//------------------------------// // My Motley Crew (9) // Story: Embrace the Darkness, Carpe Noctem // by musicman722 //------------------------------// “Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. Though, in hindsight, I probably should have expected this.” Now I see why the ship was so big. The ship was, in nerd terms, a long range sweeper. It was designed and built for long expeditions to bring back a bigger haul than what the smaller ships bring in. It takes more time but the reward is great if successful and judging by the storage space, I guessed that this island was the last stop before heading home. How could I tell? It was obvious when I pieced together the ship size, the possible distance from its port of call and the cargo in front of me. The cargo bay was packed with dozens of other creatures. Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Griffins, and even other Diamond Dogs. Each one specifically chained to keep them from any possible escape. Apparently, the Dogs don’t discriminate when it comes to slaves, so long as their alive and able to work. I think I can even see some foals, pups and chicks. Considering the attack earlier, I don’t see why there can’t be any. 'I have to say, I respect the developers in basing the Diamond Dogs off the human aspect of greed and ingenuity. The need for more and the know how to get it. The Dogs need workers, they get slaves. They need more slaves, so they make transport and weapons to get them, but as smart as they can be, they’re still pretty stupid.' I was broken from my train of thought as I noticed that everyone’s eyes were on me. I opened my mouth to speak first but I was beat to the spot by a lime green Pegasus stallion with a light brown mane and eyes and a ghost as his mark, “Wh-who are you?” The looks on everyone’s faces ranged from fear to despair. Not to mention, that they look half-starved, their faces gaunt and their ribs beginning to show. “Name’s Gunhaver. How long have you all been in here?” A light grey unicorn mare with a silver mane, and sky blue eyes with a lightning bolt mark answered, “S-some have been here for weeks, others for days. Most have lost count by now.” “How many are there of you?” A wizened orange normal horse with a white scraggled mane, silver eyes and a green check mark answered, “By my last count: twenty Diamond Dogs, eighteen Griffins, fifteen Earth Ponies, sixteen Unicorns, and thirteen Pegasi.” I did the math in my head. I came up with eighty two captives. I whistled softly. “Where’s the keys?” “The leader usually has the keys on his belt.” I face palmed. Of course the leader would have the keys to the ship. I was going to go back outside anyways, so I might as well add this to the list. I sighed, “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” I quickly went back up to the main deck and glided to the ground using my harpy form. The noise of the village lowered to a dull roar when they noticed me, all eyes following my movements and making me feel a bit self-conscious. I ignored their stares and strode over to Swift, who was tending to a couple. The couple, recoiled in fear of me but I didn’t really care. I tapped his shoulder, “Hey Swift. How much medicine and food do we have to offer?” Swift finished applying a salve on the stallion before turning to me, “I have plenty for the tribe to be treated. Even more for when it’s later needed.” “Well, we have near a hundred more wounded on the ship. Dogs were going to make this the last stop before heading home. Most of them are starved out. I need to find the keys as well.” Swift bit his lip, “You go find the keys and then I would like you to show me the others please.” “Sure, finish up and meet me by the ship.” The dead leader’s body was in the spot I had left it. It seems that whoever cleans up the messes hadn’t tried to take anything yet. I grabbed the keys off him and waited for Swift to come by. He arrived with his medicine saddlebags, filled to the brim with his tools of the trade. “Ready?” I asked. He nodded and I crouched down to let him onto my back. He hopped on and we flew up to the deck. I turned to my Base form, “They’re down below. Follow me.” We reached the Cargo Bay, the door still hanging ajar and every one of the captives still in their spot. “Sup guys, told you I’d be back.” I said, twirling the keys on a finger. Swift immediately went to work, starting on one side of the room. “Great! Now let us out!” someone yelled. Everyone’s face lit up with hope. I stopped twirling the keys and grinned, “I suppose I could let you out…for a price.” That dashed their hopes a bit. “What do you want?” one of the griffins asked cautiously. “Oh, nothing much. Just an arm and a leg.” I couldn’t keep a straight face when I saw their horrified reactions. “I’m kidding. I already ate.” Now they were