Chapter 31
Two piles of plates sat in front of us as we finished off the last serving at the same time.
“Got your ass!” I cheered as I jumped up, looking a bit bloated and wings flapping harder than before to keep me up.
“If by got my ass you mean coming in second, then yes you did!” She yelled as she stood and slammed a foot down on the table, striking a little pose. “Two for two!”
“Bull!” I yelled as I flew my face in front of hers. “I swallowed that last bite as you were just starting to chew!”
“I swallowed that last bite like a fucking duck! Straight down the gullet!” She retorted, getting right back in my face as we stared wide eyed at each other.
“Ladies please,” the tired cook said from the side lines. “There’s no need for this yelling…”
“Who won?!” We both snapped, turning our heads to him.
He looked taken aback, even a bit terrified, “it was hard to tell…” as we glared harder at him, he waved all of his arms in front of himself. “Okay! The horse slammed her plate down a fraction of a second faster!”
“Yes!!” I roared, throwing my hoof into the air. “One for one! We’re fucking tied!”
“A fraction of a second?!” Mallogory bellowed, causing the cook to jump back.
I kicked a plate into the air and smashed it into my face, yelling in victory, “yeah!! A whole fraction of a second!”
“Please don’t break my plates…” the cook said quietly. He slowly pushed an orb towards us. “The bill…”
Before I could slap it, Mallogory put her hand on it, paying for the food. “Now it’s two out of three, I’m back to winning.”
As she ran out of the tent laughing like a maniac, I stared dumbly after her.
“Hey!” I yell as I fly after her. “That wasn’t a contest! We’re still tied!!”
“Not by my count!” Mallogory laughed as I slammed into her, sending both of us tumbling across the dirt.
As we came to a halt, both breathing heavily, we began to laugh. Our strange display was drawing a lot of stares, but we didn’t care.
Mallogory stood up and held her claws out to me, “two outta three.”
I roll my eyes as I allow her to help me up, “you’re terrible at counting if you think it’s anything but a tie.”
“Agree to disagree,” she replied happily.
We then noticed all the eyes on us.
“Oh screw off,” I yell out as we both start walking again.
She made a strange gesture with her claw at the crowd around us.
We waited till we’d walk far enough away from the judgemental stares of the crowd before talking again.
“You’re fun,” she said. “I expected you to eat like a dainty little pony, but you eat like a bottomless pit!”
“I’m just as surprised that you kept up with me. I’m used to being the odd one out when it comes to food.”
“I’ll admit, you’re impressive. But I still think I won,” she chuckled as we walked.
“You can think that, but the third party already ruled me the victor,” I said as I stuck my tongue out at her.
“Doesn’t matter, I’ll be winning the majority of our clashes. You can have this one tiny victory,” she conceded with a sly smile.
“All I heard is you agree I won,” I teased with a smug smile.
She rolled her eyes and pulled out a little pouch from her pocket. Fishing around in it, she pulled out what looked to be bits of iron scraps. She placed them in her mouth and began to chew loudly, the metal crunching in her mouth.
“You eat metal?” I asked in confusion.
“Got too,” was her response as she continued to munch on them. At my continued stare, she chuckled, “Kejtdra have dense metal skeletons, we need to eat iron to keep it maintained.”
“That’s fucking badass,” I reply in a low, impressed tone.
She wore a proud smile as she pointed to her mouth, flashing her teeth, “these fuckers can chew through basically anything.”
I flashed my teeth, the Ego blades popping out of my gums and covering my teeth, “well these babies CAN chew through anything.”
Her eyes widened as she leaned in closer, “do you have Ego blades for teeth?!” At my smug nod she whistled, “that is literally the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Retracting the blades I smile at her.
“Now what’s your Ego?” She asked as we continued walking.
“Oh, I can shut off others' Ego, and I can transfer Ego around without using a soul jar,” I answered, getting a nod of approval.
“Can really screw with someone using that,” she chuckled.
“I know about your Thorn,” I say as I look at her cloth wrapped hand, “but what's your Ego?”
She got a smug look on her face, “Don’t have one.”
“Why not?” I asked in confusion.
“Who needs more power when you already have something as amazing as this?” she said as she flickered, going from being up right to being upside down, doing a one handed handstand. “Eh? Right?”
I rolled my eye at her, “That ability can take you far, sure. But you need to diversify your moves. Doing the same attack over and over again makes you predictable.”
She frowned as she pushed off the ground, performing a spin in the air and landing on her feet. “I stand by my motto of ‘one hit and done’.”
“What happens if you face someone who can counter it?” I ask.
“Simple, I just beat the shit out of them,” she says with a confident and cocky smile.
“That’s… a terrible plan,” I chuckle at her, causing her to fume.
“Well, I still beat you, so you know, bleh!” she stuck her tongue out at me.
I looked at her and stopped flying. “Okay then, how about a little spar? First to make solid contact wins.”
She smiled widely at me, “Really? You’re up for that?”
“Yep,” I said as I landed before her, the two of us squaring up. “I’m going to show you why you need to be a little more serious, and not rely on just a single ability.”
