus misses you, flying over after the first hit knocked you down, but now you have a lock on where they both are.

The two pegasus go in for another dive.

Same choices

ID: e370e 488205

>>488204
Block!
We can't make a decent attack while we're flat on our back.

488207

>>488204
Block. Even if we'd manage to hit one of them from this position the other one could beat us up badly

488208

>>488205
Block. Death from above is gonna be a bitch.

ID: bab83 488218

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>>488204
>>488205
>>488207
>>488208

This time as the pegasus come down, you're ready for them. You knock one away with the targe and the second towards him as the attacks come one after the other. Both of them are disoriented, but still flying at about your head height. If there was ever a time to strike, it was now.

Even if you can't get an attack in, you can at least close the distance between you and your opponents by backing them into the dais.

Attack with sword
Keep them in place with the targe

Each has the same success rate

ID: e370e 488220

>>488218
Strike!

488221

>>488218
EXTEND SWORD
ROCKET EBLOOOOOW

ID: bab83 488225

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488226

>>488218
Strike. We will have to try and end this fight anyway

488227

>>488225
FUCKKKKK

488228

>>488225
… I hope the poor Pegasus survives.

ID: e370e 488229

>>488225
GREAT
AETHER!

488230

>>488225
awww yisss

488231

>>488230
So a 0 is counted like 100, not a SUBLIME FAILURE?

488234

>>488231
The last number is our roll, the 0 before is the bonus we have on the roll (which is 0 at the moment)

ID: e370e 488235

>>488231
I think a 1 would be a SUBLIME FAILURE

ID: bab83 488236

>>488225

The swing of your sword nails both pegasus across their chests, knocking them into the dais. Both pegasus are rendered unconscious and there's a large crack in the dais.

"Enough," Gold Heart shouts as she hops down from the dais and trots towards you. "You may have been more aware of your surroundings, but you're still reckless. Always remember who you're fighting, whether they're an ally or an enemy. Using so much force can damage not only your enemy, but your friends and yourself."

Now that she mentions it, there's a slight throbbing in your hand. The leather from the hilt on the sword is wearing into your palm and flexing your fingers only causes them to cramp up again.

"You need to learn to relax," Gold Heart says placing a hoof upon your hand. "Focus on your objective and use whatever you must to achieve the desired result. Don't push yourself to the breaking point, and most importantly, don't do any more harm than you need to."

She moves her hoof away and there's a tinge of sadness in her voice when she says, "I don't know about the human world, but we value life above all things here. Some of us do, anyway."

488239

>>488236
"I- I didn't mean to injure them, it was just the heat of the moment. I'm sorry."

Go over to the Pegasi and see if we can do anything for them.

ID: e370e 488241

>>488236
"Are they going to be okay…?"

488242

>>488236
It really wasn't my intention to hurt them.

488243

>>488239
"I - I'm sorry. I expected the mass of another human. Maybe weighted dummies would be a good idea for a while. Or closer sword training."

Look over their wounds. "Anything we can do for them?"

488245

>>488236
Just as a general comment, but we have at least half their muscle mass. It's going to take a long time to work out the difference.

488247

>>488245
* half, TWICE

ID: bab83 488252

>>488236

"I- I didn't mean to injure them, it was just the heat of the moment. I'm sorry."

You go over to inspect the two injured pegasus, but are stopped by Gold Heart as two medical ponies carry them into the castle on cots.

>>488241
"Are they going to be okay…?"

"They'll be fine," Gold Heart assures you, "but let this be a lesson to you. The greatest control you can have over anything, is control over yourself. Your emotions, your thoughts, and your actions must all be in harmony with each other during every battle."

She seems to know a lot about fighting for a diplomat. Princess Celestia also trusted her with gathering the troops together. Before, you weren't so sure what her motives were, but seeing how she's cared for you and the ponies you've fought against…maybe there's something more to Gold Heart that she's not letting on about.

"Maybe I'm rushing you a bit," Gold Heart rubs the side of her head. "You show a lot of promise as a fighter, but you can't rush molding clay. We can continue if you wish, but only if you promise to have more self-control. In a battle, your fellow soldiers need to trust you and your commander needs to trust you. Can we trust you?"

488255

>>488252
Has Thorn woken up yet?

Because it doesn't feel like we will get much out of beating up the guards if even winning against four of them wasn't enough.

ID: e370e 488256

>>488252
"You can."
Let's keep going.