really freaked out. “But seriously,” I said reverting to a businesslike tone, “Let’s make a deal. From what I can tell, you require freedom, food, and a way home, correct?” I paused as they nodded, “Well, I can give you those, including protection for a fair price. What I want from you is a crew to pilot this pile of junk of an airship back to your home and a few sparring partners.” “What if we refuse?” A griffin cried out. “I don’t have to let you out, you know.” I deadpanned. The griffin shut up. “As I was saying,” I gave a glare to the griffin, daring him to interrupt me again, “It’s not a bad deal. We both get what we want and when get to the mainland, we can go our separate ways. Deal?” The slaves looked pensive until someone said, “Deal.” A few more said it and soon enough, everyone agreed. “Good. Now here’s how it’s going to work. I’ll let you out and you can go and get some fresh air. Tonight, I’ll assign posts to each of you. Tomorrow, you all are going to get back on this ship and help me sail it to the mainland as my crew. ” I went over to the ones Swift had checked out, he was about halfway done now, and let them out first. I unlocked the chains on the pegasi and they all rushed out the door, eager to feel the air and stretch their wings. The unicorns were next. The earth ponies whooped and cheered as they bucked off their chains and rushed the door. The dogs moved slower but they still got out. The griffins jumped and stretched their wings on the spot before leaving. I turned to Swift, “So no severe injuries on them?” “None I could tell, except for hunger, most were quite well.” “Good, I want them in peak performance when we set sail.” Swift frowned, “Are you really going to leave? Or will you go out to find something to retrieve?” I snorted, “Don’t worry. I’ll visit when I can. I just have to find something to help me.” Swift smiled, “I wish you all the luck, my friend. It would be a shame if you met an unfortunate end.” I laughed, “That’s not going to happen any time soon. And if it does, then I’m going out with a bang and as many enemies as I can.” Achievment Unlocked: The Liberator- gained 20 XP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat on the bow of the ship, watching the scene before me while eating on the dead Dogs from earlier before they were cleaned up by the game. The sun was a lot lower in the sky, hanging in the air like a lemon drop just out of reach. The griffins and pegasi had taken to the skies immediately and hadn’t come down yet. I think I saw a few resting on clouds. The Dogs had taken to running around or sun bathing well away from the village. The unicorns, earth ponies tried to help the zebra tribe clean up the mess while the foals were all playing together in their corner of the village. I tossed away the last corpse and began to harvest them for their bones. I took my knife and peeled off the skin, which fell away like paper. I took out a femur and began to test its density against other objects. I swung it against the railing and the wood crumpled like cardboard. I checked the bone but there wasn’t a crack on it. ‘Wow, Diamond Dog bones must be really dense if it can withstand that impact.’ Satisfied with the results, I harvested all the bones I could use. Arms, legs, even some of the ribs. It took about an hour to get through all the bodies, but now I had a nice pile of bones to use. Why bones? Well bones are strong as, if not stronger than metal. They’re quick to craft into bolts and I can grab them whenever I kill an enemy. With my new pile of bones, I disposed of the bodies by burying them in the ground below with a few quick spells. I gathered the rest of the bones into my body and flew back up to the ship, eager to explore my new home. I started with the balloon. I went up the stairs and into a room filled with stoking fires. I could see some anvils and pieces of metal strewn around the place. This must be the forgery where they repaired the weapons. The fire even double as the one to keep the balloon heated. I skirted away from the fire, not wanting to get burned. I left before my OCD forced me to clean the place up. