Chapter 73: Vesper
So maybe Vesper had underestimated pony strength a little.
They were all so cute, particularly when they dressed up in little outfits. How could a creature like that hurt her?
But the pegasus stallion had been twice her size, and far less interested in her awkward attempts to distract him than she'd hoped. This was not how the fight was supposed to go.
Could a little pony stop her? The answer as it turned out was "easily."
Vesper lay on her side on the cavern floor, blindfolded and hogtied. She ached from a half dozen little bruises, which only got worse the longer she lay there. He probably could've killed me. The fight had been so brief she barely even remembered it—a flash of pain, a tumble to the side, and she was on her back, moaning. She barely even saw what they did with her. She wasn't in the cave anymore, she'd felt a ramp passing under her as they dragged her.
"I think we got off on the wrong hoof," she said, groaning. "Can't we talk this over?"
She heard hoofsteps, and someone stalked over. The next voice came from just beside her, hot breath against her ear. "Quiet, bat, or we'll gag you."
She squeaked, very quietly, pulling her legs a little closer to her chest. But she didn't argue. A gag meant taking her fangs away, and her ability to speak when she needed to most.
"That's right," grunted the pegasus. His voice was rough, like sandpaper against her sensitive ears. All and all, she would have to revise her opinion of being dragged around a cave by a much bigger stallion. Far less enjoyable the second time. "You are going to stay right here. We put out a message to Echo Caverns. We're going to find which clan you're from. You better hope they can pay the wergild."
She swallowed, curling up a little tighter. She reached with her magic—it was still there, being beaten up hadn't erased the tracker. Now if only they hadn't blindfolded her. If ever she needed to dream up something good, it was now.
"Stay still, and they'll get you in one piece," the pegasus continued. "Wouldn't want to hurt you. More."
She didn't move. Her mind raced with different things she could summon—a live grenade seemed like a neat idea, albeit a bit overkill. What happens when they find out I don't have a clan, and they won't get any money from me? She needed to get this stupid blindfold off if she wanted to summon anything, then...
A wave of heat passed overhead, along with a roar of sound that made both her ears press flat. She whimpered, scooting backward along the floor to get as far away from it as she could. Did I summon explosives by mistake? It would be hard to reconcile with Equestria if she left some security guards as dripping red stains on the wall.
The pony took off running from beside her without another word. More shouting sounded from nearby, and the ground shook under her. She tried to wait, but was far too anxious for that. Instead, she counted, slowly and carefully. The further those ponies got, the easier it would be for them to miss what she was doing.
Instead of a grenade, Vesper pictured a knife. She couldn't see it, but she could feel what it would be like, taped to the inside of her leg like a badass bond girl. She didn't need to throw it across the room into the villain’s head though, just...
She felt the weight of cold metal against her skin, as though it had been there all night. She twitched, nudging it a little further down her leg, and into the rope. She was still blindfolded, unable to respond as ponies shouted in the distance. Something broke, ponies' voices were lost in incoherent screaming. She ignored them all.
I'm not waiting for rescue. I don't know what side those ponies are on, but they might not be on mine.
The ponies had only organic fibers for their ropes. She could feel it fraying under her blade, though she could only push gently to either side. She couldn't move it far, or else being too obvious to the ponies rushing past her, or worse, cut into her own leg. She cut, biting her tongue as she moved it a little further...
The ropes groaned, then snapped violently open, freeing her legs at last. She remained still, waiting for the hoofsteps in the room around her to stop before reaching quickly up with one leg, pulling the blindfold off.
The room they'd picked for her had no lights, no furniture—it was really just a square cell in the stone with a door on one side connected to a finished hallway. There was nopony with her anymore, just ponies passing by on the other side of the open door.
Ponies were sprinting for their lives away from her. Shouts about an orderly retreat and a careful strategy melted into screams of abject terror. The formerly cool cavern was now swelteringly hot, soaking her through with sweat. Vesper did not have to wonder what might cause that.
She advanced on the doorway, wings folded sharply to her sides to insulate from the heat. She wasn't going to get caught unaware this time—Vesper was alert, ready to summon something at the slightest threat. She wasn't getting hogtied like an animal twice in one night.
Okay, so maybe this isn't quite going the way we planned. She stopped in the doorway chancing a look down the hall.
On one end was the heavy door leading into the caves. Or rather, it had been there. The door was melted right out of its frame, one section pooling on the floor and the other side warped by incredible heat. Wooden fortifications burned, filling the air of the cavern with dark smoke. A monster stepped through the haze, its mane made of bright blue flames. Blake’s clothes were a charred ruin, only a few faint black scraps clinging to his body. He didn't seem to notice or care, advancing through the ruin like a vengeful spirit.
