611 - Higher Ground
With a soft snapping sound, the bobby pin broke cleanly in two.
Nosey stared at the broken length of metal for a long moment, the lower half of which was now stuck in the padlock securing the chains wrapped around the handles of the factory’s rooftop entrance. The aura around her horn guttered out as she dropped the remaining half of the hairpin, licking her lips as she turned around to look at where Thermal Draft was tapping her hoof impatiently. “Okay, so as it turns out, picking locks is actually pretty hard to do.”
Putting a hoof to her face as she saw the condition the lock was in, the pegasus gave a strangled groan. “Great. Just great. I carried your fat flank all the way up here because I thought that maybe, maybe you were right about us needing to be covert. Instead, we’re wasting time playing around while Lex walked right into a trap!”
Flapping her wings, Drafty hovered an inch off of the roof, giving the unicorn a disdainful look. “You can keep playing Shadow Spade if you want to. I’m going through the front door!”
She didn’t wait for a response before taking off…only for her departure to be abruptly curtailed as she felt a sharp yank on her tail, the unexpected sensation making her squawk in pain and surprise, flopping back down onto the rooftop. Grunting as she picked herself up, she glanced back, frowning as she caught sight of Nosey’s telekinetic aura around her tail. “What’re you doing?!”
“Stopping you from making a mistake!” shot back Nosey. “The last time I ran into a dangerous situation without a plan, I ended up possessed, which resulted in you dying!”
Her rebuke had effect she’d been hoping for, Thermal Draft’s eyes widening and her mouth falling open. Seeing that there was no argument forthcoming from the pegasus, Nosey released her tail, taking a deep breath. “Look, I know you don’t like me, and I’m guessing it’s not just because of what happened when I…wasn’t myself.”
She let that hang in the air for a moment, and when Thermal Draft averted her eyes with a scowl, Nosey continued. “But you need to remember that, regardless of how you feel about the way things ended between Lex and me, you’re the one who asked me to come help out now, because you knew that my special talent might be useful.”
“And aren’t you doing a bang-up job of it so far,” muttered the chastised pegasus, glancing at the padlock again.
“I’ll admit I screwed up the lock thing,” replied Nosey evenly. “But what I said before about us coming up here still stands. Right now, we have no idea what’s going on in there, which means that our best chance of sneaking in and grabbing Feather Duster – which is how we can be most useful to Lex, since then he’ll be able to fight without needing to worry about rescuing or protecting her – is if we enter in a way the kidnapper isn’t expecting.”
“Even if that means we’re up here, taking our sweet time figuring out a way in, while for all we know Lex is fighting for his life?” huffed Thermal Draft petulantly.
The corner of Nosey’s mouth turned up. “Do I really need to tell you how many enemies Lex has triumphed over? If anything, I’d say it’s more likely that by the time we figure out a way in, he’ll have everything wrapped up.”
Thermal Draft snorted at that, but Nosey was relieved to see that there was a hint of a smile on her lips. “Alright. So how do we get inside?”
Nosey grimaced at that, turning back to the problem at hoof. “Yeah…I was kind of hoping that my speech would have inspired you to come up with something.”
Thermal Draft rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything, and several seconds passed as the two mares regarded the locked door in front of them, until the pegasus broke the silence. “What about making a key?” she muttered.
Nosey raised an eyebrow at the odd idea, giving her companion a sidelong glance. “What, you mean with magic?”
For a moment, Thermal Draft didn’t react to the question, only belatedly nodding as she kept her eyes on the padlock. “Yeah.”
Nosey frowned at how distant the other mare was being, almost as though her attention was somewhere else entirely, before shaking her head. “I’ve never heard of a spell that’ll just make a key to whatever lock you need appear out of thin air. I mean, maybe Lex knows one with that crazy magic of his, but I only know basic Equestrian spellcasting. I can probably get the broken half of the bobby pin out of there, but that’s it.”
Her ears flattening for a moment, Thermal Draft shook her head. “You’re right. It was a dumb idea.”