“When I win will you agree that I know better?” she asked as she flexed her claws.
“Sure,” I say back, smiling. “First one to land a hit on either the chest or head wins. You may start us.”
Mallogory rolled her neck as she looked to be limbering up, then she flickered. Even on just two legs, I easily dodged my head around her punch that appeared out of thin air. She flickered again as I deflected her reappearing fist with a wing, and then the next one as she flickered yet again.
I continued to block and weave around her attacks, easily telegraphing her moves. Finally the move came I was waiting for as she flickered and her leg came flying towards my face. Using both wings and my front leg, I caught her leg and sprang forward, slamming her into the ground using her leg as a lever.
With a twist, I threw her leg aside as I fell down into her, slamming my hoof into her chest. Her eyes went wide in shock as the hit connected.
Leaning down, a wide smile on my face, I softly spoke a single word, “Point.”
She groaned in annoyance as she sat up, looking very unhappy with the outcome. “I’m missing an arm, so I’m not at one hundred percent right now.”
I laugh loudly as I wave my two stumps at her and point at my cloudy eye with a wing tip. “You have no room to make excuses, I could legally be considered a cripple right now and I still beat you.”
Her frown slowly faded as she slumped her shoulders, then to my surprise, she smiled, “Fine, I see your point. MAYBE you do know a little more than me when it comes to fighting.”
“Good, the student is learning,” I say with a flip of my mane, giving her an award winning smile.
She just rolled her eyes and began to walk again.
Lifting back into the air, I flew after her, matching her pace.
“So,” she said after a few moments of silence, “I’ve been wondering, I skimmed that book that Lance guy wrote, and I saw how you were acting with that green pony, and I have to know. How are you connected to his book and everyone else?”
“That’s a long story,” I say with a light chuckle.
“We have the time,” she said, gesturing ahead of us. The tram station was still a bit away.
“Hmm,” I thought for a second. “Okay, but it’ll be boring for a bit till I get to the good stuff.”
“Hit me,” she said with a grin.
ooo000<^>000ooo
As we finally neared the tram station, I finished my story, ending right when I was taken to the arena.
“I’m still hung up on all the throat biting,” she laughed. She really enjoyed the retelling of the Queen’s demise, asking a lot of questions about it.
“If it works, it works,” I replied, flashing my teeth at her.
She laughed to herself a few more times as we entered the station and then the train itself. As we took our seats, she finally stopped.
“Now it's your turn,” I said, turning to her. “Why’d you leave your home and become a wanderer?”
A conflicted look fell across her face, “It’s stupid and boring, you don’t want to hear it.”
“I actually do want to hear it, so spill it,” I assure her.
“And it’s not as fun and exciting as your story,” she warned, but I just waved her on. “Fine.”
She turned to face me fully.
“I was raised by a traditional family, and was expected to carry on the family name once I got old enough. But I had a much older brother who liked to travel outside of the dimension and bring back stories for everyone else to enjoy. Obviously, the family looked down on him, but not me.” She looked to be lost in thought for a moment before continuing. “The stories he’d tell us, filled with strange creatures and amazing worlds filled with adventure. It heavily influenced me growing up, causing me to question everything around myself.
“Then one day he never came home, and the family wrote him off as having died. I spent years wondering what happened to him, and eventually I’d had enough of my family and their overbearing attitude. I was finally at an age where I could take care of myself, so I left. It took some time, but I eventually figured out how to leave my home dimension and enter the Plains.”
She held up her hand, looking at it thoughtfully. “As I was preparing to leave forever, a Roaming Scapils appeared before me.” At my questioning look, she explained, “Oh, Scapils are pillars in my world that can unlock one's Thorn. The drawback is that many who use them die, with only a few deemed worthy surviving and gaining their Thorn.”
“A power that only unlocks at the risk of death is a bit much,” I say, not thinking I’d risk my life just for powers… then again I was desperate enough once that I probably would have. I guess it comes down to your circumstances.
“True, but it can be so worth it,” she says as she flickers, changing poses just to show off. She then resumed her position in front of me and cleared her throat, “So now that I had my Thorn unlocked, I was ready to face the world beyond my own. And let me tell you, I’ve rocked this world.”
“Didn’t you get captured and thrown into a gladiatorial arena, made to fight for others' entertainment?” I asked with a smug smirk.
“Two things; one, fuck you. Two, yes, I did,” she gave me a playful shove as she continued, “I’m getting there. Anyways, I traveled around for a few years before I found out my brother had indeed died. Just another body in this endless plain of existence. Finding and killing his killer wasn’t that hard, since it was the police chief of a large town. After that, I didn’t have a purpose. So I just began traveling around, doing whatever I wanted.
“That is till I got tricked by a man in a bar and woke up in a cell in the Dome of the Dead. Hell of a hangover story probably,” she said with a shrug. “Fought in there for a year before I got my Thorn back, then went on a winning streak till I lost to Leem in the tournament.” She smiled at me suddenly, “Then you saved me and here I am, free to do whatever I want again.”
