//------------------------------// // Taking Point // Story: Adventures in Gaming: Pathfinder // by Fluorescent Sandstorm //------------------------------// A few minutes later, a groaning destrier rolled his head to the side as he came back from bleary, painful sleep. “Whuzzah, who, wha… WHY AM I TIED UP!? I’M GONNA RIP ALL YER HEADS RIGHT THE BUCK OFF-“ “You’re going to what, darling?” The Destrier’s howl’s trailed off as he glanced up at Fabulous, who smiled demurely back down at him as she lounged atop a crate, her horn nubs glowing ever so slightly. “Go on, don’t be shy sir, what eloquent words of surrender were you going to present to us, which of course is where that sentence was going, wasn’t it?” The Destrier stared at the glow on her horns for a moment, glowering silently before spitting and grumbling. “Fine, crazy ass magic cheatin bitch. I surrender. Whaddaya want?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Wow. That wasn’t even a challenge for you huh Rarity?” Pinkie said with a headscratch The white unicorn shrugged and smiled. “Well, intimidate goes off of charisma, so it simply falls within Fabulous’ wheelhouse as it were.” “Well that dun make a lick a sense. Why dun intimidate go offa’ strength?” Applejack interjected with a frown. “Ah mean, no offense, but with them stats Fabulous don’ exactly cut an imposing figure.” “Oh Applejack Darling, you’d be amazed how intimidating simple force of /personality/can be.” Rarity said with a dismissive wave. “Well, be that as it is, strength should still count right?” Applejack replied stubbornly. “It does if you take the feat intimidating prowess!” Twilight interjected. AJ gave her a flat look, before suddenly slamming down a hoof on the table in front of her. The unicorn jumped up in surprise, AJ giving a satisfied smirk. “Well see there, didn’ that intimidate yah?” “Yep! Which means whoever’s playing an Applejack should take the feat!” Twilight replied with a happy nod. “…” “In any case!” Rarity cut in… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Well sir, your name would be a good start” Fabulous replied with a shrug “Scab Wound.” “….Ew.” “Shut it. Now what the buck do you want?” “I think you already know that sir” Resplendent cut in “We were the ones who cut your robbery of the locksmith short if you recall.” “Oh. Right. That… No idea what you’re talking abou-GRAGHL!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Holy crap Fluttershy!” “S-sorry, but I mean, he said he was going to when they first went to find him…” “Oh dear, that was… well, quite straightforward” Applejack didn’t even manage to form words, and even Pinkie had a bit of a blink before she continued ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Shut up with the stupid.” Razor growled as he pulled his throwing knife back out of Scab and tossed it in his pack. “That’s for hitting a building in my turf. Now answer the question-” Razor blinked as something shoved him from behind into the nearby wall, Resplendent’s hoof slamming into the wall next to him as she growled. “Hold Razor. I will not allow you to use violence to interrogate a pony, no matter how evil he may be!” The half destrier just shrugged and grinned. “Why do you think I didn’t ask? Now are we gonna help the poor old man find his precious heirloom or are you gonna sit her and complain Prissy?” The paladin narrowed her eyes, the two keeping gazes locked, before Dauntless stepped between them. “Please, can we save this till later? We need this info now.” Resplendent growled but broke off, walking back down the alleyway “Fine. But try that again and I will return your knife point first ser.” Razor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure you will. Anyway, so, buddy, key, where?” The Destrier glared daggers up at the half blood, before spitting. “I work for the Satyrs. Thieves guild trying to establish turf in the wharf quarter. Apparently this jobbed paid good.” Razor leaned in and growled back. “Where?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Not much to look at, is it?” Fabulous asked with a sniff “You’ve said that to every building we’ve been to.” Dauntless replied dryly. “Well pardon me for keeping a higher standard of living than filthy squalor” the sorceress shot back. In her defense, the building really wasn’t much to look at. It was a warehouse well within the maze of streets and alleys that made up the inner wharf district, with three stories of dirt smudged brick walls and boarded up windows. A small ramp led up to a heavy, wooden door with iron chains through the door handle. Resplendent started up the ramp. “Well, let us get on with it t-“ “Whoa whoa there prissy. Why don’t you let me go first?” Razor cut in. The paladin rolled her eyes and continued forward. “A little late for gallant acts rogue. I can handle myse- ack!” she yelped as her hooves disappeared out from under her, just barely finding purchase on the pit’s opening as the ramp’s top swung down into a spike trap. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “...whew” AJ wiped her forehead at the eighteen she rolled on her reflex save. Fluttershy gulped and tried speaking up once more “T-that’s what… um.. yea… I go help Resplendent up…” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A hoof roughly grabbed her mane, yanking her back out of the pit and on the side with the door, its owner giving her a flat look as he helped the other two across. “I… take it you meant you were better qualified to scout ahead for such dangers.” “Yep.” “… My apologies.” “Uh huh. Just keep your mouth shut and hit the badguys and you’ll make it through this just fine.” “…” Resplendent was left fuming (And Fabulous snickering) as Razor went to work on the lock of the door. While he worked, Dauntless thought aloud. “Alright. So, they probably don’t know that we’re coming, so we have the element of surprise on our side. With that in mind, we should try to avoid as much contact as possible, and keep quiet when we do. Agreed?” The other two nodded and the clank of chains hitting the ground signaled the end of Razor’s work. “Well, mares first, so one of you get the honors” he said while stepping back. Fabulous quickly stepped back as well, while Dauntless and Resplendent both started forward before looking at each other. “I believe you’ve shown your prowess for dealing with doors to be suboptimal. Let me go first” Dauntless said dryly. The paladin narrowed her eyes and countered “I assure you that was a fluke. I shall take the lead.” “No, seriously, let me go first.” Dauntless urged “I insist elsewise” “well I insist the opposite…" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “C’mon Applejack, I mean, I have a higher dex than you. My reflex is better and my initiative will make me less likely to be flat footed.” Twilight maintained “I will not leave Resplendent with such a silly legacy of door fai-*cough cough* Sorreh, got stuck in character. Ah ain’t leavin Resplendent defeated by a dern door. Let me go.” AJ stubbornly replied as she crossed her front legs. “Well maybe plan ahead and let the rogue do her- err, his job.” Twilight debated flatly. “Look, that was mah bad, but that’s why I should go first, to unbad mah bad. If somethin’s nasty on the other side I should-“ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “-be the one to brave it as a warrior of Sarenrae. I would not feel comfortable letting another do so.” “I’m not a foal, miss Resplendent. I can handle myself.” Dauntless continued, now snout to snout with Resplendent as the rogue and sorceress stared blankly at the argument. “… You know, if it gets us through the damn thing faster I’ll just go first-“ Razor began, before both mares turned on him and yelled “NO!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “…” Pinkie glanced at Fluttershy hiding under the table after getting doubly snapped at by Twilight and AJ, then to Rarity boredly drumming her hoof on the table, then finally to the bickering pair “…THEY’RE DOUBLE DOORS!” She suddenly yelled. AJ and Twilight blinked before turning to their GM “Wait, what?” “Whuzzat?” “Yep! Double doors. You can both go first.” Pinkie affirmed with a nod “I’m pretty sure you said it was a single door the first time you described it” Twilight replied, one eyebrow skeptically raised. “Hrmm… nope, pretty sure I didn’t!” Pinkie returned with a giggle “… yes, you totally did.” Twilight continued “Did I?” “Yes” Pinkie shrugged and grinned a little bigger. “Prove it” Twilight opened her mouth to reply, closed it, opened it again, raised a hoof, lowered it, scowled as her brain worked a bit more, before she huffed. “… I can’t.” “Neato! So they’re double doors.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Fine, then we both go first” Dauntless sighed with a shrug. Resplendent thought it over before nodding, taking position in front of one door while Dauntless to her place in front of the other. “Right then, on the count of three, one, two, three!” Dauntless whispered, and the two quietly opened the doors and stepped inside. Right into the line of fire of ten crossbow wielding thieves surrounding the door. “… You know maybe having that argument outside was a bad idea.” Dauntless said objectively. “Indeed.” “FIRE!” yelled the lead thief pony, and all hell broke loose. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Ok, so five shots on Resplendent and five on Dauntless. First Dauntless…” Five dice hit the table. “Whats your AC Twi?” “eighteen.” Twilight said with a gulp. “Phoeey, only two hits. Alright, what’s yours AJ?” she asked as she rolled again. “Twenty” She said with a small grin at Twilight. “Ooh, nice. Means I only got four hits on you annnnnnnd-“ She rolled one of the dice again “-one of them just misses being a crit.” AJ looked flatly at the dice, giving them an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture before sighing. “Alright, do yer damage then” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resplendent grimaced as a quartet of crossbow bolts found the holes in her armor, Dauntless fairing a bit better as she ducked a pair of shots before two caught her in the side. The two warriors gave battle-cries before charging into the thieves, all of them dropping their crossbows and joining the erupting melee. Fabulous stepped into the door and unleashed a magic missile on one unfortunate enough to be closest to her, the bolt of force cracking across the thief's forehead as it sent him sprawling to the ground in a daze. Razor bounded over the sorceress and into the room, catching another thief in the back with a throwing knife as he closed the distance. The thieves tried to rally and strike at the weakened warriors, but it seemed Dauntless weaved through the blows with ease and Resplendent only took a graze from one blade before she roared and gave one thief a buck that put him through a nearby window and into the street outside. After that, it wasn't much longer till the thieves were all collapsed across the floor, none looking like they were getting up any time soon. Resplendent and Dauntless looked around, both breathing heavy before looking at the other and giving a grudging nod. “I suppose you may take point miss Dauntless”