488262

>>488252
"You can trust me. I won't go for broke."

Try to work the knot out of that hand. "Is there something I'm just missing with the sword-blunt? Is the arc off, or is it just the weight I'm throwing with it? If I'm not gonna clobber opponents I'd better work that out."

ID: bab83 488268

>>488252
>>488255
>>488256

"You can."

"We'll see," she says and head back up on the dais. "You've faced Earth and Pegasus ponies, but you haven't been on the receiving end of an offensive spell form a proper Unicorn."

>>488262
"Is there something I'm just missing with the sword-blunt?" you ask as you work the knot out of your hand. "Is the arc off, or is it just the weight I'm throwing with it? If I'm not gonna clobber opponents I'd better work that out."

"That will come as you learn more control over your weapon," Gold Heart informs you. "There are instructors who could teach you how to better handle the sword, but I don't know how much good it would do a human."

>>488255
"Has Thorn woken up yet?"

"Not yet," Gold Heart shakes her head, a few strands of her golden mane falling in front of her eyes. "He'll show himself soon enough. I could wake him for you, but he's not fond of being woken up early from a nap."

ID: bab83 488270

>>488255

As for not getting much out of beating up the guardsYou're getting more out of it than you thinkbut I can't reveal that until the end of the session

488273

>>488268
Time to get roasted by some Unicorns.

ID: e370e 488276

>>488268
"That won't be necessary."
Let's fight us some wizards.

488281

>>488268
"I … don't want to wake him up either."

"Anything I should know about defending against magic? We don't have much back home."

488283

>>488268
Well, let's give it a try, though magic is something I've never witnessed where I'm from. It's a fairy tale there.

ID: bab83 488290

>>488268
>>488273
>>488276

"An instructor won't be necessary, then," you tell Gold Heart.

"Very well," Gold Heart says as she summons two unicorn guards.

Once more, you ready your sword and shield.

>>488281

"I…don't want to wake up Thorn either. Anything I should know about defending against magic? We don't have much back home."

"If you have no magic when facing a magical opponent," Gold Heart says from the dais, "use what you do have."

You're not sure how well a sword and shield will work against Unicorns. They don't seem to be charging into their attacks like the Pegasus and Earth ponies were either, you understand why when their horns begin to glow with magic and a different colored bolt shoots out of each.

Take cover
Charge the Unicorns
As in the last fight, perception checks will be made after certain actions

ID: e370e 488294

>>488290
Take cover!

488296

>>488290
Take cover. Charging them right away would be stupid, we don't even know how they fight yet.

488297

>>488290
Hiro was the only one to imply we don't need more sword training when we probably do. Just nothing we can do right now during the Unicorn drill.

488298

>>488290
Cover, Jesus. CHEST HIGH WALLS SAVE ME NOW

ID: e370e 488300

>>488297
Actually I was implying that it wouldn't be necessary for her to wake up Thorn for us. On reflection I probably should have clarified.

ID: bab83 488303

File: 1380408072564.png (6.58 KB, 328x33, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488294
>>488296
>>488297
>>488298

Perception check for finding coverApparently there's cover everywhere

488304

>>488300
Fair enough. It's not like Anon can't ask after swords training later in hopes a human can be taught some essential forms.

ID: bab83 488318

File: 1380408497776.png (6.09 KB, 328x27, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488303

You could have gotten a 10 on this roll and still taken cover

Diving behind the nearest barrel, the blasts of magic make short work of the temporary shield shattering splinters of wood all around you. You, however, are left unharmed. Your shin is acting up a little from the dive, but not too much. You're not sure how much more stress it can take before you're hobbling around the training grounds again. The Unicorns are charging up another spell.

"You can't keep running forever," Gold Heart cries out to you."Remember what I've said and use it."

There's still plenty of cover for you to hide behind, but Gold Heart is right. You're going to have to launch some sort of assault sooner or later. It would also help if you knew where the Unicorns are right now. It seems they've moved as much as you have during the blast.

Charge forward without cover
Advance with covere

488323

>>488318
Advance with cover.

488324

>>488318
Advance with cover. There's no telling what offensive magic can do to someone whose species evolved without it.

Feel out where the three are, sidle for the closest.

488325

>>488318
Advance with cover, maybe there's a pattern to their movements or attacks we could exploit to get closer.

488329

>>488318
>>488325
They're charging attacks.
Sidle for the closest and count out how long it's taking them to "reload." (Advance with Cover)

ID: e370e 488330

>>488318
With cover.

