//------------------------------// // Ch.15 - Fort Selene Roguelike - Pt.3 // Story: Tails of Sacrifice // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Tails of Sacrifice - Chapter 15 - Fort Selene Roguelike - Part 3 The kitsune opened a double-door into another chamber with Lily following next to her rear paws. She peeked inside, expecting destruction left by her alicorn friend. Ever since Desire separated them with his insidious trap, Nightmare Moon went on an enthusiastic crusade, storming through countless rooms.   Kyuubi couldn't tell if Nightmare abandoned them due to a lack of patience or she had confidence in them and decided to clear a path. Either way, she wasn't happy. They were supposed to be a team, and while Lily was a dependable partner, the dark alicorn was decidedly not. How many rooms and chambers had they even passed thus far? A hundred? This chamber, however, seemed spared from the princess' wrath. On the left side, she spotted a few metallic ovens, their quality surpassing the ones she made herself back in the Lunar City. And of course, there were metal bars, thousands of them. In the middle of the room were three anvils in the diversity of sizes.  Is this a blacksmith’s workshop?  The first anvil was half the size of an average mare. The third was as big as a stallion. What are they making here? The kitsune looked to the right and narrowed her eyes, seeing numerous golems scattered over the right side of the chambers. Some were pure rock, others made from metal. Some had different shapes than ponies, standing tall on rear legs. Many were missing limbs.  Kyuubi bit her bottom lip and looked away upon seeing headless ones. That, compounded by the ponies with missing limbs, hit way too close to home regarding old fears. She looked ahead, noticing shelves filled with swords and armors. Oddly enough, only half of them would fit a pony. The kitsune levitated off her helmet, then her chest plate, and finally armor from her back, then pushed them all into the room. She moved both her forepaws and head through the opened door, then pushed forward, trying to squeeze through as if she were a lion trying to fit through a doggy door. The kitsune’s claws sank into the rocky floor, anchoring themselves, causing numerous cracks to spread around her paws. Similar cracks appeared on the wall while her tucked-in belly looked as if it shrunk to half its size. Almost there. Just a little more! Kyuubi felt her student tackle her from behind. She flew a few meters forward as fragments of the wall landed next to her.  The kitsune supported herself on a single paw and glanced over her shoulder. Great, just great. And here I’d hoped I could get inside the chamber without tearing off some of that wall. "Oh, so that's why you tried to squeeze through!" Lily noted as she ran forward, stopping next to Kyuubi's head. "I was wondering why we didn't make another hole like in all those previous rooms. But never mind that. What is this place? It makes our crafting chamber look like a dollhouse." Kyuubi stood to her four paws. She took a few minutes to reattach her massive armor, then walked forward, passing by a few shelves with careful steps. Oddly enough, despite being almost eight meters tall, she had little difficulty walking around. Her student climbed onto her shoulder for a better view. It looks like a workshop, but it’s so big. Big enough to arm an entire army. The one who made it must be quite large. "I fear no giant! I can take him. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Lily joked, “Except you, Kyuubi. I won't let you fall."  I know, Lily. I am your favorite giant, after all, Kyuubi responded, hearing a cheerful giggle. "Oh, a customer, and one of such sizable posture. I didn’t expect a VIP." Kyuubi looked towards the source of the voice and took a battle stance. After Desire, she would err on the side of caution with every new encounter.  A demonic being walked from behind a shelf filled with armors.  It stood on two legs, reaching up to four meters in height. It had six arms, each with three big fingers and equipped with a hammer. Two long horns decorated its head. The beast was covered in bronze scales, wearing an impressive chest-plate.  "A multi-tailed kitsune. Oh, it brings back memories. Are you related to Ninetails? You seem to lack four tails and several meters to match him." Kyuubi groaned, not lowering her guard. Whether she was related to that mad kitsune or not, she didn't care to dwell. In the end, it was the actions and choices she made that defined her, not the actions of her family. The demon placed his hammers on the floor with a weak thud, then held four hands on his sides. "Do not be alarmed. No harm will come to anyone who visits my workshop. It is a place of trade and work, not war." The kitsune relaxed slightly. There seemed to be a lot of passion in this demon's eyes, yet no hostility. "Oh, I get it. You are with the mighty alicorn raiding this fortress. Well, you came to the right place." He pointed at her. "I can turn your pitiful armor into an indestructible work of art. For the right price." And what price would that be? Kyuubi asked cautiously before she sat with a loud thud, causing a few weapons and armors to shake in their respective shelves.  