“And you’re wasting it following me?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Eh, you’re not that bad,” she admitted, slugging my shoulder. “Better than that Dome at least.”
“I have to ask now, how old are you?”
“Twenty eight,” she replied. “Kejtdra live up to about a hundred and fifty years, so I’m still pretty damn young in that regard. You?”
“Older than you, I’m thirty two,” I replied.
“Eh, only four years difference, so don’t think you’re hot stuff being older than me,” she replied after giving me another playful shove.
The two of us smiled at each other as the train rocketed down the tracks.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“You sure about this one?” Mallogory asked as we stepped into a tent in the middle of the market. “I mean, come on, there can’t be any quality prosthetics in an amusement park.”
I started to respond, but a salamander looking creature slithered into the room, a little hat on its head.
“AH! Customers!” it looked at our missing limbs, seeming overjoyed. “Customers with a need!”
“Hey, question,” Mallogory said as she stepped up to the large salamander, squaring up with him. “Do you sell junk, or is this stuff the real shit?”
“All real, all good quality,” the salamander said happily. “Need for fighting? General purpose? Maintenance work?”
“We need something we can use as normal limbs, no flair,” I said, not wanting an overly complicated body part.
“Keep it simple! Simon loves simple! Come come, sit and enjoy food. I draw for you!” he said as he ushered us to a couple of comfy chairs.
As we sat down, we began to pick up and eat the food before us, which was just simple sandwiches.
“THis is weird,” she commented, mouth full of sandwich.
“I’m getting used to it,” I reply, having decided that I’m just going to roll with the punches when it comes to how this place operates.
We sat there for a while, the salamander occasionally coming to us and looking us over.
“Sandwiches were good at least,” I said as we stared at the empty plate.
“He should have made more,” she commented.
“Drawings done, you will enjoy!” Simon said as he came back to us, holding up two very detailed drawings.
One showed a single arm with information all around it, pointing out every little detail. The arm looked just like Mallogory’s remaining arm, with no extra flair just like we asked.
Mine, however, was similar to Mallogory’s arm. Two legs that started like normal pony legs, but tapered off into a more Griffon style leg. Three claws on either leg that looked like they could retract down, leaving just a paw behind. Like the paw of a griffon..
“These new limps are better than original! They connect to brain, and work like normal body parts! Can even feel! Exciting? Yes!” Simon looked overjoyed as he looked at us, shaking the paper at us. “Feel like you never lost leg! Ego infused, so never be destroyed! You like?”
“I love!” Mallogory squealed as she looked at the drawing in glee.
I wasn’t as excited, since I’d prefer normal pony legs, but I had to admit, Ego infused limbs meant I could do a lot more with them. And the preexisting claws would come in handy.
“How long?” I asked, not caring about the price.
“Instant!” he laughed. “My Ego, can make anything as long as I have schematics!”
“Amazing!” Mallogory exclaimed. “Where do we pay?”
Simon raised his tail, which was holding a familiar orb. “Pay here!”
“You got it!” She said as she slapped the small orb.
I gave it a slap as well, causing Simon to swell with happiness.
“Please, sit down! I’ll begin!”
We sat down and he began to run around us, running his clawed hands over our stumps.
As I was about to tell him to stop, he leaned back, his Ego spreading to us. I felt a strange sensation as his Ego formed around my two legs, spreading down slowly.
Something felt like it was entering my stumps, but it didn’t hurt. Then I felt a strange snap like sensation in my head, causing my vision to blur for a moment.
“Done!” he announced proudly.
The cyan glow faded away from my legs, revealing very sleek and beautiful legs. They connected seamlessly with my flesh, looking like my skin had grown over the top part of the metal.
Moving them was the most natural thing ever, as I didn’t have to put any thought into it, just like my normal legs.
“Wow…” I awed in amazement, not expecting it to end this well.
Mallogory reached over with her new arm and tapped it against one of my legs. I could actually feel her through the metallic leg! Amazing!
Reaching over with my normal leg, I touched the metal, expecting it to be cold. But I found it warm to the touch, a very pleasant surprise as the prosthetics I’d been using were just hunks of cold metal that were uncomfortable to touch.
“You are now my go to guy for limb replacement,” Mallogory said as she shook his hand.
Simon pulled out a little device and placed it in her hand. “This give you my shops location! Use it to find me if services are needed!”
“Sweet!” she said as she pocketed the device. Flexing her new arm, she looked absolutely overjoyed with the results.
I hopped up and bounced in place a few times, loving how natural it was. No more pinching or tight fits!
After a few more pleasantries, we walked out of the tent, wide smiles all around.
“Alright! What’s next?” Mallogory asked with renewed vigor.
Pulling out the paper, I read the next task, “Have fun.”
“What?” She asked in confusion.
“It just says ‘have fun’,” I reply with a frown.
“There’s writing on the back,” she pointed out.
Raising an eyebrow, I turned it over, seeing tiny writing at the bottom.
‘Make your own adventure! Return tomorrow!’
“Why are they telling us to make an adventure happen?” She asked, looking mighty confused.
I frowned, knowing the answer.
Lance just can’t let this one go it seems.