“It was worth asking,” reassured Nosey, though privately she thought otherwise. A spell to just make a lock out of nothing? Exactly what kind of magic did this mare think unicorns had?
“There’s got to be something else,” continued Thermal Draft. “Bolt cutters, maybe?”
“I don’t have any, and it’s not like there’s any just conveniently lying around,” sighed Nosey. “I hate to say it, but I think we’re going to need to find another way in. Maybe through one of the windows on the side of the building?”
This time Thermal Draft was the one shaking her head, finally looking at her again. “I saw them while I was flying us up here. They’re all triple-hung windows with lower-tilt latches, where the panes don’t slide up or down but instead have the bottoms push outward a couple of inches. The sort you install if you want to be able to unfasten them for cleaning or ventilation, without them opening wide enough that a tardy pegasus could slip inside when she’s late for work.”
Arching a brow at the unmistakably autobiographical note in the explanation, Nosey pursed her lips as she looked around. “Well, there has to be some other…wait…ventilation.”
“Huh? What about it?” Thermal Draft frowned, giving Nosey a confused look. “I already said, those kinds of windows won’t open widely enough-”
“Not that kind of ventilation,” interrupted Nosey, a grin forming on her face as she pointed the boxy metal protrusion jutting up from the far corner of the roof, one that – in her estimation – looked large enough to fit a pony. “That kind! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before! This close to the desert, every building has air conditioning, and even if this place isn’t being used anymore the ducts are still there! Come on!”
She didn’t wait for an answer, galloping toward the ventilator shaft, Thermal Draft following behind her.
Even before his wounds began burning, Lex knew that he was in serious trouble.
His initial estimation that this was a trap had been proven correct in the worst possible way. Despite not saying a word during the initial attack, his attacker had made that very clear. Worse, it was now obvious that whoever – or whatever – had attacked him had not only taken care to leverage the battlefield in their favor, but had studied up on him beforehoof.
The fact that he couldn’t change into shadow-form was proof enough of that. Although doing so would have robbed him of his senses, seeing how adroitly his opponent had wielded their daggers – easily surpassing what he’d seen Garden Gate do – had convinced Lex that the rapid-shifting technique he’d used against Starlight Glimmer would be worthwhile. From his perspective, it would make everything look like it was under a strobe light, since he’d be unable to see anything during each micro-transformation, but the same would be true for how his enemy saw him, putting them on a more even hoofing.
His surprise had been complete when he’d found himself unable to do so. Despite his ability to sense spells being cast in his immediate presence being muffled, Lex felt reasonably confident he’d have felt something if a spell had been used to lock him into place. Nor had there been any tell-tale signs of magic being used, whether in the form of a glowing horn or the sound of chanting. It was possible that her weapons had some sort of enchantment to form-lock anyone they wounded, but even if he couldn’t feel emanations of magic being activated, it was difficult to imagine that the highly-developed magical channels in his body – aided by the magic items he wore – wouldn’t be able to fight off such an invasive effect.
That left only the odd vapors permeating the building.
That was a hypothesis with nothing to support it, but without any further data, it was the least-unlikely theory that Lex could come up with. If the smoke was somehow interfering with his ability to displace his corporeal mass, or perhaps with the mode required to maintain an incorporeal form altogether, then there’d be nothing for his internal magical processes to resist; whatever magic the vapors had would be distributed throughout the local vicinity, affecting it rather than him directly.
Either way, he’d still strained himself notably on his failed attempt to shift back and forth between solidity and incorporeality, the result of which was that he’d fatigued himself for nothing.
Worse, he'd allowed his assailant to score a substantial hit on him, opening up a deep gash in his abdomen…one which, like the cut on his shoulder, was starting to sting badly.
Fighting down a grunt as he spotted a metal staircase hugging the wall of the building, Lex made his way over to it. But rather than ascending the steps, he instead moved under them, letting the stairs act as cover in case his adversary came flying at him again. They obviously had some way of seeing in the dark, which meant that they were likely observing him right now, and there was a very real chance that they’d want to prevent him from casting a spell…
But I’m going to have to chance it, Lex knew. The burning sensation in his shoulder and side were getting worse, but that alarmed him less than how the feeling was spreading to his chest. Already, he could feel his breathing becoming labored, having to struggle to force air into his lungs.
