You have been selected by VanHoover's mayor to partake in the annual VanGoblin treaty. This year, the city of VanHoover will be taking a large amount of cake to the goblins, in order to maintain the uneasy peace with them.

You meet up with the caravan and they charge you with taking care of a few barrels inside a cart. Alongside you, there are some others also chosen to participate. It will still be a couple of hours till you reach the gorge, so you decide to pass the time by chatting.

Be careful though, some forest goblins from the southwest will be trying to steal the cargo! Keep your eyes peeled for them.

1367196
((OOC: Using Ami Tsukuda))
"I will deliver this cake, in the name of justice!" Ami says.
Her head then proceeds to fall off her neck, which her body just barely catches.
"Woah, that was close!" She says.
((OOC: I can tell you now, this will most likely end horribly.))

1367196
1367331
(OOC Character: Leaf Walker)
Leaf notices Ami's incident with her head rolling off and keeps moving, somewhat anxious about being out in the open of the roads rather than in the trees and brush along it as usual. "I presume that happens often?"

1368057
"Yeah, my head isn't exactly... attached." Ami says.
She puts her head back on and sits down on one of the carts.

1368057

1368079

((OOC: Using Nori Yellag))

"That is rather obvious, ma'am. Anyone with half a sense of medical knowledge, or shoe-making knowledge for that matter, would know how to properly utilize said head to attach the aforementioned head!" An old looking man hollered from above a tree, looking down at the caravan while eating a pine cone. "Greetings! I suppose you both are here for the completion of the treaty?"

1368079
Leaf smirks politely and tries not to stare, ignoring the peculiar sight of a head and body working separately.

1368126

((OOC: Remember to reply to everyone! I don't want to be ignored! ))

1368121
Leaf, surprised a bit at the stranger, looks up at him. "Aye, that we are."

1368144
(OOC Sorry. I didn't see that you had responded.)

1368121
Ami was slightly surprised by the new arrival.
"I've tried just about everything to reattach it but nothing really works, and yeah, I'm here to help with the treaty." She says.

1368126
"You can stare if you want, it's not really anything you would see any day so I don't blame you." She says.

1368177 1368150

The man frowned and tossed the pine cone away. "Good!" A smile crossed his features, as he jumped down from the tree. "That is very good! We will need as many as we can before the cake can arrive to the gorge! Tell me, headless woman, what is your name?"

The man then turned to look at the pegasus. "And yours? Who would you be, little pony?"

1368150

((OOC: Sorry forgot to tag you, look at previous comment.))

1368187
"Ah, my name is Ami Tsukuda, nice to meet you." She said with a smile.
She held out her hand.

1368177
"Thank you for understanding. Rangers see a lot of different things, but there are some occurences even we are not used to."

1368187
Leaf responds "Leaf Walker, at your service." He tips his tricorn hat.

1368214 1368217

((OOC: I'd recommend replying to both me and Kragor/Isaac at the same time and in the same context, as if you were writing a story, that way this becomes much easier to follow. ))

"Nice to meet you both!" The man said, ignoring both gestures. "Now, how much do you know of this cake? Has anyone told you whether it is... poisoned?" He whispered the last part, looking sideways in a suspicious manner, as if expecting to be attacked.

1368217

1368214

((OOC: Going AFK for a while.))

1368214>>1368242
(OOC Ok. Got it. )

Leaf looks slightly suspiciously at the man, thinking on how queerly he is acting. "Perhaps you should keep to your own business, sir."

1368242 1368347
Ami stares at the man suspiciously. "I... Don't think so..." She says.
((OOC: Going AFK too, setting up a livestream.))

1368347 1368542

((OOC: Alright! I'm back!))

The human stood up straight, looking at the pegasus with an arched eyebrow. "My business?" A frown formed on his face, his hand moving to stroke his beard. "Yes, my business! I'll deal with my own business, Master Leaf, which, as of right now, involve stopping a war!"