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to meet a burly Earth pony and Dog talking about something. “-designs did your kind use?” the Earth pony said. He was Pepsi-brown with a soot black mane that looked like it was burnt several times before and ember red eyes. His mark was flame and a hammer. Probably a metal worker. “We used metals fused together to make a hardened steel for our swords and spears.” The Dog said. He was tall and lanky but underneath the fur spoke of hidden strength. His fur was charcoal with a grey underbelly. I could see several scars on his arms and paws. His eyes were black as coal, set in his head like two gems. “Ah, interesting. I would like to see, so I can compare it to pony forging.” The earth pony said. “Hey, what’re you guys talking about?” I said. The two of them looked at me, surprised at my arrival. “Oh, well we were just discussing about forging techniques. Name’s Flamehoof.” The pony said quickly. “Nice to meet ya. Name’s Gunhaver if you didn’t catch it earlier.” I turned to the Dog, “What’s your name?” The Dog stared at me for a moment. “I am Flamel. I have not been so long gone from my clan as to forget my name, unlike others.” He said with a sad smile. “What do you mean?” I asked, now curious. Flamel sighed, “When Dogs are captured for too long, we forget our names since there is no need for them in the mines.” “Well, whoever doesn’t have names, will receive new ones. I got to have something to call them by. Anyways, what were you two talking about?” Flamehoof spoke up, “We were discussing about different forging techniques. Flamel says he knows a bit of alchemy as well.” “I dabble. It is an interesting topic to me.” He shrugged, seeing my look of surprise. “Seirously? That’s amazing!” I said excitedly. Alchemy is practically the basis of chemistry, except it uses magic as well. I could use this. “Hey, how about you two head up stairs and start working the forge. You might need to clean it a bit though. I’m expecting both of you to make any armor and weapons we need for the ship. If you need materials, then we’ll go hunting for some.” They nodded and rushed up the stairs. I could hear the sound of metal banging against metal. I may have to soundproof that room. Blacksmith acquired Alchemist acquired I continued my exploration. The bridge was in the back, exposed on the top deck. It was like a classic ship bridge with the helm in the center connected to steering ropes. Yeah, that needs to be fixed. It’d be too easy for snipers to take out the navigation and steering crew. I followed the steering ropes down to the propulsion engines. The ship was propelled by two rudimentary propellers, powered by basic boiler, like from a train. Actually, I think the boiler is from a train. ‘Well, I give them an A in resourcefulness but the thing is still pretty pathetic. I need a new way to get this heap of junk moving faster.’ Still a deck below the top, I went to the bow to find the kitchen and mess hall. It was sizeable though it wouldn’t fit the whole crew. I heard pots and pans clatter along with some muffled cursing from the back of the kitchen. I opened the door to see a tan Pegasus with a tangerine mane and eyes with a falling star on his flank. “Stupid Dogs, Why can’t they have any food?” he said, rubbing his head. “Aren’t they supposed to? They had a crew to feed.” I said, causing the Pegasus to jump and glare at me. “Yeah but there’s only gems and some…ugh…meat. The only food they gave us was some half rotten fruits and hay. And that was when they were being nice.” “Ah. What’s your name and talent?” “Star Streak, expert star chart maker.” “Well, Star Streak, We’ll stock up on enough food for the ponies to get us to the next island. Then we’ll get as much food as we can there before heading on.” He nodded and frowned, “Where are we going exactly?” I hesitated, “Um…to the mainland?” Star Streak raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Okay, fine. I don’t know which way. Wait, idea! You said you make star charts right?” He nodded. “Well, I want you to be the navigator for the ship. Go figure out our position and try to find a map to plot a fast course to the mainland by island hopping.” Star Streak saluted and sped off to his task. Navigator acquired I looked through the pantry and found stacks of gems and meat, the gems assorted by type. ‘Huh, so I guess Dogs are strong enough to eat gems. That explains the dense bones. They must have a hell of a bite. I wonder if they can eat metal? Whatever, I need to find some cooks for the herbivores and the carnivores.’ I went back through the ship to find the sleeping quarters on the same deck. I took my room in the far back where the old captain’s quarters were. It was small and cozy, enough to walk around and still have room to store things in the built in cabinets, where I stashed my bones to work on later. I even had a hammock to sleep in. Sweet! There was a small mirror on the wall. I was surprised at my reflection. My eyes and mouth were crimson red like some demon from hell. My teeth were sharp and jagged like a shark and had the color and texture of obsidian. ‘Holy hell, I look like a Dementor’s cousin!’ I thought. I messed around with my reflection a bit before I turned away and resumed scanning the room. I found a stash of gems and a weapons rack. On the wall was an old wanted poster. It was an image of a griffin in flashy dragon scale armor with a massive black sword on his back. Something seemed off, the image of the person was glowing with a faint silver aura. Something clicked in my memory. 