"Ohhhhhhh boy," Flynn stood on the stone ridge's summit, gnawing on his fetlock.
Kepler, Logan, and Wildcard stood in a solid line, craning their necks as they gazed down at the waving parallel of wild wilderness and living stalks.
"Is..." Logan motioned with his head. "...is that really it?"
All eyes rested on a rectangular swath of cleared landscape—courtesy of a slab of crystalline glass that stretched dormant into the forest of carniverous weed.
"That's it, alright," said Rainbow Dash, hovering overhead next to Ariel.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh boy..." Flynn squirmed and fidgeted.
"My starrs and garrterrs..." Kepler shuddered. "Therre cerrtainly... is a lot of the currious plant."
"Well, duh," Ariel droned. "What part of 'the flesh-eating death grass populates an entire valley beyond the crest of the parallel' didn't you understand?"
Kepler adjusted his spectacles. "I suppose a petrrified parrt of me had hoped you werre speaking frrom a position of hyperrbole."
"I'm afraid not, buddy," Rainbow Dash said. She gestured with her hoof. "And that little slab there is the only thing for miles and miles that comes close to cutting into the mess."
Wildcard let loose a wheezing exhale.
"So..." Logan shifted where he stood. "...our next order of business is to turn that measely plank of glass into a measely ramp of glass?"
"Ohhhhhhhhh boy..." Flynn whimpered.
"Shut it!" Logan frowned at him. He turned towards Rainbow Dash again. "Did you and Ariel drum up a plan?"
"Yeah." Ariel nodded. "Not get eaten."
"Hardy har." Logan snorted. "All that shit looks like soggy bamboo." He squinted. "Just... how dangerous is it, really?"
"Wanna test it out?" Rainbow's voice cracked.
"Kinda, yeah."
Rainbow looked around. She found a loose rock the size of her pendant. Picking it up, she glanced at the rest of the Herald. "Who here has the best throwing arm?"
Wildcard immediately saluted.
"Here ya go, buddy..." Rainbow hoofed him the rock.
"Ach!" Kepler nodded excitedly. "A perrfect time to test Flynn's miniaturre manacorre!"
Wildcard took a breath. A mechanical whurring sound could be heard as he pivoted his body, rotated his metal prosthetic, then flung the rock forward with a slight burst of manasteam. Thrommm!
Heads turned, following the long descending arc of the rock as it flew into the waving field below. The mechanical boost to Wildcard's prosthetic proved fruitful, and soon the projectile was clearing the summit of the waving stalks.
Then suddenly—
Th-THWKKK! A throng of bright red probisci extended from the tips of the stalks. The whole forest shifted in the direction of the rock, fighting and fussing over it. There was a splash of pebbles—glinting like dust in the twilight—and soon all was still once again.
A low thunder rolled uphill, reaching the ears of all who gazed down at the mess.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh boy." Flynn sweated.
"Them's hungry trees," Logan burped. "I'm not sure we're gonna be very safe trotting near it."
"It's doable," Ariel said.
"Oh yeah?"
Ariel nodded, looking down at Logan. "Rainbow and I were able to stand on the glass plate."
"We kept our distance from the stalks, though," Rainbow said. "Something tells me that they only sense what's above them. Not what's to the side."
Wildcard hand-signed.
Kepler interpreted: "'Would you willing to bet yourr life on that?'"
Ariel and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances.
A cold voice echoed downhill from the plateau behind them: "You seriously intend to glide over that?"
The group turned to look.
Seraphimus was craning her neack from where she sat in the back of the wagon. "Because you will need to gain an awful lot of air." She gestured behind them—Edgeside—with her head. "Judging from the journey that got us here, this wagon isn't exactly equipped for altitude."
"Ah...!" Kepler pointed with his claw, smiling through tusks. "Our little experiment in exiting the mesa of Darkreach proved that maintaining altitude is quite possible."
"Yes, but look below you." Seraphimus' eyes narrowed on the sloping mountainside in question. "It descends directly into the deathly forest."
"No..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It descends into a glass ramp."
"... ... ..." Seraphimus blinked. "I fail to see a ramp."
"That's because we've yet to push it up to become one." Rainbow gestured. "We've brought the supplies, the strength, and the unicorn." A bold smirk. "Now all that's left to do is begin the gruntwork, and then we'll give the wagon a little push."
"... ... ..." Seraphimus slumped back in her seat. "I regret even opening my beak."
"Well, she obviously believes we can't do it," Ariel said. She turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "You happy now?"
"Ecstatic." Rainbow punched her fetlocks together. "That's just the good sign we need!"
"Ha-Hah!"
Wildcard gestured something.
"Hell yeah." Logan nodded, responding. "I totally agree."
"Hmmm?" Rainbow looked over.