As much as he’d wanted to save his poison-retarding for when he’d found Feather Duster so that he could cast it on both of them just to be safe, it was clear to Lex that he no longer had that option. His enemy’s blades had obviously been coated with some sort of toxic substance, and even if it wasn’t lethal, he was already at a severe disadvantage several times over. He couldn’t afford to be impaired any further.
A few gestures and a short liturgy to the Night Mare were all it took to invoke the spell, and fortunately whoever had attacked him didn’t take the opportunity to do so again now. The result was that, when Lex pressed his hoof to his chest, discharging the spell, the burning sensation in his wounds immediately vanished, his lungs clearing a second later. Four hours, decided Lex as he took a moment to reorient himself. Maybe five, then it’ll come back.
The good news was that the spell would remain active until then, so any subsequent poison he was exposed to would be a non-issue until then. The bad news was that his enemy had numerous other weapons at their disposal. An invisibility spell. Some way of navigating in the dark. Obvious proficiency at flying.
None of those were beyond the reach of what Equestrian magic could do. But the anti-incorporeal vapors suggested a familiarity with advanced magical concoctions, and the combat prowess was indicative of a history of violence. There were few ponies who could claim all of those mantles, and most of them were the princesses whom he’d already defeated.
More disturbing was his foe’s disguise magic. Lex had never seen a changeling before, but that sounded like their signature ability. Then again, such illusions were child’s play for what the spellwork on Everglow was capable of. But if his foe was from that world, then the implications were far more disturbing…
Shaking his head, Lex put his speculations aside. Figuring out who was attacking him and why would have to come later. Right now, he needed to focus on rescuing Feather Duster and getting her out of here safely. That meant dismantling his enemy’s tactics one by one.
First was their ability to alter their appearance. That was an excellent way to get someone to lower their guard, but instead they’d broadcast it loud and clear by taking the form of the pony he’d come to rescue while she was in plain sight. Which meant it had been done with another intent in mind…
“Sonata, Aria,” Lex whispered, alternately hoping and dreading that they were in range of his whisper-spell. “Be aware that the enemy is using magic to alter their appearance. If you see me, say my name backward so that I’ll be able to identify you. I’ll do the same.” As far as codes went, it wasn’t very creative. But it would get the job done, at least until he ran across whoever was attacking him again.
“They fight with knives, use poison, fly, and aren’t hindered by a lack of light,” he continued. “Exercise extreme caution. If you find Feather Duster, get her out of here immediately.”
With nothing left to do, Lex cast the weak healing spell the Night Mare had given him on himself, keeping his eyes turned upward as he finished the liturgy and moved out from under the stairs, circling around to begin climbing them.
They let me cast two spells without interruption, as well as gave me enough time to try sending a message. That refuge wasn’t so secure that they couldn’t have attacked me if they’d wanted. Are they hoping that the poison would finish me off? He’d never had cause to use his spell to slow the spread of poison before now, so there was no way they could have anticipated that. But now that it’s failed, they’ll make another attempt soon.
When that happened, he’d be hard-pressed to defend himself. They’d all but danced around the black spikes he’d created; the only hit he’d scored had been because they hadn’t realized that his horn grew back. But there was no way that trick would work a second time…
His every sense on alert, Lex finished ascending the stairs…and stopped.
The catwalk he’d climbed onto spread out in three different directions, the stairs having come up at a T-intersection. Forward and back hugged the wall of the factory, while the perpendicular path went deeper into it. But that wasn’t what interested Lex.
Rather, his attention was held by the steel barrel placed where the path split.
More specifically, by how it had been perforated in several places, with vapor pouring out of the holes.