'Silver aura. Silver aura. That meant something important. But what?' Loading… Loading… Loading… Loading… Load complete. 'That’s right! Erebus said that people with a silver aura are other players.' I looked back at the poster to see what his In-game name was. ‘Griffin the Griffin. Not very original is it?’ I thought. I began to scan his picture. You can tell a lot about a person by their image alone in a game. ‘Well he has a wanted poster which means that he’s not one for laws and he either sucks at subtlety or he wants attention.’ Those kinds of players are fun to troll. ‘He’s a griffin, so if he did pick that race, then he may prefer aerial combat and hit and run tactics, but I could be wrong.’ Assuming things often got you in trouble or worse. ‘Judging by his sword, he’s probably a Heavy type player, though he might use magic to boost his skills. His armor may have been bought or he actually crafted it after killing one. So, he might be a good player…or just another overpowered, cheating noob. At that point, I will have fun beating him down.’ I rubbed the poster paper, ‘This poster look old, so if he still has a bounty, I could catch him and turn him in for the money and to piss him off.’ I smiled maliciously, ‘I'm going to enjoy this game.’ I looked out the window to see the sun was starting to set. 'Time to go and get the crew.' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stood on the edge of the village near the ship in my Base form with all my new crew sitting in front of me. The moon was out and we had some torches set up for light. “Alright, you’ve had your fun today, but now I have to assign posts to you.” They all stood at attention, even the little ones doing their best to imitate them. “When I give you your post, please step out of the group. Star Streak, Flamel and Flamehoof, I have already given you your posts.” I searched the crowd for a certain earth pony and pointed at him, “Hey what’s your name?” The withered orange earth pony from before spoke up, “I’m Check Mark, Captain.” “You had an accurate count on how many were captured, right? Are you good at taking account?” He nodded, “My special talent is recording things. I worked in the Canterlot Scribes guild recording the castle’s finances most of my life.” “Well, then you’ll be our bookie. You have to record our finances and our inventory and make sure we don’t run low on anything necessary.” Check Mark saluted and stepped away. “Good, now you. What’s your name and talent?” I pointed to the grey unicorn. She stood up. “Storm Cloud’s the name, Lightning is my game.” She proclaimed proudly. “Hmm, you’ll be in charge of powering the engines and keeping the ship up and moving. You’ll have others to help as well.” She saluted and stood back at attention. “Those skilled with building and engineering are to report to Storm Cloud” Some heads nodded in the crowd. “Ah, you. Name and skill.” I pointed to the lime Pegasus. “I’m Camoflauge. I’m good at sneaking around like a ghost despite my colors.” “You’ll be our scout and in charge of gathering Intel. In other words, you’re our eye in the sky.” He saluted and stepped away. “Now who’s good with medicine?” A banana yellow unicorn with a short brown mane, yellow eyes, and a syringe mark spoke in a soft voice. “Me, uh…Captain. I’m Inject Vial.” She kicked the ground nervously, “I worked in a hospital before I was captured.” “Well, you’ll be in charge of keeping us alive and patching us up when we get hurt.” 'Wait, does she use needles? I hate needles. Focus! Now what else do we need?...' I thought about any potential positions. “Hey, just curious, are any of you musicians?” A unicorn mare and a pegasus stallion jumped up. They both were honey brown with blond manes and brown eyes. The unicorn had a guitar mark and the Pegasus had a drum set mark. The unicorn spoke up, “I’m Honey Almond and this is my twin brother, Crunchy Almond. Together we’re,” She paused and threw her hooves in the air, “Sugarland!” Crunchy looked at her quizzically, “I thought we were the Almond Brothers Band?” Honey bopped him in the back of the head. “I told you that only works if we’re both stallions! Last time I checked, I don’t have anything between my legs!” she shouted. “Ya still act like you do. Ow!”Honey kicked him in the shins. “It’s fine you two.” I said. I can tell it’s going to be a fun trip already. “Do you have your instruments?” Honey gave a glare at her brother before replying, “I’m not sure. We were caught on our way home from a gig in Las Pegasus with them but I don’t know if they’re on the ship.” She said worriedly. I know that feel. I played violin in high school and I once nearly lost it at a concert. “Well, you’ll find it eventually. When you do, you’ll be on morale duty and keep everyone happy” they