The demon pointed with his right-upper hand behind his back at a stack of gems. "This. The hearts of all the golems working here have decent value. You can mine gems or get these as loot from battle. I would not care less which." He then gestured at a stack of spare parts and metallic limbs. "Some golems are equipped with enhanced arrangements or armor. The higher quality ones, the more you can get for them." Kyuubi blinked before tilting her head in confusion. Was this demon asking her to destroy golems and bring him their cores and more valuable parts? She withdrew her head further back the moment Lily landed on her muzzle. "Excuse me!" the earth pony shouted, waving at the demonic blacksmith. "I'll be. How did this young pony get here? This place isn't a daycare." "Hey! I’ll have you know that I destroyed several golems and overcame traps a few times my size!"  The demon laughed, then approached, causing the kitsune to resist the urge to take a step back. She did narrow her eyes at the demon, watching his every move. “And what do you call yourself?” "My name is Lily, High Templar Lily. And she's Priestess Kyuubi. What's your name?" "War Tool, at your service." He half-bowed in respect. “The pleasure is all mine, little Templar, great Priestess." War Tool? And from what souls were you born, if I may ask? The demon grabbed a nearby metallic chair, one fit for a creature of his size. He sat on it and crossed his legs. Upon closer inspection, his legs had hooves. "Isn't it obvious? Souls of dead ancient blacksmiths. Those who made armor and tools of war. Passionate, determined to make sharpest and mightiest weapons. They cared not whose blood their creations would spill and how many lives they would take. All they cared about was the quality of their products and to improve." Kyuubi...wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She took a few steps forward and sat in front of War Tool, towering over him. She lowered herself, keeping her student closer to the blacksmith. "Oh, I get it. Kyuubi and Nightmare Moon are into crafting and smithing too." Lily cleared her throat and asked, "Anyway. Are you about an exchange of materials? You don't have any regular currency here, do you?" War Tool crossed his six hands and shook his head. "Currency? To what point or purpose? All that matters here is power, territory, the size of your army, and resources." He looked to the side and gestured with his right hands. "Other demons bring me assorted broken equipment and damaged golems, and I fix them. They give me trash, and I craft them works of art." He chuckled under his nose. "Of course, I get more materials from them than I use for repairs and crafting. Call it a fee for my time and my skills." "Oh, I get it. Sounds cool." Lily turned around and smiled into Kyuubi’s great blue gaze. "He doesn't seem all that evil. Maybe we can make friends with him." Kyuubi was once again confounded by the naivete of ponies, specifically by her fearless student. She felt as if Lily would not hesitate to have a tea party with a dragon that tried to eat her. Although Kyuubi could admit, she was hardly one to talk. Sure, she confessed to herself even demons could become tentative friends. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to jump straight into actual friendship after one single meet-and-greet. She wouldn’t exactly call Cunning a friend yet despite establishing he was an ally. Still, when compared to Desire, this one seemed on the harmless side. Or rather, he caused harm indirectly, supplying those who did with deadly weapons. If she were to be mad at him, she’d have to be angry at human and pony smiths as well. Someone needs to create knives for kitchens and axes to cut trees. The best way to counter this kind of evil is peace.  You don't seem hostile, just like Cunning. Are you a lesser demon by any chance? "Lesser? Nothing of the sort. I am a well-respected demon, and have long since earned my place." War Tool narrowed his eyes, offended. "I wage no war, nor have any interest in creating an army of my own, aside from a few assistants. My power comes from resources and influence. Demons like us are irreplaceable, and many owe us favors."  He calmed down, continuing in a more relaxed tone as he supported his back against the metallic table, keeping two hands under his head. "In other words, others do not touch us, and they all require our services. Though I admit that our customer base has become a bit...Stale."  