He then turned back to face Ami, his eyes narrowed. "Really? You don't think so, or do you simply not know? Because if you don't think it, it must be because there is a reason it can't be thought of, and if such a reason exists, then someone must have given it, no? But, if that someone happened to be lying, then the reason given would no longer be of value, and therefore, the thought would be erroneous, wouldn't it?"

The man looked sideways once again, and lifted a rock, peering underneath it.

"This isn't half good. We need to locate the main cargo of cake."

1368807
Leaf looks on at the stranger, perplexed by his ramblings and rapidly losing patience with his antics. "Listen, I have no idea what you are talking about with poison, but I suggest you stay whatever madness seems to have claimed you to the confines of your own mind. That sort of talk has a tendency of scaring people and we have matters to see to far more important than the babbling of a madman."

1368807 1368909
((OOC: I have returned!))
Ami is confused by the stranger's ramblings.
"Huh?" she says.
Steam starts coming from her head in a comical fashion as she tries to understand what he just said.

1369051
Leaf whispers to Ami out of earshot from the stranger, "Who the bloody tartarus is this... human?" He says the final word with a slight derogatory tone.

1368909 1369051

((Isaac, you stealthy dude! It's good, it's good. Carry on.))

Their secret conversation going unnoticed, Nori continued searching for apparent threats around himself, going as far as to search inside his shoes. Very nice shoes at that.

"Master Leaf, Ami, I can assure you, that what you believe to be true is but the enemy's joyful trap laid out for everyone!" He placed his shoes back on and searched inside his robes. "The goblins of Galloping Gorge are going to be poisoned as we speak, and that will unleash their angry, little claws on every single pony around these parts!"

He turned to face his listeners, smiling widely.

"And we are going to stop them!" He raised his hands up high and left them there for a few seconds, allowing them to drop down after a little while. "But we first need to locate the main cake for this! A baker friend of mine working in the VanHoover kitchen, has informed me that the cake is poisoned!"

1369191
Ami shrugs.
"I have no idea." she says in response to Leaf's question.

1369231
"How... exactly can we trust you?"
She asks Nori.

1369231>>1369283
Leaf, now genuinely concerned that this situation has gotten out of hand, subtly keeps his hoof under his cloak, not far from the crossbow he carries as a ranger. "She's right. We have no reason to trust you, and you appear to not be the most credible source, human, no offense. Now, I insist you allow us to be on our way."

1369283

1369454

Raising an eyebrow, Nori took a small step forward. He leaned down, not bending his knees, until he was face to face with Leaf. "Master Leaf, allow me to ask you a single question."

"If I were to be lying, and when we check the barrels there is no poison in the cake, and the whole completion of the treaty went undisturbed, and the goblins returned to the gorge with the food, then there would be no problem." He licks his lips and opens his eyes further, tilting his head to the side. "But! If we do not check the cake, and there is poison in it, and the goblins sent to get it die, then the goblin king inside Galloping Gorge will attack the railroads, and the whole of VanHoover will be left isolated for months.

Then, when the city is unprotected, bandits, orcs, and goblins would be free to attack it." The human tilted his head to the other side. "VanHoover has a small militia, and without the train, the army wouldn't get here in months.

So, which is the better scenario? Do we check and lock me up in a madhouse, or ignore me, and end up skewered in an orc camp?" The man said with a smile, nonchalantly picking at the dirt under his nails.

1369570>>1369283
Leaf is given pause for a few moments. Madman or not, this human has extremely sound logic, and what could be the harm in humoring a madman. "Very well, human. Check if you want, but make it quick. If we don't reach Galloping Gorge on time then none of this will have mattered anyways.

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Ami thinks for a bit, he does make sense... she thinks.
"I guess there isn't much harm in taking a look." She says.
She stands up.

1369610 1369647

((OOC: Going afk again ))

1369936
((OOC: M'kaykers.))

1369936
(OOC Copy that.)