gave their salutes, Crunchy’s was a bit more pained, and stepped away. I searched the crowd, “Now, I need to know if there are any foals, pups, or young griffins here.” A small red furred pup, a lithe griffin and four foals, two unicorns, a pegasus and a earth pony strode up. “You six have to help where you can, but keep out of trouble. You can play if you want, but you have to stay out of the way while the others work.” The six of them gave a groan at work but brightened up at the mention of play time. “Now step out.” They each gave a salute, though some were giggling, and ran to the growing crowd on the side. “So, who knows how to cook?” Three hoofs and a paw shot into the air. “You four are to report to the kitchen to make food for everyone here. Try to remember we have herbivores and some omnivores here. When you get back on the ship, take stock of what we have for food so we know what to get.” They saluted and stepped away. “Hmm, that’s all I can think of for now. However, an important issue I must bring up is Combat.” I saw a few Dog and Griffin eyes twinkle with excitement, while most of the ponies were still a bit uneasy at the prospect of fighting except for a few. They probably lived in some crime-free, non-violent society or close to it. Well too bad, there’s going to be a lot of fighting from here on out. “I said before that I would ask for sparring partners but I would also encourage you to learn as well. The trip back to the mainland may not exactly be smooth sailing. In the event we are attacked by something, I want you to be able to defend yourselves and the ship from whatever we come across.” I shifted my stance to feet shoulder width apart and with my hands behind my back. “I will be training with you as well and help some of you polish up your skills and find your style of fighting. Flamehoof, Flamel, you’ll also be working on armor and weapons for the ship and crew. I will help where I can with that.” They all nodded, some in reluctance. I tried to think of anything else I forgot but drew up a blank. “Well that's all I can think of for now. If I didn't give you a post, then work where you can help best.” I clapped my hands together, “I have more to say but they can wait for tomorrow. That’s it for tonight. I suggest you get a good night’s rest because we will leave in the morning for the next island. Pick a room and bunk together. My room is in the far back, just so you know.” Everyone got up and headed back to the ship, some racing to find the best room first. I watched as they flew or climbed the ropes up, some helping the ones who couldn’t climb easily. I walked a ways from the village and stared at the stars. They were beautiful tonight, along with the moon. I wonder if it would be possible to reach it in this game? “For a creature of the dark, the contrast is stark.” I turned to see who had snuck up on me. It was a wizened old zebra with an assortment of bracelets and necklaces on his body. He had dreadlocks that were covered in beads, feathers and some pieces of metal. I saw on his flank that he had a mark that looked like a cluster of medicine herbs. What really caught my eye was the scars over his glassy eyes. He was blind. “Who are you and what do you mean by that?” I asked. I’ve learned from experience that old people can be crazy but always have something important to say. He chuckled, “My name is Tall Tree, I am the Shaman Elder if you can’t see. I say what I mean. These senses of mine are very keen.” He pointed to his head with a hoof. ‘Yeah, he’s senile.’ I thought. “Um… I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but you’re blind.” He chuckled, “My sight I cannot use, but I can still see different views.” I had to ask, “A-are you using the Force?” He frowned, “I know not this ‘force’ you speak. It is the power of nature that gives me a peek.” I believe that’s called the Force, but I’ll humor him, “Fine then, what do you see about me?” I relaxed and waited for his reply. ‘This ought to be good.’ The Shaman pulled out a bowl from nowhere and threw some plants in. He ground it up in his hooves and then muttered under his breath. The plants ignited and turned to ash, the fumes rising up into the Shaman’s nose. He breathed deeply and shuddered before speaking. “Another being you are, a…human, that is your kind. A species that changes by nature’s design. You appear to be a threat, yet there are memories you to want to forget. You travel this world seeking adventure and fame. But to keep your sanity, others you must maim. Your divine master has bribed you into his plays. The truth and lies are twisted in what he says.” He gave a final shudder, “That is what I see. All you wish to be free.” He picked up his bowl and turned back to the village leaving me with one thought going through my head. ‘What the actual fuck?’