War Tool gestured further into the room, or rather at the exit barely visible behind the numerous shelves. "I will tell you the same thing I told the night alicorn. Collect the hearts of the golems and valuable materials and trade with us, and we will aid you in your siege. We will all benefit from it." Kyuubi tilted her head to the side while Lily sat next to her ear. And you don't care that we will use your aid to exorcise this fortress from other demons. War Tool shrugged and shook his head. Are there more like you? I thought you all were born from evil souls. "Evil souls? That's one way to put it. A definition of evil can be that an individual is without common morals and selfishly pursues all goals no matter the consequence to others. Any soul that made us useful for war fit that particular bill. And I assure you, masters at manufacturing machines of war were of high value." Lily commented, "I see. So there must be demons who specialize in mining or tree-cutting too. Maybe even at transporting heavy materials." War Tool nodded. "We have those here too, though they are a bit rare. Our golems can do mining and basic labor just fine. Furthermore, tree-cutting on the moon? What an odd idea." He stood up from his chair and looked up, his hands on his sides. "But I believe that’s enough chatter, my future customers. Long story short, collect valuable leftovers and loot, and in return, we will enhance this sorry excuse for armor. Or give your bowtie a little upgrade."  Kyuubi raised her forepaw, holding it against her cherished bowtie, which barely stood out from behind her armor. My bowtie? How do you boost a bowtie? Kyuubi furrows her brow at the demon. War Tool raises an eyebrow or what qualified as such. "Are you serious? It is clear as night that the gem on your bowtie possesses powerful magic." He shook his head in disappointment. "Rushed work if you ask me. I can make it more practical for the right price. Or better yet, bring me rare materials for much better results." I will keep that in mind. Kyuubi closed her eyes and thought about her two friends, Twilight and Rarity. While the fashionista created the bowtie and supplied the gem, it had to be Twilight who empowered it. And all this time, she didn't notice. Mental note: once this siege is over, we should look into the properties of my bowtie. "Any tips on how to get valuable materials besides the golem hearts?" Lily asked, peeking from the top of the kitsune’s head. War Tool walked away, gesturing for them to follow. He leads them towards the exit while grabbing an empty two-meter wide bag. "The Demon Lord, our ruler, lives in the center of this fortress. High demons and the strongest armies reside near him."  He paused, stretching his hand with bag towards the kitsune. " In other words, the deeper you reach, the more valuable loot. Take this bag, free of charge. In return, when you meet the next blacksmith demon, tell him that War Tool sends his regards." Kyuubi levitated over the bag, looking at it with curiosity. After listening to Cunning and War Tool, there was much for her to think about. It’s become clear that this fortress was filled not just with enemies. ‘Any soul useful for war,’ she thought to herself. 'It means that not all of them are evil, and some may be redeemable. Some may even change sides and become allies.’ She shook herself and frowned. ‘No, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. There is no telling how much centuries of fighting corrupted their already flawed souls. First I need to learn about each demon. Only then can I judge them fairly.’ As she glanced at the double door, she looked at War Tool and rubbed the back of her neck. War Tool crossed his hands and groaned before leering at the larger kitsune, unamused. "Next time we meet, I will charge you extra for the broken walls." The demon waves her away as though physically trying to get her to leave. F-Fair enough. Kyuubi’s posture curled in submission as if expecting to be pulled outside by one of her massive ears. Lily could only snicker at the scene. She could easily switch out War Tool for a pony chastising Kyuubi for what would amount to the same reason. She was right. Practically friends already. Lily, may I have a moment of your time? The earth pony ran in an instant, leaping towards her mentor’s muzzle. As her head peeked from behind the large nose, she asked, “Yes?” An enthusiastic smile on her face. Compared to me, you may be an itty-bitty-tiny little thing, but your restless training made up for it a thousand times over.  Seeing a proud smile on her student’s face, Kyuubi smiled mischievously. Lowering herself toward the floor, she enacts her plan to ‘scold’ her student. Before Lily could react, the kitsune gave her a lasting lick that caused her to release the large nose and drop onto her back.  Kyuubi towered over her comparatively minuscule student and playfully lowered her nose down onto Lily’s barrel, lightly and gently pushing her into the floor. An image of Flutterbold in a similar predicament flashed in her mind, but now the size difference was superb. She ignored the taste of the pony on her tongue as she began instructing, Next time you wish to help me squeeze through an entrance or a hole, please do it gently. I would rather avoid repair bills when trading in this bastion. Lily blankly blinked before she gave the giant fox a toothy if awkward smile in response, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof sheepishly while still lying on the floor. She descended into hearty laughter as her teacher blew air into her barrel, tickling her. War Tool grumbled at the touchy display but didn’t bother objecting as he moved to get back to work. He tried his best to ignore the squeaky laughing noises of the little pony and ‘yip’ noises of the large oddly playful kitsune.  Part of him could not believe that these childish creatures could leave such destruction in their wake.