The sight made Lex’s eyes narrow. So this is where that smoke is coming from. Of course, it couldn’t be the only source of the stuff; this place was large enough that there had to be others to fill it so completely. But if he could snuff this one, and possibly others, then he’d be able to minimize another of his enemy’s strengths.
Which they had to be aware of.
Which meant that this was a trap.
Another quick look around still showed nothing nearby, nor could he hear anything, but Lex felt more certain than ever that he was being watched. But while the temptation to avoid the trap and keep looking for Feather Duster was strong, the chance to recover even a little of his options was one Lex knew he couldn’t pass up lightly. Being able to flicker back and forth between solidity and immateriality would be useful in the likely scenario that he wound up in another fight with his dagger-wielding foe.
Which means I need to risk it. But there’s no reason not to reduce the risk as much as possible, decided Lex as he backed away from the barrel, until it was just barely within the light of his horn.
Reaching out, he telekinetically grasped it, and when nothing happened, slowly lifted it upward, raising it high enough that he could see a wooden stand of some sort inside it. Cautiously, he raised the barrel further, until he could see that on top of the stand, there was an incense holder containing a single lit stick.
But what caught his attention more was the glass bottle – the inside of which glowed with stored lightning – next to it, sitting on a small mat attached to a string, the other end of which was taut, stretching upward as though it had been attached to the underside of the barrel’s top. And it was already raising the mat enough that the bottle was tipping over…
His eyes widening as he realized what was about to happen, Lex tried to lower the barrel, but it was already too late. Before he could stop it, the glass bottle fell, shattering as it struck the metal catwalk, immediately discharging its contents into the conductive substance and making Lex grit his teeth as the current washed over him painfully.
And in the momentary flash created by the sudden electrical burst, he managed to spot a dark shape swooping toward him, daggers at the ready.
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Whats in the box?
The cats in the box.
And what happened to the cat when someone curiously opened the box?
Mike Myers made The Cat In the Hat.
10879328 A macabre, though not inaccurate, analogy for what happened here. Just because you know something's a trap doesn't mean that you can avoid it.
Rube Goldberg would be proud and equally terrified of Dark Streak's traps which make sense due to their rudimentary but effective design. The assassin is certainly using the environment to their advantage though hopefully backup is close cause the shock probably stunned him momentarily, long enough for Dark Streak to finish the job.
If not, Lex might be able to conjure up the crystals as a last-ditch defense or at the very least, deterrent.
However, the one thing that's worrying is that Lex only knows that Sonata and Aria are nearby while Nosey and Thermal Draft being there is unknown to him so he might hurt them by accident. Which he will berate them afterwards...provided he's in a state where he can do so but given how stubborn he is, I would not be surprised if he still does it while he's on the verge of collapse.
10879441 Dark Streak is certainly proving herself to be frightfully effective in terms of staging a battlefield to her advantage. Since she presumably knew that setting up so much incense (necessary to cover the entire factory) would leave it vulnerable to being snuffed out, she seems to have set traps around them (since I doubt this one is unique in that regard). Moreover, she anticipated that Lex would likely realize that and keep his distance...so she set a trap that would reach him anyway, and chose that moment to spring.
Now, I'll add here that (as per the standard d20 System rules) an electrical shock doesn't inherently carry a risk of being stunned or otherwise incapacitated due to issues of how it affects your muscles. You simply take some hit point damage from the electrical attack and move on. While there are some electricity-based attacks with secondary effects in that regard, they're comparatively few and far between. Which is to say that Lex is probably not going to take a penalty to his Armor Class because of what just happened. However, he's still hurting worse than he was a second ago, and Dark Streak is coming in fast.
As for the mares approaching him, well...how he reacts to that remains to be seen, though as you suspect I doubt he'll be overly sanguine about Nosey and Thermal Draft doing something so dangerous. But just because he doesn't approve, doesn't mean they can't be useful, particularly since he could certainly use the help right about now...
How dare you cliff hang me like this, I thought there was something special between us :<
10882101 How about I make it up to you by posting an update before the end of the day.
10882102
I'll allow it.
XD
Serios though keep it up my man