1370013>>1369947>>1369936

((OOC:Using Fluff the barbarian))

PPUFPFPFFPFUUFPF!!!!(CAKKEEEEEEEEE!!!!)

1369610

1369647

1370143

"Aha!" Shouted the human, pointing at the fluffy creature. "What in the world have I told you? The cake was poisoned! This fluffy beast is an assassin sent to obliterate me, and stop my peace mission!" The man said, half shouting into the fluffy one's face. "I will not stand by it!"

Nori then stepped over the fluffy one, and walked toward the barrels inside the cart. Utilizing an incantation, he slowly opened the barrel with his magic.

1370143>>1370264
Leaf reflexively yanks the crossbow from under his cloak, leveling it on Fluff. "What the bloody tartarus is that... thing?"

1370264>>1370280 Fluff sticks out his tongue in an adorable way, begging for the cake. Big puffy puppy dog eyes bore through your skull, and into your heart, melting the coldness that it had developed over the years

1370264>>1370297
Hmm... The cute is strong with this one, Leaf thinks, starting to slowly lower the crossbow.

1370337 Fluff smiles and rolls over to leaf and gave a big fluffy hug

1370341
Leaf tries desperately to keep his outer deadpanning composure. Must... not... enjoy... fluffy... hug... he thinks to himself.

1370352 Fluff nuzzles Leaf and purred like a cat

1370370
"Umm... Pardon me, chap, but could you let go?"

1370370 1370377

((OOC: Guys, remember teh rules. Reply to everyone, and wait till replied back. Don't go off on your own, you leave the others behind.))

1370383 ((OOC:Sorry))

1370377 Ignoring Leaf, Fluff continued the hug

1370390

((OOC: We're waiting for Kragor now, no more posts till he replies.))

1370383
(OOC Sorry, Iron Galley Sky Jaguar. Question, though, what if Kragor checked out for the night?)

1370425

((OOC: Such a long name I've got... Oh well! If Kragor went to bed, then I guess we'll have to continue tomorrow, or as soon as he replies. Otherwise, he'd be left behind and unable to continue, since the next post of mine is going to alter the world greatly.))

1370435
(OOC Understood. Just curious as to what the procedure would be.

1370439 1370435 1370390
((OOC:

Sorry to keep you waiting!))

Ami wakes up with a jolt from her nap, causing her head to fall off again. "WOAH!" she yells.
This time around her body isn't able to catch her head in time.
Her head lands on the ground. "Ow, could I get a little help?" she asks.

1372901 1370439 1370390

((OOC: Yay! Kragor is back! Now we wait for everyone else.))

Seeing the commotion behind him, Nori turned around and left the cake uncovered. Arching an eyebrow, the human slowly stroked his beard.

"That's a very interesting head you got there..." He said, the beginning of an idea forming in his mind. "I think we-"

A loud snarl cut him off and made him jump, startled. The human turned around once again, only to discover something he'd rather not.

"Oh. Well, Master Leaf, Ami," He looked at the fluffy creature, and pointed a finger at it. "and whatever you may be... It would seem we have company." His eyes darkened. "Unwanted company."

About a hundred goblins snarled and growled. They shook spears and bows in their hands, threatening with hurling them at the small group. The goblins had wooden splinters piercing their earlobes, and their heads were covered in sticky tree-sap.

"Forest Goblins!"

1372932>>1372901>>1370425 Fluff the barbarian pulls out a large foam sword from the deepest layers of his magical fur.

PPPFFFF!(MAH CAKE!)

Fluff rolls on and defends the tasty cake.

1372932 1372946 1370439
"I'm a Dullahan you crazy guy!" Ami yelled, as her body picked up her head, dusted it off, and put it back on.

"By the way, what's that about Forest Goblins?" She asks.
She then turns around to see what all the commotion is about.

"Woah." She says.

Ami puts one hand her sword's hilt, and pulls her trusty bicycle out of the cart. (What, she can't exactly ride a horse, so it was next best thing.)