"If we're gonna do this—like for real—then we've got to suit up." Logan pointed towards the wagon. "I pulled countless muscles pulling all that shit out of Darkreach. It's high time we got used to wearing it."
"Indeed." Kepler nodded. "This brrave leap is only the starrt. Therre arre untold trribulations to weatherr ahead of us. Best that we girrd ourrselves in Emerraldine's finest so that we can be prreparred."
"Ohhhhhhhh boy—" Flynn received a metal slap to the head. "Ow!"
"Thanks, Double-Yoo," Logan said. He was already turning around to march towards the wagon. "Come on, boys and girls! Move your butts and then guard your butts! Time to get all sexy'n'metal'n'shit!"
"Well..." Ariel smiled crookedly, descending softly towards the plateau. "I can dig at least one of those three."
It's become a personal quest of the pegasi to prove Sera wrong whenever they can.
Just the way Dash likes her mares.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
Time to get dressed for battle!
The third one, presumably
Dammit, Ariel. You're worse than Rayvinne.
And on the light side of the plain, Roarke suddenly sneezed.
ohmygodomygodohmygod!
Their gonna pull out Odrsjot enruned power-suits!!!
This is gonna be awesome!!!!!
I always thought this team was a little under armored and armed. They still really need to get better weapons. Take some levels in explosives, or at least get the Anti-material Rifle with grenade rounds. Have you seen what that can do to a Deathclaw's head?
8404279
Black Widow if you like precision OHKO shots, Krysae if you like OHKO explosions and can't aim
Venom if you want an easy win
Huh... so this entire little slice of the Dark Side is pretty much devoid of life, right? Except for the death grass? So... what does the death grass normally eat when there aren't once in a dozen lifetime adventuring parties cruising on by? It's got to eat something on a basis more regular than once every eon or so, right?
Ooh! A two-fer!
8404279
Have you tried putting missiles is a riot shotgun? HOOOOooo boy that lags but it is ever so worth it
Have to reload the single shell each time, but, what can you do.
8404310
I hated seeing scrubs using the Krysae.
Up until they nerfed it in the last patch, I used the Mantis, a Mantis X with piercing V and extended barrel V was essentially a lighter weight Widow.
Put that on my Geth Soldier alongside the Geth Assault rifle, and you had a good all rounder with a damage spec hunter mode and shield regen spec turret.
Call on the Woormwood crew.
Its gonna be a hot time in Chernobyl tonight.
If only she had this regret earlier
Three guesses as to what that is. The first two don't count
And now it is time to... ARMOR UP!
Good, now keep regretting opening it.
8404408
Not necessarily if it is corrupted and/or powered by chaos energy.
8404594
clearly metal. She's pining to be half as cool as WC with his mana-prosthetic
8404644
Hang on a second. If they don't react to things to the side of them, couldn't the Herald theoretically try and cross between the stalks?
8404764
Soooooo... a chaos wizard did it?
If only Roarke were here. The sexiest metal mare there ever was. Rainbow would have a field day.
8404750
Sorry, meant sephy
8405028
Maybe? Chaos is not exactly predictable.
8405128
True, I wouldn't be fond of that idea as well.
I'm still a bit confused. Doesn't this glass plank extend all the way across the canyon? Or does it only go partway across?
8405130
Oh I agree, and its not like its really that big an issue right now. It mean its not like we need a detailed and well thought out ecology for the death grass for it to do its job in the narrative of being a deadly and weird obstacle in the party's path. That said I do worry a bit that "chaos energy" might become a bit too often used excuse for having weird and unexplained things without really needing to think through things with some level of logic.
Where's the weedkiller when you need it...
8405253
I don't think that it will happen too often, because the issue of sustainability only affects the flora and fauna. The basic problem is obviously the lack of sunlight, which is (under normal circumstances) the death sentence for any complex ecosystem. I believe the corruption by chaos is a potent substitute, as it provides some form of energy, but comes with the price of mutations and twists the inherent nature of creatures.
8405283
I think you'd need more than a couple of bottles of the stuff for this situation though :P
8405283
Or a couple of flamethrowers
It's good to see the group moving again. Just watching the interactions the last few chapters between each one has been very enjoyable.
Really, a kingdom for a flamethrower. If ever there was a time for indiscriminate incandescence...
8404843
Well, that's enough internet for me today.
8404219
Implying that Rayvinne was the bad from which the comparative worse might originate?
For shame, xer. For shame.
8404843
Pft! You call THAT armoring up?
This is how you armor up
Roarke knows that Rainbow is down with 67% of those.
No, they intend to fall with style over it
Here we go..
I say we nuke it from orbit. Only way to be sure. Then the Mana plank 2000 will have it easy.
I've got a baaaaaad feeling about this . . .
AHH! He said it! He said it!
Bruh
She's got a point.
Hell yeah! Lock and load Herald (and Sera)!