ID: bab83 488333

File: 1380408965273.png (6.27 KB, 324x30, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488318
>>488323
>>488324
>>488325
>>488329
>>488330

Perception Check saysYou can't see them…at all

ID: e370e 488335

488337

>>488333
Not even the direction the bolts are coming from? Fuck.
GO LEFT?

488338

>>488333
Let's just hope the Docs are good at stitching humans back together

488340

>>488333
They're invisible or anon is blind, just pick a direction to move then.

ID: bab83 488344

File: 1380409313308.png (6.6 KB, 327x34, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488333

Success was >30

As you advance across the training grounds, you dive for the next available source of cover only to be blasted in the chest with a bolt of magic. You have no idea where it came from or who shot it, but you can feel this burning fizzle as the spell impacts against your chest. The breath hasn't been knocked out of you, but it is getting harder to breathe as you move around.

Try to advance again
Rush them

488346

>>488344
Try to advance again, rushing would make us seem desperate

ID: e370e 488349

>>488344
Try to advance. Rushing would be pointless if we can't tell where they are.

488350

>>488344
>it's getting harder to breath as you move around
So, the effect increases over time? If yes, rush them.

ID: bab83 488358

File: 1380409811127.png (6.29 KB, 325x30, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488344
>>488346
>>488349

Perception Check

"Good," Gold Heart chides from the dais. "Maybe getting knocked around a bit will remind you that just because you're acting smarter doesn't mean you are smarter."

There has to be something you can do. There's all this cover around you, you don't know where they are, and you're still getting hit. Rushing them doesn't seem like a good idea and the targe won't do very well against something that explodes barrels. You took the spells better than the barrels did. Maybe if you keep a steady advance and a sharp eye, you can eventually find your way through to them.

You peek over your large wooden crate just long enough to see them moving towards you. One of the Unicorns is on your left and there's another on your right. From what you can tell, they're trying to flank you.

[cont]

488360

>>488358
>"Maybe getting knocked around a bit will remind you that just because you're acting smarter doesn't mean you are smarter."

If it wouldn't give away our position entirely it'd be good to point out "What's the difference?"

ID: bab83 488365

File: 1380410203653.png (6.69 KB, 330x35, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488358

Success was >30

Now that you know where they are, you have a good beat on how fast they're firing and where. You roll towards the direction of one of the unicorns and see that you aren't too far from them now. There's a good chance if you rush them now, you can take them by surprise. You've been hiding and dodging long enough that they might not suspect it. You could also sneak up on the on you're closest too, but there's a chance that focusing on one Unicorn might mean you lose track of the other.

Sneak up on one of the unicorns
Rush one of the unicorns

488366

>>488365
Rush one of them.

ID: e370e 488367

488368

>>488365
Rush one. I don't really see how we could 'sneak up' on them if two of them are watching us and we kinda need to end this fight before we get another few blasts against the chest

488369

>>488366
>>488367
>>488368
What part of 'exercise self-control' didn't you get earlier?

ID: e370e 488370

>>488369
We've been sneaking this whole time. If we're going to strike we need to strike fast before our target has a chance to spot us.

488371

>>488369
You can't win a fight by just constantly dodging and hiding. Sooner or later you will have to attack.

ID: bab83 488372

File: 1380410514903.png (6.37 KB, 328x30, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488365
>>488366
>>488367
>>488368

Perception CheckThe first unicorn is about ten feet away from you, but doesn't know where you are. The other Unicorn is still trying to flank you from farther away, but a successful rush and cover might keep you safe

Rush with sword
Rush with targe

488373

>>488372
Time it and rush when that Unicorn is charging.

Rush with the targe. We aren't that great at checking our sword-swing yet.

488374

>>488372
.. rush with targe, we don't want to send another pony into the hospital

ID: e370e 488376

>>488372
Rush with the targe.

ID: bab83 488379

File: 1380411022683.png (6.62 KB, 333x34, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488372
>>488373
>>488374
>>488376

Success was >30

You hop over the crate and run into a full sprint towards one of the unicorns. As you jump up over the unicorns cover to deal a blow with your targe, the unicorn senses you and dodges your attack.

"Here," the unicorn in front of you shouts as he lets loose a bolt of magic.

The other unicorn attempting to flank you lets loose his own bolt of magic and you don't know if you'll make it out of two blasts with everything intact.