There was just one problem—on the other end of the hall, a few ponies stood their ground. They had crossbows now, and a bolt went whizzing right past him, scraping the stone along the cavern wall. Blake didn't seem to care, responding with a breath of flame that warped the air around it. Vesper recoiled from the doorway, sheltering behind the door. It was so hot, hot enough to cook a pony alive.
If I don't do something, we're about to get the Equestrian Hometown Barbecue. Either that, or the defenders would get a lucky bolt into Blake somewhere he didn't have scales.
Another bolt smacked into his chest this time, denting sideways and showering the air with sparks. He recoiled, faint blue blood seeping from within—but the bolt hadn't penetrated.
On the other end of the hall, both ponies had dropped behind a toppled table, cranking feverishly on the crossbows. I don't think they'll take a full sixty seconds to reload.
"Frag out!" Vesper leaned out from the door, tossing something through the air with all her might. It didn't matter that it hadn't even existed until that moment—after tinkering with explosives for an entire day, summoning this was child's play.
The three thugs still defending their post stared in shock as the metal object soared towards them, dodging easily out of the way. Vesper curled up inside the hall, pressing her ears closed and covering her eyes with a leg.
Even so, the flashbang was so loud that it nearly knocked her on her ass, filling her with exquisite pain. She couldn't hear herself breathe, couldn't hear herself think anymore, and she'd been ready for it. But when she opened her eyes, at least the flash was gone. Those ponies were probably staring right at it.
She darted out the opening, and passed Blake slumped against the wall. His flaming mane had gone out, and there was a little flicker of recognition on his face. "Wasn't a... frag."
"I know," she said, dodging past him and the still-present heat. It singed at her tail, and might do worse if she stayed still. "I've just always wanted to say it." She could barely hear her own voice—it was more a rumble in her chest, along with a high-pitched ringing in both ears.
She approached the other side, where their attackers now lay in a twitching heap. From the look of it, they'd been staring at the flashbang the moment it went off. Their eyes were wide open, their limbs occasionally twitching.
Before she could second-guess herself, Vesper produced a rope from nowhere in particular, and went to work tying these ponies as she had been tied. She did it just as tightly, or at least she hoped it was. She didn't exactly have as much practice.
But if they recover in time to block our escape, we'll be screwed.
Blake approached from behind her. The dark creature was gone, replaced with the stallion she'd come to know over the last several months. Whether that was because he'd accomplished his goal of rescuing her, or because the flashbang had shocked him back to reality, she didn't exactly know. But she didn't care.
"Guess you didn't need my help," he said. At least dropping him out of that form quickly had another benefit: he hadn't completely exhausted himself with all the flames. He might still be useful. "Was getting the shit kicked out of you part of the plan?"
Her ears felt much better by then. Apparently some of the ponies did too, because one of them started to struggle. She didn't bother gagging him—whatever alarms the building had were already going by now. Blake had certainly taken care of that, even if her own infiltration hadn't.
"Not exactly," she admitted. "I'm glad you showed up. I couldn't escape with some idiot breathing down my neck the whole time. Please tell me you didn't kill anyone."
He looked down at the frightened guards, then back the way he'd come. "I don't... think so. I can't say I didn't hurt anyone. But ponies are tougher than they look."
She nodded, stepping over the struggling guards. She hesitated for just long enough to crush the winding cranks under her hooves, splintering wood and gears. Hopefully that would mean they didn't have crossbows pointed in their direction on the return trip. "It's the magic. For their sake, it's a good thing they have it."
She stared down at the most alert-looking of the guards, the one whose eyes actually tracked her movement. So they were recovering. Unfortunately one of these ponies was a unicorn; when that one could use his magic again, the others would escape.
"You should know: we're here because your mistress kidnapped our friend, a seapony named Kaelynn. We're going to get her back, then leave. If you're smart, you'll stay out of our way."
"And if you're not..." Blake added, leaning down over her shoulder. "If you aim weapons at us again, I won't hold back. Fire is a terrible way to die. I've seen it before—you never forget the screams."
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It's a good thing that Blake managed to help Vesper. I seriously doubt Morningtide has anything to counter Blake's anger since she never anticipated dealing with a furious Nirik if she evenknows about the existance of Kirins.
Meddle not in the affairs of kirin, or you will soon become crunchy. Ketchup is immaterial in this particular warning.
Still, that flashbang definitely ruined any possibility of doing this subtly. We'll see who else heard it and what results from that.
Thestral dream magic is insanely powerful... especially when paired with knowledge of things like C4 and Flashbangs... Geeze.
Why not conjure up something science fiction like a phase so you can just stun people?
Damn. Dream Magic + Nirik is one hell of an infiltration team.
Ehhh... 'infiltration' may not quite be the right word.
"Change of plans, ignore your original objective. Leave nothing alive."