Dodge - Low Success
Block with targe - High Success

488381

>>488379
BLOCK WITH TARGEEEE

ID: e370e 488382

>>488379
Block!
And hope that it doesn't burst into splinters in the process.

488383

>>488381
>>488382
If this doesn't work, please tell me we can go Donkey-Kong and throw barrels.

488385

>>488379
Block with targe and hope that our arm doesn't explode.

ID: bab83 488390

File: 1380411993962.png (6.47 KB, 328x32, Roll.PNG, IO Google TinEye)

>>488381
>>488382

Success was >30

With two bolts of magic coming at you from either direction, you throw up your targe to block at least one of the blast. This works, but it doesn't save you from the force of the blast itself. As the explosion throws you back against a barrel, the second bolt of magic strikes directly against your spine. You groan as your body is wracked with pain for a moment and you fall to your knees on the ground. Gold Heart walks down from the dais and dismisses the two unicorns you were training with.

"If that were dragon fire," she says, "you would be dead right now."

Your breaths are caught in your chest every time you try to speak and only more groans come out.

"The important thing is that you're learning," Gold Heart says, placing a hoof on your shoulder, "but you did well for the most part."

You raise your head and stare back into the warm, emerald eyes of the smiling pony before you.

"Keep it, up," she smiles and brushes some of her mane away from her face. "I almost thought you'd get to face Thorn. He would have enjoyed the excercise."

ID: e370e 488391

>>488390
"N-Next time…I'll do better next time…"

488392

>>488390
>"If that were dragon fire," she says, "you would be dead right now."
"I don't think the difference to how I feel now would be too big…"

488394

>>488390
>"I almost thought you'd get to face Thorn. He would have enjoyed the exercise."

Laugh. You're alive at least. "I think I might like a little more practice before that."

488396

>>488392
Toughen up, buttercup. We might not want to whine too much; this lady is hard as nails.

ID: bab83 488399

>>488391
>>488392

"I don't think the difference to how I feel now would be too big…" you say, and wince through your next words. "N-Next time…I'll do better next time…"

The guard is gathering around you now. There's chatter of an impressive fight and a job well done. There are pats on your back and cheers of support for you to stand. You struggle to your feet and follow Gold Heart as returns once more to the dais. A couple of medics are urging you to lie down on the cot they've brought, but Gold Heart instructs them to lay it down next to her on the dais.

"I'll watch him until he wakes up," she says as you seat yourself on the cot. "He needs to feel everything right now and reflect on what he's learned."

The medics are reluctant to oblige, but dismiss themselves after a sharp glare from Gold Heart.

"Get some rest," she says to you with a smile. "Everything should be ready by the time you wake up, and you can get a look at that crater."

488402

>>488399
Do we even remember where our room is?
Lucent and Baron would be useful guides now.

ID: bab83 488403

>>488399
Last chance to say anything. Otherwise that's it for today and I'll go over a short rundown of what's changed through this session

ID: bab83 488405

>>488402

>"I'll watch him until he wakes up,"


What Gold Heart says, goes…at least right now

ID: bab83 488406

>>488402

Lucent and Baron are also asleep right now. They work nights

488407

>>488399
>>488403
I don't think I'd really say anything in that situation but just drop down on the cot.
Maybe Luna will visit us in our dreams.

ID: bab83 488410

Alright, rundown of the changes

Current Affection Levels

Luna - Mid-Low
Lucent - Low
Gold Heart - Mid-Low
Celestia - None

And now some bonuses

All combat rolls now get a +10 to every roll
All perception checks now get a +10 to every roll

ID: bab83 488411

>>488410

Also, at the beginning when you decided to let Luna sleep. You essentially changed the entire course of this session. Can't tell you what I have planned for Luna that you missed this time. Might still be useful in a later session.

Other than that

That's it for today

488414

>>488411
Alright thanks.

488416

>>488411
>Also, at the beginning when you decided to let Luna sleep. You essentially changed the entire course of this session. Can't tell you what I have planned for Luna that you missed this time. Might still be useful in a later session.

Please don't do that while the quest is running.
Maybe it's just me but it really bothers me when I already know during the quest that I would have made a different decision if I had known before

ID: e370e 488417

>>488410
>+10 combat
>+10 perception
noice.

ID: bab83 488419

>>488416

Right. Will NOT do.

488420

>>488411
Aw yeah. We impressed the shit out of them.
Great work A.J.

488422

>>488411
It was fun. Thanks for the session


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