11054323
Reminds me of one of my favourite RocketJump skits:
"This is a stealth mission. Leave no survivors"
XD
Good thing that last thug wasn't wearing pants. He wouldn't be able to change them right now.
11054286
Given that their primary adversary is a unicorn, I wouldn't be surprised if phasers are ineffective against magical wards. Of course, that also depends on how their stun setting is supposed to work.
11054419
Screw the stun setting. Use the disruptor setting--it would turn the table they're hiding behind into a fragmentation grenade!
T=0:29-0:36
Looks like stealth went out the window. At least for the cavern team. This is very fine.
They probably don't appreciate getting calls for clan-less bats even if they won't do anything. Though I'm guessing the closest contact Vesper can get is the not-bat Luna. I wonder if that might make Vesper interesting to them.
As oppose to yelling the infamous "MEDIC!!!".
To fry or not to fry... that is your question.
11054286
There seems to be an element of belief required in dream crafting so Vesper might be limited to what she perceives is possible in the real world. Movie gadgets seem plausible enough but sci-fi tech isn't. Ignorance might actually be bliss in this case. Or at least learning about new gadgets and new functions.
Still, depending on her grasp on science, she might actually be the first to create a computer that can actually "zoom and enhance".
11054332
"Stealth is optional for this mission."
Is it? Really?
11054474
The magic is definitely filling in the gaps, because I doubt Vesper knows how a flashbang works precisely. Or C4 for that matter. Hell, the 'tracker' likely wouldn't work at all through solid stone walls if it was radio based.
But you do raise a good point... Vesper knows these devices are possible and so believes in them working enough to summon them. But a phaser or the like is science fiction and she doubts it enough to make it not work. Clap your hands if you believe!
As for the stealth part of this mission? No one will notice if there is no one to notice...
Weregild: We killed your dude, here's some money so we don't keep fighting.
Ransom: We have your dude, give us money so you get him back.
You mean the latter.
11054516
Wergild is also used when one party has wronged the other one. I took it as the guards are saying that butting in here is a crime serious enough to require compensation.
11054476
Reminded me of this.
i.pinimg.com/474x/04/9b/50/049b508f3011bd9bc4fc3ba97c26d95f.jpg
11054286
Gotta know how something works before you can make it. Fictional weapons are either impossible or much harder because there's usually not much actual science involved in their design, or it's just much less familiar science/construction. A sharp piece of metal is simple. Nuclear fusion, not so much.
11054781
Ha! Pretty much exactly that!
11054760
The usage you are proposing does not match the usage of a wergild. You don't demand wergild - you offer it and hope that settles things down.
Moreover, that would not follow the etymology: were - person, like werewolf is a person-wolf. It is for crimes against a person, either severe injury or more commonly death. Trespassing just doesn't fit.
What we have here is a ransom demand.
11055027
That was my point? The guards are insinuating that the enclave would need to pay it due to Vesper doing the grave crime of getting lost on their property. The House is upset and would need a donation not to be upset anymore. A bratty noble house is throwing their weight around
And yes, wergild is traditionally only compensation for death of a person, but few fantasy settings have used it as a general compensation for an insult or compensation for other crimes or damages as well. Bribe or kidnapping money is a more accurate expression in this context, but do you think that a House acting on "legal grounds" would admit what they are doing is that instead of wanting compensation for breaking in to their territory?
11055168
It would be a stretch use-case weregild if one of the Echo houses had suddenly discovered that one of theirs had trespassed, and offered to throw money at the Shimmers before things could get out of hand.
If the Shimmers come to them, especially with their pony tied up, that's ransom.
11054816
Ch. 68:
The dreamer doesn't need intimate knowledge of how something works. Apparently they only need the belief that something will actually work. So technically, if a dreamer sees even a fake picture of a fusion reactor and believes it works, then they make one that actually works. But yes, hard sci-fi stuff is out of the question here because Vesper knows that tech is impossible.
11055168
The beginning of the chapter seems to imply Vesper threw a sucker punch when the "lost bat" routine wasn't working. A seemingly random bat randomly assaulting a guard would definitely qualify as an offense.
11055721
Huh. Point taken.
11055477
They only interpretation that makes sense to me considering the term is that this weregild would be offered to prevent charges in court, but a payment to the wronged party to stop it from reaching court is probably not the correct use of the term. That would also be different from ransom though so I'm not sure what you call it then.
11055904
In-universe, I think the most likely interpretation is just that the dumb guard misused the term. They have been known to do such from time to time.
To misquote a wizard of some renown: "Buck subtle."
This is going well.
Angry Kirin incoming.
The unicorn guard is going to be a problem.
11056029
Or he was implying that assault and injury to his person got a price - that's what originally wergild was - payment for death or injury